Patriots WR Tyquan Thornton is off and running (and blocking!) in NFL debut

Patriots rookie receiver Tyquan Thornton came out of the gate hot in his NFL debut — both as a target, and as a blocker.

Baylor receiver Tyquan Thornton ran a 4.28-second 40-yard dash at the 2022 scouting combine, and that — plus Thornton’s tape — intrigued the Patriots enough to select him with the 50th overall pick in the second round of the draft. No mere speedster, Thornton totaled 143 catches for 2,242 yards and 19 touchdowns over four seasons for the Bears, and if his preseason debut is any indication, Thornton may have a transformative effect on New England’s offense.

There was this shake-and-bake of Giants cornerback Andrew Adams, which would have been a deep completion from backup quarterback Brian Hoyer were it not for Adams’ illegal contact…

And a while later, at the end of the first quarter, Thornton made some nice moves in the end zone to grab his first NFL touchdown.

Of course, if you want to get more playing time, it also helps if you prove to be a willing blocker. Thornton, all 6-foot-3 and 189 pounds of him, proved early on to be just such a player.

“Number one thing is, you’ve got to consider what the player does and how the player is going to help you,” Patriots Director of Player Personnel Matt Groh said of Thornton just after he was drafted. “You want to get faster. Just like if you want to get tougher, you’d better get tough guys. You want to get faster, you’d better get fast guys. I don’t know how many guys out there are faster than Tyquan. So, we’re really excited to be able to add him and his explosive playmaking.”

The Patriots’ offense looked awful for the most part in early training camp, and there are still things to be worked out with the Matt Patricia/Joe Judge “brain trust,” but Thornton seems to have the knack for transcending such things.

What, Bill worry? Signs of life from the New England offense.