Rookie sixth-round draft pick Kayshon Boutte isn’t the only New England Patriots receiver with a chance to prove himself as one of the biggest steals in the 2023 NFL draft. Don’t sleep on the possibility of Demario Douglas, another sixth-round pick by New England, doing the same.
Douglas has mostly flown under the radar due to being undersized and coming from Liberty University.
But anyone with a true knowledge of Patriots history knows the team has done wonders with smart, undersized receivers that are reliable with great hands.
Auburn coach Hugh Freeze, who coached Douglas through his entire college tenure at Liberty, has some major praise for his former player.
“Y’all [the Patriots] have been great at moving those guys around and putting them in iso situations. I think that is his strength,” said Freeze, via ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “He could play for me right now at Auburn and start for us. He is the best, most quick-twitched kid at getting in and out of breaks that I’ve ever coached.
“He’s not the burner 4.27 guy [in the 40-yard dash], but his … short-area quickness and his hands are phenomenal. If you watch the way he rolls out of breaks, it’s pretty darn special.”
The fact that Freeze said Douglas could start at an SEC powerhouse school like Auburn is noteworthy. Douglas proved to be a high volume receiver for the Flames in his final season with a career-high 79 receptions for 993 yards and six touchdowns.
The Patriots have excelled at finding players with similar skill sets, like Julian Edelman, Wes Welker and Danny Amendola to fit a certain mold in the offense.
If anything, it means Douglas landed in the perfect spot to maximize his potential and opportunities as a young NFL receiver.
