New England Patriots Kenbrell Thompkins has been standing out
New England Patriots undrafted free agent wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins is a huge sleeper, and he gained even more momentum after another highly successful day of practice today. The former Cincinnati Bearcats star is penciled in on my 53-man roster for the Patriots, and he is a rookie nobody should be overlooking. Although Josh Boyce looked good as well today, it has been an undrafted rookie in Thompkins who is stealing the show, and he was reportedly the best wide receiver on the field for the Patriots during training camp. Thompkins’s emergence was one of the reasons why the Patriots released Donald Jones, and it sounds like the softly spoken hype among Patriots fans is real.
New England Patriots wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins makes a reception during minicamp at the practice fields of Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports
Whether it be ESPN Boston , PatsFans.com, or the Boston Globe, everyone is turning in rave reviews regarding the 24-year-old’s training camp performance today. Patriots cornerback Aqib Talib went out of his way to praise Thompkins and fellow rookie wideout Aaron Dobson for their ability to get off of the line of scrimmage.
The Globe writes that Thompkins has been “catching everything that” has been thrown his way, and multiple outlets report that Thompkins was running with the first team. After sitting out the first day of training camp, Thompkins has been a standout these past two days, and the Globe had him headlining the list of three players whose stock is trending upwards.
Thompkins is currently my fifth receiver on the Patriots depth chart with a roster spot above Michael Jenkins, Lavelle Hawkins, and the others chomping at the bit. To me, he’s easily a better option to roster than Jenkins, and he has looked incredible in camp. I wouldn’t go too far on Thompkins, though, and calling him a starter is definitely going too far. But he looks ready to contribute to this team, play on the outside, and I am a fan of his quickness and ball skills. Nothing wows you about Thompkins as an individual skill, but he has the tools to be a quality receiver in this league and has looked more than the part thus far in training camp.