FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — DeAndre Hopkins is reportedly scheduled to make a visit to Foxborough at some point this week as he tries to find a new team in free agency. New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones wouldn't mind if he permanently stayed.

The Patriots quarterback was asked about his thoughts on the team's pursuit of Hopkins following Day 1 of mandatory minicamp on Monday. While Jones praised the current weaponry the team has at wide receiver and tight end, he certainly can't deny that the All-Pro receiver would help the Patriots out.

“I think that’s definitely a hypothetical, but I think DeAndre’s a great player,” Jones said “You watch his film from college all the way through the NFL, he’s done a great job.

“So obviously, we’d love to have him. But we do have a great group of guys.”

While Jones recognized that there isn't anything official yet with Hopkins, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick confirmed the team's interest in the star receiver earlier Monday morning. However, Belichick also pointed out that he wasn't sure when Hopkins' visit to New England will happen after it was reported he'd arrive in the area Monday night and meet with the team on Tuesday.

As Jones really can't do much other than lip service to get the Hopkins deal done, he focused on the guys he's currently throwing the ball to. The Patriots made some notable additions at the pass-catcher positions this offseason, signing receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and tight end Mike Gesicki following the departures of Jakobi Meyers, Nelson Agholor and Jonnu Smith.

The Patriots' receiving group wasn't at full strength at Monday's practice with Smith-Schuster and second-year receiver Tyquan Thornton dealing with injuries. But Jones has liked the mix so far with the team's receivers and tight ends, which includes three rookie receivers.

“I’ve been really pleased with the playmakers that we have on our team,” Jones said. “We’ve come out here and really bought into the system, and that’ll really show in training camp and preseason and stuff. It’s sometimes harder to show that out here, but I’ve been really pleased with the tight ends, running backs and all the receivers — the young guys, the old guys like [Parker] and everybody.

“We have a good group, and I definitely feel like we just need to keep growing together. Whoever’s in that room, we’re going to try and dominate together.”

One of the notable veterans in that group is Kendrick Bourne. The receiver made his pitch for Hopkins to join the Patriots last week:

“I’m a fan of D-Hop,” Bourne said following the final organized team activity practice on Friday. “It would be cool. I don’t really know the gist of what’s going on, but yeah, he’s a great player.”

“Come on through, man,” Bourne later added in his message to Hopkins. “We need any help we can get to win.”