Building a solid offensive roster around Drake Maye was a priority for the Patriots this offseason, and from what we've seen through eight games so far, they have certainly accomplished what seemed impossible.
Beyond assembling an upgraded offensive line that has made the second-year quarterback's job far easier, they have also improved their receiving corps to a level that not many could have predicted before the season began, as now two players are on pace to reach 1,000+ yards for the first time since Julian Edelman in 2019.
While it's not surprising to see a player like Stefon Diggs in the 1k club, it is a bit more shocking to see that the other player who could join the 1k club is Kayshon Boutte, a sixth-round draft pick from the 2023 season. But he has been a stellar player for Maye this year, and after another impressive performance in Week 8, he is now nearing the 1,000-yard mark for the season.
Patriots WR Kayshon Boutte is now on pace for 916 yards this season.
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) October 26, 2025
Inching closer and closer to a 1,000-yard pace.
It's quite a jump from what he recorded last year, which was already a massive upgrade from the year before, as he's now on pace to double his yardage from the 2024 season.
That means Maye could have two reliable weapons for the next few years in Boutte and Diggs, and it makes Mike Vrabel's job a whole lot easier going into next offseason.
The Patriots have lucked into having two top-tier wide receivers for Drake Maye this season
One of the biggest issues with the Patriots' offense over the last five years, besides trying to find a legitimate franchise quarterback, has been the lack of firepower in the receiver room. Once Edelman retired after the 2020 season, adding a high-caliber pass catcher evaded New England like the plague, which doesn't appear to be an issue anymore.
Although there was a lot of skepticism surrounding Vrabel's decision to sign Diggs just a few months after he suffered an ACL injury, he has been nothing short of everything the team could have wanted in a veteran receiver, on and off the field.
That has allowed a player like Boutte to get more opportunities on game day and prove that he is a valuable asset for Maye to work with. It has led him to record 23 receptions for 431 yards and a career-high five touchdowns through eight games. Last season, he ended the year with 43 catches for 589 yards, and through just half the number of games this year, he's going to smash that total well before Week 18.
Making things even better is that he is averaging 18.7 yards per catch, an incomprehensible stat for someone who is not considered a unanimous WR1 and who is not the size of a typical player who records that kind of stat.
Boutte has become the once first-round wide receiver prospect that draft experts labeled him a year before the Patriots picked him and it's incredible to see. He's absolutely thriving with Josh McDaniels calling plays and Maye under center, and it might be fair to assume he's only just getting started.