
Quinton Patton is a player that the Patriots could target in the first fifty picks of the 2013 NFL Draft. (USA Today Sports Images)
NEPD Staff Writer: Oliver Thomas
Nine. That’s the number of wide receivers the New England Patriots have drafted since 2002.
While that number suggests head coach Bill Belichick is open to grooming young route-runners to catch passes from Tom Brady, the team’s success rate in doing so tells another story.
Of the nine wideouts selected by the Patriots over that span, it can be argued that only Deion Branch and David Givens became integral parts in the offense. They were drafted 11 years ago.