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he New England Patriots’ efforts to rebuild their wide receiver corps this offseason have mostly focused on 2024 NFL draft picks Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, but Tyquan Thornton is actually winning the battle to start in Week 1. And it’s not even close.
Thornton, a forgotten figure in the rotation, “is gonna be a Week 1 starter,” according to Matt St. Jean of Patriots on CLNS Media. St.Jean’s colleague Taylor Kyles agreed Thornton is “the top X and it’s barely looked like a competition.”
Lining up with the first-team offense when the Pats begin the season against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, September 8 would represent quite a turnaround for Thornton. The second-round pick in 2022 has been lost in anonymity largely due to injuries and drops.
Those issues have masked Thornton’s core talent for taking the top off defenses and getting open on the perimeter. Two things the Patriots are going to need to accelerate a pedestrian passing game.
Tyquan Thornton Reminding Patriots of His Value
The Pats need two things from Thornton. To be present and beat coverage. He’s ticked both boxes during preseason, per Kyles, who highlighted some of the receiver’s best reps.
Tyquan Thornton’s put a few quality routes on tape in his limited preseason reps
Just being on the field at all is a positive for the former Baylor star. Thornton has missed 12 games in two years due to knee, shoulder, ankle and hamstring injuries.
A slight, 185-pound frame naturally prompts concerns about Thornton’s ability to withstand the rough and tumble of the NFL. Fortunately, the 6-foot-2 pass-catcher has been bulking up this offseason.
The difference has been noticeable, with Patriots.com staff writer Evan Lazar confirming Thornton “looks more sturdy out there with the added weight, which has helped him get off press-man more consistently.”
An ample demonstration of Thornton’s growing comfort in one-on-one matchups came in a rep against last season’s first-round draft pick, shutdown cornerback Christian Gonzalez, highlighted by Sophie Weller of AtoZ Sports.
Tyquan Thornton vs Christian Gonzalez
Fronting up against physical defensive backs is just one area where Thornton must get better. He also needs to end his struggles holding onto the ball, after the 23-year-old’s dropped six passes since entering the pros, per Pro Football Reference.
If he can improve ball security and beat press coverage, Thornton can fill a vital role for a new-look offense.
Patriots Need True Deep Threat
The best way for the Patriots to expand their pass attack is to attack defenses vertically more often. That’s the challenge new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt faces, and Thornton can help.
As Shane Hallam of Draft Sharks pointed out, “In the Alex Van Pelt offense, the X WR is likely to be more of a deep threat, which aligns with Thornton’s 4.28 40 time.”
The same role is envisaged by Lazar, who pointed out “this offense needs a field-stretcher who can win on the vertical route tree from outside the numbers, and nobody does that better than Thornton on this roster.”
Other receivers on the depth chart are defined more by their ability to work underneath. Like last season’s late-round rookie find DeMario Douglas and returning veteran Kendrick Bourne.
They may not be ideally suited to Van Pelt’s system, while Polk looks like a fit for a different role. That leaves this year’s fourth-rounder Baker, who has shown a speciality to go long, battling it out with Thornton to be the deep threat No. 3 overall pick and would-be franchise quarterback Drake Maye will eventually need.
So far, Thornton is making sure the competition stays one-sided.
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Surprise Patriots WR Winning Battle to Start Week 1