Projecting Tyquan Thornton’s stats with the Patriots in 2024 

If someone told you one of the Patriots receivers recorded the 11th fastest 40-yard dash in the last ten years, you’d think it was Demario Douglas, right? Well, you’d be wrong. 

The Patriots’ fastest receiver is, in fact, Tyquan Thornton. When he ran his 40-yard dash back in 2022, the unofficial time of 4.21 was a combine record. His time would later be corrected to 4.28 seconds, but that's still impressive. 

Why isn't he already a star?

A former Baylor Bear, Thornton’s body let him down during his time with the Patriots. He has only started 12 games in two seasons. When he has played, he hasn't always demonstrated his talent, dropping six of his 68 targets. 

Suffice it to say many people expect him to be cut before the season begins, but Thornton could blossom under new head coach Jerod Mayo's leadership style. Even if reports from mini-camp rate him as a “dud,” documenting how many practices he has missed with more injuries reinforces those expectations. 

The quick fix

So how will Alex Van Pelt turn perennial underachiever Thornton into an essential part of his new Patriots offense? He only has to look to another former quarterback for inspiration, Doug Pederson, in Jacksonville. 

Bigger is no longer better for NFL wide receivers; for every D.K Metcalf and A.J Brown, there’s a Tyler Lockett and DeVonta Smith. Of course, they operate in pairs, but neither Van Pelt nor Thornton can do anything about the Patriots' lack of physical presence in the receiving corps. 

The Comparison

But you know who the 6-foot-2, 185-pound Thornton is eerily similar to? Calvin Ridley. Ridley is 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds. 

Ridley started 15 games in his first two seasons in Atlanta but was more successful than Thornton early in his career. Former Alabama receiver Ridley caught 69% of his passes in those 15 games. He did, however, drop 15 passes in his first two years in the league (and Matt Ryan was throwing the majority of those passes, not Mac Jones). 

But the real comparison to Thornton is based on 2023 Calvin Ridley. Ridley only clocked a 4.43 second 40 at his combine in 2018, but last year Jacksonville used him as their speedster, in a similar role to Jameson Williams in Detroit. 

How can the Patriots use Thornton?

Thornton’s speed means he’ll be important to Van Pelt’s plan, even if he isn’t catching many passes. Defenses will have to factor in his ability to get behind them when they line up at the line of scrimmage. 

Ridley only caught 55.9% of his targets last year (Thornton caught 56.5 of his), but Evan Engram flourished with Ridley running routes and backing defenses off. Engram caught a career-high 114 passes, 79.7% of his targets (another career high). 

It’s incredibly unlikely that Hunter Henry will go full Engram in 2024, but all of the Patriots’ other pass catchers can operate on short and medium routes. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Antonio Gibson, and Demario Douglas, in particular, will thrive in the space Thornton can create. 

What to expect

During his four-year career at Baylor, Thornton caught 143 passes, racking up 2,242 yards. The former track star caught 19 touchdown passes, 10 of which came in his final year. 

While in Waco, Thornton was coached by Matt Rhule, who began the 2022 season as the Carolina Panthers' head coach. That season, the Panthers’ offensive coordinator was Ben McAdoo, who is now the Patriots’ senior offensive assistant. Hopefully, McAdoo can pick his old boss's brain and find out how to unleash Thornton’s talent.

If Van Pelt (and McAdoo) use Thornton to stretch defenses and allow other receivers to work in the space he leaves, Thornton might not catch many balls. But when he does get the ball in his hands, he'll break off big chunks of yards.  

It might just work

The 76 passes Ridley caught in 2023 went for 1,016 yards. The Patriots’ offense probably won’t be that consistent (although if Joe Milton III gets in the game; there'll be plenty of deep balls). You can still expect Thornton to catch around 34 passes and end the regular season with something like 475 yards.

The 23-year-old should even break his 10-game touchdown drought. If he excels this season, he’ll take five catches to the endzone. 

More Patriots coverage: