5 receivers the Patriots could have drafted instead of Kayshon Boutte

Not every draft pick is an immediate success. But if they were worth spending a draft pick on, you’d hope they would play some role in the season. Boutte’s role in this Patriots’ season was minimal, to say the least. He did miss three games with injuries, but even when he was healthy, he never found his feet in an offense that desperately needed a spark. 

He saw four targets in Week 1 but didn’t catch any of them. And he was only targeted in 2 more games. He ended his season with two catches from 7 targets for 19 yards. Although he did catch all 4 of his targets in preseason for 56 yards. In truth, he just never looked confident in his body.

His injury history could explain that, but he suffered his significant ankle injury in October 2021. He needed two separate surgeries to repair it, but if he is still having issues with it, the Patriots may have wasted a pick. 

Boutte was selected in the 6th round when there were plenty of other receivers left on the board. Who else could the Patriots have taken with the 187th pick? 

Players the Patriots could have drafted over Kayshon Boutte

Trey Palmer 

Palmer fell to the Buccaneers with the 191st pick. They took him four picks after the Patriots selected Boutte. And boy, did they ever have different rookie seasons.

The Nebraska product saw 68 targets, which is impressive when you’re on the same depth chart as Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and a 6-year NFL veteran, David Moore. 

Palmer caught 39 of his targets and averaged 9.87 yards per catch in the regular season. He’s also caught three touchdowns and could be poised to have an impact on the Buccaneers Super Wildcard Weekend game against a lackadaisical Eagles pass defense. 

A.T. Perry

Perry was the 195th pick of the draft, and he’s been excellent value in New Orleans. The Saints offense has a rather up-and-down season. But when Perry has been on the active roster, they won 6 games and lost just 4. He caught 12 of his 18 targets during the regular season, and 4 were scoring passes.

A 6 feet 5-inch receiver comes in very useful in the red zone. His first touchdown reception was from a Jameis Winston pass that few receivers could have come down with. 

Xavier Hutchinson

Depending on your perspective, Hutchinson has either flattered to deceive or looked extremely promising with limited opportunities. He was taken with the Texans’ second pick in the 6th round. At 6 feet 3 inches tall and 205 lbs., he has a bigger body than Boutte, and he’s made that size tell.

He averaged 10.7 yards per touch. He had just 13 touches, though, but 5 of those touches were rushing attempts. And he is tough to tackle when he runs the ball. 

Xavier Gipson

This season, it was practically impossible to look good in the Jets' offense. Breece Hall was very impressive, but the passing game was a mess in New Jersey. But Gipson was a consistent performer for both the Jets offense and as a kick returner. He wasn’t even drafted; the Jets signed him as an undrafted free agent, and they paid him just $750,000 during the 2023 season! 

Even if he hadn’t been any good and had just turned up every week, that contract would still have been a great bit of business. But he was good, really good. Gipson averaged 10.2 yards per touch when involved with the Jets’ offense. He caught 21 of his 38 targets and even scored a rushing touchdown.

As a kick returner, he averaged 23.2 yards per attempt, and as a punt returner, he won the game against the Bills with a touchdown return in overtime. Only three receivers had more all-purpose yards than 1,127.  

Andrei Iosivas

Iosivas is a fascinating character. He was born in Japan to a Filipino mother and a Romanian father. Then they moved to Hawai’i, and he attended the same high school as President Obama. And as if that wasn’t enough, he graduated from Princeton with degrees in Political Science and Government. But not before he set the school record for Heptathlon with 5,715 points! 

He’s pretty good at football, too. The Bengals took Iosivas with the 206th pick, and he went on to catch 15 of 25 targets during the regular season, and 4 of them were touchdowns. He’s 6 feet 4 inches tall, and the knock on him coming out of college was that he wasn’t strong enough to win in coverage.

But his first NFL touchdown (that he caught on his birthday) suggests he’s just strong enough. 

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