3 Patriots Most Likely to Be Traded Before Roster Cutdown Day

2. Tyquan Thornton, wide receiver

When you look at the New England Patriots and their wide receiver position, it kind of reminds me of the Detroit Lions just a handful of years ago. Heading into the 2022 season, the Lions looked like they might have one of the sorriest receiver rooms in the league. All of a sudden, a couple of young guys develop, role players emerge, and in short order, it went from being arguably the worst receiver room on paper to being one of the most enviable groups in the league.

The Patriots might have something similar cooking up right now.

New England's top prospect at receiver right now is Ja'Lynn Polk, a second-round pick out of Washington who has looked the part for much of the offseason. Polk is joining a receiver room which saw the emergence of 2023 NFL Draft steal DeMario Douglas, a sixth-round pick last year who is in line for a big target share in 2024.

The Patriots also seem to have struck gold with 2024 fourth-round pick Javon Baker.

Where does it all leave former second-round pick Tyquan Thornton? Thornton has been a massive disappointment through his first two NFL seasons but he does have the type of traits most NFL teams covet, and would trade for. He's got the size, and he's got the speed. NFL teams won't be giving up on those traits anytime soon and they're going to trust that their coaching staffs can extract the best out of guys like this.

Even if it's just a late-round pick swap, I would think that someone like Tyquan Thornton is one of the most tradable assets on the Patriots' roster right now, despite the disappointment of his first couple of years in the league.