New England Patriots receiver Tyquan Thornton was on at least two teams’ radar in Round 2 of the 2022 NFL draft, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
When New England took Thornton at 50th overall out of Baylor, many draft experts were stunned. Media members widely considered the receiver to be a mid-round pick, likely to land in the fourth round. But Bill Belichick and the Patriots drafted him in the middle of the second round, a move which the media criticized. There’s no doubt the Patriots tipped that they wanted to get faster at every position, with Patriots director of player personnel Matt Groh telling the media they would do just that. Thornton was the fastest receiver in this draft class. But apparently, teams viewed him as a good draft prospect with more to bring than his speed.
There were multiple teams eying Thornton in Round 2:
“New England is taking heat in media post-draft grades for reaching, but what emerged in pre-draft conversations is that Baylor wideout Tyquan Thornton wasn’t necessarily a reach for many teams. The Patriots’ second-round pick (No. 50) also was on the radar of the Packers, Saints and others as a Day 2 option. He combined the 4.28 speed with strong interviews, as teams liked his football acumen. Some saw him as a Day 3 prospect, to be sure. But he was a classic riser in the weeks leading up to the draft, and the Patriots visited with him very late in the process, which was telling.”
Thornton joined a Patriots receiver group which includes Kendrick Bourne, Jakobi Meyers, DeVante Pakrer, Nelson Agholor and N’Keal Harry, among others.