After trading down before making their pick in the first round, the Patriots traded up for their second-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
New England selected Baylor wide receiver Tyquan Thornton with the No. 50 overall pick, moving up from No. 54 overall and giving up a fifth-round pick in order to get its guy.
ESPN’s lead draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. initially gave strong praise for Thornton.
“When you think about Tyquan Thornton, he’s 6-foot-2 and change, 181 [pounds], he can run. He can fly and had a 36.5-inch vertical,” Kiper said on ESPN’s broadcast of the selection.