Editor’s Note: In the lead-up to the 2026 NFL Draft, Phil Perry is identifying the best fits for the Patriots at each position based on the traits that Mike Vrabel and Eliot Wolf value, as well as intel from coaches and scouts.
First up were offensive tackles, tight ends and edge defenders. Today’s installment: wide receivers.
The Patriots’ receiver room is already relatively crowded. But could it become even more so on draft weekend?
Deep as they may be at that position with free-agent addition Romeo Doubs, Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas and Kyle Williams, they are still without a true “No. 1” wideout.
Do they need one? Fair question. Not necessarily. Not every team has one. You could make the argument that even Stefon Diggs — who reeled in over 80 percent of his targets last season — didn’t qualify as that type of pass-catcher, and the Patriots still made the Super Bowl.
But it appears as though Mike Vrabel and his front office are looking for a go-to, top-end talent at that position. Otherwise, they could have firmly refuted the reports that Eagles receiver A.J. Brown — one of the few true No. 1s in today’s game — may end up in New England later this offseason. Instead, acquiring Brown in June — when the cap ramifications of trading him become much more palatable for Philadelphia — seems like a very real possibility for the Patriots.
If for some reason they don’t feel as though that deal will work out, though, there are a handful of wideouts in this class who have the physical traits to end up as an NFL club’s upper-echelon passing-game option down the line.
Of course, complementary wideouts — No. 2s and No. 3s — abound in this draft class, as they do in most years. It is annually one of the deepest positions for teams to dip into in late April. Players like Clemson’s Antonio Williams, UConn’s Skyler Bell, Oklahoma’s Deion Burks and Alabama’s Germie Bernard could end up being fits in Foxboro because of their usefulness as potential starters.
If the Patriots draft an interior option they love, they could ask Doubs to play on the outside and function as their closest approximation to a No. 1. He has the versatility to give them some team-building flexibility in that way.
But for this exercise, we’ll focus on the players in this year’s class who offer at least some glimmer of hope that they could provide something along the lines of what Brown has provided in both Tennessee and Philadelphia: a No. 1.
That’s a high bar, but it seems as though that level of upper-echelon physical talent is what Vrabel is after.
Let’s get to some names…
Day 1: KC Concepcion, Texas A&M
Highlights of Texas A&M receiver KC Concepcion
Concepcion has fans inside One Patriot Place, and he was reportedly scheduled to take a 30 visit to Foxboro.
At 6-feet, 196 pounds, he’s not the kind of physically-imposing “X” that Brown would be, but he has physical traits that could certainly make him a No. 1 at the next level. His frame is big enough — the highest-paid receiver of all time, Jaxon Smith-Njigba measured 6-foot-1, 196 pounds as a rookie — and his athletic traits are off the charts.
A First-Team All-American, Concepcion won the Paul Hornung Award as the nation’s most versatile player while reeling in 61 passes for 919 yards and nine touchdowns. He can be used all over offensive formations and he’s a threat to score every time he touches the ball. He returned two punts for scores this past season for the Aggies.
He is burst personified, which allowed him to shake free from some high-end corners in the SEC, and he has enough savvy to find openings against zone.
His drop rate creeped over 10 percent this season, so the Patriots would have to be confident his hands would improve as a pro. But Concepcion, who’ll be just 21 when drafted, offers a number of other traits that would immediately make New England’s offense more dangerous and the upside to ultimately, like Smith-Njigba, become a No. 1 option.
Day 1: Denzel Boston, Washington
Kevin Ng-Imagn Images
Kevin Ng-Imagn Images With a 35-inch vertical leap and strong hands, Denzel Boston is a contested-catch maven.
While Washington found ways to move him around the formation and get him the football in creative ways, Boston looks like more of the classic “X” to play on the outside as a pro.
A smooth mover with strength, good hands and the toughness to fight through contact, he’s one of the two players (we’ll get to another one below) who might end up being the closest facsimile to A.J. Brown in this class.
The 6-foot-4, 212-pounder didn’t run a 40-yard dash at the combine or his pro day, leaving questions unanswered about his top-end speed. But his vertical came in at 35 inches, and that’s often how he’ll win at the next level as an acrobatic contested-catch maven.
He’s unafraid to go over the middle and he did return punts at times for the Huskies, but he doesn’t look like the kind of yards-after-the-catch threat Brown has become as a pro. As a down-the-field threat, though, particularly in New England with Drake Maye… his skill set is enticing.
According to Fran Duffy of All City Network, there have been only nine college wideouts in the last decade with a drop rate under 4.0 percent and an average depth of target over 12.0 yards, including George Pickens, Kenny Golladay and Jayden Higgins. Boston will be the 10th.
Day 1: Omar Cooper Jr., Indiana
Highlights of Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr.
Cooper had a tremendous season for the national champs, including reeling in one of the catches of the year in the back of the end zone against Big 10 rival Penn State.
