It's statistically less probable to find a stud (insert position here) later in the draft than it is in the early first. Wide receiver is however, one of the few which has a much higher hit rate later in the draft, especially when compared to QB. Thats the point I was making vis a vis folks who want to take MHJ at #3 over a QB. And unlike QB, you need more than one on a roster. Maybe you don't find the next AJ Brown or Jefferson, but there's a metric ton of guys like McLaurin and Tyler Lockett, who arent top the league talents, that get drafted in later rounds that turn into important pieces on an offense as well.Beyond your first two sentences, you also said there’s “always diamonds” after providing a list of guys taken outside of the top part of the draft. My only point was that it’s statistically improbable for the Pats to actually find a stud WR beyond the early first because the number of those guys is tiny in relation to the number of guys actually selected.
Also not sure about crediting elite WR play to the development of Goff (who had Kupp) or Purdy (who has only ever had good receivers so who knows if he could have made “huge strides” without them) but to be clear I certainly agree with the assertion that an elite WR is a great QB enhancer and can elevate a QB’s play and that the Pats need to take a lot more bites at the proverbial apple.
The reality is the vast majority of the top 50 wide receivers are not taken in the top 15-20 of the draft. Thats not the case with QB. That's why I wouldn't take MHJ over a QB at 3. You take a QB or trade down. It's really the only options on the table, IMO.