Now That Jakobi Meyers is the Best WR on the Free Agent Market, Let's Hear it For the Genius Who First Recognized His Future Greatness
For all the talk we've heard year after year about the failures of the Patriots when it comes to scouting college talent and what a disservice GM Bill does to HC Bill, you'll notice there's a pattern that reveals itself every year around this time. One that is continuing this offseason.
The period to apply franchise tags begins next week. That brings us to within a couple of weeks of the legal tampering period. Followed by free agency. And yet again, as happens every year, the Patriots have one of the most sought-after free agents on the market, Jakobi Meyers. Like JC Jackson last year and Malcolm Butler in 2018, he Meyers went undrafted, was signed to New England. Was coached up, developed, given his chance, and made the most of it. Just like mid-round draftees like Joe Thuney in 2020 and Trey Flowers, these UDFAs played out their rookie deals in New England, established themselves as among the best in the game at their positions, and cashed the fuck in. Now it's Meyers turn.
Once again, as it was with the aforementioned Patriots, we can all hope it doesn't come to that with Meyers. That like with Julian Edelman and Dont'a Hightower, he'll shop around, visit other teams, click his heels together and say, "There's no place like home" and wake up back in the locker room at Gillette surrounded by loved ones realizing the real riches were the teammates and coaches he had all along.
But that's a tall order. Because by any reasonable measurement, Meyers is the most attractive free agent wideout on the market. And one of the Top 10 at any position.
Here is the Pro Football Focus (paywall) rankings of the top free agents:
7. WR Jakobi Meyers, New England Patriots
Contract Projection: Four years, $64 million ($16M per year); $40 million total guaranteed
After every big-name wide receiver in the 2019 NFL Draft class who was set to hit free agency this offseason signed monster extensions before the year began, Meyers found himself as the top free agent at a position that is growing in importance (and value) every single week. Meyers was an undrafted free agent find of the Patriots in 2019 who has blossomed into a very good player. …
Meyers is predominantly a slot receiver but is certainly not just that, logging a little more than one-third of his snaps out wide. What he lacks in physical tools — his 4.63-second 40-yard dash ranks in the 14th percentile among wide receivers in PFF’s database — he more than makes up for with sharp route running and great hands. Over the past three seasons, his 3.1% drop rate ranks ninth among qualifying wide receivers, and at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, he can use his frame to make contested catches. His 63.2% contested catch rate is a top-five mark among all wide receivers over the same span.
And as this metric indicates, Meyers is particularly good at the crucial skill of getting separation against single man coverage:
But I'm not here right now to make Jakobi Meyers any richer than he will undoubtedly already become. Presumably he's got professional representation to do that for him. All I'm here to do is recognize the Patriots expert who recognized Meyers talent right away. That insightful football analyst who got in on the ground floor, so to speak. Who fell in love at first sight and predicted his future glory.
A big tip of the Old Balls to the long time reader who sent me this. It's from the first day of August, 2019. And had gotten buried in my memory under a mountain of thousands of other posts and an ocean of New England IPAs:
Introducing the Patriots newest Undrafted Rookie Free Agent sensation Jakobi Meyers of NC State. He’s one of the No. 69s in your training camp program, and about to become No. 1 in your heart.
As camp has progressed, Meyers has moved up the ranks from one of those depth guys you refer to as “and the rest” to someone that makes you wonder whether you should bother teaching yourself to spell his name with a “k” and an “i” or whether there’s an “s” at the end, to taking reps with the second unit to today, when he lined up with the starters. And in doing so, follows in the actual footsteps of former intriguing camp wideouts such as Bethel Johnson, Taylor Price, Aaron Dobson, Malcolm Mitchell and Braxton Berrios. Does anyone else remember Tony Simmons, the kid out of Wisconsin? No? Just me? Meh, you’re not wrong to forget him.
Anyway, Meyers has been the absolute standout of Camp Belichick thus far. While N’Keal Harry has shown a sort of unnerving talent for following up an improbable, diving, full extension grab by dropping one that hits him right between the thumbs, Meyers has caught everything thrown at him practically. Including Thursday’s practice when he elevated to snatch a Tom Brady pass over Devin McCourty’s head and another from Jarrett Stidham between two defenders, tipping it to himself while keeping his concentration to secure it.
Then after the obligatory disclaimer about how you're not supposed to get too excited about a rookie after just a few days of camp, I dug in and did so anyway:
Let a guy live a little. There’s no harm in getting out over your skis a little on a new guy.
Getting back to Jakobi Meyers, it’s not that far out of the realm of possibility that he really is as good as he looked, even if he did go undrafted. The reason teams passed on him was an problematically slow 40-time at the Combine. He ran a 4.63, which is slow, even for a 6-1, 203 lb wideout. Hell, there were three tight ends and three quarterbacks who ran better than that. And Danny Etling runs a 4.76. As a matter of fact, out of 37 wideouts who ran at Indy, Meyers posted the 34th best time. But on the other hand, Harry ran the 21st fastest, which tells you how much stock the Patriots scouts put in 40-times.
What they do value is production. And with 92 receptions for 1,047 yards and a Senior Bowl invite, he checked that box. And while he consistently graded out somewhere in the range of 25th or so among receivers in his draft class, plenty of the gurus were impressed with his tape:
So allow me to get emotionally attached to this kid now and beat the rush. You should too. That Jakobi Meyers Hype Train is leaving the station, it’s an express and I’m not only on board, I am happy to drive it.
Let me add that Hype Train never went off the rails in four years. Since I violated the rule about not getting too excited over a rookie on the roster bubble and that worked out, I'll break one of my own guidelines and post more than one The Office GIF in the same blog:
Again, I'd hate to see him leave. Since Edelman went down to what ended up being a career-ending injury early in 2020, Meyers has consistently and undeniably the best receiver on the roster, regardless of who was under center. I won't suggest they slap the Franchise Tag on him, because I don't think he's that kind of player. But what he has been and will continue to be is an elite route running, position versatile, tough, smart, sure-handed wide receiver. One who is about to become very well paid. And deserves to be.
And I'm not going to humblebrag about how right I was about him from the very beginning. I'm just going to brag. No humble. Remind me of this when I fall in love with some other obscure prospect at this summer's training camp. And I'll get back to you about whether it ever gets boring being right all the time.