FOXBORO, Mass. — N’Keal Harry wasn’t the only New England Patriots rookie wide receiver who played like a first-round pick Thursday. The Patriots might have found another steal in an undrafted rookie wide receiver.
Here are our notes from Thursday’s practice.
— The Patriots will practice again Friday. Then they’re off Saturday before traveling to Detroit Sunday for joint practices Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The Patriots’ first preseason game is a week from today against the Lions.
— Tight end Lance Kendricks was newly absent after leaving Wednesday’s practice early.
— Wide receiver Julian Edelman (non-football injury list), rookie cornerback Ken Webster (physically unable to perform list) and safety Nate Ebner (PUP) were present but not in uniform and not participating.
— Offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste (NFI) and wide receiver Demaryius Thomas (PUP) weren’t present.
— Safety Patrick Chung still donned a red non-contact jersey. Running back Rex Burkhead was limited in practice.
— Projected left tackle Isaiah Wynn participated in the Patriots’ initial walk-through and offense-only drills. Dan Skipper took over for competitive 11-on-11 drills.
— Undrafted rookie wide receiver Jakobi Meyers seems to be ascending up the depth chart. He received extensive first-team work Thursday. He snagged a ball out of the air on a throw from quarterback Tom Brady over cornerback Jason McCourty. He also made an impressive grab over Patrick Chung and Keion Crossen on a high throw by rookie quarterback Jarrett Stidham. Meyers jumped up to knock the ball to himself in the end zone.
— Guard Joe Thuney had some big wins in 1-on-1 pass-rush drills. Guard Ted Karras also stonewalled defensive tackles Mike Pennel and Nick Thurman. Thurman beat guard Tyler Gauthier handily.
— Brandon Bolden, Jonathan Jones, Phillip Dorsett, Damoun Patterson and Stephon Gilmore returned kickoffs.
— Wide receiver Dontrelle Inman caught his first pass in 11-on-11 drills all spring and summer. Harry had an impressive diving grab from Stidham. He avoided drops and snagged two more impressive catches in 11-on-11s from quarterback Brian Hoyer.
— The Patriots’ first-team offense was incredibly sloppy in early 11-on-11 drills. They had to take two laps after two false starts and a fumble on three consecutive snaps.
— Patriots cornerbacks won 10 of 19 1-on-1 drills over wide receivers. Meyers was the best wide receiver in the drill. Braxton Berrios also flashed with two catches. Undrafted rookie cornerback D’Angelo Ross had two pass breakups. Second-year corners JC Jackson, Duke Dawson and Keion Crossen each had one pass breakup.
— Harry and linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley got into a scuffle during 11s. It never progressed into a fight.
— Rookie linebacker Terez Hall had a run stuff on fellow rookie running back Damien Harris near the goal line. Defensive tackles Danny Shelton and David Parry also had run stuffs.
— Quarterback Tom Brady went 8-of-13 in 11-on-11s. Backup QB Brian Hoyer went 4-of-5, while Stidham was 3-of-4.
— Tight ends Ben Watson and Matt LaCosse dropped passes.
— The Patriots offense and defense switched sides near the goal line. Jonathan Jones took a shovel pass from Stephon Gilmore and ran the ball in for a touchdown. Gilmore attempted a pass to Jamie Collins on the next play, but wideout Maurice Harris draped the linebacker in coverage.
