Patriots No. 1 WR? DeVante Parker Making Case
FOXBORO — The pleas could be heard from Cape Cod, Massachusetts to Aroostook County, Maine.
“We want a wideout,” was becoming a rallying cry for fans of the New England Patriots throughout the fandom’s universe.
Well it appears that Bill Belichick had one card left up the sleeve of his cut-off hoodie when the Patriots acquired receiver DeVante Parker from the Miami Dolphins.
In April, the Patriots secured Parker’s services, via a rare intra-divisional trade with their AFC East rivals. New England sent a third-round selection in the 2023 draft to the Dolphins, in exchange for Parker and a fifth-round selection in 2022. In doing so, the team hoped to have gained a true vertical presence on the perimeter, capable of winning his matchups both on the outside and downfield.
Though five training camp practices is far too small of a sample size to provide a thorough evaluation of his potential in New England, Parker already appears to have the necessary intangibles to instantly make an impact on the Patriots passing offense.
“I’d say it’s going pretty good,” Parker told reporters on Monday about his experience in New England, thus far — particularly regarding his growing chemistry with Patriots quarterback Mac Jones. “There’s always something we could work on, but right now I’d say it’s going pretty good.”
Parker has arguably been New England’s top option at the receiver position throughout training camp; frequently on the receiving end of some crowd-pleasing connections with Jones. On Monday, made a near 50-yard touchdown catch over Pats’ cornerback Malcolm Butler during competitive one-on-one drills.
Simply put, the 29-year-old has seemed quite at home in the Patriots offense.
After all, it is a system with which Parker already has some familiarity. His most productive season came in 2019, while playing under former Patriots coaches Brian Flores [head coach] and Chad O’Shea [offensive coordinator] with Miami. During that campaign, he compiled 72 catches on 128 targets for 1202 yards, and nine touchdowns.
Parker is the type of receiver who can thrive in New England’s timing-based offense. At 6-3, 219-pounds, the Louisville product has the size and toughness to make contested catches, while giving Jones a viable red zone target at the receiver position. In addition, Parker is particularly adept at gaining yards after the catch, a trait which Jones values in his receivers. The new Pats wideout has averaged 14 yards-per-reception throughout his career. In fact, he has never averaged fewer than 11 yards-per-reception in any of his seven seasons in the league. If he can replicate that type of production, Parker will prominently factor into the Pats offensive game plan for 2022.
Though his 2021 season was interrupted by hamstring and shoulder injuries, Parker is eager to demonstrate his toughness and physicality. With padded practices now underway, he will more frequently get the chance to do so. Still, he acknowledged on Monday that the presence of pads will not significantly alter his approach.
“I’m a big physical receiver, so pads ain’t nothing to me,” Parker said. “I’m going to come out and play physical regardless.”
Parker is joined by rookie Tyquan Thornton, Jakobi Meyers, Nelson Agholor, Kendrick Bourne, Kristian Wilkerson, Lil’Jordan Humphrey, and Tre Nixon on New England’s wide receivers depth chart.
