New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick gave high praise to wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, comparing him to another former Patriots wideout: Julian Edelman.
Meyers and Edelman have followed similar career paths. Meyers went undrafted, while Edelman was selected in the seventh round. They both became key parts of the Patriots offense during their years in Foxborough. Edelman recorded 6,822 receiving yards during the course of his career, which spanned from 2009 to 2020.
Meyers has made a name for himself after going undrafted out of North Carolina State. He has recorded 2,215 receiving yards and 188 receptions over three seasons. Most recently, he caught seven passes for 111 yards and a touchdown against the Detroit Lions in Week 5.
They both have served roles of dependable targets for Patriots quarterbacks over the course of their careers.
Belichick discussed similarities between the two wideouts when he met with the media on Friday, as transcribed by Zack Cox of NESN.com.
“Honestly, we’ve had a lot of guys like that,” Belichick said. “Come in as a rookie free agent, expectations are low immediately. But then as things start to improve, such as his blocking and his overall route running and instinctiveness and savviness. Different, but kind of like Edelman in the development. Not saying they’re the same player. They’re not. But Edelman’s a guy who didn’t play much for a while and then became a great, great receiver here — one of the most dependable players we’ve ever had. That certainly wasn’t the case in Year 2 or Year 3, as he was in that development stage.”
Meyers is continuing to build his case, as he has been the Patriots’ top wide receiver for the last two seasons. He may not be able to put up the same production as Edelman, but he has developed into an important contributor for an offense in need of a spark.
