FOXBORO — When Patriots training camp began, Tyquan Thornton looked like a draft bust fighting for a roster spot. Now, he looks like a Week 1 starter.

As New England’s season opener against Cincinnati approaches, the oft-criticized third-year wideout regularly has repped with the top offense in team drills. Thornton projects as the top option at the X receiver spot, with rookie Ja’Lynn Polk at Z and DeMario Douglas in the slot.

If that setup holds, it would be an impressive rise for the 2022 second-round draft pick, who’s put together a strong summer after failing to meet expectations in Years 1 and 2. Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt likes what he’s seen from Thornton.

“His ability to separate is special,” Van Pelt said before Thursday’s practice. “His speed down the field, his ability to run away from coverage and man coverage — all those things. He’s really been tough at the catch point this year, so he’s getting stronger in that regard. Hopefully we can see him shine here in this next game.”

Thornton’s speed has never been questioned — his 4.28-second 40-yard dash was one of the fastest in the history of the NFL Scouting Combine — but the improvements he’s made in other areas of his game have been encouraging.

“I think the big thing that I’m happy with with Tyquan is his route detail,” wide receivers coach Tyler Hughes said. “We all know he’s a fast guy, but his intermediate route-running, his short route-running to go along with his speed has been really positive. I think that’s an important part of his game that he’s tried to refine and develop, and it’s been positive during camp.”

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Route precision was an issue for Thornton in his first two pro seasons. An even bigger one was durability. The Baylor product was alarmingly slender when he entered the league, and his rail-thin frame struggled to withstand the physicality of the NFL game.

Thornton missed four games as a rookie and sat out eight last season — five due to a shoulder injury, one with an ankle ailment and two as a healthy scratch. He also appeared on the injury report with foot and hamstring injuries that limited his practice participation. In his career, he has as many stints on injured reserve (two) as touchdown passes.

Though he’s still far from physically imposing, Thornton made improving his strength and bulk a priority this offseason, and that effort has produced positive results thus far.

“Strong football players are a good thing,” Hughes said. “You’ve got to be that way. He’s definitely taken the time and effort to add weight, add strength, and that’s helped his game, for sure.”

Thornton also spent much of the offseason training with a group of Patriots teammates that included Douglas. The shifty second-year slot said he’s seen “a lot of progress” from Thornton since then.

“I feel like me and him, this whole offseason, we worked together,” Douglas said. “We went down to Fort Lauderdale with our quarterbacks working together. Before OTAs, we were working together. And it shows. It shows that he’s been working. You can see it on the field.”

Viewed as a bubble player mere weeks ago, Thornton now appears locked into a spot in the Patriots’ 53-man roster and should play a major role in their new-look receiving corps. The question is whether he’ll be able to deliver the production New England expected when it traded up to draft him 50th overall.

He couldn’t do that even when healthy in his first two seasons. In 22 games for the Patriots, Thornton has caught just 35 of 68 targets (51.5%) for 338 yards and two touchdowns. He was an afterthought in arguably the NFL’s worst wideout room a year ago, finishing with just 13 catches for 91 yards and no scores in nine appearances and playing fewer than 10 snaps in three of those.

Can he deliver a long-awaited breakout this season?

“My personal goal is to be the best version of myself,” Thornton said Thursday. “Make a lot of plays and help this team win.”

Even if Thornton does open the season as the starting X receiver, he might not be the No. 1 option for Jacoby Brissett and/or Drake Maye. Douglas and Polk, a second-round rookie, both have looked sharp this summer, and Hughes said veteran newcomer K.J. Osborn “is going to be playing a lot of snaps” this season. Kendrick Bourne, New England’s best receiver last season before tearing his ACL, also will rejoin that mix at some point, though he seems likely to start the season on the physically unable to perfom list.

Fourth-round pick Javon Baker has struggled of late, but he should be a roster lock and could develop into a dangerous big-play threat if he can improve his consistency. Jalen Reagor and Kayson Boutte are the final receivers on the depth chart with legitimate shots to make the roster, with the Patriots likely determining whether to keep both or choose between the two.