The New England Patriots had a desperate need for speed entering the 2022 NFL Draft. So, they went and got the fastest wide receiver in this year's class.
But did they draft the right wideout?
The Patriots moved up from No. 54 to No. 50 overall to select Baylor wideout Tyquan Thornton in the second round. Thornton ran a blistering 4.28-second 40-yard dash at this year's NFL Scouting Combine (tops among all receivers) and had an excellent senior season for the Bears, catching 62 passes for 948 yards and 10 touchdowns.
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SIGN UP HERE New England has only drafted two wide receivers higher than No. 50 in the Bill Belichick era -- Chad Jackson at No. 36 in 2006 and N'Keal Harry at No. 32 -- so the team clearly liked what it saw in Thornton.
Our Phil Perry isn't so high on the pick, however -- mostly because of who was still on the board at No. 54.
Perry graded the Patriots' Thornton pick a "D," noting that a trio of more highly-touted receivers -- Cincinnati's Alec Pierce, Georgia's George Pickens and Western Michigan's Skyy Moore -- were still available. All three of those wideouts went in the next four picks.
Check out Perry's explanation for his grade of Thornton below and in the video player above.
That's the second low grade Perry has handed out for a Patriots draft pick after also giving the selection of Chattanooga offensive guard Cole Strange a "D" in Round 1.
New England has eight more selections after Thornton, including two in Round 3 at No. 85 and No. 94 overall.
