Demario "Pop" Douglas has been one of the stars of New England Patriots training camp to date. But we're getting a little ahead of ourselves, aren't we? What are the odds a sixth-round wide receiver actually makes a meaningful NFL contribution?
In New England, they're higher than you'd expect. In fact, when it comes to the wide receiver position, you could a late-round wideout has a better chance to thrive with the Patriots than one taken in Round 1 or 2.
Let's run the numbers: Since Bill Belichick's arrival in 2000, the Patriots have drafted a total of 18 wide receivers, while two undrafted free-agent wide receivers have made the final 53-man roster. Eight of those 18 draft picks were taken in the first three rounds, and of those eight, only one carved out a substantial career in New England: Super Bowl XXXIX MVP Deion Branch.
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The jury is still out on 2022 second-round pick Tyquan Thornton, and Bethel Johnson at least made some notable contributions as a kick returner on the Patriots' 2003 and 2004 Super Bowl squads. But unless Thornton pans out, seven of the eight players on this list could be considered busts based on their production relative to draft position.
Let's compare that group to the 10 wideouts the Patriots have drafted on Day 3 (Rounds 4 through 7), plus their two undrafted free agent signings.
In this group, you'll find three players who made a significant impact with the Patriots -- Julian Edelman, David Givens and Jakobi Meyers -- in addition to two players (Malcolm Mitchell and Kenbrell Thompkins) who had short-lived yet relatively productive careers in Foxboro.
New England's Day 3 picks are much more boom-or-bust, as six of their 10 late-round selections didn't catch a single pass with the Patriots. That's to be expected with Day 3 fliers, however. And while acknowledging that seventh-round gem Julian Edelman skews the numbers a bit, it's still remarkable that, on average, Belichick's club has gotten more production from its late-round/undrafted wide receivers (1,070 yards per receiver) than its Day 1 or 2 wideouts (864 yards per receiver).
That's all to say there's precedent for Douglas to not only stick on the Patriots' roster, but thrive.
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The 5-foot-8 Liberty product has a long way to go, of course. He's had fewer than 10 training camp practices and no experience in live game scenarios, so the team's preseason contests will be an important test. Douglas is on the right track, however: He's already receiving reps with the first-team offense and even caught the eye of Edelman, who stopped by Thursday's practice and met "Pop" in person.
"He looks quick. He looks good," Edelman told Mass Live's Karen Guregian. "He looks like he can create separation. He’s good at the line of scrimmage. We’ll see how he does going forward."