On Monday night the Patriots finished filling out their 90-man roster ahead of training camp. The team signed 2019 third-round pick Jalen Hurd to their 90th and final open roster spot.

Hurd’s background as a player is an interesting one. He has an impressive combination of size (6-foot-5, 227 pounds) and athleticism but is very raw technically as he enters his age-27 season.

There’s a few reasons for this. Hurd was originally a four-star recruit coming out of high school as a running back. He played the position for three years at Tennessee from 2014-2016. In 2017 he transferred to Baylor and redshirted, and when he returned to the field in 2018 he was playing wide receiver.

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In his lone season as a full-time wide receiver Hurd caught 69 passes for 946 yards and four touchdowns in 12 games. That showing saw him drafted in the third round, 67th overall, by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2019 NFL Draft as a wide receiver.

However, Hurd hasn’t played since. A back injury cost him his rookie year, He then tore his ACL in 2020, then an undisclosed knee injury landed him on IR prior to the 2021 season. He was released off of IR by the Niners, and hasn’t been on an NFL roster since.

Given Hurd’s inexperience at receiver, and the Patriots presumed need at running back and recent contact with free agent backs, there was some question as to whether Hurd could revert to his old position in New England to help improve the depth in the backfield.

• Apparently, that won’t be the case though. During his Tuesday morning pre-training camp press conference, Bill Belichick confirmed that the team will use Hurd as a wide receiver.

  What does that mean for him and the rest of the wide receiver room? It’s hard to gauge, because there isn’t a ton to go off of since Hurd has never played in an NFL game, and hasn’t played in a meaningful game of any kind in the last four years.

  In his lone year at Baylor, Hurd was primarily used as a ‘big slot’ receiver, lining up in the slot 95.6 percent of the time that season. However, during the pre-draft process many experts projected a move to the outside for him to capitalize on his size and help mitigate his lack of route running experience.

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  This is a Patriots team that has plenty of size at wide receiver, with seven of the nine players currently on the roster at the position (not including Matthew Slater) standing at least six feet tall, and four of them standing over 6-foot-2. It’s also a versatile group with the majority of the players being able to contribute from multiple alignments. Both of those traits fit Hurd as well.

  If Hurd is going to make the Patriots, it will likely be as the team’s fifth wide receiver. He’ll join Kayson Boutte, Demario Douglas, Tre Nixon, and Ed Lee in competing for that spot. When it comes to a reserve receiver spot, it’s often about how many different roles a player can fill, so expect Hurd to get looks from multiple alignments in training camp. He’ll likely need to contribute on special teams as well.

• Alex Barth is a writer and 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. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.

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