The Patriots selected Thornton in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft, 50th overall.
Thornton is slight of frame (6-foot-2, 180 pounds) but extremely fast (4.28-second 40-yard dash), and he was a convincingly productive player at Baylor. Durability struggles wrecked his 2020 season, but between 2019 and 2021, Thornton produced 107 receptions for 1,730 yards and 15 touchdowns on 182 targets (58.8 percent catch rate, 9.5 yards per target). Even if just serving as a decoy, defenses will have to approach the Patriots' offense differently when Thornton and his blazing speed are on the field.