After the first group of pass-catchers (tight ends) tore up the combine, the on-field portion of the week transitioned to the wide receivers inside Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday night.

Last season, the Patriots took a step forward in the wide receiver room with the additions of veterans Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins, as well as third-rounder Kyle Williams. Diggs and Hollins brought some much-needed leadership and consistency to what had been a turbulent position group for New England in years past. Along with QB Drake Maye, the Pats led the NFL in pass EPA and ranked fourth in PFF receiving grade, with an overall grade of 84.6 (out of 100).

However, the great defenses the Patriots saw in the postseason made life more difficult on New England's wideouts, with their playoff receiving grade dropping to 63.2. There's also some uncertainty about the futures of Diggs, who will carry a $26.5 million cap hit in 2026, and 2023 draft picks Kayshon Boutte and DeMario Douglas heading into the final year of their rookie deals. The Patriots top brass acknowledged the need to continue adding high-end playmakers to Maye's supporting cast, but finding those No. 1 receivers is where it gets complicated. According to head coach Mike Vrabel, it's unlikely that the Patriots will be able to find that level of talent at wide receiver in free agency, so that leaves the draft or trades.

"They're not going to be there in free agency. You have to try to draft them," Vrabel said earlier this week. "That's where a lot of them are. You develop them. Some of them develop, and guys, the transition in that position from year one to year two can be pretty special."

To Vrabel's point, Colts free-agent wideout Alec Pierce might be the only possible upgrade for New England. Pierce is one of the league's premier deep threats as the NFL's leader in yards per catch (21.3) with 12 deep receptions last season (tied for fifth). Obviously, Pierce would pair well with a deep-ball artist like Maye, but the buzz around the combine is that Indianapolis is working to keep Pierce from hitting the open market in free agency.

Then, there's the smoke around the Patriots possibly trading for Eagles star A.J. Brown. Philly's top decision-makers didn't close the door on possibly trading Brown, but the sense is that a trade partner would have to meet a high asking price to acquire Brown, while the cash layout in his contract makes a pre-June 1 trade complicated from a financial standpoint. Although most of the receiver-needy teams would probably be interested in Brown, including reuniting the talented wideout with Vrabel in New England, it might not be easy to pry Brown out of Philadelphia.

After the big fish in the veteran market is the draft, which admittedly hasn't been the most fruitful for the Patriots in terms of identifying wide receiver talent. Although the Patriots won't be in range to select top prospects Carnell Tate (Ohio State), Jordyn Tyson (Arizona State), and Makai Lemon (USC), it is a deep wide receiver class. Starting from the backend of the first round into day two, New England has plenty of intriguing options, some of which are definitely in play for the Pats with the 31st overall pick in the draft.

Here's a rundown on how the top receivers fared in the athletic testing and on-field workouts at the combine on Saturday night. Plus, some sleeper receivers into day three of the draft.

WR Denzel Boston, Washington

Boston was the 20th-rated player on the media consensus board heading into the combine. The Washington wideout has the makings of a modern 'X' receiver with his power-oriented style and elite downfield ball skills, securing 10 of his 13 contested targets last season. If you have a quarterback like Maye who can throw the deep ball with pinpoint accuracy, Boston has the catch strength and size (6-4, 212) to win any pass in his catch radius. He also can run routes and handle blocking assignments from condensed splits and as a "big" slot, which is where that modern label comes into play.

However, the knock on Boston is his top-end speed and ability to beat press-man at the line of scrimmage. He tends to wear contact on his releases, then doesn't have great long-speed to stack corners, which is where the separation concerns come into play. Boston opting to sit out the 40-yard dash won't quell concerns about his top-end speed and his 35-inch vertical is below average (43rd percentile). On a positive note, Boston might have a better chance to make it to the end of the first round now that he skipped the 40-yard dash.

