Wide receiver Tre Nixon is standing out at Patriots minicamp
BOSTON -- Ernie Adams was a visitor at Patriots minicamp this week. The longtime trusted Bill Belichick confidante had to have enjoyed what he saw.
In what was Adams' final act as a member of the Patriots, he made the team's final draft pick in 2021, selecting wide receiver Tre Nixon out of the University of Central Florida. Nixon spent his rookie season on the practice squad, but thus far in year two, he looks poised to take a major step forward.
Nixon has been impossible to miss on the practice field in the two sessions open to the media so far this week, elevating his potential to be a contributor for the offense.
On Wednesday, it was a one-handed catch on a deep pass from Mac Jones that stood out as the play of the day.
That wasn't Nixon's only standout play from the session, though.
As mentioned, it was the second consecutive day where Nixon flashed.
Though it's obviously only minicamp, such a showing could portend a positive development for the receiver as he enters an important second year in Foxboro.
The 6-foot-2 Nixon caught 49 passes for 830 yards and seven touchdowns for UCF in 2019. The previous season, he caught 40 passes for 562 yards and four touchdowns. He played just four games in 2020, catching 19 passes for 260 yards and two touchdowns.
While Nixon has certainly stood out, Belichick predictably wasn't eager to add to any hype when asked about the young receiver prior to Wednesday's session.
"Yeah, all the guys from year one to year two are way ahead of where they were last year on a lot of levels -- preparation, training, knowledge of our scheme, knowledge of what's going on across from them. So, he'd certainly fall into that category," Belichick said. "But I'd really put 'em all there."
The Patriots, of course, used a high draft pick on a wide receiver this year, selecting the speedy Tyquan Thornton out of Baylor in the second round. But that was the lone draft pick used on the position, potentially opening the door for Nixon to climb the depth chart. There's a long way to go in that regard, but through two sessions open to the media, the 24-year-old is moving in the right direction.
