If there’s one thing we know Bill Belichick loves, it is a guy with a strong work ethic that is going to show up on time — and Braxton Berrios is making that clear right off the bat. After a strong showing at June’s mandatory minicamp where he really stood out with his high motor and flashy catches, the second-year wide receiver has already arrived in Foxboro despite the New England Patriots’ training camp being kicked off ten days from now.
The 23-year-old shows similar traits to his game as Danny Amendola, and Pats Pulpit’s own Taylor Kyles and Bernd Buchmasser think that he can fill an Amendola-esque role in New England’s offense. Berrios caught everything thrown his way at the University of Miami and is a strong candidate to back up Julian Edelman in the slot and take the load off Edelman when it comes to punt returning.
With first-round pick N’Keal Harry and Edelman likely being the only locks at New England’s wide receiver position, the door is wide open for Berrios to make the team out of camp. With the Patriots likely transitioning into a post-Rob Gronkowski offense, it may come at the right time for the 5-foot-9, 190-pound wide receiver who racked up 55 catches for 679 yards and 9 touchdowns during his senior year at Miami.
Berrios fits the ‘Patriot Way’ as a skilled, speedy, and undersized receiver who can help them out both offensively in the slot and on special teams. He is truly one of the key guys to watch as we approach the Pats’ training camp.