Isaiah Zuber
What gives Zuber a shot to make the team is the fact he is a return specialist capable of fielding Punts and Kicks. In his career, he has 33 kick returns, averaging 15.5 yards. He also averaged 16.4 yards with a touchdown on 11 punt returns.
Sportstalkline.com had Zuber as a 3rd round draft pick. While they said he needs to work on his route running and has a slow accelerator, they gave him some praise with his upside.
Zuber's a"Multi-faceted player who lines up on the left, right, at FB and as a QB. His route running is impeccable and therefore stretches the field well. He fights for every ball and is tough to bring down after the catch. A nice sidestep and the ability to find even the smallest gap are huge attributes to have. He puts himself in great positions to make catches and has a never say die attitude to everything he does. An excellent catch radius and a great fend make him almost unstoppable."
If the Patriots got a third round pick in the "Eight round" if you will, there is no reason why the undrafted receiver shouldn't beat out Gunner and possibly leap from Meyers on the depth chart.
Will Hastings
Belichick has been watching game film of Hastings since high school and has had Hastings in his locker room every year since then. In fact, his talents were so known that both Matty P. And Joe Judge, two head coaches from the Belichick system were at his pro day just for him. The head coach of a team just doesn't go scout anyone, there has to be something about the player.
In 28 games he caught 56 balls for 845 yards and 6 touchdowns. Not an impressive stat line for a college career. However, Hastings suffered 2 ACL injuries. The second one in 2018 was why Stidham wasn't a first round quarterback and why Hastings went undrafted. It's why both men are Patriots.
Justin Trombino wrote "In addition to having great footwork and skills, Hastings has the necessary speed — he ran a 4.49 40-yard-dash — to get behind the defense for a deep route. He also averaged 15.1 yards per reception for his career despite being a smaller receiver, and is reminiscent of the Houston Texans’ Will Fuller in this regard."
If the chemistry is still there, and If I were a grambling man, I would bet the Patriots are banking on it; He has a huge advantage over almost everyone other than Meyers, Harry and Edelman. I expect him to be practicing with the first team rather quickly.
Sean Riley
Riley started as an outside guy but finished his career in the slot. Riley's production fell because the offensive line thought they were Marshall Newhouse and couldn't protect Syracuse quarterbacks.
He said he "ran a 3.99-second short shuttle and 6.41-second L-drill during the workout, both of which would’ve led all receivers at the NFL Scouting Combine. Riley also said he clocked a personal-best 4.42-second 40-yard dash, which would’ve tied for seventh..." "Riley leaves Central New York third all-time in program history with 4,358 all-purpose yards."
In 48 games he caught 119 balls for 1265 yards and 4 touchdowns, averaging 10.6 yards per catch. He also carried the ball 15 times for 97 yards.
Riley averaged 21.2 on 115 Kick returns and 11.3 yards average and 1 touchdown on 50 punt returns. Versatility that will help him battle for a spot on the roster.
Jeff Thomas
Ameer Tyree of draft kings wrote the following about Thomas, "Thomas’ has the athleticism to make big plays, but didn’t put up exciting numbers. His speed and ball tracking make him a dangerous deep threat. He also has a ton of YAC upside. He doesn’t have the best hands though and can struggle against press coverage because of his slight frame."
Thomas is another Troubled receiver with lots of potential going to waste. Thomas was done at Miami until coach Manny Diaz gave him one last opportunity.
In 34 games Thomas caught 83 balls for 1316 yards, averaging 15.9 ypc and 8 touchdowns. Thomas also averaged 7.1 yards on 9 carries. He averaged 22.6 yards on 54 kick returns and 18.9 yards and 1 touchdown on 14 punt returns.
Thomas is only 5'8" 170 LBS, so he might need to add a few pounds. Thomas is a return specialist and he's got several guys to compete with trying to earn a spot through the return game.
The Patriots finished 9th in punt returns and 14th in kick returns. If Thomas is going to handle these duties, he cannot muff returns that costed him his role on the team in 2019.
The four undrafted wideouts each bring something the Patriots need but they face an uphill climb as the Patriots have a lot of talent and a full receiving unit. There is only maybe one spot open on the Patriots depth chart unless someone really shows up.
At least one of these four guys will end up on another roster to start the 2020 season. Keep an eye out for the Saints, 49ers, Dolphins, Giants , and Lions as one of them are the most likely to steal them before they hit the practice squad.
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