In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 NFL Draft, it was difficult to determine whether selecting Tyquan Thornton in the second round by the New England Patriots was a mistake.
Although it wasn’t anticipated that the Baylor speedster would be selected so highly, it wouldn’t be fair to call Thornton a bust until he had an opportunity to demonstrate his abilities on the field.
However, Thornton’s two-year sample size has made it quite evident that the Patriots made a mistake with this decision at a premium offensive position.
In a Patriots uniform, Thornton hasn’t accomplished anything. Due to a preseason injury, his rookie season started later than expected, which furthered the belief that his extremely thin build would not be able to survive the brutality of the NFL. In 13 games, he finished up with 22 receptions for 247 yards and two scores.
Though there was undoubtedly space for improvement, how did Thornton improve upon his debut season? He didn’t advance this season; instead, he regressed and was essentially invisible for a Patriots team that was desperate for offensive players.
Again dealing with injuries, Thornton saw very little action in the nine games that he played in, recording just 13 receptions for 91 yards and no touchdowns. In a single game, certain NFL receivers are capable of such outcomes.
Even with Kendrick Bourne and JuJu Smith-Schuster out with injuries, Thornton only participated in 42% of the team’s offensive snaps. On the depth chart, he was positioned behind DeVante Parker, rookie Demario Douglas, and castoff Jalen Reagor.
“Get faster, you’d better get fast guys,” was once said by Matt Groh, the head of player personnel for the Patriots. Though it’s hardly groundbreaking, Groh managed to acquire what he was looking for from Thornton, as the player recorded a 4.28 40-yard sprint time at the NFL Combine. Thornton can only pair his sprinter-like speed with one item, and that’s a significant problem. Notwithstanding his tremendous speed, he has trouble running precise routes, which prevents him from getting open. It’s interesting to note that Thornton’s biggest play of the season was an end-around run rather than a pass reception (15 yards was his largest reception).
To make matters worse, three receivers fell off the board in quick succession from picks 52 to 54 after the Patriots selected Thornton with the No. 50 overall pick.
These are their figures for the previous campaign:
Player A: 2 touchdowns, 514 yards, and 32 receptions
Player B: 1,140 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 63 receptions
Player C: 244 yards, 1 touchdown, and 21 receptions
Wideout Alec Pierce of the Indianapolis Colts is Player A. while George Pickens, the pass-catcher for the Pittsburgh Steelers, is already well-known as Player B. Player C is Kansas City Chiefs player Skyy Moore.
Any one of those three guys would be a better fit for the Patriots than Thornton. Even while the Georgia product’s effort has occasionally been questioned, it has been demonstrated that the Patriots made a mistake in passing on Pickens.
With the Colts, Pierce had two solid seasons, and it’s reasonable to assume he might produce at the same level with the Patriots. Although Moore’s stats are more impressive than Thornton’s, Moore had one more accomplishment than Thornton in his career: a touchdown reception in the Super Bowl.
The Patriots made a mistake by selecting Thornton above Moore, Pickens, and Pierce in the draft. In light of the fact that Bill Belichick is no longer leading the Patriots and that Jerod Mayo is replacing him, choosing Thornton is a concern for Groh, who supposedly oversaw most of the team’s pick that year.
Thornton doesn’t have much more sand in the hourglass to silence his skeptics. With so many unknowns surrounding New England’s offense this offseason, there can’t be much faith that he will turn things around as he begins a crucial third season.
Based on Thornton’s performance thus far, it appears that he will become the latest draft bust for the Patriots at wide receiver, following in the footsteps of Aaron Dobson and Chad Jackson.
