The Patriots have rolled the dice and taken chances on draft picks before.

Be it injury concerns, questions about effort, or off-field issues, the Patriots haven’t shied away from gambling on a player who falls into any of the those categories. Especially if said player has talent that can be honed and developed.

Enter Kayshon Boutte.

Which category does the Patriots 2023 sixth-round draft pick fall into? Judging by several draft profiles on Boutte, all of the above.

The LSU receiver has what appears to be a nagging right ankle problem, one that’s required two different surgeries. Unnamed sources have also questioned his effort and maturity. And, according to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, Boutte planned to return to LSU for his senior season but “an off-field incident put his status with the team in jeopardy,” so he declared for the draft.

A less-than impressive Combine also didn’t help his cause. He ran a 4.50-second 40-yard dash and a  7.14-second 3-cone drill. In other words, nothing special.

With that as a backdrop, teams were reluctant to pull the trigger during Day 1 and Day 2 on the wideout, who looked to have all the tools to be an NFL star after his freshman year. Once considered a sure-fire first-round pick, Boutte tumbled down the board until the Patriots pounced.

Red flags and all, the Patriots were undaunted. They feel he’s worth the gamble.

So does Patriots Hall of Famer Kevin Faulk, who was on LSU’s staff as the running backs coach during Boutte’s freshman and sophomore seasons. Given that, he knows Boutte pretty well, and loves the pick for the Patriots.

Faulk, who now serves as the director of Alumni Relations and Community Outreach for the school, was happy to provide some context.

Faulk, reached during the week, said he’s heard about and read some of the stories knocking Boutte, and objected to several of the criticisms, calling some of the reports “crazy.”

Not coachable?

“All I can tell you is I don’t know where that came from. Because when I was with that kid, he was very coachable,” Faulk said. “When you say a kid’s not coachable, that means a coach can’t relate to who the kid is as a player. That’s all that is to me.”

Ed Orgeron, who led the Tigers to a national championship, beating Clemson in January 2020, was Boutte’s first head coach, but he left LSU following the 2021 season. Brian Kelly took over last year with a new staff.

The change may have contributed to some of the issues plaguing Boutte in 2022, preventing him from getting back all the promise he showed in 2020.

That year, as a freshman, Boutte basically took over as the Tigers’ leading man after Ja’Marr Chase decided to opt out of that season. Boutte earned Freshman All-American and SEC All-Freshman Team honors as he led the Tigers with 735 receiving yards (45 receptions and five touchdowns in 10 games).

He started the first six games of the 2021 season (38 receptions, 509 yards, 9 TDs) but missed the rest of the season with a right ankle injury.

Might the injury and effort problems be connected? Then exacerbated by the coaching change in 2022?

Faulk suggested people watch clips from Boutte’s first two seasons and judge for themselves if there was an issue with effort. He also doesn’t necessarily believe the ankle will be problematic going forward.

He believes it’s more a matter of Boutte building back confidence with the ankle after multiple surgeries.

“You don’t know what happens to a guy when an injury happens,” said Faulk. “You’ve got to have a strong mental capacity, to be able to withstand it, and move through it.”

To state his case further, Faulk pointed out that new Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien got to see Boutte up close and personal when Alabama played LSU in 2021 and 2022.

If O’Brien had a problem with Boutte, who has reportedly agreed to his rookie deal (4 years, $4.027 million), he would have weighed in.

“They know what they’re getting,” Faulk said of the Patriots. “Bill O’Brien coached against him when he was with Alabama. So he knew what type of receiver he was getting.”

In 2020, O’Brien wasn’t yet with the Crimson Tide, but he certainly had to watch film of Boutte’s eight-catch effort for 111 yards from that season. Boutte was injured for the 2021 game, but last year against Alabama, he had seven catches for 51 yards in an LSU victory.

To his credit, Boutte didn’t make excuses or hide from what went down during his 2022 season. He was accountable, wants to move past it, and is thankful the Patriots took a chance on him.

Asked what he wants people to know about him, Boutte cut to the chase.

“I would say that I want everyone to know that I am a hard worker and that I’m going to give 100%,” he said. “I feel like I have been doubted a lot, I feel like it’s time for me to prove that I’m not that same person.”

While Boutte has also had some issues with drops during his college career, his talent is undeniable.

Boutte, who is 5-foot-11, 195 pounds, was a five-star recruit coming out of high school. He was also a track star, which made his Combine results a bit confounding.

Assuming he can revert to his previous form, he’s a threat with the ball in his hands and has playmaking potential, something the unit could use.

