New England Patriots fans have been hoping for a significant Year 2 leap from wideout Tyquan Thornton, and considering some of the early observations at OTAs on Wednesday, they just might get their wish.
Let’s preface all of the hype by pointing out the fact that it wasn’t a padded practice. Things are obviously different when full-on contact is allowed, but there were also some promising takeaways from the session.
The former second-round draft pick out of Baylor looked much more involved with the top offense. On one play in particular, he torched veteran defensive back Myles Bryant on a long touchdown pass from quarterback Mac Jones.
On the opening play of this practice, WR Tyquan Thornton dropped a Mac Jones pass. And then CB Myles Bryant intercepted Jones a few plays later.
Even with a rough start, Jones and Thornton got revenge on a long touchdown pass where the WR toasted Bryant.
— Henry McKenna (@McKennAnalysis) May 31, 2023
Thornton looks more confident than ever before with an entire NFL season under his belt, and that’s starting to show up in his ability to make plays on offense.
I don’t want to overreact to non-padded practices in May. But let’s overreact.
Tyquan Thornton looked phenomenal.Explosiveness on full display off the line of scrimmage and through route breaks. #Patriots
— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) May 31, 2023
Strong first impression today from Tyquan Thornton, who was heavily involved with the Mac Jones-led top offense. Lot of Kendrick Bourne, too, and rookie Demario Douglas also flashed.
We didn't see JuJu Smith-Schuster, who was absent.
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) May 31, 2023
The Patriots could use all of the help they can get at the receiver position without a true No. 1 option on the roster. As of right now, DeVante Parker is as good as it gets.
And to be fair, Parker has been pretty good.
However, Thornton’s emergence would go a long way in flipping the script from an abysmal 2022 season for the team offensively.
