There's No Clear Answer On If Pierre Strong Is The New Receiving Back.

Do the Patriots need a receiving back. The question depends on what they have in Pierre Strong. If Strong can catch and block decently, the Patriots have their third down back. 

Here were some positives that were said about Strong in his draft profiles:

Bleacher Report's Nate Tice wrote, "He (Strong) has above-average hands when coming out of the backfield and has potential as a receiver on screens with his explosive-play ability."

Richie Whitt of SI wrote, "In the passing game, he’s shown sufficient hands out of the backfield. He is a definite threat in space when he gets the ball on a check-down. He is physical and willing in pass protection but should be better in this regard with pro coaching."

Bernd Buchmasser of Pats Palpit wrote, "A dual-threat back, who has proven himself capable of making plays on the ground and in the passing game, he has combines speed, explosiveness and agility."

Here are some negatives that were said at the same time: 

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com said, "Strong lacks third-down value at this time, but has shown enough to believe it could be in his future."

Boston.com's Conor Roche said, "While Strong was dominant on the ground in 2021, he didn’t bring much in the receiving game."

Oliver Hodgkinson of PFN wrote, "Although he’s showcased some natural technique as a pass catcher, there are question marks here. South Dakota State didn’t frequently utilize Strong as a pass-catching back."

Jake Oliver of Dynasty Nerds wrote, "The biggest issue Strong has is with his blocking. He will throw his entire body at a charging defender, but he is still learning how to block without doing that."

My thoughts

Most of the positives about Strong were based on projection and most of the negatives were admittedly based on limited opportunities. So what the Patriots have in Strong is only known to those who were part of the 2022 Patriots organization. All we know for certain is he looked good in 2022, catching all seven targets but like in college, it was in limited oppertunity. 

Keep an eye on if the Patriots acquire any backs with receiving ability between now and training camp. That's basically the only way to have an idea of how the see him. I have a few rookie prospects on my list that could fit the team's need.

As far as Damien Harris's role, Kevin Harris will be fine. Draft a fullback and let Kevin Harris rotate with Stevenson. Receiving back and Fullback are the Patriots only needs in the backfield.