​Heading into his highly anticipated first season with the New England Patriots, former Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown was ranked ninth on ESPN’s recent list of 10 NFL wideouts.The list was compiled by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler from the votes of NFL executives, coaches and scouts.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBrown was acquired by the Patriots in June as a part of a blockbuster trade with the Eagles. The move shored up a major need for the team by getting third-year quarterback Drake Maye a true No. 1 wide receiver. Brown has a chance to be a major offensive weapon for the team moving forward.”He changes the coverages people play, everything will be rolled his way, and it will lighten the box for Josh [McDaniels] to really get the run game going,” one NFL coordinator said, via Fowler. “He gives them run-after-catch explosion and isolation down the field on 50-50 plays that they didn’t have.”Maye and Brown found an immediate connection on the practice field during the spring. There is hope that they can build on that foundation in training camp ahead of the 2026 season.You might have to go all the way back to Randy Moss for the last time the Patriots ever had a receiver with Brown’s physical tools. Stefon Diggs certainly held his own in terms of playmaking last year, but Brown gives the Patriots a younger, more explosive option capable of consistently beating man coverage.Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Patriots’ A.J. Brown cracks ESPN’s top 10 wide receiver rankings