


The Patriots drafted a familiar face in the sixth round Saturday, adding Liberty wide receiver Demario Douglas with the 210th overall pick.
Douglas played under the Patriots coaching staff last January at the East-West Shrine Bowl, where he flashed his 4.4 speed and above-average agility against other college prospects. The 5-foot-9, 179-pounder works almost exclusively out of the slot. He had 79 catches for 993 yards last season and could lalso provide depth as a returner.
Douglas brings needed dynamism to the Patriots’ receiving corps, which added LSU’s Kayshon Boutte earlier in the sixth round. His combination of long speed and short-area quickness is rare in Foxboro. Douglas is slight and doesn’t compete well on contested catches, but can create yards after the catch as well as most receivers in the draft.
The 22-year-old led Liberty in receiving each of the past two years but didn’t see a drop-off in his per-catch or per-game numbers despite an increase in targets and defensive attention. He now joins Boutte, DeVante Parker, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kendrick Bourne, Tyquan Thornton and Tre Nixon in the team’s receiver room.
The Patriots’ draft class so far:
Round 1, pick No. 17: Oregon CB Christian Gonzalez
Round 2, pick No. 46: Georgia Tech DL Keion White
Round 3, pick No. 76: Sacramento State LB Marte Mapu
Round 4, No. 107: Troy center Jake Andrews
Round 4, No. 112: Maryland kicker Chad Ryland
Round 4, No. 117: Eastern Michigan offensive lineman Sidy Sow
Round 5, No. 144: UCLA offensive lineman Atonio Mafi
Round 6, No. 187: LSU wide receiver Kayshon Boutte
Round 6: No. 192: Michigan State punter Bryce Baringer
Round 6: No. 210: Liberty wide receiver Demario Douglas