Patriots Select WR Kayshon Boutte in Sixth Round: Mac Jones Weapon?

The New England Patriots have made their first of their expected fourth sixth-round selections in the 2023 NFL Draft.

FOXBORO — With pick No. 187 in the sixth-round of the 2023 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots selected LSU wideout Kayshon Boutte. 

Per SI’s NFL Draft Bible, Boutte is “an aggressive pass-catcher with omnipresent physicality and elusiveness, answering any durability concerns will solidify his spot atop the receiver class.”

Despite a disappointing season in Baton Rouge, Boutte is explosive big-play threat when he is on his game. The 5-11, 195-pounder is tough to bring down after the catch, and can be elusive when changing direction speed. His ability to adjust his body to make contested. He sat out the spring while recovering from a season-ending ankle injury, which eventually required a second surgery. Despite inconsistent quarterback play and missed time, Boutte has a more-than-respectable stat sheet, logging 14 scores and 1,244 receiving yards in 16 games (11 starts). He also set a new SEC record for receiving yards in a game (308) as a freshman.

Boutte now joins JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne and Tyquan Thornton as potential pass-catchers for quarterback Mac Jones in offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien’s offense. 

New England previously selected Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez in the first round at pick No. 17. The Pats also chose Georgia Tech defensive end Keion White (46 overall) and Sacramento State hybrid linebacker/safety Marte Mapu with their lone third-round (76 overall) selection. New England opened the fourth-round (107 overall) by selecting Troy center Jake Andrews.

The Pats acquired the 112th selection by making a rare intra-divisional trade with the New York Jets in exchange for the Pats picks at No. 120 and 184. They used the pick to select Maryland kicker Chad Ryland. New England used pick No. 117 to draft Eastern Michigan offensive guard Sidy Sow. 

New England acquired the selection from the Las Vegas Raiders, moving their final fourth-round selection at No. 135 to old friends Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler for selections 144 and 214. The Pats further bolstered their interior offensive line depth by selecting UCLA guard Atonio Mafi at 144. 

The Patriots are set to make their next selection at pick No. 192.

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