Pats sign WR Nelson Agholor

dynomite

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So the Pats now have a TE to join Edelman and Meyers in threatening the middle of the field, and a legit deep threat to take the top off the defense. Solid day of signings today.
Plus Bourne, who seems versatile (was in the slot 30% of the time last year apparently) and had a similar depth of target to Edelman (9 yards). With his 3-cone quickness and lack of elite speed, he seems well suited to running short/medium routes and getting open.
 

Cellar-Door

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You guys probably remember this one:

on the one hand he misread that duck pretty badly and got his feet tangled up, on the other he obliterated JC Jackson there, even a mediocre throw that he doesn't have to track like a little league fly ball is a TD.

I also remember him torching us in the Super Bowl as their best WR.
 

Ale Xander

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This is the only signing today I dislike, and I dislike it strongly.

Can't catch, can't read (flight of football).

Maybe BB sees something.
 

Gunfighter 09

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This is the only signing today I dislike, and I dislike it strongly.

Can't catch, can't read (flight of football).

Maybe BB sees something.
I think he sees the way Agholor played in Vegas last year. Your description does not describe the player I watched last year.
 

azsoxpatsfan

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I think he sees the way Agholor played in Vegas last year. Your description does not describe the player I watched last year.
The "Agholor can't catch" thing is way overblown, all because of a few (maybe? thought I can only remember one) high profile drops. Someone posted his drop stats upthread, he doesn't have a dropping problem in reality, it's just a pretty unearned reputation.
 

Jungleland

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This is the only signing today I dislike, and I dislike it strongly.

Can't catch, can't read (flight of football).

Maybe BB sees something.
Right there with you. Exciting day, but I hate this one. Too much $$ for the free agent WR I wanted least*

*AB doesn't count.
 

Cellar-Door

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The "Agholor can't catch" thing is way overblown, all because of a few (maybe? thought I can only remember one) high profile drops. Someone posted his drop stats upthread, he doesn't have a dropping problem in reality, it's just a pretty unearned reputation.
Yeah, I mean his drop rate is lower than Edelman's. Even if he does have a few, I'll take that for the guy who was 6th in the league in yards per target last year. He was an exceptional deep threat who put up 900 yards and 8 TDs with David Carr.
 

Captaincoop

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The "Agholor can't catch" thing is way overblown, all because of a few (maybe? thought I can only remember one) high profile drops. Someone posted his drop stats upthread, he doesn't have a dropping problem in reality, it's just a pretty unearned reputation.
The reputation is at least 50% due to that viral video where the fire witness in Philly makes a joke about not dropping the baby that was thrown out the window like Nelson Agholor would.
 

j44thor

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Seems like an overpay in a market where there is more supply than demand. Who was NE competing with for Agholor? I'd be willing to bet you can get 85% of Agholor, honestly probably more, from a Breshad Perriman type if you miss out of Agholor.
 

DJnVa

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The "Agholor can't catch" thing is way overblown, all because of a few (maybe? thought I can only remember one) high profile drops. Someone posted his drop stats upthread, he doesn't have a dropping problem in reality, it's just a pretty unearned reputation.
You know Bill Buckner can't field ground balls right?
 

scottyno

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Seems like an overpay in a market where there is more supply than demand. Who was NE competing with for Agholor? I'd be willing to bet you can get 85% of Agholor, honestly probably more, from a Breshad Perriman type if you miss out of Agholor.
If people think Agholor doesn't make enough catches they'd love Perriman and his 49% career catch percentages despite many fewer chances and likely weaker coverage overall
 

azsoxpatsfan

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You know Bill Buckner can't field ground balls right?
Of course. And Danny Green can't shoot. It astounds me GMs still value players based on their entire performance, when it's clear they should be valued based on the worst play of their career.
 