WR KC Concepcion, Texas A&M

Along with Boston, we didn't get an official 40-yard dash for Concepcion on Saturday, who sat out all the athletic testing in Indy. Heading into the combine, Concepcion was 26th on the consensus board. Given that his game is speed and explosiveness, it's surprising that Concepcion opted out of athletic testing. He plays fast on tape, with sudden movements to create separation and excellent acceleration through the catch point to burst into YAC mode.

Although he didn't test, Concepcion went through the receiver drills, including the all-important gauntlet drill. You want to see receivers pluck the ball away from their bodies while holding the line coming across the field. Unsurprisingly, Concepcion impressed in his gauntlet run, peaking at over 18 MPH during the drill (you don't want players jogging). The only hesitation with Concepcion as a Patriots fit is that he'll be a Z/slot at 5-11, 196 pounds. He could be a long-term replacement for Diggs, but he isn't that complementary outside receiver if Diggs is in New England's plans for 2026. Still, if you're looking for pure separators, he's that guy.

WR Omar Cooper Jr., Indiana

Cooper is in a similar boat as Concepcion where his game is intriguing but he projects as more of an inside receiver at the next level (6-0, 199). That said, Cooper has the burst to separate and create after the catch, plays bigger than his frame would suggest, and makes some great grabs on passes thrown outside his frame. Along with having strong tape and competitive fire, Cooper did just about everything at the combine, including posting a 4.42-second 40-yard dash (81st percentile) and a solid 8.81 relative athletic score (out of 10).

From this perspective, Cooper has shades of Emmanuel Sanders in his film, as a silky-smooth wideout with that gamer mentality to compete for the ball despite being slightly undersized. By checking boxes in his athletic testing, Cooper, who was 41st on the pre-combine consensus board, might've tested himself into the first-round conversation. Someone is going to get a good pro in Cooper, but he might not have the skill set the Patriots want to add this offseason.

WR Chris Brazzell, Tennessee

I'm ready to plant my flag on Brazzell being "my guy" in this wide receiver class, mainly because he fits Drake Maye like a glove. At 6-4, 198 pounds, the Tennessee wideout posted a 4.37s 40-yard dash (89th percentile) and has a 90th percentile wingspan (80 ⅛"), giving him elite speed and a huge catch radius that he uses on film to win jump balls and snatch off-target passes. Although his best trait is his long-striding speed, Brazzell also flashes great route releases and is a QB-friendly target on intermediate routes.

I'll concede that the history of Tennessee wideouts in the NFL isn't great outside of 49ers WR Jauan Jennings (Jaylin Hyatt, Cedric Tillman, Joshua Palmer, Dont'e Thornton). However, Brazzell transferred from Tulane, where he produced as a redshirt freshman (44 catches, 711 yards) and was asked to run a more diverse route tree. Given his success throwing to bigger targets like Mack Hollins, Brazzell would pair excellently with Maye. After his great combine workout, Brazzell, the consensus 52nd player pre-combine, should be part of the discussion with the 31st pick in the first round – he has game-breaking potential.

WR Malachi Fields, Notre Dame

As another big-bodied 'X' receiver with speed concerns in the first-round range, Fields opted to test at the combine, and it might've backfired. At 6-4, 218 pounds, Fields ran a 4.61s 40-yard dash, which is an identical time to Bills second-rounder Keon Coleman at the 2024 combine (16th percentile). Like Coleman, Fields recovered by running through the gauntlet drill at over 19 MPH, which will have us debating "timed" speed versus "play" speed, just like we did with Coleman when he ran the gauntlet at 20.08 MPH, per NGS.

Although these bigger receivers don't win with pure speed, Fields confirmed he is a bully-ball receiver who will use his size to win jump balls. He does have the body control and catch radius (79" wingspan) to play that brand of football, and is good at selling fade releases to create separation on comebacks and underneath hitches. However, Fields' play speed limits his ability to stack defenders on the outside, which was backed up by his slower timed speed, so we'd probably look elsewhere in a deep wide receiver class.

