3 Patriots on the Naughty List (& 2 on the Nice List) This Christmas

Patriots Nice List #1: Demario Douglas

Speaking of Demario Douglas, he's one Patriot who deserves to be on the Nice List this winter.

Douglas' spot on New England's 53-man roster was never guaranteed. After all, the 23-year-old wideout is a 5-foot-8, sixth-round draft pick out of Liberty. While the deck is usually stacked against players with that sort of profile, he's used that as fuel to excel at football's highest level.

Through the first 15 weeks, Douglas ranks second on the Patriots in both targets (60) and receptions (39), however, it's worth noting that he only trails Hunter Henry, who's played three more games. The rookie WR also leads the team with 443 receiving yards and ranks 10th among all rookie pass-catchers with 40.3 receiving yards per contest.

Assuming Douglas can avoid a sophomore slump, there's a good chance that he'll be a key piece of the Patriots' offense for the foreseeable future. That's especially true with both Bourne and WR/return specialist Matthew Slater set to hit free agency in March.

Even if he hasn't been perfect, there's no denying that Douglas deserves every gift Santa leaves under his tree this weekend.