The New England Patriots made a splash in the offseason when they brought in Stefon Diggs on a three-year contract. The former Viking, Bill, and Texan had immense success throughout his career, with four Pro Bowls and a pair of All-Pros to his name since 2020. From 2018 to 2023, he hit the 1,000-yard mark each season and was on pace to do so again with the Texans last season before tearing his ACL.
The team also brought in Mack Hollins through free agency and drafted Kyle Williams from Washington State in the third round, making competition far stiffer at the WR position than it was in 2024.
Nonetheless, a surprising trend has continued through three weeks: Kayshon Boutte is the clear-cut WR1. Despite the additions of bigger names and young players brought in by the new coaching staff, a holdover from Bill Belichick's final draft in 2023 is the team's premier wideout.
Kayshon Boutte has surprisingly sprung as the Patriots' WR1 in 2025
While Hunter Henry leads the team in receiving yards, Boutte leads the receivers in yards. He's had just 44 yards across his past two games after a spectacular 103-yard performance in Week 1. Production isn't always indicative of a player's status in the depth chart, however.
Playing time is no issue for the LSU product, however, as he's played the most snaps out of any receiver.
Patriots WR playing-time tracker (thru 3 games/205 snaps):
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) September 23, 2025
🏈Kayshon Boutte: 157 (76.6%)
🏈Mack Hollins: 125 (61%)
🏈Stefon Diggs: 99 (48.3%)
🏈Pop Douglas: 89 (43.3%)
🏈Kyle Williams: 26 (12.7%)
🏈Efton Chism III: 0 (0%)
NOTES: More 2-TE packages in last 2 weeks...Hollins' No.…
This being the case, after a two-catch rookie season would have had fans scratching their heads a year ago, but he ended 2024 on a high note. 11 catches for 240 yards and two touchdowns came in the final three games of the year. In those three games, his production was 25.6%, 40.7%, and 66.7% of his production, respectively, for the year.
That parlayed into his aforementioned Week 1 performance, but he has slowed down since. Surprisingly, Mack Hollins mans the WR2 slot based on snaps played, rather significantly higher than Diggs' snaps played.
DeMario Douglas has slipped all the way to WR4 after playing 63% of snaps and getting seven targets in Week 1, when he finished with the odd two catch, -2 yards, and a touchdown stat line. After his crucial mistake against the Steelers, don't expect his snap counts to rise.
The former five-star high school recruit in Kayshon Boutte may have finally found his niche as an NFL player: a reliable deep and intermediate threat. While having him as the WR1 is likely asking too much long term, he no doubt has been one of the offense's top playmakers this offseason. Here's to hoping his extended playtime leads to more big plays.