It Is What It Is
NEED TO KNOW
Follow WEEI.com football writer Christopher Price at twitter.com/capeleaguer. In addition, get the latest WEEI.com updates at twitter.com/WEEI.
A WEEI.com Patriots Blog
WEEI.com Blog Network
What do the Patriots look for when they draft a wide receiver? 04.27.11 at 12:28 am ET
By Christopher Price

Julio Jones (AP)

Good speed. Nice hands. Dependability and toughness. All traits the Patriots look for when it comes to drafting a wide receiver. But New England also loves its’ coneheads — that is, prospects who starred in the 3-cone drill.

The drill —a standard at the combine and collegiate pro days — starts with a player in a three-point stance before three cones that are set up in a triangle or L-shape before them five yards apart. The player starts at the first cone and sprints up to the second cone and then back again. Then, they head back to the second cone where they run around it and cut right to the third cone. The players then run a circle around the third cone from the inside to the outside and run around the second cone before returning to the first cone. (Check out a complete breakdown of the drill here at NFL.com.)

The drill is designed to test agility and footwork, and when it comes to measuring the abilities of wide receivers and defensive backs, it’s a drill the Patriots seem to put a lot of stock in. At wide receiver, Deion Branch, Wes Welker and Julian Edelman all had extraordinary 3-cone times at either the combine or at their pro day. (In addition, both Chad Jackson and Matthew Slater, both of whom were drafted as wide receivers but struggled at the position in New England, also had great times in the 3-cone drill as collegians.)

While the Patriots are likely going to try and find a burner, what sort of wide receivers might become the next generation of coneheads in New England? Here are three possibilities:

Alabama’s Julio Jones: Jones has a few things going for him when it comes to the Patriots: he also placed in the Top 10 among receivers at the combine in the 3-cone drill, finishing with a 6.66. The fact that he attended a school where a former Bill Belichick lieutenant is in charge (Nick Saban) means the Patriots will get the straight story when it comes to Jones’ reported foot problems. In addition to the footwork and agility, the 6-foot-2, 220-pounder answered any questions about his character by competing in the drills at the combine in February while hobbled with the aforementioned foot injury. (He also gained a rep as one of the best blocking receivers in college football last season, and that ability would be utilized frequently in New England.) Considered one of the top wide receivers in the draft, the Patriots would likely have to trade up between 5-7 spots from the No. 17 spot if they wanted a shot at him, but he’s an eminently draftable prospect for New England. (For what it’s worth, the Patriots have never drafted a wide receiver in the first round under Belichick.)

Maryland’s Torrey Smith: His 3-cone time of 6.72 left him just outside the Top 10 for wide receivers at the combine, but the combination of agility and his big-play speed make him an enviable target. (He ran a 4.43 40 at the combine, fourth-best among wide receivers.) The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Smith caught 67 passes for 1,075 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. In addition, he also has special teams skills — as a sophomore, he broke his own record with 1,309 kickoff return yards (and 2,129 all-purpose yards), which included two kicks returned for touchdowns. He’s also considered a high-character individual — the oldest of seven, he overcame some difficult odds to become the first person in his family to collect a college degree. Considered a late first-round or early second-round pick, he could still be on the board at either No. 28 or No. 33 if the Patriots are interested.

Oregon’s Jeff Maehl: We’ve already written about Maehl as a late-round possibility, but we’ll include him here as well. At 6-foot and 181 pounds, he’s not the biggest receiver available, but Maehl’s agility (his 6.42 in the 3-cone at the combine was best among all wide receivers) and his hands (he ended his career at Oregon with 24 receiving touchdowns, tied for the most in school history) make him a late-round possibility. He’s certainly not a deep threat, but appears to be the sort of smart, nimble-footed receiver the Patriots usually covet.

Read More: 2011 NFL Draft, Bill Belichick, Chad Jackson, Deion Branch Print  |  Bark It Up!  |  Digg It
  • http://stevedakota.com dakota

    Come on Chris…get on the Greg Little bandwagon!!

    http://www.stevedakota.com/2011/04/pats-should-draft-greg-little-wr-unc/

    PATS Should Draft Greg Little WR UNC!

    Posted by: Dakota on 04/25/2011 at 11:18 pm. Filed under Sports.

