The New England Patriots made a franchise-altering decision in the 2024 draft when they kept their third overall pick and selected quarterback Drake Maye out of UNC. He was the third of the top three prospects of the class drafted, and may very well turn out to be the best.
Maye had a decent, if not spectacular, 2025 receiving corps, and because of that, a major offseason objective for Mike Vrabel was to enhance that unit, and he did so in fine style. He signed a solid No. 2 free-agent receiver, Romeo Doubs, and then he snatched top playmaker A.J. Brown from the Eagles in a blockbuster trade.
Now, FanSided's Justin Carter has ranked the top NFL receiving duos entering 2026, and the Patriots' brand-new tandem came in at No. 7 on the list.
The Patriots' new receiving duo is rated sky high in new rankings
Possibly the most important aspect of the Patriots' trading for Brown and signing Doubs is that Vrabel prioritized surrounding his franchise quarterback with the kind of talent needed to elevate his game and the offense as soon as this season.
That's something his predecessor, Bill Belichick, often failed to do, with Tom Brady at the helm of the offense. Now Vrabel's two new receiver additions for Maye have been duly recognized as one of the best duos ahead of the upcoming season.
"The New England Patriots played in the Super Bowl last season. This season, they'll have two different top receivers than they had then...Brown comes over from Philly, where he spent four seasons and went over 1,000 yards each time. He's one of the NFL's best receivers, though 2025 was far from his best season...He should return to form in New England, though.
As for Doubs, he's never hit the 1,000-yard mark ... but I've maintained for the last few seasons that he was the most talented receiver in that group (in Green Bay). Freed from that situation and given new life in New England, Doubs should build on what he did last season, when he finished with 55 catches for a career-high 724 yards and six touchdowns."
If Carter's suppositions are correct and Brown reverts to his Pro Bowl form and Doubs finally breaks out for close to a 1,000-yard season, it will be a huge boost to the Patriots' offense. It's been much ballyhooed around the NFL that the Patriots' 2026 divisional winner's schedule could be the basis of a major regression.
Yet, with Brown and Doubs added to Maye's other solid if unspectacular targets, the quarterback could be primed to take the top off the NFL, a more difficult 2026 schedule or not.
The Patriots' revamped receiving corps, coupled with their dynamic running back duo of Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson, provides Drake Maye with an arsenal of top-shelf weapons. They also still have solid tight end Hunter Henry around.
With this enhanced receiving unit, Maye will be even better this season, and that will induce big headaches for any NFL defense unfortunate enough to have to face him.
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