Fans of the New England Patriots got to witness Kendrick Bourne have the best season of his career in 2021 but one Patriots insider thinks he is capable of even more.
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Last season, Bourne had career highs in receptions (55), receiving yards (800), and tied his career-high in receiving touchdowns (5). Mac Jones and Bourne instantly built chemistry and it paid dividends.
But Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston believes that Bourne will be even better in 2022.
“When you look at him last year, 55 of the 70 balls that went his way, he caught,” Curran said. “The passer rating for Mac Jones throwing to him was (129.7). Very few drops. He had 125 yards on 10 carries, so 12.5 (yards per rush).
“He does it all for the Patriots, and they really are going to be in a position where they should make him the hub of their offense.”
Curran continued comparing him to one of the best young wide receivers in the NFL today and a former teammate of Bourne’s, Deebo Samuel.
“He’s going to have a Deebo Samuel year. He’s going to be Deebo Samuel this year,” Curran said.
What Kind of Player Does Bourne Want to be?
Now that Bourne has proven that he can be a top receiver on his team, he wants to be a player that opposing defenses key in on.
Bourne spoke with Chris Mason of MassLive and talked about who he hopes to be as a player moving forward.
“I want to be an impact player. I want to make plays. I want to be a problem for the league,” Bourne told MassLive. “When people come play us, they know they have to be aware of me. I think that goes a long way instead of thinking about ‘I want to be the best receiver in the league,’ it’s just being an impact player. Being on that other team’s scouting report as a problem.”
What Type of Competition Will Bourne be up Against in 2022?
Last season for the Patriots, Jakobi Meyers and Bourne led the way on offense in terms of wide receivers. In 2022, Bourne will have some serious competition for targets.
New England acquired DeVante Parker via a trade with the Miami Dolphins in the offseason and he will surely look to be the Patriots top wideout this season. Parker joins the Patriots roster as the only wide receiver to ever record 1,000 or more receiving yards in a single season.
The Pats also drafted a wide receiver in the second round of this year’s draft. Tyquan Thornton will get the opportunity to make an impact seeing that New England spent a premium draft pick on him.
Bourne actually talked about how talented and fast Thornton has been so far at training camp.
“Very cool, man. Laid back. Got charisma. Got swag to him, man,” Bourne said. “Fits in well. He’s a learner. He wants to learn. He wants to grow and that’s the biggest thing. He’s got a lot of potential.”
So if Bourne wants to have a similar output to Samuel, he will need to get off to a good start and prove he is worthy of being the focus of New England’s passing attack.
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Kendrick Bourne Projected to Have a ‘Deebo Samuel Year’ by Patriots Insider