New England Patriots: Do They Need Another Wide Receiver?

The way Tom Brady and the New England Patriots offense clicked on all cylinders for eight weeks leading up to the playoffs, no one would have thought that wide receiver would be a top concern for the team headed into the offseason.

But throw into the conversation a good mix of Deion Branch and Wes Welker being blanketed like six-year-olds being tucked in at night, and the Patriots suddenly enter the conversation for a receiver.

Of course, drawing hasty conclusions from one game probably isn't in the formula for success, but I digress.

Age, inexperience and contractual concerns loom around this position, too. Deion Branch is 33 years old, and won't play forever, no matter how much Patriots fans would love for that to happen.

Welker, on the other hand, has one year left on his contract. How he performs in his second year back from a knee injury will go a long way in determining if the Patriots keep him around or move on without him.

Would you believe me, though, if I told you that Welker led the league in drops in 2010? The normally sure-handed receiver had 11 of them. Chalk it up to anomaly; with Welker coming off a knee injury and learning the new Moss-less offense on the fly, expect regression to the mean next year.

The Patriots know what they have in Julian Edelman, an X-factor type receiver who plays mostly out of the slot, blocks well and runs good reverses. With just one year from Brandon Tate and Taylor Price, though, there are still question marks around that spot.

Tate was known for his speed in college, but in his first year back from knee surgery, he didn't prove to be the "deep threat" he once was. Time will tell if he recovers like Tom Brady did before him, and like Welker might concurrently to him.

After what was essentially a redshirt year for the rookie from Ohio, expect the Patriots to take a chance and let Price show what he's worth. That all remains unclear, but should reveal itself in due time if he's given the opportunity to do so.

All those questions and uncertainties lead to one larger question: does this offense need another receiver?

Torry Holt certainly thinks so. He was with the Patriots during training camp in August 2010 and was placed on injured reserve before the season began.

He said to ESPN Boston's Mike Reiss, "When I watched that game, and looked at how the Jets attacked their receivers, they were missing someone else who could get open and possess the football, keep things rolling offensively. I feel like they need a couple more guys, outside of Wes [Welker] and Deion [Branch], that can constantly get open, put pressure on defenses, and give Tom another option."

He did acknowledge the abilities of Tate, Edelman and Price, but he thinks in terms of a true receiver, they're one body short.

After the game, some people were saying the Patriots missed a big receiver like Randy Moss who could stretch the field and make defenses respect the long ball. Those people fail to realize that the Patriots offense ran roughshod over the league for eight weeks in ways not seen since 2007, and did so without the very same Randy Moss that made that 2007 offense go.

That being said, there's no need to go out and buy the prize horse with a mega-trade for Larry Fitzgerald. As much as Fitzgerald would love to come to a winning football team with another future Hall of Fame quarterback to throw to him, it's not incredibly likely.

Simply adding a body to get off a jam and make the defense respect his presence with more than one body would suffice.

The draft is probably the best place to find one of those. Although the drop-off is pretty large between the top two receivers and the rest of the pack, there is some depth at wide receiver in this draft.

Let's not forget that the best teams are built in the draft. Just look at the two teams that played in the Super Bowl, which both boasted over 35 homegrown talents. While going out and getting the big-name guy may be fun for fans in March, the best way to play football in February is to succeed in April.