    Little Will Be BIG If Drafted by the Patriots….

    Don’t bother trying to see how he did in 2010…. he didn’t play…He was suspended for all of 2010 for having a relationship with an agent. Who is Greg Little? He’s a 6 foot 3 inch 225 pound RB looking receiver. He’s not fast – (runs a 4.5 40) but this guy has unbelievable strength and ability to catch the ball in tight places from the slot position.

    Some compare him to Boldin…a guy who many PATS fans wanted to make a free agent play for last year. No alligator arms here – If I said to you “would you like a more athletic version of Wes Welker? Or a Stronger Deon Branch?” You would all say “Sign me up!”

    The Best thing about Little is his “Value” and the PATS could steel him either with their late 2nd or 3rd round pick…Since he missed all of 2010 and has a history of immaturity (didn’t we all in college?) he wont be drafted in the 1st round this Thursday. Thus the “Value” — perfect fit for the Brady offense and getting a 1st round talent after the 1st round.

    Some of you might also say we don’t need another WR — well… the way we rely on the underneath stuff from our offense and with always a potential of injuries from running routes next to linebackers…. I say we could definitely need a Greg Little!

    His 2009 stats were pretty dam good for college – 62 catches for 724 yards and 5 td’s…. he also runs that end-around play that the PATS have in the play book— like I said — perfect for this offense — and oh by the way – he has basketball like leaping ability to go with his size– 38 inch vertical jump – 10-10 broad jump and a 4.1 short shuttle…. Get to know his name cause if the PATS do draft him expect 50 plus catches every year and plenty of highlight leaping catches in traffic.

  • Dano

    Final Mock Draft 12.0 1 )Ryan Kerrigan DE Purdue 1)Nate Solder OT Colorado
    2)Aaron Williams DB Texas 2)Ryan Williams RB Virginia Tech 3)Christian Ballard DE Iowa 3)Clint Boling G Goergia 4)Mark Herzlich LB Boston College
    5)Terrence Toliver WR LSU 6)Shareece Wright DB USC.This would be a awesome draft for Pats.Go get BB!!!!!

  • purple haze

    Dano They Arent making all those selections. Boling will be LONG gone before that point, too. Try again after you get some air its a nice day.

  • http://www.wijzigjepolis.nl/2011/10/nederlanders-vrezen-voor-een-stijging-van-8-procent/ Zorgverzekering basisverzekering

    That is very fascinating, You are a very professional blogger. I have joined your feed and look forward to searching for extra of your wonderful post. Also, I have shared your website in my social networks

  • http://doiop.com/happy-bid-day Pete Tinius

    How Crazy! I’, so happy. Several minutes ago I won a iPhone 4S for only $9.14 off this auction website here http://alturl.com/iu6q3 . Xmas came early! I never ever had this much luck like today. I normally have no luck ever. So excited!

  • http://www.localmarketingadvertising.com/listings.php Local marketing advertising

    It is in reality a great and helpful piece of information. I’m satisfied that you just shared this useful info with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thank you for sharing.

  • http://www.thegamehacks.com/tag/treasure-isle/ Empire and Allies Hack

    You can definitely see your skills in the work you write. The world hopes for even more passionate writers like you who are not afraid to say how they believe. Always follow your heart.

  • http://sklepvo101.bydgoszcz.pl/ monitoring Bydgoszcz

    Greetings from Colorado! I’m bored at work so I decided to browse your blog on my iphone during lunch break. I really like the information you provide here and can’t wait to take a look when I get home. I’m surprised at how quick your blog loaded on my mobile .. I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G .. Anyhow, great site!

  • http://goo.gl/DZr2O Emmitt Lardieri

    WOW! I’, so shocked. This morning I won a Ipod Touch 4 for only $21.41 off this auction site here http://bit.ly/happy-bid-day . My birthday came early! I have not ever had this much luck like today. I normally have no luck ever. So shocked!

