By Michael GallagherShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberPrefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.Behind a breakout season from second-year quarterback Drake Maye (4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns, eight interceptions, runner-up in MVP voting), the New England Patriots peaked a lot sooner than anyone had predicted.
Maye led the Pats all the way to the Super Bowl before running into the buzz saw that was the Seattle Seahawks top-ranked defense.
With New England getting a taste of what winning is like again in the post-Bill Belichick era, the team made it a priority to build around Maye.
The Patriots cut leading receiver Stefon Diggs, who caught 85 passes for 1,013 yards, and our touchdowns last season. While talented, Diggs became a distraction toward the end of the season because of his legal troubles.
...The team promptly signed former Green Bay Packers wideout Romeo Doubs to a four-year, $68 million contract to be the team’s new No. 1 target. But most don’t see Doubs as a true WR1, which is why Garrett Podell of CBS Sports thinks New England should draft a legit top-tier receiver in Round 1 of the draft.
Podell predicted the Pats will draft Washington receiver Denzel Boston with the 31st overall pick in his latest mock draft.
“Denzel Boston is a tank who can line up in the slot and outside and blow through press coverage, and 2025 NFL MVP runner up Drake Maye will certainly enjoy having him to throw to in addition to free agency acquisition Romeo Doubs," Podell wrote.
...Boston has been described as a big-bodied, violent pass-catcher. He doesn’t shy away from physicality, and he welcomes contested-catch situations.
The All-Big Ten WR posted back-to-back seasons with 60 or more catches, 800 or more yards, and eight or more touchdowns. He totaled 62 receptions, a career-high 884 yards and 11 touchdowns last season.
A potential 1-2-3 punch of Boston, Doubs, and Kayshon Boutte, who had 33 catches, 551 yards, and six TDs last year, has much more upside than what the Patriots had last season with Diggs, Boutte, and Mack Hollins.
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