If Patriots draft wide receiver in the first round, here are the options

BOSTON -- The Patriots have some holes on their roster. Wide receiver is certainly one of them -- and that's true even if the team decides to keep Jakobi Meyers in Foxboro.

While it may not have been the issue plaguing the Patriots in 2022, the lack of a bona fide No. 1 receiver is something that is among the roadblocks standing between the Patriots and contention in the AFC. That matter was hammered home by the fact that running back Rhamondre Stevenson led the Patriots in receptions last year.

It's enough to wonder whether the Patriots will dip into the wide receiver market with their 14th overall pick -- or, more realistically, a bit later in the first round after trading down to scoop up a later-round pick.

Naturally, there's reason to believe that won't be the case. Bill Belichick has only used a first-round pick to draft a receiver once in his career, and that was on N'Keal Harry in 2019. That selection ... did not work out.

(Belichick did trade a first-round pick to acquire Brandin Cooks in 2017. He then traded Cooks after the season to pick up a first-round pick a year later.)

So, the odds may remain low in this regard, and the safer bet may be on the Patriots selecting an offensive tackle with their top pick. But we've already taken a look at the top tackles available in the draft, so let's take the more fun route of scouting some wide receivers who are considered to potentially have first-round talent. 

Quentin Johnston, TCU

Quentin Johnston is going to be atop just about everyone's wide receiver rankings for this draft, and it's easy to see why.

The 6-foot-4, 215-pound receiver had a strong 2022 season for the Horned Frogs, catching 60 passes for 1,069 yards and six touchdowns. He -- along with his entire offense -- was silenced in the National Championship Game vs. Georgia, but he caught six passes for 163 yards and a touchdown in the CFP Semifinal vs. Michigan. He also had four grabs for ... 139 yards in the Big 12 Championship.

Physically, Johnston checks every box and then some, and he's a lock to go in the first round.

That, though, doesn't mean he'll be a sure thing at the NFL level. But most Patriots fans probably would not be disappointed to see the team take that shot.

Zay Flowers, Boston College

 A different type of receiver altogether, the 5-foot-9 Zay Flowers made himself a top receiving prospect with his speed and quickness.

Flowers caught 78 passes for 1,077 yards and 12 touchdowns for BC last season, leaving the school as the all-time leader in receiving yards. All of those stats are particularly impressive, considering the Eagles haven't exactly been rich in quarterback talent during Flowers' career.

The Patriots' coaching staff got an up-close look at Flowers in the practices leading up to the East-West Shrine Bowl, even though the receiver didn't play in the game. So if they liked what they saw while working with him, it wouldn't be shocking at all to see the Patriots spend a high pick to bring him aboard.

Jordan Addison, USC

The 21-year-old Jordan Addison won the Biletnikoff Award in 2021 as a sophomore at Pitt. He transferred to USC for the 2022 season, and though his production didn't nearly match his 2021 numbers, his talent and speed remained evident.

Something interesting to watch will be whether the Steelers try to get Addison to reunite him with Kenny Pickett. Addison caught 100 passes for 1,593 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2021 with Pickett as his QB, and with the Joe Burrow-Ja'Marr Chase and Tua Tagovailoa-Jaylen Waddle reunions from college to the NFL, the Steelers may want to emulate that budding trend with Addison. 

That's merely speculation, but the Steelers do sit at 17th overall. So if the Patriots really like Addison as their guy, they'd potentially have to jump at the chance to take him early.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State

It's not often that a player coming off a junior season with just five catches would be considered a potential first-round pick at wide receiver. But it's not often that a player has the sophomore season of Jaxon Smith-Njigba to fall back on.

In 2021, Smith-Njigba led the Buckeyes in receptions and receiving yards ... which is pretty significant, considering he shared a receivers room with Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave. Smith-Njigba had 95 receptions for 1,606 yards and nine touchdowns that year, which gives him a chance -- a chance -- of going off the board late in the first round.

Injuries kept him off the field for most of 2022, so some of the questions about his game are sure to keep some teams away early on in the draft. But if he's seen as a potential good value, a team like the Patriots that loves a good value pick could jump into the fray.

Josh Downs, North Carolina

At 5-foot-10, Josh Downs isn't the prototypical first-round receiver. But he's got some special athleticism, and he also turned in back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons for the Tar Heels.

After catching 101 passes for 1,335 yards and eight touchdowns in 2021, Downs caught 94 passes for 1,029 yards and 11 touchdowns last season.

Downs will be a slot receiver in the NFL, so he may not carry that first-round value. But if production is what a team is looking for, Downs may be a top option.

Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee

Another 6-foot slot receiver type, Jalin Hyatt had quiet seasons in 2020 and 2021 before breaking out last year. Hyatt caught 67 passes for 1,267 yards and 15 touchdowns for the Vols, forcing himself into the conversation for top receivers in the draft.

Hyatt's speed is undeniable, but his all-around game likely will keep him from getting picked in the first round. Likely. As the draft proves every year, though, there's always a team that values a player higher than most, and Hyatt could qualify as such a player this year.