  • http://cc.dinus.ac.id/?pid=3e30774d2425815f9301e6e981d4fdfc&act=detail&id=6492&lang=en&lang=id&lang=id udinus

    Definitely believe that which you said. Your favourite justification appeared to be on the net the simplest thing to take into accout of. I say to you, I definitely get irked at the same time as other people think about worries that they plainly don’t recognize about. You managed to hit the nail upon the highest and also defined out the whole thing without having side-effects , folks could take a signal. Will probably be again to get more. Thank you

  • http://www.hdreceivermitfestplatte.com/deutsche-hdtv-sender klick

    obviously like your website however you need to test the spelling on quite a few of your posts. Many of them are rife with spelling problems and I in finding it very bothersome to tell the truth however I’ll surely come again again.

  • http://www.hdreceivermitfestplatte.com/hd-vs-sd hier klicken

    certainly like your web-site however you need to check the spelling on quite a few of your posts. A number of them are rife with spelling problems and I find it very bothersome to tell the reality however I will definitely come again again.

  • http://disableddatingsite.posterous.com/ disabled dating

    Hello! You some sort of expert? Great message. Are you able to tell me easy methods to subscribe your weblog?

  • http://pocketscrewjig.net/ KREG What Owners Say

    I liked as much as you’ll receive performed proper here. The caricature is attractive, your authored subject matter stylish. nonetheless, you command get got an shakiness over that you would like be turning in the following. in poor health certainly come more formerly once more as precisely the similar nearly very steadily inside of case you protect this increase.

  • http://seobay.pl pozycjonowanie warszawa

    I like the valuable info you provide in your articles. I’ll bookmark your weblog and check again here frequently. I’m quite sure I’ll learn plenty of new stuff right here! Best of luck for the next!

  • http://seobay.pl pozycjonowanie warszawa

    My brother suggested I might like this web site. He was entirely right. This post actually made my day. You can not imagine simply how much time I had spent for this information! Thanks!

  • http://www.nikemercurialvaporsoccer.com/ nike mercurial vapor

    Fully good blog posts! Breathtaking blog post.

  • http://sprzątanie.bydgoszcz.pl sprzatanie bydgoszcz

    Can you plug a lan cable from a laptop running wireless into a desktop to get internet?. Can you plug a lan cable from a laptop running wireless into a desktop to get internet? And how do you do it?.

Latest on Twitter
Christopher Price: @TimWeisberg There was some debate on that--I can't lie.
14 hours ago
Christopher Price: @311VT2LV Thanks!
14 hours ago
Christopher Price: @ChrisVillani44 Will do, my man. Let's talk soon!
14 hours ago
Christopher Price: Thx for the kind words & RTs for my book plug. Out 1st wk of Oct. Meanwhile, expect lots of gratuitous self-promotion between now & then.
14 hours ago
Christopher Price: @MikeReiss Thanks Mike!
14 hours ago
Christopher Price: Hey all...my new book with @RealTroyBrown80 is available for pre-order through Amazon. Check it out http://t.co/Zd9iL8ME
18 hours ago
Christopher Price: It Is What It Is >> Breaking down the contract status of the Patriots’ rookie class http://t.co/dsuw3nHY via @WEEI
21 hours ago
Christopher Price: It Is What It Is >> Back to work for many at Gillette Stadium as OTA’s get underway http://t.co/2QnLCoqX via @WEEI
22 hours ago
Christopher Price: patriots - Wes Welker runs another reverse - WEEI | Christopher Price http://t.co/ng1aNROF via @WEEI
4:48 PM May 20, 2012
Christopher Price: @RumfordJohnny Thought about picking up the Deford book the other day. Let me know what you think.
12:58 PM May 20, 2012
Christopher Price: patriots - Welker backtracks on contract comments - WEEI | Christopher Price http://t.co/ng1aNROF via @WEEI
5:05 AM May 20, 2012
Christopher Price: Kevin Wayne Durant.
5:02 AM May 20, 2012
Christopher Price: Thanks to @RumfordJohnny @jj73cuda and @SteveB7SFG for the nice words.
4:56 AM May 20, 2012
Christopher Price: @ByTimGraham Oh, hells yes. This is extraordinary.
4:35 AM May 20, 2012
Christopher Price: WW: "There’s no need to get into everything else about it."
4:48 PM May 19, 2012

2012 PATRIOTS DRAFT PICKS

2012 NFL DRAFT

Patriots Headlines
NFL Headlines
Tips & Feedback

Verify