The Kansas City Chiefs acquired former New England Patriots wide receiver Tyquan Thornton on Monday in a deal that will see the speedy pass-catcher take on a new role as a member of the defending Super Bowl champions’ practice squad.

A former Baylor Bear, Thornton turned heads at the 2022 NFL combine by running a 4.28-second 40-yard dash. His outstanding measurables were enough to entice New England into spending a second-round pick on him in the 2022 NFL draft.

Though he hasn’t yet been able to translate his blazing speed into production as a professional, Thornton now finds himself in the perfect situation to thrive in one of the league’s most revered offenses.

Source: Former #Patriots WR Tyquan Thornton is signing with the #Chiefs practice squad.

A fresh start for the former second-round pick who was waived Saturday. pic.twitter.com/PnV67x8yh9

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 18, 2024

Chiefs fans on Twitter were thrilled to see that Thornton was joining Kansas City’s practice squad, especially after the team’s Week 11 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

Top reactions:

Here is our write up on Tyquan Thornton from the 2022 KCSN Draft Guide. https://t.co/esv2vFOdVv pic.twitter.com/CHwEcfHFNg

— Kent Swanson (@kent_swanson) November 18, 2024

Here were my draft notes on WR Tyquan Thornton out of Baylor. He is from Skyy Moore’s draft class. pic.twitter.com/raNl1qTvHK

— Nick Jacobs (@Jacobs71) November 18, 2024

60 seconds of new #Chiefs wide receiver Tyquan Thornton pic.twitter.com/k2fbwRWKhz

— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) November 18, 2024

The Chiefs added another speedster to their WR corps with the signing of former Patriots’ WR Tyquan Thornton⚡️

The need for SPEED IS REAL in KC💥#ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/3AS2JA49K8

— Football Forever (@fballforeverhq) November 18, 2024

2022 NFL Draft, second round:

No. 50 overall: Tyquan Thornton, NE
No. 52: George Pickens, PIT
No. 53: Alec Pierce, IND
No. 54: Skyy Moore, KC

— Matt Derrick (@mattderrick) November 18, 2024

Tyquan Thornton plans to sign with the #Chiefs practice squad, source confirms. Had interest from more than a dozen teams, and the Saints were in the mix. Chose defending champs.

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) November 18, 2024

Former #Patriots wideout Tyquan Thornton to the #Chiefs 🚨

Fresh start for a dude with loads of upside pic.twitter.com/it4wYlP6Iy

— The Reid Option (@ReidOptionKC) November 18, 2024