Pros and cons of New England Patriots taking LSU football's Kayshon Boutte, 2023 NFL Draft

LSU football wide receiver Kayshon Boutte was selected by the New England Patriots on Saturday with the No. 187 overall pick in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Boutte, a junior from New Iberia, Louisiana, had 48 receptions for 538 yards and two touchdowns this past season for the Tigers. He struggled to consistently produce after flashing star potential during his first two seasons in Baton Rouge.

At 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds, Boutte was a five-star recruit and the No. 24 overall player in the nation before arriving at LSU, according to 247Sports Composite.

LSU football wide receiver Kayshon Boutte: The positives

As a former top recruit, Boutte has excellent speed and elite yards-after-the-catch skills. He had nine touchdowns in just six games as a sophomore and averaged 7.6 yards after the catch as a freshman, according to Pro Football Focus.

Before the start of the season, Boutte was awarded the No. 7 jersey which is given annually to the top playmaker on LSU's team.

The concerns

Since suffering a right ankle injury six games his sophomore year, Boutte did not produce at the same level he was at pre-injury. Boutte only had 29 more receiving yards this season than last despite playing in five more games.

He also did not test well at the NFL Combine, finishing 23rd among all wideouts in the 40-yard dash, last in the vertical and second-to-last in the broad jump.

Off the field, his tenure at LSU ended with plenty of drama. Boutte committed to returning for his senior season but abruptly reversed course and declared for the draft after Kelly announced that he would not be available for the Tigers' bowl game against Purdue.

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Final thoughts

Boutte has the talent to be a game-changing playmaker at the next level. There was a reason why he was a preseason All-American and was projected to be a first-round pick prior to his junior campaign.

With that said, Boutte is still a major risk for the franchise that selected him, given his sluggish final season and the drama surrounding his time at LSU.

Koki Riley covers LSU sports for The Daily Advertiser. Email him at kriley@theadvertiser.com and follow him on Twitter at @KokiRiley.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: New England Patriots pick LSU football's Kayshon Boutte 2023 NFL Draft