Adding speed to the roster has been one of the main talking points surrounding the Patriots this offseason. The team addressed that need in a big way to start Day 2 of the NFL Draft, trading up to take Baylor wide receiver Tyquan Thornton 50th overall.
Thornton ran a 4.28 second 40-yard dash at this year’s NFL Combine. That was the fastest time of any receiver in the class, and a top-15 time in the history of the event regardless of position. His game pairs good size (6-foot-2, 181 pounds), short area quickness, and body control with that straight-line speed.
In order to move up to take Thornton, the Patriots traded the 54th overall pick as well as their fifth-round pick (158th overall). They now have a gap between the fourth and sixth rounds, from picks 127 and 183.
After playing a rotational role as a freshman, Thornton had his first big season as a sophomore in 2019 catching 45 passes for 782 yards and five touchdowns while averaging 17.4 yards per catch. He was limited to just five games in 2020, but came back with a career year last fall. In 2021, he was the focal point of the Bears’ offense recording 62 catches for 948 yards and 10 touchdowns.
This pick is yet another departure from the Patriots traditional draft trends. Thornton is only the fourth wideout taken in the top 50 in the Bill Belichick era, and just the second since 2006 (N’Keal Harry, 1st round 2019). He’s also the first Baylor player drafted by the Patriots since 2006, and third overall under Belichick.
Once officially signed, Thornton will be the 10th wide receiver on the Patriots’ roster. Kendrick Bourne, Jakobie Meyers, Nelson Agholor, and recently-acquired DeVante Parker are expected to be at the top of the depth chart. Agholor and Thornton have similar skill sets, so they could end up competing for playing time once training camp begins.
Even with the trade up, the Patriots are still set to be on the clock two more times Friday night. They’re currently scheduled to pick at 85th and 94th overall – both in the third round.
Patriots Draft Tracker 2022: Day 2 picks, rumors, and more
Patriots draft Houston CB Marcus Jones 85th overall
Sep 18, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars cornerback Marcus Jones (8) celebrates his touchdown during the second quarter against the Grambling State Tigers at TDECU Stadium. Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports
The Patriots have addressed the cornerback position. They’ve selected Houston’s Marcus Jones with the 85th overall pick. New England met with Jones pre-draft and attended his Pro Day.
Jones played 13 games for the Cougars as a senior and made five interceptions, to go with 47 total tackles and one forced fumble. He also excelled as a returner, averaging 34 yards per kick return and 14.4 yards per punt return, with four total return touchdowns. He won the 2021 Paul Hornung Award as the nation’s most versatile player and was a consensus All-American.
The 23-year-old projects as a candidate to return kicks and/or punts immediately, and has a chance to stick as a slot corner, if not become a long-term replacement for Jonathan Jones. He doesn’t profile as a fit for the Patriots as an outside cornerback, but he has a dynamic-enough skill set to make an impact in a number of ways.
Trading up for WR Tyquan Thornton reportedly a ‘necessary’ move
Nov 13, 2021; Waco, Texas, USA; Baylor Bears wide receiver Tyquan Thornton (9) tries to elude Oklahoma Sooners safety Delarrin Turner-Yell (32) during the second half at McLane Stadium. Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
According to Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus, the Patriots’ trade-up to the 50th pick for Baylor wide receiver Tyquan Thornton was a “necessary” move, in order to beat other teams to the punch. “At least one team had [Thornton] as their top WR on the board today,” Kyed tweeted.
This is notable because two other receivers were picked soon after Thornton, and one of them was by the Pittsburgh Steelers with George Pickens out of Georgia. The Chiefs also took a receiver with the 54th pick they got from the Pats, taking Western Michigan’s Skyy Moore.
If the Steelers had Thornton as their best receiver available, that’s a good sign for the Patriots. Pittsburgh has been a receiver factory for years, with productive playmakers like JuJu Smith-Schuster, Chase Claypool, and Diontae Johnson in just the last five years alone.
Draft prognosticators didn’t seem to have Thornton pegged as a day-2 pick, but obviously, their draft boards didn’t align with the Patriots and at least one other team.
