Patriots Insider Drops Randy Moss Comparison for Current Free Agency Target

The New England Patriots badly need a No. 1 wide receiver for young franchise quarterback Drake Maye. In order to take the next step offensively, the Patriots will need to have consistent playmakers. With that in mind, New England recently brought in veteran free agent wide receiver Stefon Diggs for a visit.

Diggs, who is coming off of a torn ACL after just eight games in 2024 with the Houston Texans, could be that No. 1 target for Maye. There are concerns about the knee injury that he suffered and his age at 31 years old, but his track record is clear.

One Patriots insider has spoken out about Diggs and compared this situation to the one the team had back in 2007 with NFL legend Randy Moss. ESPN’s Mike Reiss, who covers New England, revealed his thoughts about Diggs as a potential target for the team. “I’m on the Stefon Diggs hype train. I think he’d be amazing here,” Reiss said. He went on to compare Diggs’ situation to the Moss scenario years back. “It reminds me a little bit of when Randy came over in 2007. A lot of people had questions,’How would he fit in here?’ But when you dug in a little deeper, you realized Randy would fit in really good here.”

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Reiss also fired back at the idea that Diggs can be a problem in the locker room. He gave an update on where the Patriots stand with the veteran wideout as well. “Stefon’s had some things happen in Buffalo and Minnesota, things haven’t always been great. But last year in Houston, you talk to people and they loved him down there,” he said. “[The Patriots] are going to keep in touch with him. There’s a possibility they could sign him and nothing feels like it’s imminent. Though, they are going to keep in touch over the next couple of weeks.”

Patriots 2025 draft profile: Luther Burden III is electric with the ball in his hands

The New England Patriots were quite active in the early parts of free agency, but there is still plenty of room for improvement at the wide receiver position. Even after signing Mack Hollins to a two-year deal, the group stands to benefit from an infusion of young, high-upside talent. In order to find that, turning to the draft makes the most sense.

One of the targets to keep an eye on in that regard is Missouri’s Luther Burden III, who projects as a fringe first-round prospect. Let’s take a closer look at him.

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Hard facts

Name: Luther Burden III

Position: Wide receiver

School: Missouri

Opening day age: 21 (12/12/2003)

Measurements: 6’0”, 206 lbs, 76 1/2” wingspan, 31 1/4” arm length, 8 1/2” hand size, 4.41s 40-yard dash, N/A Relative Athletic Score

Experience

Career statistics: 38 games (33 starts) | 1,732 offensive snaps, 133 special teams snaps | 276 targets, 193 catches (69.9%), 2,283 receiving yards, 21 TDs | 32 carries, 210 rushing yards (6.6 yards/carry), 4 TDs | 24 punt returns, 265 yards (11.0 yards/return), 1 TD | 1 kickoff return, 0 yards | 1 fumble, 3 muffed punts

Accolades: First-team All-ACC (2023, 2024), Second-team All-American (2023)

A five-star recruit coming out of East St. Louis Senior High School, Burden originally committed to Oklahoma before eventually joining Missouri. He quickly burst onto the scene as a true freshman, appearing in all 13 games with 10 starts and finishing in the team’s top three in receptions (46), yards (398) and touchdowns (6).

Burden followed it up with the statistically best season of his career. As a sophomore, he was on the receiving end of 86 passes that he took for 1,209 yards and 9 scores. The Tigers’ top receiver earned his first All-ACC recognition that season, and the arrow was definitively pointing up. However, his production dipped across the board — 61 catches, 676 yards, 6, TDs — in what was increasingly becoming a run-centric offense handicapped by insufficient quarterback play.

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Despite seemingly heading in the wrong direction, Burden decided to forgo his final year of eligibility to declare for the draft following his junior campaign. He was invited to the Scouting Combine.

Draft profile

Expected round: 1-2 | Consensus big board: No. 32 | Patriots meeting: N/A

Strengths: Give the ball to Luther Burden and positive things will happen. The 21-year-old is as good a player as any in this draft maximizing his opportunities with the football in his hands, as evidenced by his top-of-the-class 30 missed tackles forced in 2024 and his 6.1-yard average after the catch (relative to an overall 11.1 yards/reception number). He combines body control and short-area quickness with the acceleration to either shake off or run away from would-be tacklers.

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While he is a standout after the catch, he is no less impressive before it. He has shown an ability to stack cornerbacks and run a refined route tree out of various splits and alignments, and also has the hand-eye coordinator to track balls very well; over-the-shoulder passes do not pose a problem for him. While not a classic deep threat, he also has the tools to get separation and stress defenses vertically.

In addition, Burden might be one of the best and most willing blockers the wide receiver class has to offer this year. His work in the running game and on screen plays will be positively noted by scouts.