As much as Zay Flowers has been a fast-rising commodity in the NFL Draft community of late, with ESPN’s Todd McShay saying the Boston College receiver is rocketing up draft boards after a strong Shrine Bowl showing, the local product isn’t the only receiver prospect the Patriots should be keeping an eye on with the 14th overall pick.
In fact, many believe USC’s Jordan Addison is the best receiver in the class behind TCU star Quentin Johnston, who will likely be gone by the time New England picks. Plenty of mock drafts are starting to take notice of Addison, too.
"Addison is considered the top receiver as he “skillfully marries his play speed, suddenness and focus as a route runner to create spacing and run-after-catch opportunities. He is undersized, and scouts have concerns about his ability to defeat press and win on the outside in the NFL, but Addison is a loose athlete who can work all three levels of the field," wrote The Athletic's Chad Graff when mocking Addison to the Patriots Monday.
As with Flowers and most of the potential first-round receiver prospects not named Johnston, Addison is undersized for what people typically think outside receivers should be. But that’s where he made most of his hay nonetheless, using a mixture of smooth route-running and big-time speed and acceleration to separate outside the numbers the last three years.
USC’s offense tried to get Addison the ball as many different ways as possible, and the juice he brings with the ball in his hands is special. He’ll almost definitely run a sub 4.4 40-yard dash at the Combine next week — we’re there already?! — and could blow the doors off in agility drills, too.
One other underrated piece of Addison’s game: his absurd balance when running after the catch. Some of his open-field moves seem to defy physics, like this pirouette out of a tackle to stay up and score a touchdown on a deep ball.
Most of the things you like about Zay Flowers are true of Addison, who also happens to be 6-0 instead of 5-9. The only other thing New England might like more about Flowers is the extra year of experience. Addison is coming out as a true junior, and the Patriots have started to emphasize taking college seniors with their early picks. The last true junior they took in the first round — N’Keal Harry — didn’t pan out.
That said, Harry wasn’t nearly as good a receiver coming out as Addison is, so that shouldn’t stop New England from exploring him at No. 14 if he’s available.
Mac Jones and this Patriots offense need weapons, and Addison would undoubtedly step right in and be an immediate contributor for a receiver group that needs them. As Graff said in his reasoning for taking Addison: "Unless you have Patrick Mahomes, it’s incredibly difficult to have an elite offense without a No. 1 wide receiver. So the Patriots have to keep taking chances until they find one."
