Hernandez Out. Who's In?

As most of you have already heard, Patriots star Tight End Aaron Hernandez has been arrested and arraigned for 1st Degree Murder as well as five different gun charges. If you haven't read the full story you can read it all here.

I won't be covering the criminal aspect of the case, but rather looking at what this does to the Patriot targets this fall for Tom Brady and what the Patriots could end up doing to help out their offense.

This has potentially left the patriots without their 5 leading receivers from last season. Welker to the Broncos, Lloyd was released, Woodhead was signed by the chargers, Gronkowski is out with an injury and now Hernandez is in the slammer. Who will the new favorite targets for Tom Brady? I'll speculate now.

#1 Danny Amendola: The lone Pats notable free agent signing. Built like Welker, 5 years younger, injury prone. What else can be said. The guy is practically a Welker clone with the exception being he's never had an MVP Quarterback throwing to him. Has caught 80+ balls twice but never more than 700 yards or 3 TDs. Missed almost all of the 2011 season.

Prediction: The biggest disappointment in Amendola will be in the fact that he's not Welker. As much as everyone wants to compare their styles, it's simply too much to expect him to put up anything close to Wes. I think Amendola will catch 100+ balls for 900+ yards and maybe 4 TDs. In my opinion this will be OUTSTANDING, but to most, it won't be enough.

#2 Aaron Dobson: The Patriots 59th overall selection in the 2013 NFL Draft. Big 6'3 210 lbs. Not athletic, but tough. I like his abilities. If you haven't noticed, Brady doesn't really throw the ball down field as much anymore, so the need for a short speedy receiver is unnecessary. Dobson brings some size, strength, WR IQ and tremendous route running ability to the Pats wideout positions. Could wind up being Tom's biggest target before 3rd down as his size will be something Brady hasn't had on the outside since Moss.

Prediction: 60+ REC, 700 YDS, 5 TDs. As long as his ability to run routes and find the holes in the defenses is on point, expect to see big things out of Dobson for a rookie. The guy has freakish ability and the intangibles in a receiver that Brady hasn't had in a while. Not to mention this:

#3 Jake Ballard Anyone remember this guy? He was the starting lineup on the 2012 Super Bowl Champion New York Giants. He was claimed off waivers by the Patriots after the Giants released him in order to put him on their PUP list last season with an injury. At 6'6" 275, the guy is built for collisions. Look for him to be a key member of the Pats 2 TE attack especially with Hernandez gone and Gronk rehabbing after his injury.

Prediction: 60+ REC, 500 YDs, 8 TDs. Will be the main target by the goal line once they are in passing situations. I don't see Brady passing as much in close this season with Vereen and Ridley both entering their 3rd seasons becoming big parts of their offense.

Honorable Mentions:
Shane Vereen - Will have his number called a lot more in 2 back/split wide options.
Tim Tebow - Don't even think about it. Kid is the QB and thats it.
Julian Edelman - Longtime favorite with Brady. Should be a solid option if he can stay on the field.

All in all, I think the Hernandez situation hurts the Pats in a lot more ways than you think. Not only are they losing a stellar player on the field and a favorite target of the offense, but they will also be the targets of a lot of off-field controversy with the ongoing investigations and trials in the future.

Prediction: 10-6 tied with the Dolphins. Both will make the playoffs. Pats will be the Wild Card and take advantage of that being at full strength on their way to their 6th Superbowl in the Brady ERA.