Back in 2019, N'Keal Harry suffered an injury weeks before the start of his rookie season and never truly recovered.
Jakobi Meyers is confident the New England Patriots' new first-year receiver will avoid that same fate.
Speaking with reporters Monday in Las Vegas, Meyers explained why Tyquan Thornton's shoulder injury won't derail the progress he's made during his first NFL training camp.
"I don't know if you guys know (Thornton) personally, but he's a great kid," Meyers told reporters. "I think he's going to be perfectly fine. If anybody can handle it, I think he'll be the guy that can."
Thornton reportedly fractured his collarbone during last Friday's preseason win over the Carolina Panthers. While his exact recovery timetable remains unclear, initial reports pegged it at roughly eight weeks, which would sideline the second-round draft pick for the first month-and-a-half of the regular season.
The Patriots dealt with a similar situation before Harry's rookie year. A lower-body injury sustained in the first preseason game wound up wiping out more than half of the then-promising wideout's season, delaying his official NFL debut until Week 11. Harry wound up catching just 12 passes on 24 targets for 105 yards and two touchdowns in seven appearances.
Time will tell whether Thornton will overcome his midsummer setback and contribute this season, but he does have two factors working in his favor. Unlike Harry, he doesn't need to worry about about earning the trust of the notoriously demanding Tom Brady. He's also playing in a Patriots offense that was streamlined this offseason to remove some of the more challenging nuances that had piled up over the course of the Brady/Josh McDaniels era.
Meyers and other Patriots veterans have praised the lightning-fast Thornton for his quickness, work ethic and steady improvement in training camp, though this injury revives post-draft questions about how his stick-figure frame will hold up to the punishment of the NFL game.
"We know what he brings to the table, and he knows what he brings to the table," Meyers told reporters. "And he's got a great support system around him, a lot of great guys in the room, so I think he'll be all right."
NESN.com's coverage of New England Patriots preseason is presented by Cross Insurance, protecting your team since 1954.
