Kayshon Boutte 40 time: Is new Patriots WR faster than JuJu Smith-Schuster?

New England Patriots' new boy Kayshon Boutte is faster than his soon-to-be teammate JuJu Smith-Schuster. The LSU Tigers alum ran a 40-yard dash at a time of 4.5 seconds compared to JuJu Smith-Schuster's time of 4.54 seconds.

However, despite Kayshon Boutte's faster 40-yard dash, he was picked in round six of the 2023 NFL draft, while JuJu Smith-Schuster was chosen in the second round of the 2017 draft. That suggests that speed isn't everything when selecting a franchise wideout in the NFL draft.

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Kayshon Boutte's Player Profile

Heading into the 2023 NFL Draft, Kayshon Boutte was seen as a player with dual value and can be just as efficient at uncovering underneath as Boutte can at stretching the field.

He ran simple routes at college but can improve on that with more attention to detail. The ball skills could be much better, with too many drops showing up on the game tape.

Boutte is talented with the ball in his hands and has route-running potential if he goes back to his initial form. Kayshon Boutte could pave a pathway as an eventual backup wideout role barring any further issues with his right ankle.

His main strengths are:

• Catch-and-run talent to turn short throws into chunk plays.
• Possesses the desired blend of size and speed.
• Twitchy plant and burst to uncover cleanly underneath.
• Vertical speed fueled by a solid second gear.

His most apparent flaws are:

• Unconvincing drive phase for intermediate routes.
• Underdeveloped catch technique causes drops.

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What was JuJu Smith-Schuster's Player Profile coming into the NFL?

Coming into the NFL, JuJu Smith-Schuster was criticized for his lack of speed and separation. However, he reminded scouts of Anquan Boldin with his strong hands, physical approach and ability to win combat catches. JuJu Smith-Schuster was missing some of the speed traits teams wanted from their WR1.

However, he had enough upside to convince the Pittsburgh Steelers that he could become a high-volume, possession target with the size to win some 50/50 throws down the field.

His core strengths are:

• He's known for his competitive spirit and alpha demeanor
• Plays to his size and has plus route strength
• Searches and sinks into the optimal openings against zone coverage
• Shows no concern working over the middle
• Works back to the ball as aggressively as he needs to when defenders are attempting to ball-hawk

His most apparent weaknesses are:

• Contested catches will need to be a part of his arsenal
• Does not seem to get defenders tilting with his runs
• Lacks sudden acceleration out of his cuts to generate separation and an easy-throwing window