Patriots Can Fill Dire Need With Historic Iowa WR

INDIANAPOLIS — If you look at Iowa Hawkeyes wide receiver and return man Kaden Wetjen and think, "Hey, he reminds me a little of former Iowa and New England Patriots wide receiver Tim Dwight," there's a reason for that.

Wetjen — pronounced "wee-gin" — has made a livelihood of following in the Iowa legend's footsteps, watching film on the great return man. Dwight, the man who's name is on the Big Ten's yearly return specialist award (given to Wetjen the last two seasons), is gospel to the young wideout hoping to channel some of that same aggressiveness.

But there's a line between being fearless and being overly aggressive, and Wetjen (two career kick return touchdowns, four career punt return touchdowns) knows that. The Iowa record holder for return scores needed to figure out where that line was himself.

"Early in my career, I kind of had to try to draw that line myself," Wetjen said at the NFL Combine. "Growing over the years and understanding that you don't have to return every single one, even if it's a bad situation, to get a couple yards. ... I was lucky enough to have coaches that had trusted me to make my own decisions."

The short slot receiver originally didn't end up playing high-level college football. Right out of high school, he attended Iowa Western Community College before opting to transfer to Iowa as a walk-on. That decision paid dividends for the now-All American and back-to-back winner of the Jet Award, given to the nation's top return specialist.

He draws inspiration from the return guys that succeeded in the NFL, including Dwight (who spent one seasons in New England near the end of his career) and Devin Hester. He has vivid memories of Super Bowl highlights, whether it was Hester's opening kickoff return to start Super Bowl XLI with a bang, or Julian Edelman's fingertip grab for New England in Super Bowl LI.

Feb 5, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman (11) makes a catch against the Atlanta Falcons during the fourth quarter during Super Bowl LI at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

"I used to watch Julian Edelman all the time, and kind of try and model my game after him with similar body types," Wetjen said. "Just seeing how teams are using slot receivers now, it's becoming more common, which is good. You don't really have to be the biggest guy to be a big factor in the offense, so just watching that and seeing how that has really changed in the NFL has been awesome."

His offensive output won't make anyone's eyes pop (he caught just 20 passes this past year), but his versatility is what makes him unique. Whether it's lining up at the slot, or playing outside or running back, the 5-foot-9 Wetjen has accepted the fact that he can be a unicorn in today's NFL.

And the thing is, he knows his offense isn't what got him to Indianapolis for the Combine. It was his ability on special teams that propelled him to the East-West Shrine Bowl before being invited here.

"I Used To Watch Julian Edelman All The Time"

The Patriots have a need at kick returner, and a dire one at that. Other than early season success — TreVeyon Henderson's kick return in the preseason, and Antonio Gibson's in Week 2 the kick return game was severely lacking for New England. Gibson was just released this week, suffering an ACL tear that sidelined him for the end of last season. Once he went down, it had become a revolving door at the position.

Kyle Williams took his crack at it, Efton Chism was also back there, and so was D'Ernest Johnson. Nothing became a sticking point, and the Patriots have to look elsewhere to truly find a difference maker at that spot.

"I think that’s an area that we could certainly improve," Patriots executive Eliot Wolf told reporters at the Combine. "As we adjust and every team adjusts to the new rules, different things like our blocking needs to kick up a notch. I think part of that would be have an explosive returner that can be back there. ... We’ll look to try to improve that as well."

That's when Wetjen can come into play.

"I watched a decent amount of clips since we got out of the bowl game," Wetjen said on his knowledge on the NFL's dynamic kickoff. "It's going to be a little transition, but I just like the fact that the returners get more of a chance now."

New England Patriots wide receiver Tim Dwight — Sep 25, 2005; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; New England Patriots #86 Tim Dwight returns a kickoff in the third quarter against Pittsburgh Steelers kicker #17 Chris Gardocki, who forces him out of bounds at Heinz Field. The Patriots beat the Steelers 23-20. Mandatory Credit: Photo By Matthew Emmons- Imagn Images | Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images

Wetjen's speed is off the charts, and his 40-yard dash time should be among the fastest in the entire class of rookies at the Combine. He credits that speed to his family's genetics and hopes that he can help an NFL team in any possible way.

"I think just the ability to use my speed to get away from defenders and create separation," Wetjen said on what he thinks stands out about his receiving talents. "I hope people saw that at the Shrine Bowl, just kind of trying to showcase my skills there."

The Patriots wouldn't need to spend a lot to get the legendary returner. He's currently projected around the sixth or seventh rounds, while others think he could slip through the cracks and become a high-priority free agent if undrafted.

Wetjen wants scouts to know that he'll be able to make a instant impact, no matter where he ends up.

"I know that I can make an immediate impact in the league at the return game," he said. "Having that mindset and just trying to do both, it just makes yourself more valuable as well."

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