The New England Patriots receiving corps struggled last season, ranking 22nd in receptions, 28th in receiving yards, and 27th in receiving touchdowns.
The Patriots’ top four wide receivers last season were DeMario Douglas, Kendrick Bourne, DeVante Parker, and JuJu Smith-Schuster. Douglas had 49 receptions for 561 yards and four touchdowns in 14 games, Bourne had 37 receptions for 406 yards and four touchdowns in eight games, Parker had 33 receptions for 394 yards in 13 games, and Smith-Schuster had 29 receptions for 260 yards and one touchdown in 11 games.
The Patriots will have three of their four leading wide receivers back for another offseason, as the Eagles traded for Parker, but he retired.
The Patriots entered the offseason with the mission to fix their receiving corps. So far, they signed K.J. Osborn, drafted Ja’Lynn Polk in the 2nd round, and another receiver in the 4th round.
The New England Patriots drafted a WR in the 4th round
The Patriots drafted Javon Baker 110th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
He signed his rookie contract.
Javon Baker signed his rookie contract
He signed a 4-year rookie contract worth $4.836 million with a $816,600 signing bonus.
He spent the last two seasons of his college career in Florida.
Javon Baker spent the last two seasons of his college career with the UCF Knights
After spending the first two years of college with the Crimson Tide, Baker transferred to the Knights for the 2022 season. He would have a solid tenure with the team, recording 108 receptions for 1,935 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Baker played 13 games and started 13 in 2023, with 52 receptions for 1,139 yards and seven touchdowns. He posted an 84.3 receiving grade, a 10.3% drop rate, a 56.3% contested catch rate, a 78.5 grade vs. man coverage, and an 82.9 PFF Grade. The Big 12 named him to their All-Big 12 First Team.
A look at their WR room
The Patriots currently have 11 receivers on their 90-man roster, including Kendrick Bourne, Ja’Lynn Polk, DeMario Douglas, K.J. Osborn, Javon Baker, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kayshon Boutte, Jalen Reagor, Kawaan Baker, T.J. Luther, and Tyquan Thornton.
The Patriots will likely keep 5-7 WRs on their roster, depending on what they do with Kendrick Bourne. It’s too early to say whether Bourne will start the season on the active roster or the PUP list, as he is recovering from an ACL injury at the end of October.
Will Javon Baker play a significant role for the New England Patriots offense in his rookie season?
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