Patriots Add Liberty WR Demario Douglas, Sixth-Round Slot Prospect?

The New England Patriots fill another need at wide receiver with their first post-top-200 selection of the 2023 NFL Draft.

FOXBORO — With pick No. 210 in the sixth-round of the 2023 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots selected Liberty wide receiver Demario Douglas 

Per SI’s NFL Draft Bible, Douglas “has shiftiness and speed that pop off the screen when watching him play, making him an intriguing prospect to monitor.”

Douglas’ agility and athleticism was on full display during his stint at the East-West Shrine Bowl in January — reportedly impressing the Patriots coaching staff in the process. Despite his 5-8, 180-pound frame, the ex-Flame projects as a solid slot receiving prospect.  In order to be affective in short yardage, he developed a knack of anticipating defenders attacking him. However, he also has the skill set to evades tacklers when he has the ball in his hands in open space. Douglas’ acceleration and speed has been a surprising asset against teams which mistakenly play him in soft coverage. 

Douglas now joins fellow rookie Boutte, as well as 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.

This is the first time New England ever has taken two wide receivers in the same round in a single draft.

New England opened round six by selecting their first offensive “weapon” of the weekend by selecting LSU wide receiver Kayshon Boutte With the No. 192 overall pick, New England took Michigan State punter Bryce Baringer. The Patriots become the first team since the 2000 Raiders to pick a kicker and a punter in the same draft.

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. 214.

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