The Remarkable Way the Patriots Have Built One of the NFL's Best WR Groups Deserves to Be Celebrated
I'm using this insane, almost metahuman catch by Demario Douglas on 4th down to set up a touchdown Sunday for a couple of reasons.
One, I had it in my notes and completely flaked on mentioning it in my Knee Jerk Reactions to the game.
Two, in fairness to me, there were so many other incredible receptions, I simply never got to it. Which makes it the ideal way to introduce the topic we're here to discuss.
The 2025 Patriots wide receiver room isn't just new. Or improved. It's transformed. In just one offseason, Mike Vrabel has taken it from rock bottom of the league to among the best.
That's not hyperbole. It's not just the wish-casting fantasy of a Patriots fanboy making them out to be way better than they are. The statistics bear it out.
Yes, Drake Maye's emergence is a huge part of the equation. But by no means is it all of it. Tom Brady had some all time great wide receiver units to throw to (2007) and some that were paper thin (2006, 2019). And he never put up the accuracy numbers that Maye is right now:
Being an NFL receiver is a complicated job. But boiled down to it's essential elements, it's about getting open and catching the ball. Which the group of (in order of receiving yards so far) Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, Pop Douglas and Kyle Williams - plus the tight ends and running backs - are doing as well as any wideouts in the game.
NBC Sports Boston - On paper, the Patriots entered the 2025 season with one of the worst skill position groups in the NFL. Over the summer, our Patriots Insider Phil Perry ranked New England's playmakers -- led by 31-year-old Stefon Diggs, who at the time was still recovering from a torn ACL -- 31st in the league, ahead of only the Tennessee Titans.
Fast forward to Monday, where the Patriots enter Week 8 with one of the NFL's most dependable groups of pass-catchers. ...
New England ranks second in the NFL with a 77.7 percent catch rate, trailing only the Detroit Lions. Patriots pass-catchers have seen 197 targets this season and caught 153 of them.
How does that 77.7 percent mark compare to years past, you ask? Well ... it's on pace to be the Patriots' highest single-season percentage this century, as none of Tom Brady's teams had a reception rate higher than 70 percent.
Leading the charge in the good hands department is Diggs, whose 88.6 reception rate (39 catches on 44 targets) leads all NFL receivers with at least 20 targets this season.
Right behind Diggs is Kayshon Boutte, who has caught 80 percent of balls sent his way (20 catches on 25 targets), including this beautiful fingertip grab for a 39-yard touchdown against the Titans.
In fact, New England has five skill players with a catch percentage above 80 percent … while wideout Mack Hollins is at 78.6 percent with 11 catches on 14 targets.
For reference, the Patriots had just two players above the 80 percent threshold in 2024: JaMycal Hasty, who caught just 10 passes on 12 targets, and [Rhamondre] Stevenson.
Going by Pro Football Focus' receiving grade, the Patriots are No. 4 in the league at 79.8, behind only Seattle, Detroit and the Rams. Speaking of JaMycal Hasty - and yes, we just were - last year they were 30th at 66.8, ahead of only Carolina and Cleveland. Despite Maye starting 12 games. Granted, Maye was a rookie with a rookie head coach and an offensive coordinator who was the 12th candidate to interview for the job and had to accept it. But still. He was throwing the ball to people who couldn't get open very often and couldn't catch it when they did.
I'm not talking about you, Vederian Lowe:
Last year, the Pats were 17th in completion % at 64.7%. This despite the fact they were 27th in adjusted air yards per attempt, which is just a scientific way of measuring Dinking and Dunking. This year, they're tied for first (Detroit) with 75.0% completions despite the longest AY/A of 9.3.
So Maye is throwing the ball further, and having it be caught more often than any other QB in football. Which is how you end up with this seemingly every half of every game:
And the best part is, they didn't undergo some massive overhaul to get this year-to-year improvement. The only draft pick they used was on Kyle Williams, whom they're bringing along slowly (just 17% of all team offensive snaps and 2 receptions on 5 targets). They didn't make any major investments in free agency. They simply brought in the solid veteran presence of Hollins, who's now with his sixth team in his 8-year career. And Diggs, who's coming off a knee injury and has been carrying some baggage everywhere he's played, but came highly recommended by Josh McDaniels' brother who coached him in Houston.
Diggs has allowed Boutte and Douglas to slide into roles as second or third WR options, while Hollins takes the bulk of the run-blocking snaps. While the two-tight end offense gives Vrabel and McDaniels of not forcing Williams into active duty the way the disastrous rookie seasons of Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker played out.
Granted no one in the league is talking about this Pats WR depth chart the way they are the other teams I mentioned. But as Maye keeps drone-striking secondaries around the league, people are going to have to recognize how good his receiving corps has been performing on the other end of those passes. As someone once pointed out, he cannot throw the ball and catch the fucking ball as the same time. Fortunately, Maye has just the right guys for the job.