The young wide receiver is in the middle of a productive rookie season.
The NFL career of rookie wide receiver DeMario Douglas — whose first name is spelled with a capital M, it turns out — is off to a promising start. The sixth-round draft pick has been the New England Patriots’ most prolific pass catcher this season, gaining a team-leading 517 receiving yards on 44 catches.
But while Douglas has looked like a building-block player on an offense certainly not overflowing with them, he still is not where he needs to be. The young pass catcher said so himself when talking with reporters this week.
“I’m proud, but I feel like I haven’t done anything yet. I feel like I still have a lot of work to do,” he said at his Gillette Stadium locker on Thursday. “I feel like every day in practice I learn something new. I feel like I still got stuff to work on.”
In order to take that next step in his development, Douglas is finding inspiration in those that have traveled the same road he is currently on: former Patriots wide receivers such as Troy Brown, Deion Branch and Julian Edelman.
The three are among the most prolific pass catchers in team history, and have helped the organization win multiple championships while serving as go-to wide receivers. When looking at a list of then-Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s favorite targets, Brown, Branch and Edelman reside near the very top.
Naturally, Douglas is looking at them in order to better his own craft.
“It’ll be in the little clips. I see Edelman, Troy, Deion — some of the GOATs that have been through here. Watching them, it helped me with my game, also,” he said before explaining what exactly it is that makes them worth modeling one’s game after.
“Their routes. How they run their routes. How they became successful. The little things that they do — how they come off the ball, stuff like that.”
Douglas has a long way to go before reaching the same status as those three since-retired wideouts, but as noted above he is off to an encouraging start.
The 210th overall selection in this year’s draft, Douglas saw regular action in the Patriots’ offense from early on in his career; he was prominently featured as a receiver as far back as offseason workouts. Since then, he has steadily increased his role and has become arguably the team’s most dynamic pass catcher.
“He’s continuing to develop his savviness and his ability to play inside,” said his position coach, the aforementioned Troy Brown. “Everything doesn’t always have to be full speed all the time, so just developing a good sense of how to play in the slot. He’s continuing to get better at that, and obviously catching the ball. …
“He’s just continuing to grow as a player. He’s confident, he believes in himself, and that’s half the battle right there, when you’re confident to go in there and play well.”
For the man himself, it all has to do with the work he has been putting in.
“I’ve been working. When nobody sees, I’ve been working,” he said. “Since before the draft process, I’ve been working hard. I feel like I have to work a little bit harder just because of my height and stuff like that, but I feel like it’s coming to be good — great, I should say.”