One thought on each top Patriots receiver from the start of training camp – 98.5 The Sports Hub

Through four practices, the passing game has been the focus of Patriots training camp so far. The team can’t be in pads until Monday, so the first ‘block’ of practices saw much of the attention – offensively – on quarterback Drake Maye and the players around him.

Who exactly will be around Maye, in particular at the wide receiver position, is one of the biggest questions of the summer. Coming into camp the Patriots have nine wide receivers that have at least an arguable case to make the initial 53-man roster. Obviously the team can’t keep all of them, so sorting that group out will be an important task for the coaching staff over the next four -plus weeks.

While there’s still a way to go in terms of padded practices, joint practices, and preseason games, every rep can matter when the competition is this close. What has stood out early? Here’s a thought on each receiver in the mix so far…

It remains impressive how well Diggs is moving nine months after his ACL tear. If he’s been limited at all through four days of camp, it’s been minimally. Sometimes rehabbing players are forced to miss more once pads come on, but if he’s a full-go next week that would be highly encouraging for him potentially playing Week 1.

Diggs has been heavily involved in the Patriots’ offense, and early on has been one of the top targets for Maye. Saturday was one of his rougher days with a couple of drops, but besides that it does look like he and Maye are building chemistry. Between the pads and looking to bounce back from Saturday, Monday will be a big day for Diggs.

Diggs has been impressive compared to expectations, but Douglas has arguably been overall the best receiver for the Patriots in camp. He capped that with a big day on Saturday, making three catches including one contested catch and one adjustment on a broken play that led to a deep touchdown.

That was one of a couple of contested catches for Douglas, which is an interesting trend. He’s proven he can get open and create after the catch on a regular basis, but at 5-foot-8, 192 pounds he’s not built like a typical contested catch receiver. That’s not to say the Patriots should start throwing him jump balls on a regular basis, but an improved ability to catch the ball through contact will help if he’s going to play an expended role this year.

Boutte projected as a potential bubble player heading into camp, but his usage hasn’t looked like that through four days. He’s been very involved in the offense, mainly in the intermediate part of the field.

In his first two years with the Patriots consistency would be a problem for Boutte, both in training camp and during the season. He’d have moments of individual highlights and flash potential, but those could quickly be followed by longer stretches without a catch, or mistakes like drops or bad routes.

This summer Boutte has been much more consistent. He hasn’t had any of those apex high moments yet but he’s recorded a catch or two each day, never looking out of place or struggling to hold onto the ball. If he can continue on this track of setting a more consistent baseline, it will help him be a more regular contributor between the high points.

Williams started camp with a multi-catch day on Wednesday, but has been quieter since. He’s still rotating in with the top group though, mainly at the ‘X’ position.

As a top-100 pick, Williams will be in the mix to some extent this year. How much, and how quickly? That will depend on how quickly he picks up the playbook and develops chemistry with Maye. This week will be a good test of that, as the defense can do more to disrupt timing in padded practices.

Bourne has been a clear fifth in the Patriots’ wide receiver rotation, in both directions. He hasn’t run with the top unit quite as much as the four players listed above, but no other player after him has gotten significant reps with Drake Maye.

Is that indicative of Bourne’s standing on the depth chart? Or is it because he’s the only receiver with experience in Josh McDaniels’ offense, and the team wanted to give the other players more time early to play catch-up? If that’s the case we’ll see more of Bourne as camp goes on. If not he could find himself squarely on the bubble, depending on what happens with Mack Hollins.

Hollins remains on PUP and hasn’t practiced yet, although there have been a few times where he’s come on the field to chat with teammates during stretching. It’s too soon to say whether or not his injury could cost him time in the regular season, but as a veteran with multiple years as a starter in the NFL he should have an easier time hitting the ground running once he gets back.

Then there’s Polk, who is the only player not on PUP or NFI to miss all four of the Patriots’ first practices. According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss Polk passed his initial physical but has been dealing with “minor muscle tightness” that has held him out. Polk was limited throughout the spring after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery, and did not participate in any team drills.

Unlike Hollins, Polk doesn’t have the kind of NFL experience or track record to fall back on to make up for lost time. Although he was a second-round pick last year he could end up on the roster bubble given the wide receiver moves the Patriots made this year, under a new coaching staff other than the one that drafted him. He’ll need to earn his roster spot, which is tough to do when not on the field. If he can get back for full pads on Monday, that would be a good step in the right direction.

The other 2024 wide receiver pick for the Patriots, Baker began camp mostly working with the second and third units. The fourth-round pick was getting open but with mixed results – he had a drop and a miscommunicated route with Joshua Dobbs, and was overthrown a few times.

Still the coaches seemed to see enough that Baker got his first reps of the summer with Maye to close out the week on Saturday. He made the most of that opportunity, beating safety Jaylinn Hawkins clean up the sideline for a deep touchdown.

Still, Baker likely has a long way to go to make a push for a roster spot, especially considering the depth ahead of him. That will start with more consistent production to earn more top reps.

After a standout spring, Chism has been more under the radar to start the summer. He’s mainly worked with the second and third units. In those reps he’s gotten open and caught the ball, but will need more time against the top defense to really prove he deserves a roster spot. His first such snaps of the summer came on Saturday.

Padded practices will be a good test for Chism. He needs to prove he can win against full-strength NFL contact, but also should have a chance to shine in one-on-ones as an advanced route runner. That’s where Pop Douglas – as similar player – really started to turn heads his rookie year.