When the Patriots made their first-round trade with Kansas City, they also moved up four spots in the second round. They decided to draft a speedy wide receiver out of Baylor, Tyquan Thorton.
The offseason talk was about how the Patriots needed a number 1 threat at receiver. However, when Receivers like Allen Robinson, Juju Smith Shuster, and Christin Kirk slowly fell off the board, the chance was getting slimmer. There was a lot of receiver talent in the first round with star names like Drake London, Jameson Willams, Chris Olave, and Garret Wilson. Nevertheless, all the “star” wideouts fell off the board before the Patriots selection. So now the question was which second-tier threat would elevate their offense to another level. The answer is Tyquan Thorton. Thornton, who ran the fastest forty times in his position group and the third fastest in the combine, will try to break the streak of unsuccessful wide receivers drafted from the Patriots.
Thornton, a 4-star recruit out of high school, went to Baylor in 2018 and appeared in 47 games. In his senior year, Thorton elevated his game to another level, appearing in 14 games and having 62 receptions for 948 yards and ten touchdowns. Although he has plenty of strengths, there are concerns about his size and how he can get physical.
The question now is, will Thorton get any playing time? Right now, Devante Parker and Nelson Ahglor are ahead of him for the outside receiver position, and it is likely to stay like that. Parker has a poor injury history; if he gets injured, Thorton should get his spot. One thing for sure is he has straight-line speed, which is not something the Patriots excel at.
My name is Ben Belford-Peltzman and I am the creator and writer of The Patriots Beat. I am a 17-year kid who is an optimistic pessimist about the City of Champions. I started The Patriots Beat in August of 2022 and never expected to grow so much but here we are. Feel free to email Thepatriotsbeat@gmail.com with any inquires.
