Patriots' Mid-Round WR Options in NFL Draft

It’s fair to say the New England Patriots greatly improved as a football team through free agency.

On defense, no doubt. Offensively? That's another story.

Outside of the three-year deal signed by superstar receiver Stefon Diggs last week, and a tall, capable boundary-type in Mack Hollins, New England still has to build the left side of the offensive line, and add a threat on the outside to complement Drake Maye’s exciting new (but aging, to be fair) four-time Pro Bowler inserted primarily in the slot.

So, how will New England maneuver its draft picks later this month? The consensus suggests the first round will play out in one of the following ways for New England:

#1 - They snag Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter if one or the other is available at number four.
#2 - New England selects an offensive lineman like Will Campbell or Armand Membou.
#3 - They trade lower into the first round where the Patriots still likely address the offensive line on Day One, with an outside shot at a defensive lineman like Mason Graham.

Essentially, unless it’s the Heisman winner, the belief is that New England will spend the second-round pick (#38) or one of the third-rounders (#69, #77) on a receiver. But who will be available?

Count this handful of pass-catchers out:

Citing five popular and recent mock drafts this morning, Hunter, Tetairoa McMillan (Arizona), and Matthew Golden (Texas) had been selected before New England’s 38th pick in all five projections.

Also selected ahead of that early-second-round pick were Emeka Egbuka (OSU) and Luther Burden III (Mizzou) in four of the five cited mocks.

Taking a conservative approach, all five receivers named above were omitted from the following rundown of receivers that should be available to New England at No. 38. Of course, if they wait until Pick 69 or Pick 77, the group below would be further depleted.

Jaylin Noel (Iowa State)

2024: 80 receptions for 1,194 yards and eight touchdowns.

Although Jaylin Noel (5-10, 184) ranks high at the position, he should primarily play in the slot. Given the makeup of New England’s receiver room, that fit isn’t ideal. However, a vertical threat is a vertical threat, and Noel is certainly that. He’s as skilled in tracking and completing deep balls as he is fast (4.39). His profile may not be ideal, but he could be available in the third round.

I like Iowa State WR Jaylin Noel more every time I watch him

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— Steve Palazzolo (@StevePalazzolo_) March 26, 2025

Jayden Higgins (Iowa State)

2024: 87 receptions for 1,183 yards and nine touchdowns.

Noel’s Iowa State teammate, Jayden Higgins is all kinds of intriguing. This is a 6-4, 215-pounder with field skills in a boundary body. He’s excellent in manipulating defensive backs in his routes, and he clocked a 4.47 and a 39-inch vertical at the combine. If you’re New England and you’ve drafted a tackle first, and an edge rusher at #38, do you package a third-round pick with another to move up and grab Higgins?

Tre Harris (Ole Miss)

2024: (Limited to eight games) 60 catches for 1,030 yards and seven touchdowns, and through 32 outings over the last three seasons, he recorded 179 catches for 2,950 yards and 25 touchdowns.

Basically, no one could slow Tre Harris down. A physically strong, aggressive receiver at 6-2, 205 pounds, he can consistently outmuscle you, he will beat you with finesse, and his ball skills, even in highly difficult situations, are almost comically impressive. His 4.54 won’t blow you away, but it’s his complete game with legitimate boundary and field elements that overwhelmed opposing cornerbacks over the last few years.

Should the Saints be looking at WR Tre Harris from Ole Miss in the draft?

Harris is a Louisiana native who started his career at LA Tech before putting up 2,015 yards and 15 TDs in 2 seasons with the Rebels.
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— Barstool NOLA (@BarstoolNOLA) April 2, 2025

Jack Bech (Kansas State)

2024: 62 catches for 1,034 yards and nine touchdowns.

This guy is very skilled in traffic, in creating space, and he often proved he could accelerate late in the route to create opportunities. After the catch, he’s extremely eager with the football. Jack Bech’s deep-ball speed isn’t really there, but he’s skilled in tracking the football while crossing routes are where he’ll make his money among a strong overall intermediate game.

Xavier Restrepo (Miami)

2024: 69 catches, 1,127 yards, and 11 touchdowns

Yes, Xavier Restrepo - Cam Ward’s go-to guy the last two years - is a slot receiver by trade at 5-10, 205. No, that doesn’t perfectly meet New England’s need. However, it’s impossible to overlook his back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, his explosive route skills, the sure-handedness and acrobatic catches. At the end of the day, he’s much more Julian Edelman than Stefon Diggs in style because he lacks that extra gear you always hear about. That should confine him to the slot. However, it’s also true that Diggs is coming off a torn ACL and he’ll turn 32 this year. Just sayin’.

Elic Ayomanor (Stanford)

2024: 63 catches, 831 yards, and six touchdowns

Remember that receiver who served Travis Hunter a beating, almost single-handedly pulling off Stanford’s shocking 46-43 comeback win in double overtime (after trailing 29-0 at halftime!). It was back in 2023. It was Elic Ayomanor came out of nowhere and topped 1,000 receiving yards that season. He looks and plays larger than his 6-2, 206 listing. Combined with his 4.4 combine speed and strong-willed nature in fighting for the football, he could go very early in Day Two or he could fall into the third or fourth round. It’s tough to tell, but Ayomanor may represent dice worth rolling in the second or early-third-round.

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