Top Five New England Patriots Players Through Week Three

Sep 21, 2014; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman (11) runs onto the field before the game against the Oakland Raiders at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

3. Julian Edelman

The only player that has performed well on offense thus far, Edelman has proven that he deserves to be in the conversation for one of the top wideouts in the league with his play in 2014. Obviously I don’t think he is on the same level as a Calvin Johnson or A.J. Green, but he is pretty damn good.

Edelman has 22 receptions for 260 yards a touchdown this year, and he has amassed 13 first downs for a struggling Pats offense. Tom Brady has completed 78.5% of his passes when throwing to Edelman, which just goes to show you how reliable Edelman is with his hands (looking at you, Welker).

In my opinion, the most impressive thing about Edelman is how much he has improved since 2012. He went from being virtually unknown to everybody outside of the Patriots organization, to one of the top offensive weapons in this game, because of good old-fashioned hard work.

Everybody wearing a flying elvis on their helmet raves about Edelman’s work ethic, including Bill Belichick, who doesn’t dish out praise a lot. Edelman is going to have to keep up the good work, because until New England’s offensive line figures itself out, he is going to be Brady’s main target.