Goes to New England 187th overall

The Patriots selected Boutte in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 187th overall.

Boutte (5-foot-11, 195 pounds) was standout recruit for LSU who at one point appeared a potential star after a brilliant first two seasons with the Tigers. Boutte drew 131 targets in those first 16 games, catching 83 passes for 1,243 yards and 14 touchdowns all before turning 20. Unfortunately he fell off in his 2022 junior season, logging just 48 receptions for 538 yards and two touchdowns on 74 targets, and from there began a rising sense of concern about Boutte's character off the field. He struggled at the combine, testing below average across the board and testing truly awful in the jumps (29-inch vertical, 118-inch broad jump). Boutte's workout was so poor that it makes it difficult to believe he was training properly -- it's almost inconceivable that Boutte produced the way he did in his first two seasons while running and jumping as poorly as he did at the combine. It's possible that Boutte could prove to be a steal for New England down the road, but for now he's behind JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne and Tyquan Thornton on the team's WR depth chart.