Patriots draft Baylor WR Tyquan Thornton
Mar 3, 2022; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Baylor wide receiver Tyquan Thornton (WO32) runs the 40-yard dash during the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The Patriots are targeting a wide receiver with their trade up to the 50th pick: they’re selecting Baylor wideout Tyquan Thornton.
Thornton played four years at Baylor. He was slow to produce over his first three seasons, but as a senior, he started 14 games and led the team with 62 catches and 10 receiving touchdowns. His 2,242 receiving yards are 10th in school history.
The 6-foot-2, 181-pound Thornton ranked as one of the fastest prospects in the entire NFL Draft. He ran a 4.28 in the 40-yard dash, which was third overall and first among receivers. Should he work his way into a major role in the Patriots’ offense, Thornton would provide some much-needed speed and explosiveness, and a potential big-play weapon for second-year quarterback Mac Jones.
Per multiple reports, the Patriots traded picks 54 and 158 to the Chiefs for No. 50 before selecting Thornton.
Alabama WR John Metchie III off the board
TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA – SEPTEMBER 25: John Metchie III #8 of the Alabama Crimson Tide pulls in this reception as he is tackled by Camron Harrell #29 of the Southern Miss Golden Eagles during the first half at Bryant-Denny Stadium on September 25, 2021 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Alabama wide receiver John Metchie III, who was a popular prospect idea for the Patriots for obvious reasons, is instead joining old friend Nick Caserio with the Houston Texans as the 44th overall pick. There are still a few highly touted receivers left on the board, but if the Patriots want one of them, they’ll have to act quickly.
Jets take RB Breece Hall 36th overall
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 18: Running back Breece Hall #28 of the Iowa State Cyclones runs against the UNLV Rebels during the first half of a game at Allegiant Stadium on September 18, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Getty Images)
On the night after a busy first round, the Jets add to their running back room with their first pick of the second. Iowa State running back Breece Hall is added to Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson (10th) as the second offensive skill player in the Jets’ 2022 draft class. They’ve also selected Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner (4th) and Florida State defensive end Jermaine Johnson.
Best Players Available
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 27: Cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. #23 of the Clemson Tigers makes an interception on a pass intended for wide receiver Josh Vann #6 of the South Carolina Gamecocks in the second quarter during their game at Williams-Brice Stadium on November 27, 2021 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
This year’s draft is widely considered to be deep in the second and third rounds, so there’s still a chance that the Patriots add starting-caliber players with their next few picks. Some of the best players available are likely to go early on day 2, which means the Pats would have to trade up. But Clemson cornerback Andrew Booth Jr., Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean, Alabama wide receiver John Metchie, and Houston defensive end Logan Hall are a few of the notable names to know, either way.
Our own Alex Barth has compiled a complete big board for day 2. Click here to go through the players and put together your own mini-mock.
‘He wouldn’t have lasted much longer’
Apr 28, 2022; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Chattanooga guard Cole Strange is announced as the twenty-ninth overall pick to the New England Patriots during the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft at the NFL Draft Theater. Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Bill Belichick is always full of surprises. So in retrospect, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that he drafted Tennessee-Chattanooga guard Cole Strange with the 29th overall pick, despite most mock drafts and big boards projecting him as a second-round pick at best. But Belichick doesn’t seem to think Strange would have made it as far as the Pats’ second pick at No. 54.
“If we had stayed at 21, then we would have obviously picked somebody. Probably a good chance it would have been [Strange],” Belichick said in his post-draft video conference. “I don’t know, there were several teams that we talked to prior to when we made the trade. There were some other conversations going on there, but ultimately that’s the one we chose.
“Glad Cole was there when we picked, and as I said, feel like we made the best decision that we could at 21.”
According to Senior Bowl executive director and former Patriots scout Jim Nagy, the “majority” of teams he spoke with had a second-round grade on Strange. So it may have been a reach to take him at 29, but not necessarily as far down the board as it may seem on the surface.
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