Because the 2026 class of wide receiver prospects was highly touted for the first to early second round talent pool, there was some hope that the Patriots would manage to snag one of the top names for Drake Maye's offense.
They sat at the perfect spot in the first round to accomplish that, and based on how the board was looking, there were some good players falling into their lap.
Instead, as we saw, they went with an offensive tackle in Round 1 and a linebacker in Round 2, passing on multiple receivers many fans believed would be good fits. That continued throughout the rest of the draft, and because of that, it's beyond clear what message the Patriots sent with their decisions: an AJ Brown trade is nearly guaranteed.
That feels like a fair assumption to make at this point, given they didn't add a single wide receiver with their draft picks, and that would only make sense if they knew a significant upgrade would be making his way to the team later this year.
AJ Brown trade feels like a sure thing based on the Patriots' 2026 Draft class
After only signing Romeo Doubs in free agency and releasing Stefon Diggs, it was beyond clear that the Patriots needed to add more playmakers to their receiving corps through the draft. The assumption was they would do that, potentially in an early round, since the class was considered pretty talented at the top.
Because we know they didn't do that, and they didn't prioritize the position later on, either, the only fair conclusion is that the rumors about an unofficial deal between New England and Philadelphia are probably true, and Brown will be traded after June 1.
That should be the only explanation, and it's something Patriots fans can easily get behind. They have longed for Brown to suit up with the Patriots since Bill Belichick decided to pass on him for N'Keal Harry in 2019.
It might have taken a lot longer to finally happen, but it's difficult to be upset that it finally is.
If that's not in the plans, there are bigger issues at hand because the receiving corps around Maye for the 2026 season is worse than it was last year, and that's not exactly the progress they need after seeing how the group fared during their Super Bowl run.
Maybe they'll look to free agency instead and see if anyone looks like the right fit. Or maybe they'll look into re-signing Diggs, as some have already suggested. We'll have to see, but let's hope it doesn't get to this point, and it's more about Brown being traded instead.
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