Report: Patriots Had Virtual Meeting With Under-The-Radar TE

The New England Patriots have had another meeting, and this time the team has targeted a tight end.

Josiah Deguara wasn’t considered a top option for many NFL teams, but he has attracted the attention of many talking heads ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft.

The Cincinnati player has met 17 NFL teams as confirmed by Justin Melo from SB Nation. The New England Patriots are on that list.

Deguara measured in at 6-foot-2, 242 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine. Analysts profile him as an H-back type at the pro level. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler even compared him to recently acquired Patriots fullback Danny Vitale.

“(Deguara) works to his spots and physically attacks the football, winning contested windows,” Brugler wrote in his 2020 draft guide. “He is a try-hard competitor with the hustle that pops on the screen, although his point-of-attack blocking isn’t ready for NFL-level defenders. … (He) won’t overwhelm with his play strength or suddenness in his routes, but he has enough traits to hang on an NFL roster.”

The Patriots have another meeting for the win

Deguara is an excellent athlete for that position. He ran a 4.72-second 40-yard dash (63rd percentile for tight ends) with a 7.15-second three-cone drill (52nd percentile), 4.35-second short shuttle (52nd percentile), 35 1/2-inch vertical jump (77th percentile) and 115-inch broad jump (54th percentile). The tight end also did 25 reps on the bench press. No other tight end hasn’t done that at this year’s combine.

According to evaluators, NFL team will sign Deguara on Day 3 of the NFL Draft. In 2019, h was able to catch 39 passes for 504 yards and seven touchdowns for the Bearcats.

The Patriots have only Matt LaCosse and Ryan Izzo on the depth chart. They may take a few tight ends in the draft. They signed Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez in 2010. The Patriots’ 36 receptions by tight ends was league-lowest in 2019. Bill Belichick will have to solve that issue prior to the beginning of the upcoming season. How will the Patriots handle this year’s draft? Belichick always makes the best picks. He probably has a few trades on his mind as well.