The Pittsburgh Steelers elected to match the $2.5 million offer sheet the New England Patriots extended to wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders. This means the Patriots will have to look elsewhere to bolster their receiving core, something they are expected to do through the upcoming NFL Draft, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN Boston.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick told reporters that it’s easier to project how players already in the NFL will perform in the team’s offense rather than those that are coming from college. This has been evidenced by the success NFL transplants have had with the team – including Randy Moss and Wes Welker – compared to recent draft picks – including Chad Jackson, Brandon Tate, Julian Edelman, Taylor Price and Jeremy Ebert.

While Belichick might prefer to add receivers through free agency and trade rather than the draft, he doesn’t appear to have many options remaining at this point. New England has hosted several draft-eligible wide outs so far this offseason – including Oregon State's Markus Wheaton, Southern Cal's Robert Woods, Oklahoma's Kenny Stills and Texas Christian's Josh Boyce – and they appear poised to select at least one receiver.