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With Gronk Out, Can Malcolm Mitchell Be The Patriots' Next Dynamic Big-Play Threat?

By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston

BOSTON (CBS) -- The 2016 season has sent one of the Patriots' most sobering realities surging back after two seasons bubbling ominously under the surface: Rob Gronkowski simply can't be trusted to stay healthy for a full season.

Gronk made it through the 2014 season all the way to Super Bowl XLIX healthy, he scored a touchdown in the big game, and the Patriots closed the deal. Though he was battling a hurt knee and back in the 2015 playoffs, he was one of the only reasons the Patriots had a shot to pull out a win in the 2015 AFC Championship Game. In every other season from his rookie year up to 2014, Gronk has either been on IR or an utterly ineffective shell of himself by the end of the season.

Two things are clear: the team has been far closer to winning the Lombardi Trophy with Gronk than without him, and they cannot realistically rely on him to be there at the end. While it's not necessarily advisable to move on from Gronk entirely - he's still too talented and (relatively) affordable to allow him to end up with another team - it would behoove the Patriots to put forth a concerted effort to find another pass-catcher who can be a dynamic big-play threat and command added attention from opposing defenses.

Have the Patriots found that guy in rookie wideout Malcolm Mitchell?

Now, this is not an argument that Mitchell = Gronk. Because literally no one in league history = Gronk except Gronk. But it is an argument that Mitchell could be the closest thing the Patriots have right now to a (cliche warning) field-stretching, playmaking receiver who can be as explosive as any player on the field. The Patriots may not need Gronk to have a shot at winning the Super Bowl so much as they need a generally dominant target for Brady in the passing game.

What, exactly, is Julian Edelman at this stage of his career? He's been as productive as anyone for Brady and the Patriots offense in recent years, but at the end of the day he's closer to a reliable possession receiver than a dynamic playmaker. Martellus Bennett may have that kind of ability, but he's been slowed by multiple injuries in 2016 and has been asked to block almost as much as he's been asked to run down the field as a receiver. Chris Hogan has a chance to somewhat fill that playmaking void, but hasn't taken his game to that level in any single game like Mitchell has.

Dion Lewis certainly has the ability to make eye-popping plays, especially catching passes in space - but as a guy who has a deep history of injuries, he's almost as unreliable as Gronk when it comes to staying healthy. Ultimately, the Patriots are going to need big plays from their receivers or tight ends without having to rely on having Gronk.

Right now, Mitchell presents the best opportunity for that. He's really turned heads in his past three games: 17 catches on 22 targets, 222 yards, 3 touchdowns. In Gronk's absence, he's clearly been called upon to play a bigger role in the offense as the Patriots have transitioned to more receiver-heavy sets. He's stepped up and done his job.

And that's what usually makes skill players successful in New England. Just do what the coaches tell you and Tom will get you the ball in the right spot. Just do your job and you'll be put in a position to produce. Mitchell reiterated that when he spoke to reporters on Friday.

"The philosophy around here is pretty simple, and it's said all the time: just do your job, or just do what they tell me," said Mitchell. "That's how I like to keep it, just keep it that simple, honestly. I don't think about anything more than what they tell me to do."

His approach is obviously working, and it's led him to quickly emerge as one of the biggest receiving threats on the Patriots, perhaps Brady's top target. Only Edelman had more targets (12) than Mitchell (10) had against the Rams last Sunday, and Mitchell played the second-most snaps (67) at receiver behind Hogan (68).

It's becoming clear that Mitchell will be relied upon to not just do his job and be in the right spot for Brady but make big plays when the ball is in his hands. He showed his capability against the 49ers when he caught an incredible pass from Brady and toasted the 49ers secondary as he got behind them for a 56-yard catch-and-run touchdown. He also burned Darrelle Revis (not that that's too hard these days) for a touchdown against the Jets that was not an easy ball to snag after Brady had to quickly get rid of it following a fumble.

There are obvious questions with Mitchell. How will he perform in the playoffs when he's going up against more talented defensive backs? If the Patriots make it back to the Super Bowl, what if it's against Seattle and Mitchell draws the likes of Richard Sherman in coverage? He is still a rookie with no guarantee of sustaining his recent success well into January, but Mitchell has certainly flashed the ability to make the kind of dynamic, timely plays the Patriots are desperately going to need now that they don't have Gronk.

To be fair, the questions surrounding Mitchell are the same ones surrounding other talented young skill players on other contending teams. Can the Kansas City Chiefs rely on rookie Tyreek Hill to continue his hot streak? What about the Ravens with 2015 first-rounder Breshad Perriman, who didn't see the field until 2016 and has been targeted just 14 times in his past 5 games? If you're going to point out these players as threats against the Patriots, then it's fair to say the same with Mitchell against opposing defenses.

Mitchell has emerged at just the right time, a stage of the season where attrition is taking a tighter hold on the Patriots' season. For the first time since 2013, they are left searching for answers at receiver and tight end as Gronk sits on the shelf. The need to look elsewhere for dynamic playmakers ought to be the team's expected reality from here on out, and in Mitchell, there's a chance that they've found an answer.

Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.

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