The New England Patriots are fresh off of a rough blowout loss in the Wild Card round of the playoffs against the Buffalo Bills. Despite the loss, there are plenty of reasons to be excited about the future. Obviously, the presence of new franchise quarterback Mac Jones top the list of reasons to be excited about the Patriots.
Jones became one of the NFL’s most popular players in his rookie season. He is the heir apparent to Tom Brady that the Patriots needed to find. The future could not look brighter with him leading the way.
One area that New England could look to improve this offseason would be the weapons around Jones. He had some quality targets, but adding a young piece or two for him to grow with would be a wise decision.
In the new Pro Football Focus mock draft, the Patriots snagged Arkansas standout wide receiver Treylon Burks. This would be a move that would instantly improve the New England offense.
Burks is built like a taller running back at 6-foot-3, 225 pounds. He dominates after the catch and will surprise defensive backs with his speed with and without the ball in his hands. He’ll likely assume a slot role at the next level, but he’ll still command a lot of attention from the inside. He earned 88.0-plus receiving grades in back-to-back seasons to close out his career at Arkansas.
Burks ended up putting together a very strong campaign for the Razorbacks during the 2021 season. He caught 66 passes for 1,104 yards and 11 touchdowns. Those numbers average out to a very solid 16.7 yards per catch.
While he isn’t going to be a massive burner down the field, the Patriots don’t need that. They need a true possession wideout who can make plays with the football in his hands. Burks checks off both of those boxes.
He may not be known for his speed, but he can get down the field as well. As Pro Football Focus noted, he will sneak up and surprise some opposing defensive backs.
This is the kind of pick that the Patriots need to be focused on in the NFL Draft this year. Mac Jones needs as many weapons as New England can give him. Burks would be a nice step in the right direction on the offensive side of the football.
