The Patriots, in an effort to weaponize their offense and give future starting quarterback Drake Maye some receiving talent whenever he takes the reins, selected two receivers in April’s WR-rich draft: Ja’Lynn Polk (No. 37 overall) and Javon Baker (No. 110 overall). The Polk selection in particular has been the subject of significant discussion among prominent NFL reporters and talking heads.
That has nothing to do with Polk himself. Rather, we heard early last month that New England, which originally held the No. 34 overall pick, had attempted to move up to No. 32 to acquire South Carolina wideout Xavier Legette. And on a recent episode of The Pat McAfee Show, former NFL exec Michael Lombardi said the Patriots were also targeting a different Xavier: Texas receiver and 40-yard dash record holder Xavier Worthy (video link).
The Bills, the original owners of the No. 28 pick, traded that choice to the Chiefs, allowing Buffalo’s playoff tormentors to add Worthy to Patrick Mahomes‘ arsenal. However, Lombardi says that New England was “in high-speed pursuit of Worthy” and “wanted Worthy badly.” Lombardi appears to suggest that while the Patriots made the Bills an offer for the No. 28 choice, Kansas City’s offer — the Nos. 32, 95, and 221 selections in exchange for Nos. 28, 133, and 248 — was more valuable than New England’s.
If that’s the case, one can understand why Bills GM Brandon Beane would have accepted the Chiefs’ proposal, especially since the Patriots and Bills are division rivals. That said, New England is firmly in rebuild mode while Buffalo has immediate championship aspirations and has been repeatedly thwarted by KC in its title pursuits, so handing the Chiefs a player that many believe could become Tyreek Hill 2.0 in Andy Reid‘s offense is a move that will come under plenty of scrutiny should Worthy live up to his potential.
In addition to Worthy, the Bills denied the Patriots a shot at Legette and flipped the No. 32 pick to the Panthers, who moved up one spot to nab the former Gamecock (Buffalo, which had a major WR need of its own, ended up selecting Florida State receiver Keon Coleman with the No. 33 choice that originally belonged to Carolina). After the Chiefs chose Worthy, five wideouts were drafted between Nos. 31 and 37. The Patriots had hoped to move toward the front of that wave, but after Legette went off the board, they stepped back by moving from No. 34 to 37 and landing Polk.
The receivers selected during the late first through early second rounds of the 2024 draft would be compared to each other anyway as their careers unfold, though the fact that multiple clubs were jockeying for position to select specific pass catchers within that window adds another layer of intrigue to those future conversations. At present, it looks as if the Patriots missed out on several of their top targets, but Polk has plenty of upside and may eventually make New England happy that it was unable to swing a draft-day deal with its AFC East foe.
Why not just trade for Lamb, Tee, J Jefferson etc. The proven WR’s looking for big deals now?
You accelerate the rebuild by having cost controlled talent for the extra year (had they drafted their WR in the 1st round). Two of those teams are looking at deeper playoff runs (Cowboys, Browns) and the other is a generational talent. Unlikely they could be traded for without setting back your team in draft capitol and other team assets. Again a rebuild and retool are different philosophies and clearly the Pats are starting from scratch.
Pats have a cost controlled QB for 4 years right now. Might as well pony up for a proven vet and use up the cap now. It’s what the Texans are doing.
Dallas: This is a walk year for Dak and McCarthy. Keep Lamb for a young QB; sure. But might as well get draft picks for him for a true reboot.
Cinny: Joe is overpaid because he can’t play a full season. Chase will be next for a mega deal for them. So trade Tee and they can get cheaper on the books.
Jefferson: Minny has a history of professing their love for WR’s, then cutting bait. Diggs and now 2 offseason saying they want JJ long term but no talks have happened. Now, Minny is like NE in terms of cheap QB & need to sign an expensive WR, but that hasn’t happened.
NE didn’t move the needle this offseason and has a rookie QB that needs help. Go get him real help. Why waste Maye’s rookie season throwing to nobodies?
My only argument would be that the Texans have a QB in place. Pat’s dont. You want to load up when you know you have your QB of the future. It looks like a bad investment when you throw money or assets at a WR when you have nobody that can throw to them.
After the Tyquan Thornton experience, I’d think they might be leery to bet on a skinny receiver with iffy play strength, especially since the two receivers they drafted and the other one they’ve been rumored to have been connected to are all much more physical.