NFL WR Rankings Show Patriots Need for DeAndre Hopkins

The New England Patriots need more help at wide receiver, which many hope will come in the form of DeAndre Hopkins.

As the New England Patriots sit back and wait to find out their fate in the DeAndre Hopkins sweepstakes, a new article from Pro Football Focus revealing their wide receiving corps rankings for all 32 NFL teams underscores the need in Foxboro for reinforcements.

PFF ranked the Patriots' playmaking corps as one of the league's worst at No. 29 overall, leaving the Houston Texans, Carolina Panthers, and Tennessee Titans as the only teams with a worse set of receivers.

"The Patriots moved on from Jakobi Meyers but were able to replace him with JuJu Smith-Schuster," PFF writes. They also have Tyquan Thornton, Kendrick Bourne and DeVante Parker. We need to take into account Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki, but overall, it’s just not a group that strikes much fear in the eyes of defensive coordinators. Only Parker and Smith-Schuster earned a 70.0-plus receiving grade in 2022."

Without Meyers, the Patriots' returning leading receiver is DeVante Parker, who totaled 539 yards and three touchdowns on 31 receptions. Losing Meyers to the Las Vegas Raiders obviously has the potential to be a big blow as he developed chemistry with quarterback Mac Jones, which helped him record over 800 yards and six touchdowns last season. 

Yet, the addition of the aforementioned JuJu Smith-Schuster could help soften the blow of losing Meyers. Smith-Schuster was more productive than any Patriots receiver last season with the Kansas City Chiefs, as he had 933 yards and three touchdowns.  

Beyond Smith-Schuster, the Patriots will hope that players like Kendrick Bourne and DeVante Parker can recapture their best form, along with getting the best out of second-year receiver Tyquan Thornton. 

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