3 Patriots Who Are Already Blowing Us Away at Training Camp

It’s been less than a week since the Patriots opened training camp, but we already like what we’ve seen from several players. While it’s still far too early to draw any conclusions from these early impressions, we can’t help but get excited when it’s our first taste of football in months.

Sometimes, a strong start is a sign of things to come. We certainly hope that’s the case with a few players who have impressed us early on, letting us dream that big things might be in store this year.

With that in mind, here are three Patriots players who are making a killer first impression at training camp.

3 Patriots Training Camp Standouts

1. Hunter Henry

This is Hunter Henry’s third season in New England and eighth overall, so we have a pretty good sense of what kind of player he is at this point. At his best, he’s a touchdown machine and a great end-zone threat for quarterbacks thanks to his 6-foot-5, 250-pound frame.

We saw that during Henry’s rookie season with the Chargers in 2016, when eight of his 36 catches went for touchdowns. We also caught a glimpse of it firsthand during his first Patriots season in 2021, when he hauled in a career-high 9 TDs and was Mac Jones’ go-to red-zone target.

Henry slipped last year with only 2 touchdowns, a career-low for him. The chemistry that he and Jones displayed during Jones’ rookie season was nowhere to be found.

Thankfully, it appears to be back.

Jones has been looking for (and finding) Henry when the offense gets down in the red zone. During Tuesday’s practice, they connected for another touchdown and appear to be back on the same page.

This is a great sign for Henry, who’s in the final year of his three-year, $37.5 million deal. He seems motivated to prove that last year was a fluke and that he’s still one of the league’s better tight ends as he approaches his thirties.

This is also great news for New England, as the team’s offense tends to operate at its best when a big-bodied tight end is doing touchdown dances (see Gronkowski, Rob).

2. Christian Gonzalez

One of the most fun parts of training camp is getting a first look at the rookie class, especially when it includes highly regarded draft picks.

And so far, first-rounder Christian Gonzalez is living up to the hype. The rookie cornerback has been a maniac on defense, breaking up several passes and nearly scoring a pick-six off Jones on Sunday.

That’s exactly what you want to see from a first-year player. He’s hungry, motivated and aggressive. He also trusts his skills and isn’t afraid of veterans.

Obviously, there’s a lot of pressure on Gonzalez to perform as the 17th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. There’s even more pressure on him as the replacement for team captain and franchise legend Devin McCourty, who retired during the offseason.

So far, Gonzalez is showing the talent that made him such a ball hawk at Oregon last year, when he finished with 7 pass breakups and 3 interceptions. He’s clearly capable of making a big impact at the NFL level right off the bat and ensuring that the backbone of New England’s defense remains strong.

With so many good quarterbacks in the AFC these days, we need guys like Gonzalez who can shut down the passing game and get them off the field. His penchant for big plays doesn’t hurt, either.

3. Demario Douglas

Speaking of rookies, Demario Douglas is another one who’s really shined. As an undersized (5’8, 170 pounds) sixth-round pick out of Liberty, he knows he has to prove himself in camp if he wants to make the team and be a key part of the offense.

Right now, that’s exactly what he’s doing. Douglas has proven to be an impressive route-runner thus far, burning defenders with his quickness during camp to get separation. He’s proven difficult to contain despite his diminutive stature, moving quickly off the line and slipping through defenders with his impressive array of moves.

Douglas isn’t expected to be a star, but he could be a legit slot receiver who might fit in nicely as the team’s No. 5 receiver on the depth chart. He still needs to keep building his chemistry with Jones, of course, but his raw skills and athleticism have really shone through so far, especially against New England’s formidable defenders.

For now, Patriots fans are hoping he’ll turn out to be a draft-day steal if he does emerge as a viable receiving threat. Douglas was a late bloomer in college, improving every year and finishing with nearly 1,100 scrimmage yards in 2022. The work ethic and coachability is clearly there, too, which New England fans always love to see.

If Douglas keeps roasting defenders and makes an impact during preseason games, there could be a spot on the 53-man roster with his name on it.

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