Marqise Lee visited New England Patriots
Marqise Lee speaks at the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports
USC Trojans product Marqise Lee is one of the top wide receiver prospects in the 2014 NFL Draft class, and I can only imagine how touted he would be if he didn’t suffer from some nagging injuries last season. Lee was a revelation in a better offense during the 2012 season, and he was still good last year despite some drop issues. He has incredible athleticism and can track passes in traffic, but he drops far too many of those passes due to poor technique. Lee has issues looking the ball in, mainly because he’s too busy attacking the ball or trying to pin it too his body while absorbing a tough hit near the sideline.
The National Football Post’s Aaron Wilson reports that Lee visited the New England Patriots and Detroit Lions earlier this week, and you can read about his visit and potential fit with the Lions here.
I doubt the Patriots have a chance to select Lee with the 29th pick in the draft, because I think he could be selected in the top 20. It would be difficult to envision him falling past the Carolina Panthers, so the Patriots would probably have to trade up if they are sold on him. While it seems unlikely that the Patriots would trade up for a wideout in a deep class, especially with some depth at the position in Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, Aaron Dobson, Brandon LaFell, Kenbrell Thompkins, and Josh Boyce, the Patriots could have interest in trading up for a marquee wide receiver like Lee or LSU’s Odell Beckham Jr.