Pats Pulpit
The New England Patriots defense was standing tall against Drake Maye and the first-team offense down inside the red area during Monday’s practice. But facing a 4th-and-3 after head coach Mike Vrabel called a timeout, the QB floated a ball to the back right corner of the end zone under pressure.
What looked like a prayer somehow ended in Kayshon Boutte’s hands, as the receiver went up-and-over the cornerback in coverage and appeared to tip-toe along the sideline for a touchdown.
“I would say I for sure caught the ball. I think the main focus was getting both feet in bounds, which I think I did,” Boutte said Tuesday. “It was a fourth-and-3, got to have it situation. Drake just kind of got flushed out of the pocket. Just a receiver making plays.”
Coming off a career season in which he caught 43 passes for 589 yards and three touchdowns, Boutte has primarily spent training camp as the team’s top X-receiver along the outside. He’s turned that into steady production as well, such as the 50-yard touchdown he hauled in from Joshua Dobbs in Friday night’s in-stadium scrimmage.
Later in the scrimmage, Boutte caught an intermediate dig route in a two-minute situation that helped Team White work into field goal range.
The consistent production has been a welcomed sight for New England’s offense, as Boutte put a focus on being in better physical condition this offseason in order to hit the ground running.
“I think my main focus this offseason was coming back in shape,” Boutte said. “I feel like I came back in shape, picked up where I left off at and not getting in shape while we’re going. I think that was my main focus, just coming back ready to roll.”
After being a top high school recruit, an ankle injury that required surgery prior to the NFL Combine led to an underwhelming 40-yard dash and Boutte ultimately falling to the sixth-round — where New England selected him 187th overall.
Now several years removed from the injury, Boutte shared he is playing worry-free on the football field which he hopes will let him take another step forward this fall.
“Just kind of thinking about last season and the little success I had, just wanted to build off that,” Boutte said. “I don’t want to set myself back [by having] these high expectations, so it’s just kind of keeping myself on that path.”
