Tyquan Thornton

Tyquan Thornton (born August 7, 2000) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Baylor Bears and was selected by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft.

Early life Thornton attended Booker T. Washington Senior High School in Miami, Florida.

College career Thornton originally committed to the University of Florida to play college football before flipping his commitment to Baylor University.

Thornton attended Baylor from 2018 to 2022. During his career he had 143 receptions for 2,242 yards and 19 touchdowns.

College statistics Year Team GP Receiving Rushing Rec Yds Avg TD Att Yds Avg TD 2018 Baylor 13 20 354 17.7 3 2 2 1.0 0 2019 Baylor 14 45 782 17.4 5 0 0 0.0 0 2020 Baylor 6 16 158 9.9 1 0 0 0.0 0 2021 Baylor 14 62 948 15.3 10 1 -11 -11.0 0Career 47 143 2,242 15.7 19 3 -9 -3.0 0

Professional career At the 2022 NFL Combine, Thornton ran an unofficial 4.21 in the 40-yard dash. It would’ve been an NFL combine record, but it was ruled that he ran a 4.28 instead, which was the third-fastest in the 2022 combine.

New England Patriots Thornton was selected by the New England Patriots in the second round (50th overall) of the 2022 NFL draft.

On September 1, 2022, Thornton was placed on injured reserve after suffering a fractured clavicle in the preseason, and was re-activated on October 8. In Week 6 against the Cleveland Browns, Thornton scored his first receiving and rushing touchdowns, making him the first Patriots wide receiver since Deion Branch (2004) to score a receiving and rushing touchdown in the same game. Thornton finished his rookie season with 22 catches for 247 yards and two touchdowns, and ran 3 times for 16 yards and a touchdown.

On August 31, 2023, Thornton was placed on injured reserve. He was re-activated on October 14.

On November 16, 2024, the Patriots waived Thornton.

Kansas City Chiefs On November 19, 2024, Thornton was signed to the Kansas City Chiefs' practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with Kansas City on February 11, 2025.

In the 2025 season, Thornton made his first start as a Chief in Week 2. The following week, he caught 5 passes for 71 yards, scoring a touchdown and contributing to the Chiefs’ 22–9 victory over the New York Giants. On October 7, 2025, Thornton achieved a new high in receiving yards, recording three catches for 90 yards on five targets against the Jacksonville Jaguars. In 14 appearances (four starts) for Kansas City, he posted 19 receptions for 438 yards and three touchdowns. On December 24, Thornton was placed on season-ending injured reserve due to a concussion.

On March 13, 2026, Thornton re-signed with the Chiefs on a two-year, $11 million contract.