Last spring, before Troy Brown joined the Patriots coaching staff, before he looked like the front-runner to take over the receiver coach gig in New England, we had a chance to sit down with him on the Next Pats Podcast and discuss the receiver roles within the team's offense. The body types and skill sets associated with each are different. And because Bill Belichick's roster could use both inside and outside players, we'll lay out both boundary and slot options who look like Patriots "prototypes."
The average outside-the-numbers player Belichick has drafted in the first four rounds has a 40 of about 4.38 seconds, about a 6.87-second three-cone, approximately a 36.5-inch vert, in the range of a 124-inch broad and close to a 4.21-second short shuttle. In short, freaky athletes. None have measured shorter than 5-foot-11 or lighter than 198 pounds. N'Keal Harry was a bit of an outlier last year, not just because he was the first receiver Belichick selected in the first round in his tenure as head coach in New England. Harry's 40 time (4.53) was a shade slow compared to other wideouts Belichick has drafted, but at his size (6-2, 228), that was impressive. And his explosiveness was elite (38.5-inch vertical, 122-inch broad).
The average slot Belichick has drafted is a little slower (about a 4.46-second 40) and a little less explosive (36-inch vertical, 118-inch broad). But the average slot is also quicker (6.76-second three-cone, 4.06-second short shuttle). None have measured shorter than 5-8 or 184 pounds.
Let's get to the options in this year's class...