Bill Belichick is widely considered one of the greatest head coaches of all time. He was also the general manager of the New England Patriots dynasty and constructed elite rosters over a very long period.
However, the Patriots did have some bad drafts at the end of Belichick’s tenure with the franchise. One of their worst ones came in 2022, and they recently released their second-round pick from that draft, wide receiver Tyquan Thornton. Only two (Cole Strange and Marcus Jones) of the 10 players they drafted that year remain on the roster.
Because of that, fans had some pretty strong reactions as they have quickly come to the realization that maybe Belichick wasn’t the greatest at selecting wide receivers.
Bill Belichick Catches Strays From Fans for Horrible 2022 NFL Draft
After the Patriots released Thornton, the fans on social media criticized Belichick for drafting him over George Pickens. Here’s how they reacted:
Literally impossible to come up with a Top 5 of bad Belichick WR evaluations of the last decade because there are 10 of them that are equally terrible https://t.co/i1fzzC6e7m pic.twitter.com/qdcTuFHuNn
— Sam Sherman (@Sherman_FFB) November 16, 2024
“Bill was so bad at drafting WRs,” said one fan.
“Belichick, the GM, led to the demise of the franchise. If he stuck with only coaching — we likely would still be winning the division yearly.” wrote one fan.
Pick number 50 in the 2022 Draft: Tyquan Thornton.
Pick number 52 in the 2022 Draft: George Pickens.
Man. 😅😅😅 https://t.co/JPcH1J6jF5 pic.twitter.com/Xq6ZTuM4jN
— Pats Buzz (@PatsBuzz) November 16, 2024
“Pats can’t draft a WR to save their life,” said one fan.
Another fan added, “If you tried, literally tried to pick busts at WR at the top of draft year after year, you couldn’t possibly do worse than the Patriots. IF YOU TRIED!”
Belichik was the worst at drafting WR’s
Elite at everything else tho lol.
— Dan Freddy (@BuffaloFreddy) November 16, 2024
“Mike Tyson landed 2 more punches last night than Tyquan Thornton’s combined number of catches for the Pats in 2023/2024 — 19 to 17. Bill Belichick — greatest NFL coach ever but somehow also probably the worst WR drafter ever.” wrote Bill Simmons on X.
The Patriots drafted Thornton with the 50th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Here is the list of notable receivers that were drafted after him:
- George Pickens: 52nd overall pick
- Alec Pierce: 53rd overall pick
- Romeo Doubs: 132nd overall pick
- Khalil Shakir: 148th overall pick
- Jalen Nailor: 191st overall pick
Thornton played 28 games across three seasons for the Patriots and had 39 catches for 385 yards and two touchdowns. He caught only 51.3% of his targets during his time in New England and turned out to be a complete bust for them.
Patriots WR Depth Chart After Tyquan Thornton’s Release
The Patriots’ offense has looked better since Drake Maye was given the opportunity to start, and even after Thornton’s release, they still have multiple wideouts who can contribute.
Here’s the Patriots’ wide receiver depth chart ahead of their Week 11 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.
- WR1: DeMario Douglas
- WR2: Kayshon Boutte
- WR3: Ja’Lynn Polk
- WR4: K.J. Osborn
- WR5: Kendrick Bourne
- WR6: Javon Baker
Douglas has 39 receptions for 356 yards and a touchdown in 10 games and is only behind tight-end Hunter Henry in receiving yards for the Patriots. Boutte has 17 receptions for 250 yards and one touchdown in eight games, averaging a team-high 14.7 yards per reception. If Polk gets better, New England could have a solid group of receivers that will eventually improve after additions from next year’s draft.
The Patriots are 3-7 on the season but have won two of their last three games. They will face the Los Angeles Rams at home this week and can pull off another upset.
PFN Offense+ Analytics Grades the Patriots’ Offense
Pro Football Network’s offense rankings combine statistics such as yards per play, points per drive, turnover percentage, success rate against the run and pass, third-down conversion rate, red-zone efficiency, pressure percentage when not blitzing, and various expected points added (EPA) measures against both the run and pass. These are then weighted accordingly to produce our rankings for each season.
PFN ranks the Patriots 31st in the league, giving them an F. PFN Analyst Kyle Soppe writes in the Week 11 Offense Rankings, “The Patriots are a unique case. Their 2024 numbers are a hot mess (29th in EPA per play and 30th in yards per play), but their willingness to admit as much and commit this season to developing Drake Maye is something that this fan base can get excited about.
“The rookie has taken his lumps thus far, but he has also shown promise by way of his athleticism and processing speed. Maye is far from a finished product, and there will likely be more downs than ups over the next two months. But New England is making it clear that they are willing to lose the battle that is 2024 with the hope of winning the war that is the next handful of years.
“Of the teams toward the bottom of our rankings, this is the one with the most upward mobility over the next 12 months. Given that winning big in 2024 was never in the cards for this team, that trajectory makes this season a success, even given this disaster of a grade.”