Patriots Decision with Jakobi Meyers: Where WR Ranks Among Free Agents?
Jakobi Meyers was the best receiver on his team last season. This Spring he's about to be the best free-agent wideout in his class.
We've analyzed how the New England Patriots have a fork-in-the-road decision looming with Meyers, who is seemingly headed for a big payday. If he leaves, who exactly would be Mac Jones' No. 1 target in 2023?
While you ponder that scary scenario ... ahead of the start of free agency March 15, Pro Football Focus this week released its ranking of the Top 100 available players.
At the top, not surprisingly, quarterbacks Lamar Odom (Baltimore Ravens) and Geno Smith (Seattle Seahawks). But who is the first receiver listed? None other than Meyers, at No. 7.
Says PFF:
Meyers is predominantly a slot receiver but is certainly not just that, logging a little more than one-third of his snaps out wide. What he lacks in physical tools — his 4.63-second 40-yard dash ranks in the 14th percentile among wide receivers in PFF’s database — he more than makes up for with sharp route running and great hands. Over the past three seasons, his 3.1% drop rate ranks ninth among qualifying wide receivers, and at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, he can use his frame to make contested catches. His 63.2% contested catch rate is a top-five mark among all wide receivers over the same span.
The other Patriot to make PFF's list: cornerback Jonathan Jones at No. 27.
Meyers was the Pats' best receiver in 2022, more productive than free-agent signee Nelson Agholor and DeVante Parker, acquired in a high-profile trade. In a disastrous season that finished 8-9 mainly because of an abysmal offense. Meyers was Jones' most trusted wide receiver with a team-leading 804 yards and six touchdowns on 67 catches.
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