According to ESPN, the Patriots attempted to trade back into the first round of last month’s NFL Draft to select South Carolina receiver Xavier Legette.
Instead, the Panthers traded up one spot to nab Legette at No. 32 overall. Carolina swapped picks with the Bills, who drafted Florida State receiver Keon Coleman to open Day 2 of the draft one spot ahead of the Patriots, who owned the 34th overall pick. The Pats later traded back to No. 37, where they selected Washington receiver Ja’Lynn Polk.
Legette is a strong, explosive prospect who had only one season of production in college. He caught 71 passes for 1,255 yards and seven touchdowns last year. He stands at 6-foot-1 and 221 pounds and ran a 4.39 in the 40-yard dash at the scouting combine, making him bigger and faster than Polk by straight-line speed, but less experienced and less polished as a receiver.
The Patriots were also tied to Coleman in post-draft reporting. They later drafted a second receiver in UCF’s Javon Baker. All rookies will report to Foxboro on Thursday for a two-day rookie minicamp scheduled for Friday and Saturday this week.
Second-year cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who faced Polk for one game during his lone year at Oregon, said Tuesday he’s been following his new teammate from a distance: “Of course, I kept tabs… He’s a great player. I kind of know him a little bit. He’s a great receiver.” … Patriots second-year wideout DeMario Douglas explained his decision to change jersey numbers to No. 3 by saying it’s the same number he wore in middle school, high school and college. The number, he said Tuesday, honors the “three strong ladies” who raised him: his mother, grandmother and great grandmother. … Patriots offensive tackle Calvin Anderson revealed to the Boston Globe he had malaria last summer, when he missed training camp due to a mysterious illness. Upon returning in late August, Anderson told reporters he was uncertain he would ever play football again, but didn’t have the chance to expound as he was placed on injured reserve weeks later.