FOXBORO — Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte had two plates and six screws surgically implanted in his ankle after he broke it in college and didn’t look like the same player for years.

Boutte is returning to form with a breakout third NFL season, but he acknowledged Thursday that his ankle still limits him.

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“I think I always have been a good tracker of the football,” Boutte said. “Before my surgery, I was always able to go up and high point the ball. I think now with two plates, six screws in my right ankle, I’m limited as to how high I can jump. So I think just being able to track the ball is really big for me.

“I feel like I’m 100% when it comes to tracking the ball. I’m confident in my hands. So I’ll really catch it out in front of me and not really to my chest.”

Boutte was a five-star recruit before heading to LSU and was regarded as a likely first-round pick early in his college career. The injury, plus off-field issues, dropped him to the sixth round, where the Patriots got a steal.