FOXBORO — Patriots wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster went out of his way to praise the newest additions to his positional group Sunday after an abbreviated training camp practice.

The former Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs wideout was asked about Patriots’ receiver room as a whole. He pivoted his answer to talk about the Patriots’ rookie receivers, Demario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte and undrafted free agents Malik Cunningham and Thyrick Pitts.

“Oh man, the young guys, I gotta give it up to the young guys,” Smith-Schuster said. “It’s not an easy playbook to learn, but these guys are coming in and getting it down. As a rookie coming here and being able to participate in practice is really helpful. I would say that room is looking really, really nice.”

Douglas already looks close to being a roster lock as a sixth-round pick, Boutte has made impressive catches in practice, and Cunningham is playing a dual role as a receiver and quarterback. Smith-Schuster called Cunningham “electric” when he works under center.

This is Smith-Schuster’s seventh NFL season, and the Patriots’ upcoming joint practices against the Packers, which will be held Wednesday and Thursday in Green Bay, will be the first of his career … Cornerback Christian Gonzalez intercepted Jones on a pass intended for Smith-Schuster, who gave credit where its due and said the rookie didn’t commit a flag on the play. “Nah, no penalty. He made a great play. He attacked the ball, and that was it. They won that period. We’ll just have to come back out tomorrow and get after it.” … The Patriots-Packers joint practices will be held at 11:30 a.m. ET in Green Bay and open to the public. The Patriots are set to travel straight to Tennessee for joint practices with the Titans after Saturday’s preseason game against the Packers … Monday’s practice will be at Gillette Stadium but closed to the public … The Patriots will travel to Green Bay on Tuesday.