The New England Patriots raised a few eyebrows at the 2022 NFL Draft when they selected Tyquan Thornton at No. 50 overall ahead of more highly-touted wide receivers such as George Pickens, Alec Pierce and Skyy Moore.
But despite a collarbone injury that sidelined Thornton for the first four games, the Patriots clearly like what they have in the burner from Baylor.
Ahead of Thornton's NFL debut Sunday against the Detroit Lions, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer shared some insight into why New England is so high on the 22-year-old wideout.
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"He's got timed, world-class speed, so you know he's bringing that to the table. But what they saw in training camp was a whole lot more than that," Breer said Sunday on NBC Sports Boston's "Patriots Pregame Live." "They saw toughness, competitiveness, elusiveness in his routes, skilled route running. So they believe that he's more than just a fast guy."
In fact, one member of the Patriots organization compared Thornton to a pretty accomplished NFL wide receiver.
"The comp I got from somebody there was actually Robbie Anderson," Breer said. "If that's the result of your second-round pick, that's a pretty good result."
Thornton had a strong training camp and performed well in the preseason, catching three passes for 22 yards and a touchdown over two games. He suffered a collarbone injury in that second game that required surgery, however, and the Patriots put him on injured reserve to begin the season.
Thornton will have a chance to prove his worth in regular-season action for the first time Sunday, and if he can develop into a player like Anderson, the Patriots will take it. Anderson had four consecutive seasons of at least 700 receiving yards from 2017 to 2020 and has amassed 4,848 yards and 29 touchdowns over six-plus seasons as a speedy deep threat with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers.
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New England's lack of success drafting wide receivers is well-documented -- N'Keal Harry being the most recent example -- so if Thornton can develop into even a decent NFL player, he'd be one of the best wide receiver draft picks in the Bill Belichick era.