While so much focus has been put on who will be Tom Brady's successor, there hasn't been a lot of talk of how the Patriots could make up for the loss of 33-year-old Julian Edelman whenever the wide receiver decides it is time to move on.
Talking with Ken Laird and Nick Stevens on WEEI Saturday afternoon, NFL.com draft expert Lance Zierlein identified a player he viewed as a perfect heir apparent that would be available when the Pats pick at No. 23: Florida wideout Van Jefferson.
"Van Jefferson, who is I think the next slot to take over for Julian Edelman," Zierlein said. "He’s an elite route-runner. And I don’t use the word elite all the time like a lot of people do. All I can think of is holy crap, this guy looks like a Patriot because he’s super-competitive, too.
"If you need wide receiver, which the Patriots do, fast, big, small, quick, all flavors of the ice cream are here in this draft."
Zierlein explained that the Patriots might actually be able to trade down if they are eyeing Jefferson or another receiver, such as Denzel Mims out of Baylor. (Although he surmised if the Pats were to prioritize Mims a different approach with Jarrett Stidham might need to be necessitated considering it wouldn't be such a slot-heavy skill-set.)
Jefferson is also the son of former Patriot Shawn Jefferson. To read more about the former Florida star, click here.