New England Patriots Must Find the Next Deion Branch in Free Agency

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady didn't lose just any wide receiver in the 2006 offseason, he lost his favorite receiver in Deion Branch.

It was like splitting the oxygen from water—the two looked lost without each other, and though Brady found historic form in 2007, the two could breathe easy again when the Patriots added Branch back to the squad via trade in 2010.

It didn't take them long to catch their breath; in his first game back with the team, Branch went on to have nine receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown in an overtime win.

Around the NFL draft, specifically the Scouting Combine, we hear a lot about the "next" in a line of a prototype player. People talk about the "next Randy Moss" or the "next Lawrence Taylor."

Those high profile names are great, but are once-in-a-lifetime talents that don't come around a lot. More often, it's the smaller parts that play an equal role, but they get half the recognition.

In that sense, perhaps the Patriots will be searching for the "next Deion Branch."

Receivers have classically struggled to get on the same page as Brady, and often drown in the depth chart before eventually sinking to the bottom.

Former Patriots receiver Jabar Gaffney is a perfect example of a receiver who was able to avoid that fate. He endured much of 2006 without any attention, but came on strong in the playoffs with 21 receptions for 244 yards and two touchdowns.

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"It's a pretty tough offense," Gaffney said in November according to Patriots.com, "and if you're not really used to it, it can be a little overwhelming and with Bill [Belichick], he doesn't play you—if you don't know your stuff he's not going to put you out there and trust you in those situations."

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That's happened to veteran receivers and rookie ones alike. But how does it get avoided? What have past receivers done to succeed in this offense? As Brady told Patriots.com, there is no one key ingredient.

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Jab could do everything well. I think that's his versatility. He's got good size, he's got long arms, he's got good speed, he's got good quickness, he plays every position, he's smart. He's just one of those guys that, from the day we got him here, he was just so reliable and dependable because he knew what to do and he did it well. You gain a lot of trust from the quarterback when all those things matchup."

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In fact, Brady lists eight tools (and that's if you don't include "everything") that made Gaffney a hit with the Patriots. But the most important thing is that the receiver is able to gain Brady's trust and learn quickly. 

An interesting point about the chart to the left: Only two receivers with fewer than 40 receptions in their first year lasted three years or more. The first, David Givens, had a coming-out in his second year. The second, Julian Edelman, has found a niche as a punt returner and even as a cornerback.

Four of the eight tools Brady mentions are physical, the other four are mental and intangible. Branch falls into that same category as a receiver who is smart, lines up all over the field and is reliable in big situations because he knows what he's doing.

We all clamor for the speed demon receiver that can force a defense to respect the long pass, but at some point, the guy has to run a route, get open and catch a pass.

Can he do those three things? Branch can. But for how much longer? That's another question entirely.

But the Patriots can't afford to keep playing around with chemistry experiments; there isn't much of a chance that the experiment would blow up in their face, but they may simply run out of time.

Brady's not getting any younger, and he doesn't have time to build rapport with a young, unpolished receiver. Brady needs someone who—like Gaffney, Branch, Welker, Moss and others—can step in and know what he's doing.

Branch himself is proof that it's possible, but there's a long line of draft picks who haven't lived up to those expectations.

With so many options in free agency—from Reggie Wayne to Brandon Lloyd to Mario Manningham and so many others—the Patriots picked a good year for that to be their dilemma.

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