j44thor

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If people think Agholor doesn't make enough catches they'd love Perriman and his 49% career catch percentages despite many fewer chances and likely weaker coverage overall
There is a reason Agholor was playing for the vet min last year for OAK and it wasn't to chase a ring. Hopefully something clicked and he became a competent WR but he is being paid as a high end #2. This is exactly the type of move we used to mock other teams for making. Used to be NE would be the one signing Agholor last year on the vet min and getting significantly greater production, not the team paying for his outlier year.
 

luckiestman

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Seems like an overpay in a market where there is more supply than demand. Who was NE competing with for Agholor? I'd be willing to bet you can get 85% of Agholor, honestly probably more, from a Breshad Perriman type if you miss out of Agholor.
Perriman kind of looked good for the Jets when Flacco was throwing him the ball. Feel like he is a tier lower than Agohlor/Davis
 

azsoxpatsfan

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There is a reason Agholor was playing for the vet min last year for OAK and it wasn't to chase a ring. Hopefully something clicked and he became a competent WR but he is being paid as a high end #2. This is exactly the type of move we used to mock other teams for making. Used to be NE would be the one signing Agholor last year on the vet min and getting significantly greater production, not the team paying for his outlier year.
Counterargument. He's only 27, and had more yards last year than any Eagles player has had since 2015. Possible his underwhelming performance in PHI was due to QB play and scheme, so idk that it's fair to call last year an outlier
 

JM3

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I was looking up Agholor's advanced stats on Pro Football Reference & came across his "Similar Players" for his career.

My least favorite was obviously Mario Manningham.

My favorite was a wide receiver who played for the Browns from '69 to '74 named Fair Hooker (technically Fair A. Hooker, Jr.).
 

E5 Yaz

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... so idk that it's fair to call last year an outlier
It's not, of course. You can't definitively call something an outlier until you have the totality of the career to compare. He's 27 and put together his best season. If he reverts to his lowest points then, sure, last year will be an outlier.
 

Jettisoned

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Actually, he *is* a deep threat.
Ah ok. I had him in fantasy football a few years back when he was on the Eagles and he wasn't really a deep threat then. To be fair, his career Y/R before this last season was 11.2. Maybe he's actually better suited for deeper routes.
 

Sandwich Pick

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It's not, of course. You can't definitively call something an outlier until you have the totality of the career to compare. He's 27 and put together his best season. If he reverts to his lowest points then, sure, last year will be an outlier.
His best year before 2020 was 2017, when he was moved to the slot. He was also the 4th option behind Jeffery, Ertz, and Torrey Smith during Wentz's amazing year.
 

richgedman'sghost

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This is the only signing today I dislike, and I dislike it strongly.

Can't catch, can't read (flight of football).

Maybe BB sees something.
Did you see the stats that were posted earlier? Nelson's rep as a guy who drops passes is vastly overrated. He had an average percentage of drops per target each year and the rate compares favorably with Ssmuel and Galladay. Did you opinion change now that the Pats also signed Bourne? @Ale Xander
 

Cellar-Door

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Ah ok. I had him in fantasy football a few years back when he was on the Eagles and he wasn't really a deep threat then. To be fair, his career Y/R before this last season was 11.2. Maybe he's actually better suited for deeper routes.
The Eagles used him in the slot. In part because they had DeSean Jackson. LV realized that he was suited to the deep ball.
 

BaseballJones

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I mean, Wes Welker had the highest-profile drop in Patriots' history, but he was really sure-handed. Agholor isn't as sure-handed as Welker was, but he's perfectly fine in that department. Edelman - who we all love and trust - is a drop machine compared to Agholor.
 

Ed Hillel

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I like this move tbh. He was very good last season, I'm fine on a short deal hoping to get more of that.
 

Mooch

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Agholor was a really productive player down the stretch for the Raiders. In his last 7 games he put up 30 catches for 541 yds.

Those are legit WR1 numbers.
 

Jed Zeppelin

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I have an opinion of Agholor partially shaded by that guy on the news, but then seeing him last season it seemed like he was making plays every time I turned on a Raiders game to see how Jacobs was doing for my fantasy team.

Still lacking a true #1 but it’s not like they’ve had a prototype 1 much anyways. Real depth now, and in decent position to be aggressive at the draft having filled holes via FA.
 

