Kevin Faulk voiced support for Patriots draft pick Kayshon Boutte
"All I can tell you is I don’t know where that came from," Faulk said of the reported "coachability concerns" regarding Boutte.
The Patriots’ decision to draft LSU wide receiver Kayshon Boutte in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft raised a few eyebrows.
Boutte, who logged 131 catches and 1,782 receiving yards in three years at the college level, was at one point seen as a possible first-round pick. But after a strong freshman season in 2020, his draft stock dropped due to a fall-off in production, a poor rookie combine performance, and reported “coachability concerns.”
One former Patriot (and LSU Tiger) disagrees with the critiques of Boutte. Kevin Faulk, a longtime Patriots running back and ex-LSU assistant coach (he now works for the school at an administrative level), spoke up on Boutte’s behalf during a recent interview with Karen Guregian of The Boston Herald.
“All I can tell you is I don’t know where that came from. Because when I was with that kid, he was very coachable,” Faulk told Guregian. “When you say a kid’s not coachable, that means a coach can’t relate to who the kid is as a player. That’s all that is to me.”
Faulk was LSU’s running backs coach during Boutte’s freshman and sophomore seasons.
After pointing out that Boutte was injured for the latter half of his sophomore campaign — hampering his production — Faulk had another observation: The Patriots coaching staff is already familiar with what the wide receiver can do.
“They know what they’re getting,” Faulk explained. “Bill O’Brien coached against him when he was with Alabama. So he knew what type of receiver he was getting.”
O’Brien, New England’s newly re-appointed offensive coordinator (returning after holding the role in the 2011 season), held the same position with the University of Alabama in 2021 and 2022. As Faulk pointed out, O’Brien was a part of the SEC matchup in which Boutte also participated.
Boutte was also the first 2023 Patriots draft pick to sign with the team. ESPN reporter Mike Reiss noted on May 4 that Boutte had agreed with the team on a four-year deal.
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