How Patriots Corner Feels About 1-On-1 Battles With Demario Douglas

FOXBORO, Mass. — Demario Douglas was one of the Patriots’ top performers over the first two weeks of training camp. Just ask Marcus Jones.

Douglas, a sixth-round rookie receiver out of Liberty, repeatedly torched Jones in 1-on-1 drills. And that’s not a knock against Jones, a very talented player, because Douglas did the same thing to nearly every New England cornerback he lined up against. In fact, according to our stats, Douglas was a perfect 8-0 in 1-on-1 battles over the first 12 practices.

Time after time, the 5-foot-8 receiver used his speed, quickness and savvy route-running to gain separation against Patriots defenders. And Douglas’ raw pass-catching ability helped him see increased time with the offensive starters as each practice came and went.

When asked about Douglas after Tuesday’s practice, Jones stated the obvious.

“He’s a quick guy, for sure,” Jones said with a laugh. “Yeah, we’ve just been going at it every single time. Whenever I see him going up there, I’m trying to go against him. He’s trying to go against me. So, just trying to make each other better.”

Jones, one of the Patriots’ fastest players, then was asked whether he’d like to race Douglas.

“Nah, no plans to race,” he said. “I’m faster than him, though.”

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Douglas, who prefers to go by “Pop”, knows he’s gotten the better of Jones during their battles. But he sang his teammate’s praises during a post-practice media availability.

“Great player,” Douglas said. “I love going against him because he brings speed, and he brings speed out of me. Going with him every day, we’re both getting better.”

That Douglas’ workload and production both have increased as camp has progressed is a testament to his work behind the scenes. He looks like a player who’s taken things very seriously since the day he arrived in New England.

“He’s doing really good with the way he stems (on his routes), and also taking coaching,” Jones said. “Coaches say something one time and he’s right on it, making sure he’s perfecting it. That’s a great thing to have.”

Jones also is surprised that Douglas never showed rookie fatigue during the first two weeks of camp.

“He doesn’t slow down,” Jones said. “Some receivers, you know, their rookie year, they slow down. He doesn’t. He just keeps it going.”

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Douglas predictably saw significant time with the second- and third-team offenses during practice. But his mindset remained the same regardless of whether he was catching passes from Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe or Trace McSorley.

“I just see I’m getting opportunity, working with either quarterback, whoever I go with,” Douglas said. “As long as I’m getting an opportunity, I’m trying to maximize every time I get in. Going with ones, twos or threes.”

Douglas still has a long way to go. It’s one thing to show out against teammates in practices featuring barely any contact; it’s another thing to do it against real opponents. We’ll get a better read on Douglas in the coming weeks when New England plays a trio of preseason games and conducts joint practices with the Green Bay Packers and Tennessee Titans.

Still, if the regular season started today, our money would be on Douglas having a legitimate role in Bill O’Brien’s offense.