Thread by @_charliewhite_

Nelson Agholor is an immediate upgrade as a primary deep threat for the #Patriots offense. Damiere Byrd was good for what he was, but should never have been asked to be the team's #2 receiver.

Agholor can fill his role from day one a lot better.

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Agholor has great burst off the line and can get up to top speed very quickly. Here he gets an inside release against the CB and uses his hands and subtle body lean to stack and get on top of the CB, then tracks the ball over his shoulder for a TD.

Very hard to do. #Patriots

Running go routes isn't as simple as running faster than the CB, especially when they are playing this far off. Agholor knows this and has to stem release inside, then attack the corners outside hip to get him to do a turn to win on this go.

Doesn't lose momentum and wins clean

Another underrated part of his game is his release. CB is playing with outside leverage but Agholor still gets outside right away. Once he gets to his spot off release, it's a footrace to the EZ. Uses his hands at the top of the route to create that last bit of separation for TD.

To be a true deep threat, you can't just be fast - you also have to be able to sell routes that you aren't actually running.

Agholor paces his routes very well and has elite change of direction. Uses all of that here on this out-and-up. Gets extreme separation for a huge gain.

He can also win from multiple alignments.

He's the point of this triangle and his route is a fade. With no safety help, he knows all he has to do is beat his man and he's home free. Wins off the release and tracks ball over his shoulder for an easy TD. Can't leave Agholor alone

Another part of his game that I liked a lot was his physicality despite a relatively small frame. When he knowns the CB knows what's coming here (curl route) he uses his hands to create that last bit of separation to free him up to make this catch.

Something the #Patriots need

I alluded to it before, but Agholor's change of direction is truly amazing. He can get in and out of cuts without losing any momentum and that ability can be utilized in so many more ways than the #Raiders allowed him to do last year. Not only a deep threat, he can win other ways

The biggest concern with Agholor is and has always been his hands. He had 6 drops in 2020 (7.3% drop rate) which is definitely a problem that flashed on his tape.

However, hands can be easily worked, some of the things he does to get open deep can't be taught. Good signing.

The contract details haven't been fully released yet, but for what he is being payed I would expect the #Patriots to use him in a more versatile role than the #Raiders did last year.

He is certainly capable of doing so, but he is at LEAST a clear deep threat upgrade for them.