Tyquan Thornton

The Patriots traded up for Thornton in the second round of the 2022 Draft, but he was largely a complementary piece in New England's receiving corps as a rookie, with Jakobi Meyers, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor also in the mix. Now that Meyers (Las Vegas) and Agholor (Baltimore) are elsewhere, Thornton should improve on last year's numbers - 22-247-2 line on 45 targets in 13 games - given the likelihood that he'll see increased volume alongside the two key holdovers and newcomer JuJu Smith-Schuster. Thornton has a slight frame at 6-2, 182 pounds, but he recorded a 4.28-second 40-yard dash during last year's combine, and with wheels like that, he has a chance to make his mark as a deep threat in 2023.

New England moved up in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft to take Thornton 50th overall. Though some thought that may have been a reach, there's no question the Patriots landed one of the fastest players in his draft class. Thornton, whom the Patriots list at 6-2, 182 pounds, logged an official 4.28-second 40-yard dash, and on top of that he was a convincingly productive player in college. He reportedly did solid work at his first training camp, but then suffered a collarbone injury in the preseason and is now expected to miss at least the first month and a half of the regular season. Once he's ready, Thornton could work as an occasional deep threat off the bench, or perhaps be more than that if the Patriots' veteran wideouts are injured/ineffective.