Patriots Journal: Agholor's highlight-reel catches enliven Day 6
FOXBORO — The Patriots defense continued to outshine the offense on Day 6 of training camp. Tuesday's practice was the second day of pads and, at this point, it’s clear the defensive side of the ball is further along.
This session was about game installation. The offense was working through a new offensive system that’s brought out more zone runs. The results were uneven. The offensive line didn't control the front and the running backs didn't have many holes in the last two days.
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Second-year quarterback Mac Jones looked great in 7-on-7s, completing 8-of-8 passes, but most of those completions were short throws to open targets. In 11-on-11s, the offense looked disjointed. Jones finished 6 of 11. That included two plays blown up due to the pass rusher, a ball deflected by Henry Anderson at the line, a Damien Harris dropped pass and a play that Shaun Wade may have interfered with in coverage on DeVante Parker.
Backup quarterback Bailey Zappe’s second unit looked more efficient than the first. The rookie finished 9 of 12 in 11-on-11s and 5 of 7 in 7-on-7s.
The shining star for the offense was receiver Nelson Agholor. His day started with a one-handed catch over the 6-foot-3 JoeJuan Williams in 1-on-1s. That brought the crowd to its feet. Later, in 11-on-11s, Agholor made a 40-yard catch from Jones with Justin Bethel in coverage. Agholor ended practice with a really nice touchdown catch at the back of the end zone. Jack Jones had tight coverage and there was a lot of traffic, but Jones threw the ball into a tight window and Agholor made a nice catch.
Tyquan Thornton was another standout. The second-round pick has continued to look better and better as training camp goes by. The rookie made a highlight-reel over-the-shoulder catch in 1-on-1s against Jalen Mills.
Mills was so impressed that he applauded the rookie. Speaking of Mills, he continues to look like the Patriots No.1 cornerback. He beat Kendrick Bourne and Parker in 1-on-1s before Thornton’s circus catch. He also had a pass breakup on Zappe as well.
Defensively, the Patriots had several standouts on Tuesday. Anderson deflected a Jones pass at the line of scrimmage in 11-on-11s. He also blew up an offensive play earlier in practice, which forced Jones to throw the ball away. Ronnie Perkins also flashed his potential. The 2020 third-round pick had a sack in full-team drills, a couple of run stuffs and was in the backfield often.
Devin Asiasi starts to shine
One game with 12 snaps.
That’s all Devin Asiasi had last year. The tight end didn’t play as much as he wanted in 2021 after the Patriots signed veteran tight ends Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry. That didn’t mean that Asiasi didn’t improve.
This summer, the 2020 third-round pick is having his best training camp with the Patriots. He continues to make plays and even earned praise from Patriots coach Bill Belichick.
“Everybody wants to be on the field. Everybody wants to play,” Asiasi said. “I took it as an experience I could take and gain knowledge from those two guys. Hunter and Jonnu — having the experience that they have, having those two guys in the room, the knowledge passed down from them, tricks of the trade — helps me and I can apply it to my game. Those two guys have been like big bros to me ever since they came in.”
With Henry and Smith at the top of the depth chart, Asiasi clearly looks like the top backup tight end. When pads came on on Monday, this 24-year-old instantly stood out. In 1-on-1 drills, he beat Devin McCourty on two reps. That made him the only tight end to go 2-0 in that drill against the safeties.
When team drills started, Asiasi made a great catch on a 40-yard pass from Zappe. On Tuesday, he made three more catches in team drills, catching every pass that came his way from Zappe in 7-on-7s and 11-on-11s. Asiasi says those plays have only added to his confidence.
“I know the work is going to come out,” Asiasi said. “The results that you want are going to be a result of the work that you put in so each and every day I’m trying to put my best foot forward and improve from what I have to do. It’s adjusting and getting better.”
The Patriots had Asiasi pegged as the best tight end in the 2020 NFL Draft. They weren’t alone, either, as a league source told the Providence Journal there were at least two other teams that had Asiasi ranked above the other first-year tight ends.
He played in nine games as a rookie, making two catches to go with 39 yards and a touchdown. Despite barely playing last season, Asiasi has clearly improved. That’s exactly what Belichick says he’s seen.
“Devin’s made a lot of improvement. I think he’s made a good jump this year as well,” said Belichick. “He’s put in a lot of time, a lot of hard work, and I think that’s been reflected in what we’ve seen in the offseason program, and spring practice, and so far in training camp. Physically, he looks good. Mentally, the experience that he’s gained and confidence he’s gained — you can see that.
“We’ll see how it goes as we get into competitive situations and a little more padded practices. We’ll see how all that comes together. He’s tracking well.”
Dalton Keene misses practice
The Patriots had one new player absent from practice in Dalton Keene. He was out along with Brian Hoyer. The backup quarterback has missed four practices in a row, but Belichick said before practice that he expects Hoyer back soon.
Deatrich Wise and rookie Pierre Strong were limited on Tuesday. James White (PUP list), Chasen Hines (NFI list) and Andrew Stueber (NFI list) are still out.
The Patriots return for Day 7 of training camp on Wednesday. Practice starts at 9:30 a.m. and is open to the public.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: New England Patriots training camp 2022 Day 6 news and notes
