Former Liberty wide receiver Demario Douglas made his NFL regular season debut on Sunday for the New England Patriots. Douglas tallied four receptions on seven targets for 40 yards in a Week 1 loss for the Patriots to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Douglas is one of two former Liberty players on active 53-man NFL rosters to begin the 2023 season, joining Malik Willis. Willis served as the backup to Ryan Tannehill at quarterback for the Tennessee Titans on Sunday and did not receive any playing time.

Douglas turned heads of the Patriots coaches and media members during training camp as he became a lock to make the 53-man roster. He was held out of most of the NFL preseason as he showed enough during practice to prove his worth. Douglas continued his ascension on the team with a strong week one performance as he connected with quarterback Mac Jones four times on the day.

Douglas was selected in the 6th round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots with the 210th overall pick. He is the 2nd Liberty player taken in the NFL Draft over the past two seasons as quarterback Malik Willis was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the 3rd round in 2022. T

The 5’8″, 180 pound athlete and native of Jacksonville, Florida, Douglas had 79 receptions for 993 yards and six touchdowns last year for the Flames. He also had 110 rushing yards and another score on seven carries while averaging 24.8 yards on 13 kickoff returns. His 2022 season capped an impressive time at Liberty as he entered the draft following the conclusion of the year.