Whether lining up in the slot, or out on the outside, he has terrific change-of-direction skills. He’s elusive in space. That first season, he was one of the most explosive players in college football.

“I am motivated more than ever probably,” said Boutte. “It’s a blessing. It’s a blessing that I made it to the NFL and get drafted by the Patriots. It’s what every kid dreams of.”

Said Faulk: “I’d say he’s definitely a steal for the Patriots.”

Spoke with Eric Galko, who is the Shrine’s Bowl’s director of football operations.

He had plenty of great things to say about Shrine Bowl participants Demario Douglas and Atonio Mafi, who were coached by the Patriots that week, and ultimately drafted by them.

Let’s start with Douglas, the sixth-round pick who was a receiver/returner for Liberty.

Galko compared him favorably to a current Patriot.

“As an overall player, I compare him to the offense’s version of Marcus Jones,” said Galko. “He’s a dynamic slot receiver, jet-motion receiver, returner, and a very, very good returner … I think he’ll be a playmaker in Year 1.”

If he’s that good on special teams, perhaps that will allow Jones to contribute a little more on offense, along with his primary role as a defensive back.

Galko said Douglas goes by “Pop,” and referred to him as such.

“Pop was asked to be the playmaker in (Liberty’s) offense consistently, and I don’t think he had a chance to develop on the field as a route runner the way he wanted to,” said Galko. “I think he has so much room to get better as a route runner. As a player, he knows that. He’s extremely coachable.

“I know the Patriots definitely covet his skillset both on and off the field, about what kind of guy he’d be in there.”

As for Mafi, Galko said the Patriots’ fifth-round pick started out as a “400-pound nose tackle,” but was slowly turned around to the other side of the line.

“UCLA has done a terrific job developing him slowly, allowing him to become an offensive guard and know what he’s doing,” said Galko. “He made huge strides this year.”

So much so that Galko also projects him to be a future starter on the Patriots offensive line.

“He’s a big mountain of a man who puts nose tackles or linebackers on their butts. That’s the kind of player Atonio Mafi is,” said Galko. “He’s not a project. He’s not far off. His upside is to be one of the better interior offensive linemen in the league. If Mafi is starting by Week 8 or Week 9, I wouldn’t be surprised at all.”

It’s interesting to note that Mafi already received his master’s degree in education. Another fun fact is that he went to Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, Calif., which happens to be Tom Brady’s hometown.

“In this area everyone kind of knows the greats that have come through these high schools,” Mafi said during his conference call after being selected by the Patriots. “I’m actually having my draft party here at Serra at the high school, so everyone kind of knows I grew up a Patriots fan and watching Tom Brady and it’s kind of surreal. It was kind of a full circle moment leading up there, too. So really excited for the future.”

During Mike Vrabel’s video call with reporters Thursday, the newest Patriots Hall of Fame member talked about how his time in New England, winning three Super Bowls, set him up for his future as a head coach.

It also shaped how he tries to build his own teams, drawing from what was successful during his time with the Patriots. Chemistry is important.

“I loved coming to work with the players, and I think that that’s something that I’ll always miss, is what we had in the locker room,” said Vrabel, the head coach for the Tennessee Titans. “I still always want to try to recreate what we did there where the players were the ones that were trying to hold each other accountable, and not in a negative way, but just in a positive way, and how you push guys and how you work and how you want to prepare.”

Vrabel was voted in by the fans on a ballot with former Patriots offensive lineman Logan Mankins, and former head coach Bill Parcells.

Vrabel, the 34th inductee to the Patriots Hall, will join former assistant coach Dante Scarnecchia, who was named as a contributor, in an induction ceremony at a date still to be determined.

Aaron Rodgers is already pumping up Garrett Wilson, who figures to be his new go-to-receiver with the Jets.

Rodgers said Tuesday on “The Pat McAfee Show” that there are similarities between the Jets’ second-year pass-catcher and three-time All-Pro Davante Adams, who played the majority of his career with Rogers.

“Garrett, he’s a talented guy,” Rodgers said. “I threw him a pass today and just kind of turned and was like, ‘Wow.’ His ability to kind of get in and out of his breaks, there’s another (No.) 17 I played with for a long time who does it better than anybody. But the explosiveness in and out of the breaks to 17 here is pretty similar.”

While the Jets have brought in a couple of Rodgers’ wideouts from Green Bay (Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb), Wilson, the 10th overall pick in the 2022 draft, is a burgeoning star.

As a rookie, catching passes from multiple quarterbacks, Wilson caught 83 passes for 1,103 yards and four touchdowns en route to winning the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.