As much as the Cole Strange pick had people confused on Day 1 of the NFL Draft, the Patriots' selection of Tyquan Thornton with the No. 50 overall pick may have shocked observers even more.
Sure, he's blazing fast -- the fastest receiver at the NFL Combine, in fact. But he's also very skinny, making people wonder if he can stand up to the punishment of the NFL as a rookie (or ever).
But one expert who saw him up close in the pre-draft process says one key trait is being left out of the Thornton discussion: his toughness.
E.J. Snyder, a draft analyst who hosts "The Bootleg" podcast alongside Brett Kollmann, shared some encouraging thoughts on this less-mentioned part of Thornton's playing style during an appearance on the "1st and Foxborough" podcast.
"We got to see a lot of him during Shrine Bowl Week," Snyder said. "Very slightly built athlete, especially from the waist down. Very, very thin, and he wasn't the only one like there. … And automatically your brain starts saying, 'Okay, he's fast. He's got pretty good hands. He's not going to be a great contested catcher. He just doesn't have the girth to go up against more physical defensive backs.'
"Baloney. Tyquan Thornton is a dog with the ball in the air. I was really surprised by that in his game because his frame doesn't really belie that. But in drills, he didn't give an inch to anybody, and he won most of those jump balls."
Interestingly, you'll find notes like that in scouting reports from analysts like NFL Network's Lance Zierlein, who called Thornton "tougher than his frame might have you believe" as well as noting his "plus catch radius" despite having fairly small hands (8-1/4 inches).
Also, his solid 36.5-inch vertical showed up on film a few times in college as he went up and over defenders to haul in sideline deep balls with, again, stronger hands than people might expect.
Still, concerns over his size -- he's generously listed at 183 pounds at 6-foot-2 -- make it hard to envision him having a big role as a rookie or eventually stepping into a role as a primarily outside receiver.
That's where his electrifying speed shifts the conversation, according to Snyder.
"The classic, 'If he's even, he's leavin'… if he's even, you're done. Forget it. He's gone. He's going to get by you," he said. "He's going to be on a pitch count [as a rookie]. He's not going to be a starter. But he's going to be a guy that they bring in, like [fourth-round running back] Pierre Strong, they're going to have their 8-10 plays. And even if they don't just run him deep every time, you can bet that defenders are going to be pointing him out when he comes on the field. They're going to be like, 'Couple steps back. Don't be diving forward on this guy, he's going to get behind you.' … After that first long catch, it's going to be on film. It's going to be, be ignorant of that at your own peril."
And for those wondering if Mac Jones has the arm to take advantage of Thornton streaking down the field either this year or in the future, Snyder emphatically believes the young quarterback can.
"Mac can hit that ball," he said. "A lot of people say, 'Oh, Mac doesn't have the greatest arm.' Mac has a fine arm. He can hit that ball with anticipation…when Tyquan's 10-15 yards off the line because he knows 15 yards later he's going to be three steps ahead."
For more of the episode, click here.