At 6-feet, 199 pounds, his standout trait is his ability to create yards after the catch. Over 50 percent of his yards in 2025 came with the ball in his hands, and he churned out that extra yardage in a variety of ways. He has the flexibility and contact balance to bounce off tackles, he has the strength and want-to to fight through contact, and he has enough speed (4.42-second 40) to pull away from defenders.
Cooper’s combination of YAC skills, hands (4 percent drop rate) and athletic traits offer real upside for an offense that would be open to using him as. No. 2 to start his career. But in the right situation, he has the potential to develop into a go-to guy.
Day 2: Chris Bell, Louisville
Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Chris Bell flashed breakaway speed for the Cardinals before tearing his ACL at the end of the season.
One of the most difficult draft-day assessments in the class, Bell has the skill set to be (like A.J. Brown) a physically-dominant No. 1 option. At 6-foot-2, 222 pounds, the number of corners who will be able to match his strength will be few and far between.
A target monster for the Cardinals, Bell — whose receivers coach was former Patriots wideout Deion Branch — was a threat to take it to the house any time he caught a slant or a shallow cross and had some room to run. His breakaway speed was apparent against one of the best and most athletic defenses in the country when he shredded Miami for nine catches, 136 yards and two scores in a 24-21 win.
Why won’t he be a first-rounder in all likelihood? He tore his ACL at the end of the season. But if the Patriots like their depth for the here-and-now at receiver, and if they’re unsure on a trade for Brown, might they be willing to roll the dice on Bell and his Brown-ish skill set?
Bell could end up being a steal in the second round in a draft that is short on high-end talent.
Day 2: Chris Brazzell II, Tennessee
Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Chris Brazzell II was one of the best top height-weight-speed receiver prospects at this year’s NFL Combine.
One of the most fascinating prospects in this class, Brazzell has traits that will be hard for teams to ignore on Day 2.
The 6-foot-4, 198-pounder clocked a blazing 4.37-second 40-yard dash at the combine, making him one of the top height-weight-speed prospects at his position this year. He’s shown real burst, good releases off the line, and an ability to make difficult adjustments to the football down the field to create explosive gains.
Tennessee’s wonky offense creates spacing he simply will not see in the NFL, though, and he was not asked to run the full route tree there. The track record recently for Vols wideouts in the NFL isn’t great, but a look at Brazzell’s tape from his two years at Tulane would suggest he’s a more capable route runner — he can drop his hips and change direction despite his size — than his last two years at Tennessee might suggest.
His physical skill set is easy to believe in, but if the Patriots are buying his route-running chops on Day 2, they could have a rare burner on the outside for the foreseeable future. The analytically-minded Sports Info Solutions has Brazzell ranked as their No. 15 player overall.
Day 2: Bryce Lance, North Dakota State
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images The younger brother of Trey Lance, Bryce Lance ran a blazing 4.34-second 40-yard dash at the combine.
Speaking of height-weight-speed receivers, Lance is another. At 6-foot-3, 204 pounds, Trey Lance’s younger brother lit up this year’s combine. He clocked a 4.34-second 40 to go along with excellent jumps of 41.5 inches in the vertical and 11-foot-1 in the broad.
As his athleticism might suggest, Lance was a big-play machine for the Bison. No FBS or FCS receiver with at least 50 targets last season exceeded his 21.2 yards per reception, and his 148.4 quarterback rating when targeted was third-best in the nation.
He needs some work on his release package, and he wasn’t challenged to run a wide variety of routes at the collegiate level. Corners can beat him with physicality, and he’s not the most natural hands catcher in the class. But players with his size and athleticism don’t grow on trees. He also tracks the ball well and will fight for it.
If someone with that bundle of skills is available late on Day 2 or early on Day 3, he’s worthy of investment.
Day 3: De’Zhaun Stribling, Ole Miss
Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
Petre Thomas-Imagn Images De’Zhaun Stribling stands at 6-foot-2, 207 pounds with 10-inch hands.
Hard to get a handle on how Stribling is viewed, since even the “consensus” big boards available to us — compiled by both The Athletic and NFL Mock Draft Database — can’t settle on a range.
One consensus ranking has him as the 85th prospect in this class, while the other has him at No. 131. Either way, seems safe to say he could be available on Day 3. Just not sure why.
At 6-foot-2, 207 pounds, Stribling has 10-inch hands, and in each of the last two seasons he’s eclipsed 50 catches and 800 yards — last year at Ole Miss and in 2024 at Oklahoma State. He has the juice to threaten corners early in routes, he’s one of the best blockers at his position in this class, and he’s unafraid to work in the middle of the field. On top of it all, he blew up the combine with a 4.36-second 40, a 36-inch vertical and a massive Relative Athletic Score of 9.88.
He may not be the snappiest separator on this list, but he’ll serve a supporting role at the next level immediately. And with some development, he appears to have the mindset and traits to turn himself into a much more valuable piece to an NFL offense.