RG33

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I like this move tbh. He was very good last season, I'm fine on a short deal hoping to get more of that.
I do too. I prefer the combination of two young solid #2s than getting Golladay and settling for some scrap heap WR. This makes Edelman a #3 option which is where he belongs at his age and recent injury and allows Meyers/Harry/Lee to duke it out for the other 40-50 catches (hopefully).
 

azsoxpatsfan

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68 catch pace is not WR1 material.
69/1237/7 was his pace over the final 7 games. Sure it’s not Hopkins or Julio territory, but it’s easily enough to be the #1 on a playoff team. With the standards people have for what makes a true #1, there’s like 5 #1s in the league
 

azsoxpatsfan

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I do too. I prefer the combination of two young solid #2s than getting Golladay and settling for some scrap heap WR. This makes Edelman a #3 option which is where he belongs at his age and recent injury and allows Meyers/Harry/Lee to duke it out for the other 40-50 catches (hopefully).
Nvm
 

BaseballJones

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If Edelman is healthy this year (and he should play less, which means fewer hits on his body, which means he should be more effective when he IS in the game), the depth chart goes from:

Byrd
Meyers
Harry
Edelman (beat up)
Gunner
TE Izzo

To:

Agholor
Bourne
Byrd
Meyers
Edelman
TE Smith

Byrd or Meyers will no longer be matched up against the other team's CB1. They can torch CB3s or CB4s. Teams will actually have to pay attention to the TE position now. The OL is rock solid. Harris for a full year at RB.

At this point, the offense is HUGELY improved. Like...night and day. Except for one thing: QB. Ugh. Kind of a big piece of the puzzle. I will pass out from joy if they manage to trade up and get Lance, but even at this point if they somehow got Mac Jones that would be a passing improvement over Cam.

And the defense.....

Improvements on the DL (Godcheax, Anderson, and Judon), LB (return of Hightower), and DB (Mills and the return of Chung). Again, should be significantly improved. This team is in excellent shape but for the QB position. And they haven't even TOUCHED the draft yet. Now they can draft for ANYTHING they want because their needs are basically all squared away.

EDIT: I also didn't realize Byrd is a FA. Still...the WR position and pass-catching corps is much improved anyway.
 

uncannymanny

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With Edelman, Bourne, and Smith running around the short-mid range, it feels like they took a calculated risk on a flawed, but serious vertical threat. The guys below them on the depth chart look a lot better in their new roles, too.
 

Sandwich Pick

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The Eagles used him in the slot. In part because they had DeSean Jackson. LV realized that he was suited to the deep ball.
That was the plan. Unfortunately, DeSean Jackson played parts of 3 games in 2019 and Alshon Jeffery also got hurt. Agholor became the #1 WR by default, and he simply couldn't produce (he was also hurt toward the end of the year).

His best stretch that year was Week 2 and 3, where his stats are impressive but he dropped an easy TD pass late vs Atlanta and fumbled the next week vs Detroit (Both losses). Then the video went viral (which he handled pretty well)

It's interesting you say he was better suited for the deep ball, because early in his career he was struggling for that very reason. It wasn't until they traded Jordan Matthews and put Agholor in the slot that he began to take off (although putting actual NFL talent around him certainly helped)

Interestingly enough, 2 of his best years came when he was playing with a TE with over 100 catches.
 

DJnVa

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69/1237/7 was his pace over the final 7 games. Sure it’s not Hopkins or Julio territory, but it’s easily enough to be the #1 on a playoff team. With the standards people have for what makes a true #1, there’s like 5 #1s in the league
There's a number of teams that won 10 games without some "dominant" #1 WR.

Ravens #1 WR: 58/769
Dolphins #1 WR: 63/793
Browns #1 WR: 72/840
Titans #1 WR: 70/1075
Colts #1 WR: 56/762

The Colts could be a good example--top 3 WRs all caught between 40-56 balls. They had a James White type in backfield catch 63. Top TE caught 31.