Jerod Mayo wasn’t at the helm of the New England Patriots when they made the head-scratching decision to select Tyquan Thornton in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
But the first-year head coach was left to give his thoughts on the Patriots releasing the struggling wide receiver this past Saturday.
“I think there was a lot of love for Tyquan,” Mayo told reporters Wednesday, per team-provided transcript. “Obviously, he’s a fast receiver, and he did a lot of things right. In saying that, we’re always trying to do what’s best for our football team.”
Mayo took the high road, but his response wasn’t convincing to even slightly change the perception of Thornton among Patriots fans. Thornton provided next-to-nothing on the field for the Patriots over two-plus seasons. He recorded just four receptions for 47 yards this season and was a healthy scratch for four out of his last five games with New England.
Thornton finished his tenure with the franchise making 39 receptions for 385 yards with two touchdowns. He also had one rushing touchdown. Regardless, that isn’t remotely close to the production expected from a second-round pick and Thornton will go down with the likes of N’Keal Harry and Chad Jackson as an all-time Patriots draft bust.
The 24-year-old will try to put his sprinter-like speed to good use with the Kansas City Chiefs, who signed Thornton to their practice squad earlier this week.
And if the Chiefs somehow get anything out of Thornton, it will be another terrible look for the Patriots.
