New England Patriots Running Back Shane Vereen to Become Wide Receiver?

New England Patriots running back Shane Vereen has pretty good hands and is one of the better options out of the backfield in the NFL when it comes to catching passes. But is he wide receiver good? According to Paul Perillo, apparently so.

Perillo says he expects the third year running back out of Cal Berkley to be the Patriots number two wide receiver behind Danny Amendola this year:

"My pick is a bit outside the box, and it has as much to do with how I feel Vereen can contribute as it does with my lack of faith with the new group of wideouts. Vereen is a versatile running back with wide receiver skills. He came to New England with experience in a pro style passing game from his days at Cal, where he operated in Jeff Tedford’s sophisticated system. He understands how to run routes and get open as well as catch the ball.During the spring there were times when Vereen lined up as a receiver on the outside where the Patriots were looking to isolate him in space against a linebacker. It was similar to last year’s divisional playoff win over Houston when he caught a long touchdown pass down the left sideline on a double move. I can see Brady and Vereen hooking up in a similar fashion – only more often – this year."

For what it’s worth, the public doesn’t agree. The poll posted on Patriots.com lists Vereen as third most likely to fill the role, behind Julian Edelman and Aaron Dobson who’s running away with nearly 44% of the votes.