How DeMario Douglas Felt About Patriots Drafting Two Receivers

The New England Patriots have a crowded receivers room, and that was before they added two wideouts in last month’s NFL draft.

The Patriots used their second-round pick on Washington’s Ja’Lynn Polk and then selected Javon Baker out of UCF in the fourth round.

Polk and Baker undoubtedly will look to showcase their skills and steal away playing time from those already on the roster. Baker has been outspoken about his ability since joining the Patriots.

DeMario Douglas, who was in the position of Polk and Baker a season ago, isn’t at all frustrated by the additions of the two rookie receivers. He instead welcomes what they can bring to the positional group.

“We definitely added some dogs to the room,” Douglas told reporters, per The Boston Globe’s Nicole Yang.

Douglas, who led the Patriots with 561 receiving yards last season, will be one of many receivers looking to solidify their spot in Alex Van Pelt’s new-look offense. Kendrick Bourne, who is coming off an ACL tear, JuJu Smith-Schuster Tyquan Thornton and Jalen Reagor will be looking to do the same.

The Patriots also signed K.J. Osborn in free agency and Kayshon Boutte is still on the roster despite being arrested this offseason on gambling charges.

Throw Polk and Baker into that mix and there will be plenty of competition between New England’s receivers. And Douglas sees that as being beneficial.

“In our receiver room, we’ve been working as a unit,” Douglas said. “We’ve been pushing each other. The better I am, the better the next man is going to be. The better the next man is, the better I’m going to be. I feel like we’ve all been competing.”