Could Jakobi Meyers be next UDFA to make Patriots' 53-man roster?
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - When you take a deeper look at the wide receiver position for the New England Patriots, there are a lot more questions than there are answers.
Is Josh Gordon going to be reinstated at some point this season? Will Demaryius Thomas be able to work his way off the PUP after tearing his Achillies just eight months ago? Is Julian Edelman going to be ready to go Week 1 after suffering an injury to his thumb?
With those three key receivers status' up in the air, the current wideout group in training camp consists of N'keal Harry, Phillip Dorsett, Maurice Harris, Braxton Berrios, Dontrelle Inman, Jakobi Meyers, Ryan Davis, Damoun Patterson, Gunner Olszewski, and special teams ace Matthew Slater.
The only three wide receivers on the team that appear to be roster locks are Edelman, Dorsett and first-round pick, Harry. You can throw Slater in there if you want as he is listed as a WR, but in reality, he has caught only one ball over the course of his 11-year career.
Gordon's future remains in the air and it appears that Thomas may be a candidate to start the season on the PUP list.
Because of the current uncertainty at the position, there might be two or three roster spots at wideout that are up for grabs headed into the 2019 season. Undrafted rookie free agent Jakobi Meyers is a player that should contend for one of those spots.
Although we're only a day into training camp, it appears that Meyers is already making a name for himself early on.
Great sign for Meyers to already be reaping praise from the best quarterback to ever lace them up.
Now if Meyer's is so great why did he go undrafted in the 2019 NFL Draft?
Well coming out, there were knocks on his top-end speed as he posted a 4.63 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. He also posted a poor time in the three-cone drill (7.07) that placed him in the bottom half of the receiver group.
Meyers also struggled with press-coverage over the course of his career at NC State which helped contribute to his fall out of the 2019 NFL Draft.
With that being said, Meyers had a productive enough senior season that you would have thought he would have been drafted in the 6th or 7th round. During his senior season, Meyers caught 92 balls for 1047 yards and four scores. He exhibited exceptional jump-ball ability throughout his career and backed it up at the combine with a 37.5 inch vertical.
Meyers also showed the willingness to catch the ball in traffic. Something softer receivers tend to shy away from.
The Patriots have had an undrafted rookie free agent make the roster in each of the past 15 seasons. Look for Meyers to try and extend that streak in 2019.
