Getting a wide receiver with size seems to be a goal for New England this season. After entertaining 6-4, 218-pound Donald Hayes on Tuesday, the Patriots brought in 6-5, 230-pound Joe Jurevicius for a visit Wednesday, the Patriots confirmed.
Size and depth are problems for New England's receiving corps. The only established players are current starters Troy Brown (5-10, 193 pounds) and David Patten (5-10, 190). The rest of the group consists of Fred Coleman, Jimmy Farris and Scott McCready. Terry Glenn technically is still on the roster, but a trade with Green Bay appears imminent, possibly as soon as Thursday afternoon. Of Coleman, Farris and McCready, Coleman is the biggest at 6-0 and 190 pounds.
Besides providing a sizable target in the passing game, Jurevicius appears to fit the mold of free agents Head Coach Bill Belichick has cornered in the last two years. A four-year veteran, Jurevicius has been a decent performer heading into his prime. He is a guy with experience and the potential to be part of a team's future, much like linebacker Mike Vrabel, fullback Marc Edwards and wide receiver David Patten were a year ago.
Originally drafted in the second-round of the 1998 draft by the New York Giants, Jurevicius had the best year of his career in 2001, posting career highs of 51 catches, 706 receiving yards and three touchdowns, basically matching the totals he had in his first three seasons combined. He also got his first significant starting experience, starting nine of the 14 games he played.
Throughout his career Jurevicus has shown steady improvement with each season. Here are his year-by-year statistics with the Giants. In 58 games he has 58 catches for 1,442 yards and five touchdowns.
| **Year** | **G/S** | **No.** | **Yds.** | **TD** |
| 1998 | 14/1 | 9 | 146 | 0 |
| 1999 | 16/0 | 18 | 318 | 1 |
| 2000 | 14/3 | 24 | 272 | 1 |
| 2001 | 14/9 | 51 | 706 | 3 |
Signing denied
Patriots director of media relations Stacey James denied a report that the Patriots had signed fullback Scott Dragos to a contract. The free agent, who played for Chicago the last two season, was once signed by New England as an undrafted rookie out of Boston College.
