The Patriots bolstered their receiving corps Saturday, trading for Miami’s DeVante Parker, according to a league source.
New England also will receive a 2022 fifth-round draft pick as part of the deal, in exchange for a 2023 third-round pick. The team now has eight selections in this year’s draft, which is set to take place later this month.
Receiver is still a need for the Patriots, but the void is not as pressing. Parker joins Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne, Nelson Agholor, N’Keal Harry, Tre Nixon, and Kristian Wilkerson. The chances the Patriots use their first-round pick (21st overall) on a receiver seem slim, especially given the holes at linebacker, guard, and cornerback.
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Parker, who turned 29 in January, has two seasons remaining on his contract, with a base salary of $5.65 million this year and $5.7 million in 2023.
The Patriots don’t have enough salary cap space to execute this transaction, so the team will have to make additional moves to accommodate Parker.
At 6 feet 3 inches and 219 pounds, Parker is a big target with a skill set similar to what the Patriots hoped to see from Harry. His size, physicality, and large catch radius allow him to make contested grabs, while his speed makes him an option to stretch the field.
Asked about Parker before the 2020 season opener against Miami, Patriots coach Bill Belichick shared plenty of praise.
“He’s got a very, very good skill set,” Belichick said. “He’s a big athlete that runs well. He has good hands, good run-after-the-catch ability, and good quickness for his size. He presents a lot of problems on deep balls. He’s a big target on the end of routes, in cuts, and crossing routes, things like that.
“He’s strong and can break tackles as a catcher or run player, so he attacks all three levels of the defense and can be productive at all three spots.”
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Belichick and the Patriots should be familiar with Parker, who’s spent his entire career with the Dolphins, a divisional foe. Over the past seven seasons, Parker has suited up against New England 12 times, logging three games of more than 100 receiving yards.
The Dolphins drafted Parker out of Louisville with the 14th overall pick in 2015. His most productive season came in 2019, when he caught 72 passes for a team-high 1,202 yards and nine touchdowns. Fifty-eight of his receptions (80.5 percent) resulted in a first down.
Last season, Parker appeared in 10 games, recording 40 catches for 515 yards and two touchdowns. He spent part of the season on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. His hamstring has been a recurring issue, also causing him to miss games in 2016 and 2020.
Patriots nose tackle Davon Godchaux, who played with Parker for four seasons in Miami, and right tackle Trent Brown expressed on social media their excitement for the trade.
“Let’s get it,” wrote Brown.
“Let’s rock big fella,” responded Parker.
Globe staff writer Jim McBride contributed to this report.
Nicole Yang can be reached at nicole.yang@globe.com.Follow her @nicolecyang.