5 storylines to watch heading into training camp
1. Can N'keal Harry be No. 1 wideout?
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The New England Patriots selected a wide receiver in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. This marked the first time the team selected a wide receiver that early since Bill Belichick took over as head coach of the team in 2000. Makes you think that the team thinks awfully high of the former Arizona State wideout and with good reason.
In three seasons at ASU, Harry put up 213 receptions, 2889 yards, and 25 total touchdowns.
Harry provides a big, athletic target for Brady as he stands at 6'2", 228 pounds. At the combine, he tested extremely well posting a 4.53 40 yard dash, 38.5-inch vertical and managed to put up 225lbs 27 times. The number that should stand out to you is the 38.5 inch vertical.
With Rob Gronkowski's retirement, Harry will look to be the go-to target in the red zone as he is more than capable of winning those jump ball battles.
With Julian Edelman sidelined for the majority of training camp and Demaryius Thomas opening the season on the PUP, Harry will get his fair share of reps this preseason.
2.) Isaiah Wynn's health
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Isaiah Wynn was expected to play a major role in his rookie season in 2018. That was before he injured his Achilles in just the second preseason game against the Philadelphia bringing his rookie season to a close.
There were concerns that Wynn would not be ready to go for the start of the 2019 season but those rumors have since been put to rest.
Offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia spoke very highly of Wynn this offseason and expects him to be the anchor that this group so desperately needs after the departure of Trent Brown via free agency.
If Wynn is truly healthy then there is no reason he can't be the player the Patriots envisioned him being when they selected him with the 23rd overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
3.) Who starts at tight end Week 1?
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The tight end position is arguably in it's weakest state since 2003. With the addition of Lance Kendricks, New England's tight end group consists of Ben Watson, Matt LaCosse, Stephen Anderson, Ryan Izzo, Andrew Beck, and Kendricks. None of those tight ends produced more than 500 yards receiving yards in the 2018 season. Four of them didn't appear in an NFL game in the previous season.
It's obvious why this position has been the most talked about heading into the 2019 season. The best tight end in NFL history walked away from the game leaving a 6-foot-6, 265-pound hole in the Patriots' offense.
New England will likely turn to a combination of three or more of these players to make up for the loss of the future Hall of Fame tight end. Anderson may be the most polished receiver in the group, but he struggles as a blocker in the run game.
With Watson serving a suspension Week 1, it will be interesting to see who the Patriots line up at the Y position when they open up against the Pittsburg Steelers at home. The early favorite is LaCosse, but camp could quickly change that.
4.) Is Jarret Stidham Tom Brady's successor?
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So New England finally drafted Brady's successor. Or did they?
Jarrett Stidham had a lot more hype surrounding him after his 2017 season compared to his 2018 season. A lot of scouts said that his draft stock took a major hit in his junior campaign. While scouts expected him to take a step forward with more experience, he failed to look like the player that brought Auburn within a win of making the College Football Playoff.
I am not as high on Stidham as others, as his dip in production is definitely a cause for concern. His completion percentage dropped 6 points from his sophomore to junior season, and at times did not look like an NFL QB. You want your Quarterback to play his best football in big games, and Stidham was not up for the challenge in his junior season.
Against LSU, Stidham only completed 16 passes on 28 attempts for 198 yards, 1 TD and two INTS. Against Alabama, he was 13 for 30 throwing for 127 yards, one TD and an interception. Those completion rates are not what you would expect to see out of a future NFL Quarterback.
That being said, the Patriots view Stidham as a developmental project who can learn behind Brady for the next two years or so. It will be interesting to see how this "project" looks in the early stages of his career.
5.) Can Jamie Collins return to All-Pro form?
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New England agreed to terms with LB Jamie Collins this offseason bringing him back to the team that originally drafted him in 2013. The former second-round pick was traded by the Patriots in 2016 to the Cleveland Browns for a conditional 3rd round pick.
At first, many fans and players were shocked by the trade. Collins was coming off a strong year after being named second-team All-Pro, and New England was in the middle of a Super Bowl run. How could Belichick trade away an All-Pro LB for just a 3rd round pick?
Well if you recall, the Patriots ended up winning the Super Bowl that year and won another one two years later. Collins, on the other hand, was, for the most part, a disappointment for the Cleveland Browns. The team inked Collins to a 4 year $50 million contract that included $26.40 million guaranteed, a contract that New England would have never awarded him. Collins failed to live up to expectations during his Browns tenure which caused the team to release him at the end of this past season.
During his Browns tenure, Collins did not look remotely close to the player that was named a second-team All-Pro in the 2015 season. There was a reason the Patriots traded him, and a reason he had remained unsigned for a good part of free agency.
That may have been in result of reports of him "roaming" and being out of position, or how he graded out pretty poorly in his past two season withs Browns per Pro Football Focus (82nd among LB's in 2017 and 58th in 2018).
Can the Patriots coaching staff turn Collins into the player he once was?
We'll have an early indication from training camp.
