5 Patriots Whose Stock is Rising After OTAs

The New England Patriots — like the rest of the NFL — have been hard at work throughout the last few weeks as organized team activities (OTAs) are in full swing. This time of the offseason doesn't feature stakes as high as training camp, but it's still been interesting to see how the Patriots roster has been shaping up as the franchise prepares for a new era.

After an abysmal 2023 campaign, the Patriots face an uphill battle ahead of them this fall. While certain players have proven during OTAs that they aren't ready for that task, others have stepped up and shown that they're prepared for the challenge.

Here's a look at five Patriots whose stock is on the rise following OTAs.

1. Tyquan Thornton, WR

Few players needed a solid OTA showing more than Tyquan Thornton. After being drafted 50th overall by the Patriots just two years ago, many fans were worried that the ex-Baylor Bear was firmly heading toward bust territory before even turning 25 years old.

It isn't hard to see why the fanbase was concerned about the 23-year-old's outlook. Injuries have limited Thornton to just 22 games over the last two seasons, resulting in 35 catches for just 338 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns. Hardly the type of production you want to see from a former Day 2 selection.

Fortunately, Thornton has been one of New England's standout performers at OTAs. He's looked completely rejuvenated compared to last year, highlighting what he could do by catching a beautiful 35-yard catch from rookie signal-caller Drake Maye.

The Patriots have also attempted to expand how they use Thornton, even giving him some special teams reps returning balls as a gunner. The NFL is introducing new kickoff rules for the 2024 season and New England could look to take advantage of the speedy third-year wideout, who ran a 4.28-second 40-yard dash at the 2022 combine.

Hopefully, Thornton can remain healthy enough to improve that his solid OTA showing isn't a fluke. While the Patriots' WR room already features the likes of Demario Douglas, Kendrick Bourne, Ja'Lynn Polk, and JuJu Smith-Schuster, it doesn't help to have another capable pass-catcher in the mix.

Speaking of which...