WR Elijah Sarratt, Indiana

Sarratt was the last consensus top-64 receiver we wanted to discuss here, but he also opted out of the 40-yard dash with concerns about his long speed. On film, Sarratt is a crafty receiver who has a great feel for creating separation underneath when breaking into the middle of the field, finding soft spots in zones, and working back-shoulder throws with Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza. He also performed well in the clutch with game-winning scores vs. Iowa and Oregon. His game has shades of former Pats wideout Jakobi Meyers.

Sarratt played mostly on the outside for the Hoosiers because Cooper Jr. was their inside playmaker, but he might be best in the pros as a Z-receiver so that he's hidden from press-man along the sideline, where his lack of top-end speed could get exposed. Sarrett went through the on-field drills. He was okay in the gauntlet (18.16 MPH) and looked smooth in his routes. Like Boston, we'll continue to ask about his top-end speed, though.

WR Germie Bernard, Alabama

A quick, versatile, and tough receiver, Bernard's efficient route-running was on full display during his drill work. He also checked a box by running a 4.48s 40-yard dash and posted a class-best 6.71s three-cone time (87th percentile). There's just an effortlessness to his movements with his sudden footwork and speed variations that will play at the next level, as will his inside-out versatility. Bernard might not have a super high ceiling, but as a mid-round prospect, he should be a solid pro who will compete for top-three receiver snaps.

WR Ja'Kobi Lane, USC

Another long-striding receiver who flashed impressive smoothness and catch skills during his drill work. At 6-4, 200 pounds, Lane made several highlight-reel grabs on his college tape and was a solid red zone-threat. The USC product checked boxes with a 4.47s 40-yard dash and an elite 40-inch vertical jump, giving him a relative athletic score of 9.69 out of 10. Lane will need to get stronger to play through contact and get off press coverage to hit his ceiling as a pro. But since we're into receivers with good build-up speed and a large catch radius, Lane is another day-two option that fits into that mold for the Patriots.

WR Skyler Bell, UConn

We'll be adding the UConn product to my post-combine watch list after Saturday's workout. After a highly productive season for the Huskies, where Bell tied for the best mark in this class with 3.13 yards per route run, the local star ran a 4.4s 40-yard dash (85th percentile) and had a 97th percentile vertical jump (41"). In limited exposure to Bell, you can see his explosiveness in his burst off the line and ability to high-point the ball along the sideline. He'll probably be more of an inside receiver at 5-11, 192 pounds, and will need to refine his route-running technique. But he has an NFL-caliber athletic profile (9.71 RAS) and great film at UConn – a name to keep in mind in the third round.

WR Ted Hurst, Georgia State

If we're going to hype up Brazzell as a potential top-50 target for the Patriots, Hurst is the mid-round version as the 94th overall prospect on the media consensus board. At 6-4, 206 pounds, Hurst has similarly long-striding speed at 4.42s 40-yard dash (81st percentile) and showed off his explosiveness with a 97th percentile broad jump (135"). You see that with his ability to shake press coverage and accelerate off the line, while Hurst also tracks the ball well over his shoulder. Hurst complements his vertical route-running ability by snapping off comebackers and getting open underneath bailing zone defenders, and he has some juice after the catch. Hurst will have to adjust to better competition and win the ball more consistently on contested catches, but there's a skillset there to be a field-stretcher with high upside.

WR/RB Eli Heidenreich, Navy

Heidenreich worked out with the running backs at the combine, but he was a do-it-all weapon for Navy as a slot receiver, pass-catching back, and jet sweep artist on option plays. The Navy product then posted a 9.12 out of 10 relative athletic score with a 4.44s 40-yard dash and looked incredibly smooth during pass-catching drills. The Pats top-two backs are set with Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson, but adding a back to compete for RB3 is a need, and Heidenreich is a day-three target whose versatility could help him earn a role.

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