A Clare Perspective: Missing Julian Edelman… I Mean, A Look At Possible Patriots Slot Receivers

Julian Edelman may be rather irreplaceable along the lines of Tom Brady and Robert Gronkowski but whilst I cry into my coffee over the fact that number 11 this year will not be Jules, let’s have a look at who might kinda sorta replace him.

It’s not much of a secret that Coach Bill puts plenty of onus on the three-cone drill at the combine, and you can see why. This agility testing sequence has players darting around cones in a right-angle formation. A great way to see how fast and smoothly a player can change direction – key receiver skills.

Although not invited to the combine, Julian put out a 6.62 second time at the Kent State pro day. And this translated well into his career as Edelman was awesome with running sharp change of direction routes underneath the defense. He was difficult to cover with his skill set being difficult to replicate. Edelman was all about starting and stopping, changing direction, precisely why he was known as the squirrel! 

At this stage, the more obvious “replacement” could be the recently signed free agent Kendrick Bourne, who ran a 6.73-second three-cone drill at his combine back in 2017. Bourne has position versatility and has previously shown he can move around formation without issue. In 2020, the 49ers used him in the slot for over 40% of his plays, and whilst over 57% he played on the outside, the Patriots signed Nelson Agholor who may cover some of those outside plays instead, and with his speed, Agholor is primed to be a deep ball threat.

Now, that’s not to say Kendrick is definitely going to make the 53 man roster but it’s pretty certain considering he was just signed to a three-year deal for $15 million and ditto for Nelson with his $24 million two year deal. 

So whilst the wide receiver corps has some considerable depth, there are plenty of arguments to be made that its quantity not quality but however you feel about the list the Patriots have, it’s a considerable list.

So whilst Agholor and Bourne are pretty much locks, the other couple of Edelman “replacement” players are not such certainties.

One player who I believe is a definite for the roster is Jakobi Meyers. This guy was a beast for the Patriots last season, leading in virtually all areas. Targeted 81 times for 729 yards and that’s with the team playing a predominately running game. So whilst he can play slot, I fully think Meyers is a versatile player and a key piece of offense for the Patriots in more ways than one.

Realistically, it’s difficult to say at this point if any of the wide receivers on the Patriots current roster have anywhere near the ability of Edelman, and possibly none of them do, including those mentioned above, but Gunner Olszewski really appears to be moving through his career in a very “Edelman-like-way”.

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Punt returning, working on his physical abilities, improving year-to-year, and having that rough-and-ready underdog type aura about him Gunner has been sighted as the next Edelman but we haven’t seen much of him in the actual slot receiver position. This may be the indicator of what role the Patriots see him in, but keep your eyes peeled. This year may really show us what Gunner can do. 

Last, but by no means least, we look over at Mr. Seventh Round Pick. The guy that Ernie Adams brought in on his way out, Tre Nixon.

Nixon put up reasonable numbers of 6.81 seconds on the three-cone drill and a 4.44-second 40-yard dash but he had limited college experience where he lined up, mostly on the outside. The question here is; is a seventh-round pick going to win out over what the Patriots already have, even if he is explosive?

My conclusion, my two cents for what it’s worth, there IS no replacement for Julian Edelman. He was one of a kind with a particularly special set of skills but the Patriots roster has several variable wide receivers that can play in the slot and with such versatility too! So whilst I go and make a fresh cup of tear-less coffee, it would seem the Patriots have a few difficult decisions to make when they whittle down that receiving corps.

Go Pats!

Clare L Cooper is a special contributor and columnist for Full Press Coverage Patriots and a writer for Pats Propoganda(.com). Her podcast ‘A Clare Perspective’ can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker, and most places from which you download your podcasts as can One Patriots Place where she shares the mic with her two co-hosts each and every week! 

The current episode of A Clare Perspective, where Clare chats with NBC Sports Boston’s very own Tom E. Curran is the tenth in the series and Clare would like to thank all the fans who have been with her on this amazing journey so far!