The Patriots traded up in the NFL Draft to select speedy wideout Tyquan Thornton in the middle of the second round. But that was probably unnecessary. Several NFL teams reportedly had Thornton ranked much lower.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer spoke to an NFL talent evaluator who told him most teams graded Thornton as a fourth- or fifth-rounder. “One area scout assigned to Baylor told me he had a fifth-round grade on Thornton,” Breer writes. “Few had more than a fourth-round grade on him. He went in the second round.”
A certifiable burner — Thornton ran 4.28-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, the fastest among wide receivers — the Baylor product caught 62 passes for 948 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. While Thornton can certainly stretch the field, his lack of body mass — 6-foot-2, 181 pounds — and lateral quickness harmed his draft stock.
There were several more highly rated wideouts on the board when the Patriots nabbed Thornton, including Alec Pierce, George Pickens and Skyy Moore.
The Patriots also shocked the NFL masses when they took Chattanooga guard Cole Strange at No. 29 overall, though Bill Belichick said he didn’t think Strange would last much longer.
The first corner the Patriots drafted, Marcus Jones of Houston, was deemed to be a reach as well. The Patriots selected Jones at No. 85 overall.
But what makes the Thornton pick especially interesting is that New England moved up to No. 50 from No. 54 to draft him, indicating they thought one of the receiver-needy teams behind them (Steelers, Colts, Chiefs) was interested in his services.
Thornton, 21 is the fourth receiver Belichick has taken in the second round during his time with the Patriots. Deion Branch, Bethel Johnson, Chad Jackson and Aaron Dobson are the others.