Another day, another surprise for the Patriots at the 2022 NFL Draft.
This time, it was New England trading up four spots in the second round to take blazing-fast Baylor receiver Tyquan Thornton with the No. 50 overall pick.
Thornton set the field at Lucas Oil Stadium on fire at the NFL Combine with a 40-yard dash that unofficially appeared to break the all-time combine record of 4.22 seconds. His official time ended up being 4.28 seconds, but he maintained his place as the fastest receiver at the combine this year.
Most projections didn’t have Thornton coming off the board until Day 3, but the Patriots opted to move up to grab a player with the speed to terrify defenses and help young quarterback Mac Jones.