Despite the New England Patriots’ Offensive Woes, This 6th Round Pick Has Been a Bright Spot.

The Patriots were looking to replace Jakobi Meyers, who signed a 3-year, $33 million contract with the Las Vegas Raiders. Meyers led the team in receiving the last two seasons.

They addressed the receiver position during free agency. They signed JuJu Smith-Schuster to a 3-year, $25.5 million contract, re-signed DeVante Parker to a 3-year extension worth up to $33 million, and kept Kendrick Bourne for another season.

In the draft, they selected Kayshon Boutte 187th overall and Demario Douglas 210th overall in the sixth round.

Demario Douglas entered his rookie season as a backup.

Douglas entered his rookie season as the backup to Smith-Schuster in the slot.

Injuries to their receiving core have allowed Demario Douglas to get significant playing time.

Douglas played in 33 snaps in Week 1 because Parker was out with a knee injury.

When Parker returned to the lineup, Douglas didn’t see much playing time in Weeks 2-5. Douglas suffered a concussion in Week 5 and missed Week 6.

Smith-Schuster also suffered a concussion in Week 5 and missed Weeks 6-7. Douglas returned to the lineup in Week 7 and taken over in the slot. .

Bourne suffered a season-ending ACL tear in Week 8, and Smith-Schuster took over Bourne’s spot.

How has Douglas done this season?

Considering the fact that the New England Patriots offense has struggled this season, Douglas is having a solid rookie season. He has 36 receptions for 410 yards with a 78.8 PFF Grade. He is second on the team in receptions and first in yards.

He has appeared in 295 snaps (41.61%) this season, the fourth most at his position.

Douglas received praise from Bill Belichick:

“Demario’s a smart player. Yeah, he’s not a huge target, but he’s fast. He’s quick. He’s got good receiving skills, so he can get open.”

He also received praise from Kendrick Bourne:

“Pop is great (against) man-to-man. You don’t really know the threat he brings for opposing defenses. He can do a lot of things that, people doubt him, being an underdog in a sense a small guy. He just needs to keep doing it, making those big plays. He’s very explosive.”

The rookie receiver is currently in the concussion protocol.

Douglas exited in the fourth quarter after he was taken down on a brutal hit during a punt return. He missed the remainder of the game. He is still in concussion protocol and didn’t practice today. It’s unclear whether he will play in Week 13.

If he does have a concussion, that would be his second concussion in one season. Hopefully, he doesn’t have a concussion and can return to the field soon.