Boyce has a lot of supporters out there, but frankly I’ve always been lukewarm on him. His timed speed has just never seemed to translate into the NFL, he’s one of those guys who ran a 4.38 40 at the combine but when you see him on the field he doesn’t seem to be blowing by anyone. And he doesn’t have that agility to quickly get open from the slot like Edelman and Amendola do.
Add in the fact that he’s 5′11″, 206 and he doesn’t really have the downfield size typically needed from an X-receiver, unless your name is Antonio Brown.
I guess to put it simply, he has outside long speed but inside size so he just gets caught in the middle, without a true fit, at least in the Patriots offense.