FOXBORO, Mass. — Demario Douglas was a player that drew interest from the moment he stepped on the field for the New England Patriots.

Drafted in the sixth round (210th overall pick) of the 2023 NFL Draft, it was clear that he wasn't high on other teams list, but Bill Belichick saw something in him. 

And he has not disappointed throughout organized team activities, mandatory minicamp, and now training camp. Douglas is taking advantage of each and every opportunity, making a strong case to earn one of the final roster spots. 

And one of the main reasons he has a strong change of doing that is his versatility. 

"I want to be able to perform anywhere. So being versatile always been in my game, so I'm ready to play wherever you want me to play and especially special teams," Douglas said. "Like anywhere. Put me anywhere. I'm here to come play."

Another player who is versatile is Marcus Jones, who Douglas has looked up to both in college and now with New England. 

"Working with him, it's just, he's been here before and he's went through the league. So I say he knows the game faster," Douglas said. "So going back there with him, he teach me stuff. I learn from him. I knew I I was gonna learn from him coming from college."

On Sunday, Douglas' main focus was on punt returns, expanding his abilities beyond just a receiver. And with that, he gets to work with Jones. 

"Catching," Douglas said about what he worked on. "How to feed catch the, field the ball. Field better. Like I said, from Marcus Jones from Coach Troy, little stuff like that. I learn something every day."

Bill Belichick has also been impressed with Douglas, but did explain that there is still a long way to go before the season begins.  

"Yeah, Douglas had a good spring and he’s followed it up with a few couple good practices here," Belichick said. "Again, training camp is a marathon, it’s not a 100-yard dash. So, just keep grinding them together day after day. We’ve been in the red area. We’ll move out into the field and then we’ll get into third downs, start putting it all together. Pads haven’t been on yet, so that’s part of the evaluation for everybody, so we’ll see. Everybody has got a long way to go, but we’re making progress, guys are working hard, you know, we are getting better. So, we’ll see where it goes."

But regardless, Douglas almost always has a smile on his face and it's clear that he is very happy in Foxborough. 

His main concern: taking in every moment throughout training camp. 

"Everything," Douglas said when asked about what his favorite part has been. "Just because I'm learning. I'm learning coming from college, so coming from college to the NFL, it's a difference. But it's like, every day I learn something new. Every day. So it's definitely a blessing to be here."

Featured Image via Sophie Weller – A to Z Sports