Demario “Pop” Douglas has been one of the most talked about players during the early stages of Patriots training camp.
The rookie receiver has flashed with his speed, quickness, and ability to turn on a dime. He hasn’t had a problem separating from defenders. He seems to get open all the time.
As a sixth-round pick out of Liberty, he’s looked very much like a steal.
Receivers coach Troy Brown, however, suggested it’s way too early to anoint Douglas as a star, and jump to any conclusions.
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Speaking with reporters on a video call Friday, Brown did his best to put the brakes on the Douglas hype train.
“I haven’t seen a big enough sample yet,” Brown said when asked about Douglas. “I’ll put him in a bucket with the rest of the rookies. They’ve got a long way to go. It’s a pretty good group of rookies that we have on offense, but they’ve got a ways to go and got some things to go through before they start to prove themselves worthy.”
The rest of the rookie group includes fellow sixth-round pick Kayshon Boutte and UDFA Malik Cunningham, who is making the switch from quarterback to receiver. Recently signed Thyrick Pitts is another in the rookie class of receivers.
Boutte has opened some eyes during the padded practices, while Douglas has popped throughout, even getting first-team reps.
Ross Douglas, who also works with the receiver group, also offered what he’s seen thus far from both Boutte and Pop Douglas.
“Both those guys, they’ve been great to work with, and they’re getting better every single day,” said Douglas, who is in his second season on the Patriots coaching staff. “They soak up knowledge from me and Troy and the veterans. They’ve just immersed themselves into the Patriots culture and it’s paying off for us. Hopefully they continue to trend in the right direction and continue to get better.”
On Thursday, former Patriots great Julian Edelman, who was on hand for practice, told MassLive he was impressed with Pop Douglas.
“He looks quick. He looks good,” Edelman said of of the rookie. “He looks like he can create separation. He’s good at the line of scrimmage. We’ll see how he does going forward.”
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