There have been a lot of draft misses for the New England Patriots over the last few years. This is especially the case when it comes to wide receivers, including last season's selections, Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker. One of the most significant blunders, however, came in 2022, when the Patriots drafted Tyquan Thornton out of Baylor in the second round.
Thornton's physical and athletic tools, combined with his electric speed, made him a very intriguing prospect. Dealing with injuries in the first two seasons of his career, Thornton was never able to put it together in New England. He would show flashes here and there, but his Patriots stint was largely frustrating.
After he was waived by the Patriots mid-season last year, Thornton signed with the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad. He hasn't made his debut there yet, but has been one of the surprise standouts of the offseason. In fact, he is being talked about as a candidate to make the 53-man roster, much to the surprise of Patriots fans everywhere.
On Thursday, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid heaped a ton of praise on the 24-year-old wide receiver, calling him a "talented guy" who is "doing a nice job," and who deserves game reps, per ChiefsWire's Ed Easton Jr.
"I like Tyquan (Thornton), I like the way he's approached things. He's got the quarterback's trust, which is a positive thing. You have valuable reps in here. The other guys could see that he's a talented guy. So, so far, so good again. I'd like to see him in a game situation, how he held. I would anticipate him doing a nice job and see where we are with that."Chiefs HC Andy Reid
It would be a major surprise if a player who struggled to crack the rotation in New England would be able to do so in Kansas City. The Chiefs have Xavier Worthy, Rashee Rice, and Hollywood Brown as their starters, and have rookie Jalen Royals, who are locks to make the roster. Thornton will presumably be battling it out with another former Patriots WR, JuJu Smith-Schuster, for a rotation role.
There is a chance both players will make the active roster for the season, but even if Thornton comes up short, it looks like he is on his way to turning his career around.