Pats Pulpit
The third-year wide receiver is in the midst of a solid training camp.
With the first five practices of training camp in the books, Kayshon Boutte remains a fixture on the New England Patriots’ offense. Playing mostly on the perimeter but also moving inside on occasion, the third-year wide receiver is currently one of the team’s top three wideouts alongside DeMario Douglas and Stefon Diggs.
As such, Boutte has seen extensive action with starting quarterback Drake Maye. On Monday, he won both of his reps in a full-pads 1-on-1 session with All-Pro cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
The arrow is pointing up for the 23-year-old, who is intent on keeping it facing in that direction.
“When you do good, you want to do better,” Boutte explained following Monday’s practice. “Just going off last year, I want to do more than I did last year. Just every year working towards being better.”
Joining the Patriots as the 187th overall in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Boutte had a quiet rookie season. The former five-star recruit appeared in just five games and finished with two receptions for 19 yards.
His 2024 sophomore campaign, however, saw significant improvement. Establishing himself as New England’s top outside receiver during the season, he finished with 13 starts and was on the field for 69.5 percent of offensive snaps. Boutte hauled in 43 passes for 589 yards and three touchdowns — including the first of Drake Maye’s career.
The connection between the two youngsters already looked promising last season, and both are working on improving it.
“Every day after practice I meet Drake,” Boutte explained. “We’re just throwing balls, trying to get that timing. Any passes we miss, it is our job to come through, get it after practice, and make sure it’s right. As long as we’re doing that, we’re on the right track.”
Boutte knows that his connection with the Patriots’ starting QB is only part of what he will have to keep working on over the summer.
“I’m a bigger guy. I’m not really the shifty type, so you kind of just have to get open instantly and catch the ball,” Boutte said before highlighting concrete areas of improvement: “I’d just say physicality, fighting through contact at the top of the routes, and just getting open and catching the ball. Everything else will take care of itself.”
With the second week of training camp in full swing, it appears things are indeed taking care of themselves. At this point in time, Boutte looks well on his way to making the 53-man roster lock, in large part due to the work he is putting in.
