The New England Patriots acquired wide receiver Marqise Lee on Thursday, adding veteran depth to the wide receiver room before the first round of the NFL Draft. Lee has Lee has battled injuries recently. However, he has a chance to provide depth and veteran leadership to the wide receivers room.
From his college days at USC, Lee showed he could be an impact playmaker. Now, he is looking to revive his career and start anew. New England could be the perfect spot for him as the team itself is in a similar situation. They are looking to revamp the offense as they prepare for a new era of football.
Here are three things to know about New England’s newest acquisition.
Lee is a bit of a wildcard
There is a little bit of a wildcard factor when it comes to Lee. He is productive when he sees the field. In 2016 and 2017 combined, he had 119 catches for 1,553 yards and six touchdowns.
The 2018 and 2019 seasons were a different story. He missed all of 2018 due to injuries, and was only able to play in six games in 2019 due to knee problems. He is a bit of a wildcard in the sense that he has been hurt a bit over the past couple of years, but is productive when healthy.
If he can get back to those 2016 numbers, that would certainly be beneficial for New England. That year, he caught 63 passes for 851 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 13.5 yards per receptions. He played in 16 games that year, starting six of them.
New England would also be happy with 2017 production. He started in all 14 games, and caught 56 passes for 702 yards and three touchdowns.
It would certainly help New England’s depth at the wide receiver spot if he is able to say healthy and record the numbers of prior years.
Lee was a superstar in college
Lee has not only succeeded in the National Football League, but he also was extremely good in college. 2012 was particularly kind to him. He caught 118 passes for 1721 yards and 14 touchdowns. He won the Biletnikoff Award as the top wide receiver in the country, and he was a unanimous All-American.
Lee also managed to make an impact in the return game, recording 251 return yards against Oregon that season. That was a conference record. He was the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year and was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection that season.
He would finish his USC career with 248 catches for 3,655 yards and 29 touchdowns. He was a highly-touted prospect coming out of college, and he showed that he had the talent to put on big games when they were needed most.
Although he has not necessarily shown that level of explosiveness in the National Football League, those numbers do show he is capable of doing so. He was an exciting player to watch while he was with the Trojans. If he can bring any of that playmaking ability to New England, the Patriots will be in good shape.
For his career, Lee has two 100-yard receiving games. They both took place in the 2016 season.
The first instance came against the Oakland Raiders on October 23, 2016. He caught seven passes for 107 yards, averaging 15.29 yards per catch. A 38-yard reception was his longest of the afternoon. The second instance for Lee came later that year in December. He caught five passes for 113 yards, averaging just over 22 yards per catch. A 39-yard reception was his longest catch in that one.
Although both of those efforts came in losses, it showed the National Football League that Lee could be an impact playmaker at the professional level. Of course, Lee did this when he was healthy.
However, those two instances in 2016 remind all of us that when he is on top of his game, Lee can stretch the field and be a big-time playmaker. At the very least for New England, he will be a veteran option for a young wide receiving corps learning the ropes of the NFL on the fly.
