As he watched the players come off the board on the third day of the NFL Draft, Patriots co-receivers coach Ross Douglas was surprised to see one receiver still there as the day progressed.
Pop Douglas (no relation to his coach), the small-frame, big production receiver from Liberty kept sitting there until the Patriots selected with the 33rd pick of the sixth round and they grabbed.
“I was honestly kind of shocked he was still on the board, but luckily he fell in our lap,” Ross Douglas said.
Pop Douglas was a popular topic during the Patriots’ assistant coaches’ sessions with the media on Tuesday. The rookie rewarded the Patriots’ belief in him. He had four catches for 54 yards and a 25-yard punt return in New England’s 29-25 win over Buffalo Sunday.
The Patriots coaches got an up-close look at Pop Douglas last year when they served as the coaching staff at the Shrine Game. His skills, speed and approach stood out.
“The great thing about the Shrine Game is you get a full, all-access week to be around a guy,” Ross Douglas said. “Seeing how he was in a classroom, seeing his practice habits, seeing how he paid attention to detail along with all the physical traits that he had. His speed, his quickness, his ability to get open and catch the ball. So being around him for a week, it kinda solidified what we saw on tape. So it was very good evaluation for all of us.”
Troy Brown, the Patriots’ other receivers coach agreed.
“I felt like after talking to him and having him in the receivers room, he seemed like a kid who loved football. He had some quickness and was able to catch the ball and get open. Those are the things that caught my eye,” said Brown, whose small college, late-round pick pedigree is similar to Douglas’. “I like the kid. He was a good kid. He was interested and he learned. We saw him again at the combine and thought he was still an impressive kid.”
Pop Douglas showed off the same talent in camp, but Ross Douglas said, like anyone going from Group of Five college football to the NFL, there was a natural adjustment. Pop Douglas had the ball punched out from behind by Miami’s Bradley Chubb for a critical fumble early in the season.
Miami Dolphins linebacker Bradley Chubb, right, strips the ball from the hands of New England Patriots wide receiver Demario Douglas (81) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)AP
“There’s a couple of plays, like when he got (the ball) punched out from behind. You can make that cut against Akron University, but you might not be able to make that against the Miami Dolphins because you’ve got a big werewolf coming to punch the ball out,” Ross Douglas said. “I think what you want to gauge with any rookie is: Are they getting better every time they come in the building any time they step on the practice field? I think he’s done just that from coming in as a rookie getting thrown in the fire.”
Offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien got a later look at Douglas than some of his staff, but he’s liked what he’s seen since he was picked.
“Since the day he walked in there, he’s a very positive guy. He’s got a really good skill set. As a rookie, a lot of rookie receivers struggle. It’s such a different game from college football, especially like when you’re coming from, you know, Liberty to the National Football League,” O’Brien said. “It’s a big jump and Pop has handled it well. He fits into what we’re trying to do and hopefully that continues. He’s a great guy to coach just a really positive guy. He’s always in a good mood and he kind of lifts our spirits around here a lot.”
