Mac Jones Shares Message For Patriots’ Rookie Receiver Group

FOXBORO, Mass. — Regardless of whether the Patriots add a new receiver (DeAndre Hopkins, anyone?), there’s a decent chance of a rookie earning a spot on the wideout depth chart. Currently, their top competition is third-year pro Tre Nixon.

So, how have New England’s rookie receivers looked during spring practices? Well, there’s been some good and some bad.

Malik Cunningham, an undrafted product who played quarterback in college, is an impressive athlete but also has shown the kind of raw, unrefined receiver skills you’d expect. Polarizing prospect Kayshon Boutte can’t stay on the field and got reamed out by Bill O’Brien during one OTA practice. Fellow sixth-rounder Demario Douglas, who prefers to go by “Pop,” was a standout during the first open spring practice but hasn’t done much since. Rhode Island product Ed Lee is a roster longshot but, like Douglas, combines a diminutive frame with a quick, jitterbug-like skill set.

After Monday’s practice, quarterback Mac Jones was asked for his own thoughts on this year’s crop of rookie Patriots receivers.

“The three rookie receivers are doing really well,” said Jones who, for some reason, failed to mention Boutte during his answer. “Malik; Pop Shotta is what I call (Douglas). He’s actually from my hometown, so, shoutout to Pop. And, obviously, Ed just got here, too. So, they’re all doing a great job, the young guys, just trying to learn from everybody.

“I think they all have potential and they just gotta be consistent. I always tell them, ‘Just play fast. Don’t think too much, just go out there and play.’ And they’ve all played really well in college, and they’re really versatile. So, I’ve been really happy with some of the progress those guys have made.”

Ultimately, it would be unfair to expect any rookie receiver to excel during spring practices, especially when the group consists of two sixth-rounders and two undrafted free agents. Nevertheless, here are our current power rankings, based purely on on-field performance:

1. Demario Douglas
2. Malik Cunningham
3. Ed Lee
4. Kayshon Boutte

New England is scheduled to practice again Wednesday before going on summer break. The focus then will turn toward late July and the start of training camp, which will be a proving ground for everyone, including the rookie wideouts.