MORGANTOWN, WV – NOVEMBER 23: David Sills V of the West Virginia Mountaineers catches a 41 yard touchdown pass against Brendan Radley-Hiles of the Oklahoma Sooners on November 23, 2018 at Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
By Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
The Patriots are meeting some intriguing NFL draft prospects out of West Virginia. Two of them play wide receiver.
According to the NFL Network’s Aditi Kinkhabwala, the Patriots and Steelers both met with Mountaineers receivers David Sills V and Gary Jennings on Wednesday, before Thursday’s Pro Day. That follows up a report that they’re expected to meet with West Virginia quarterback Will Grier before April’s draft.
Both Sills and Jennings project as mid-round picks at best, with the distinct possibility of lasting into the later rounds. Sills has impressive size (6-foot-3, 211 pounds) and ball skills as a deep-ball threat, but as a converted quarterback still needs time to develop if he wants to make a consistent impact at the NFL level.
Jennings may lack Sills’ physical upside, but he also has decent size at 6-foot-1, 209 pounds. He lined up all over the field and played a number of roles as a receiver for West Virginia and also returned kicks & punts. Bill Belichick might like that versatility.
As of Thursday, the Patriots’ depth chart at wide receiver looks like this:
Julian Edelman
Phillip Dorsett
Maurice Harris
Bruce Ellington
Braxton Berrios
Damoun Patterson
Matthew Slater
So it shouldn’t surprise anyone if they dip into this year’s draft to find receiver competition to add to the 90-man roster – if not spend a high pick on a player with the potential to make an impact right away.
Sills and Jennings may not fit that criteria, but they’d both be interesting additions to the roster. It wouldn’t be the first time Belichick took on a former QB to develop him into a viable receiver.
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff or email him at matthew.dolloff@bbgi.com.