FOXBORO — Don’t count out Kayshon Boutte just yet.

The wide receiver, still known more for the interest he garnered out of high school as a five-star recruit than anything he did in his rookie season with the Patriots, has been buried on the depth chart in training camp.

On Thursday night in the Patriots preseason opener against the Panthers, however, Boutte was the team’s leading receiver, primarily making the most out of his six targets.

“I’d say the game went good for me. I practiced since spring for this opportunity, and opportunity presented itself,” Boutte told the Herald on Thursday night.

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Boutte caught three passes for 53 yards. On his best play, he plucked the ball out of the air behind leaping Panthers cornerback D’Shawn Jamison and turned up field for a 28-yard gain.

“I feel like DBs aren’t really like us receivers, so they underestimate balls and anticipate the ball at a certain spot,” Boutte said. “But the ball was just higher than what he tried to swipe from, so just playing above his hands, trusting the throw and then Bailey trusted me to catch the ball.”

But he also had two incompletions hit off his hands. A third incompletion, thrown from Milton, was nearly picked off.

Boutte believes he could have made those catches, but he’s not kicking himself after the game.

“I’m good. It’s just plays I know I can make,” Boutte said. “Just make it next time.”

Boutte, whose charges for underage gambling were dropped by the state of Louisiana this offseason, still faces an uphill climb to make the Patriots’ 53-man roster after training camp.

The Patriots added veteran receiver K.J. Osborn and rookies Ja’Lynn Polk to a depth chart where Boutte was already behind DeMario Douglas, Kendrick Bourne, Jalen Reagor, Tyquan Thornton and JuJu Smith-Schuster. That’s left him working primarily with third- and fourth-string quarterbacks Bailey Zappe and Joe Milton III in practice.

Douglas, Osborn, Polk and Baker should be viewed as locks to make the roster. Bourne, who’s currently on the PUP list, is a lock if healthy. Depending on Bourne’s status, there’s only 1-to-3 roster spots available for Boutte, Reagor, Thornton, Smith-Schuster, Kawaan Baker, JaQuae Jackson and David Wallis.

Reagor, Thornton and Smith-Schuster got into Thursday’s game before Boutte. Reagor and Thornton have also regularly been a part of the first-team offense this summer. But despite his miscues on Thursday, Boutte also outperformed all other Patriots wide receivers in Week 1 of the preseason.

“I feel like everywhere is competition, but I just feel like you have to make the best of your opportunities,” Boutte said. “You can’t complain, you can’t worry about the next guy. I just feel like you’ve got to worry about yourself, and everything will handle itself.”

As far as Boutte’s goals for the next month before the 2024 season begins?

“Just prove that I belong here, and that I can do everything that they ask out of anybody,” Boutte said.