Can Tyquan Thornton reverse Patriots’ run of draft misses on receivers?

Henry McKenna

AFC East Reporter

If there’s one blind spot for Bill Belichick, it’s drafting wide receivers.

The New England Patriots coach and general manager’s biggest success stories at the position are college quarterback Julian Edelman, a sixth-rounder, and undrafted receiver Jakobi Meyers. Beyond that, Belichick’s only truly successful draft selection at receiver has been Deion Branch.

Edelman, Branch, David Givens, Bethel Johnson, P.K. Sam, Chad Jackson, Brandon Tate, Taylor Price, Jeremy Ebert, Josh Boyce, Aaron Dobson, Jeremy Gallon, Devin Lucien, Malcolm Mitchell, Braxton Berrios, N’Keal Harry and Tre Nixon — that’s the ugly lot of receiver selections that Belichick had amassed before Tyquan Thornton, the 50th overall pick in 2022.

The Patriots offense needs Thornton to step up. And it might not be bad for Belichick’s reputation as a GM if the young wideout plays a big role this year.

So how will Thornton figure into the mix in 2023?

“I think Tyquan has done a really good job just trying to be consistent,” QB Mac Jones said early during voluntary organized team activities in May. “I got a chance to work with him in the offseason, like a lot of the guys. For me and him, it’s all about communication. He has to grow and learn with me, and all the other guys, too.

“But what you see is exactly what you’re going to get: He’s fast, he’s a smart football player, he’s got strong hands. I really think it’s just him continuing to grow that confidence just like we’re all working for, and he’s going to be a great player for a long time.”

When he has been on the field, Thornton has looked solid, contributing as one of the team’s top receivers on the outside. He had one of the longest touchdown plays of the practice sessions open to the media, with Jones bombing a longball to Thornton during 7-on-7 drills. But Thornton also missed all of minicamp with a soft-tissue injury, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss. A source told me that Thornton’s absence was nothing more than “maintenance.”

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Thornton, who missed four games last year after suffering a broken collarbone on his third reception of the preseason, added weight to his slender 6-foot-3 frame this offseason.

“It definitely was a big emphasis,” he said. “Just getting generally stronger, so I could be able to play out there for a full season.”

Entering 2023, Thornton is among a receiving corps that includes veterans DeVante Parker, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Kendrick Bourne. The Patriots drafted rookies Kayshon Boutte and Demario Douglas in Round 6. They’re also attempting to convert undrafted quarterback Malik Cunningham into a slot receiver.

And New England might not be done adding to the position. The Patriots met with free-agent receiver DeAndre Hopkins two weeks ago and were initially optimistic that a deal was possible. That said, Hopkins may wait until training camp to make his final decision, according to multiple reports.

[Patriots reaching deal with DeAndre Hopkins is ‘realistic,’ per source]

But Thornton has one thing none of the other receivers possesses: rare game-breaking speed. He ran a 4.28-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine last year. New England could easily line up Hopkins and Thornton on the outside with Smith-Schuster on the inside.

“With his speed and his ability to get down the field horizontally and vertically, I think he definitely has a chance,” recently retired Patriots DB Devin McCourty said of Thornton on NBC Sports Boston’s “Quick Slants.” “I’m so interested to see what he looks like in this offense now compared to last year, where it was really just, ‘Run straight down, let’s run a shot play here and there.'”

McCourty’s insight speaks to the way that Thornton has to grow in 2023. The receiver was often a one-trick pony last year. New England would send him down the field to stretch the defense. Because Thornton was still learning, and there weren’t many other legit threats in the offense, the Patriots struggled to get him the ball. He finished with 22 catches for 247 yards and two touchdowns.

The most troubling thing was that, even as his snap counts were 88% or higher between Weeks 14 and 17, his best game was a seven-target, three-catch performance for 60 yards and one touchdown. He did not eclipse 30 yards in any of the other three games. That’s a lot of snaps for a limited amount of production.

If Thornton can use his speed to be a bigger threat in the quick and intermediate areas of the passing game, then maybe he’ll sneak in a few more deep receptions.

“Just trying to be diverse. Moving more strategically with my routes — trying to sell it and make it seem like something else,” Thornton said during OTAs.

Given that Belichick drafted Thornton amid a run of receivers — with George Pickens (Steelers), Alec Pierce (Colts) and Skyy Moore (Chiefs) all going within the four picks after Thornton — the Patriots wideout will draw comparisons to those other prospects during the upcoming season. No one has really emerged.

Thornton could be the type of prospect who gives Belichick another productive receiver in the draft. Or perhaps it’ll be more of the same, with that position continuing to look like one of the legendary coach’s few weaknesses as a talent evaluator.

Yes, Thornton’s development will be key to helping Jones have a comeback year under new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien. But the receiver might also help boost Belichick’s reputation. There’s a lot of pressure on Thornton — much more than on the typical second-rounder.

Prior to joining FOX Sports as the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.

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