The New England Patriots had probably the worst receiving corps in the NFL last season, as they may not have even had a No. 2-caliber wide receiver on their roster.
The Patriots' leading pass-catcher among wide outs in 2024 was DeMario Douglas, who hauled in 66 receptions for 621 yards and three touchdowns. That was good for a very underwhelming average of 9.4 yards per catch.
While Douglas will absolutely be a member of New England's receiver rotation next season, Bernd Buchmasser and Taylor Kyles of Pats Pulpit don't seem to be expecting much from the undersized weapon who has actually exceeded expectations since being selected in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
"As mentioned above, Douglas’ physical limitations have so far prevented him from becoming a regular three-down contributor in the NFL in the mold of a flexible slot/Z target such as Julian Edelman (who regularly played 80-plus percent of snaps)," Buchmasser and Kyles wrote. "There is only so much Douglas can do about those, but he can add to his game in other areas: by steadily working on his blocking technique and strength, improving his vertical route tree, and strengthening his connection with Drake Maye."
In other words, we probably shouldn't anticipate a whole lot of growth from Douglas, who will probably end up being the Patriots' No. 3 receiver, at best, in 2025.
New England added both Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins in free agency this offseason, and it also selected Kyle Williams in the third round of the draft. Throw in the fact that Kendrick Bourne and fellow young wide outs Kayshon Boutte, Ja'Lynn Polk, Javon Baker and Efton Chism II will be competing for roster spots and playing time, and you can imagine that Douglas may have a difficult time separating himself from the group.
Douglas is a nice player and clearly a capable NFL talent, but he probably won't ever be much more than he is right now.
