Three-Time Patriots Super Bowl Champ Backs Rookie Wideout After Rough Start

New England Patriots rookie wide receiver Kayson Boutte probably envisioned a better start to his NFL career.

The sixth-round draft pick was targeted by Mac Jones four times in New England’s season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and failed to come up with a single catch.

Boutte had a chance to make a game-altering play, too, with the Patriots facing a fourth-and-11 inside Eagles territory with less than 30 seconds remaining in the game. But Boutte couldn’t get a second foot in bounds on a sideline grab that would have given the Patriots a first down and the ball at Philadelphia’s 8-yard line.

It was a costly mistake from Boutte on New England’s final offensive from Boutte, but three-time Patriots Super Bowl champion Kevin Faulk, who coached the pass-catcher for two seasons at LSU, believes he will learn from it.

“Oh, definitely. Trust me, he’s a smart kid,” Faulk told MassLive’s Karen Guregian on the “Eye on Foxborough” podcast. “And understands that, ‘Hey, I messed that up. I really messed that up. I gotta understand and get a better idea of whatever I have to do to slow myself down and get those two feet down, I have to do it.’ He’s competitive. He wants to win. And in his eyes, like we all are feeling, ‘I’m one of the reasons why we didn’t have another chance to win the football game.”

Boutte seemed to take the situation as a learning opportunity given what he posted on social media following his NFL debut. After fighting to earn a roster spot in the preseason, Boutte earned a much bigger role than expected in the season opener with DeVante Parker sidelined due to a knee injury. Boutte ended up playing 69% of New England’s offensive snaps.

There’s certainly plenty of room for growth from the LSU product, and with more experience, Faulk can see Boutte developing into an impact receiver one day in the NFL.

“I think he will be,” Faulk told Guregian. “But just like anybody else, they have to gain their own confidence, they have to build their own confidence coming into it. And as a rookie, it’s tough. Look, it started out real tough for him.

“It doesn’t come easy. You got to think about, he was projected to be a first to second to third, however many round pick, and he dropped real far. So, your mindset has to be a lot stronger than it was if he was a first- or second-round draft pick. When you know that you are that, that’s tough.”