Flashback to 2021, Kayshon Boutte looked on his way to being a first-round draft pick.

The LSU wideout led the Tigers in receiving as a true freshman and was tracking toward a 1,000-yard season in 2021. Then, Boutte suffered a broken ankle. The injury, combined with inconsistency that followed, ultimately led to him dropping to the sixth-round of the 2023 NFL Draft, where the Patriots selected him 187th overall.

But the talent has always been there for the former five-star recruit — and it was on display in New England’s season opener as he caught six passes for 103 yards.

“I think people fail to realize that at one point in time, I was [projected as] a first-round pick, just before my surgery,” Boutte said Monday. “I think a lot of people doubt that I can do what I do, but, I mean, I a

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