INDIANAPOLIS -- The Patriots have to get younger at wider receiver. They haven’t been able to develop a consistent young presence at the position in a decade. So what does New England do this offseason?

With the receiving core on the other side of 30 and facing a questionable future with the team (Wes Welker and Deion Branch are impending free agents while Chad Ochocinco will likely be forced to take a pay cut if he wants to stay in New England), it would appear that the next couple of weeks are important for the future of the franchise: If the right guys are available on March 13, will they take their chances in free agency? (Mike Wallace? Brandon Lloyd?) And if Welker returns, will they try and find the next great outside threat this week at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis?

“I think the obvious one is that they need to address wide receiver,” said Greg Cosell of NFL Films when asked about the Patriots offseason needs. “As great as [Bill] Belichick and Josh McDaniels are, I still think at some point, you need to be able to line up with a guy on the perimeter who can win isolation routes.

“I think you need to have that guy in your offense, because as good as [Rob] Gronkowski is -- I actually think [Aaron] Hernandez is the more difficult cover for defenses because of his versatility -- and as good as [Wes] Welker is, assuming he’ll be back in his role, I think they need a guy on the outside who impacts coverage and can win one-on-one matchups.”

Since the Patriots got Deion Branch and David Givens in the 2002 draft, it’s been a trail of tears when it comes to New England’s attempts to draft a wide receiver, particularly an outside threat: Bethel Johnson. Brandon Tate. Chad Jackson. Taylor Price. And while they have hit on some in free agency (including Welker), the Patriots have had their misses there as well.

“We had hits and misses, even in free agency,” said former Patriots GM Scott Pioli. “Donald Hayes, I blew that one. No offense to Donald. What it is, it’s difficult sometimes to see a player in a different system. And depending on how complicated or how the challenges of your offense ... there’s the mental part. There’s some guys that can get by purely on athletic ability and skill and make a difference in college. As those players become pro players, and other people around them improve, sometimes it becomes difficult. Some of that becomes the mental part of the game.”

While the picture regarding free agency will become clearer when the franchise tag window closes on March 5 (and free agency begins on March 13), the Patriots will get their chance to kick the tires on some draftable possibilities this week at the NFL scouting combine. Names like Notre Dame’s Michael Floyd, LSU’s Rueben Randle, South Carolina's Alshon Jeffery and Rutgers’ Mohamed Sanu have already been attached to New England as possible choices with the Patriots’ first four picks (two in each of the first two rounds).

But even then, it’s tough to judge how a young receiver will be able to transition into your program.

“College receivers don’t get a lot of press coverage, and if they get it, it’s not good quality press coverage,” Pioli said. “There are some really good corners in this league that know how to press, and really good defensive coordinators that know how to set things up.

“In the big picture, it’s getting off the line and then the ability to get open in the NFL. In the college game, a lot of big receivers know how to use their bodies in college as a way that they get open, or they have a snapshot of time to be open, and that doesn’t necessarily work in the NFL. In that sense, it’s a little bit different because you have to find out, first of all, how is he going to get off the line of scrimmage? And then how, beyond size, is that player going to be able to get open?”

For what it’s worth, Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio indicated that wide receiver was one of three areas of depth in this year’s draft.

“I think really it’s about anybody that can help your team, whether it’s young, old, veteran players, older players,” Caserio said of the continuing quest for a young receiver. “We’ve gotten production from that position -- you know, our passing game this year, we threw for over 5,000 yards, so we’re productive in the passing game. So there’s multiple ways we can move the ball. We feel good about the guys that we have on the team [and] there’s a number of guys that are free agents, that are under contract, so we’ll address that position like we have to address everything else.”