Patriots rookie Demario Douglas separating himself from the pack

Patriots

“I believe I just need to go out there and show the coaches what I can do.”

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Demario Douglas doesn’t exactly stand out among the swarm of Patriots players jogging out onto New England’s practice fields.

Clocking in at 5-foot-8 and 192 pounds, Douglas doesn’t measure up to big-bodied wideouts like DeVante Parker (6-foot-3, 215 pounds). He’s not going to be tasked with doling out blocks, fighting through safeties and snagging contested catches on deep routes.

But when he’s out on the field and gets in motion, it’s easy to see why the 2023 sixth-round pick is separating himself from the rest of the pack at training camp.

Through the first four full practices of training camp, Douglas has earned plenty of first-team reps with Mac Jones and his projected group of weapons like JuJu Smith-Schuster, Hunter Henry, Parker and others.

Sunday’s practice marked another major step forward for the 22-year-old receiver out of Liberty University.

During competitive drills, Douglas led all pass-catchers with four receptions off of five targets. Alternating between the first and second-team units, Douglas has consistently been able to separate himself from defenders thanks to an explosive first step and elite stop-and-start acceleration.

“I’ve been going with everybody,” Douglas told reporters of his early workload during camp. “Whoever I go with I feel like I’m gonna go out there and do what I have to do …I believe I just need to go out there and show the coaches what I can do.”

Count Bill Belichick among those who have been impressed with the rookie’s quick start in camp.

“Douglas had a good spring and he’s followed it up with a few couple good practices here,” Belichick said. “Again, training camp is a marathon, it’s not a 100-yard dash. So, just keep grinding them together day after day. We’ve been in the red area. We’ll move out into the field and then we’ll get into third downs, start putting it all together.

“Pads haven’t been on yet, so that’s part of the evaluation for everybody, so we’ll see. Everybody has got a long way to go, but we’re making progress, guys are working hard, you know, we are getting better. So, we’ll see where it goes.”

It won’t take very long for Douglas to take on the next hurdle of training camp, as the pads are expected to be put on Monday morning in what would be a full-contact session at Gillette Stadium.

Even though plenty has been made about Douglas’ smaller frame, he’s landed with the right team in terms of utilizing his fleet-footed skillset.

Whether it be Troy Brown, Wes Welker, Julian Edelman, or others, the Patriots have diced up opposing defenses for years thanks to undersized — but highly skilled — receivers operating out of the slot.

Douglas hopes to be the latest addition to that established pipeline of talent in the coming years.

“I’ve watched [Troy Brown],” Douglas said. “[Wes] Welker — when they play highlights they’re the ones who was on there. I watch highlights and everything that they do because they was successful. I need to see what they do to become successful.”

Beyond just the expected challenges that await Douglas and any rookie looking to adjust to the NFL ranks, the young wideout also faces an uphill climb this season when it comes to New England’s depth chart.

Already, receivers Smith-Schuster, Parker, Tyquan Thornton, and Kendrick Bourne sit ahead of Douglas, with Smith-Schuster the likely starter out of the slot position.

But given his standing as a relatively unheralded sixth-round selection, Douglas’ early looks with the first unit offer signs that the rookie isn’t far from factoring into New England’s plans at wideout.

“I want to be able to play anywhere, because being versatile has always been in my game,” Douglas said. “I’m ready to play wherever he wants me to play, especially special teams but anywhere. You can put me anywhere and I’m ready to come play.”