Patriots wide receiver Demario Douglas impressed during his rookie campaign, collecting 49 passes for 561 yards and no touchdowns.
But the unproven group of wideouts in New England has many insiders ranking the core in the bottom tier in the NFL. Douglas said the room is motivated to prove the critics wrong.
“(The low rankings) motivated me, for sure, and I’ve seen it motivate others too,” Douglas told reporters after Day 4 of Patriots training camp, per team-provided video. “I feel like if the younger guys feel that way, it’s going to do nothing but motivate us too. It’s going to be good.”
Given the success he had last season, Douglas said he doesn’t have anything to prove in his second year.
“I don’t think I need to prove anything,” he said. “I feel like I just need to come out here and compete with myself a little better if I did last year, get in that end zone.”
Douglas has been limited in Patriots training camp while dealing with a hand injury and is eager to get back to team drills.
“I wish you could see me in one-on-ones,” he said. “I want to get in so bad. But it’s all good. I’ll be back soon and I can’t wait to get back on the field. Better than those sprints.”
The Patriots improved their receiving corps with the addition of two draft picks Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, along with the offseason signing of K.J. Osborn and the return of Kendrick Bourne and Douglas.
“It’s going to be nice this year,” Douglas said. “(We’re) way better than we did last year. Don’t get me wrong, we had some receivers, but I feel like it’s a whole different room this year.”
