13 players Bill Belichick, New England Patriots need to make leaps in 2022

No.8: Can Tre Nixon sneak onto the New England Patriots 53-man roster

A nice little story that evolved during minicamp was the emergence of 2021 seventh-round pick Tre Nixon.

Prior to minicamp, Nixon wouldn’t have made this list as he was projected as a player who would have to battle to just make the 53-man roster.  That could still be the case, but with the team’s need for a slot receiver, perhaps the Ole Miss product could follow the shows of one Julian Edelman?

Those are large shoes to fill, but Nixon’s work ethic throughout offseason practices has coaches and fellow teammates praising the 24-year-old wide receiver who will at least make things interesting at the wide receiver position once official training camp gets underway.

One of those players impressed by Nixon is veteran receiver Nelson Agholor.

"“I’m super excited because I’ve watched him work so hard,” Agholor said, via Patriots Wire.  “Honestly, I don’t think there’s anyone who trains as hard as Tre Nixon in my opinion.  He’s bested his butt since he’s gotten here.  I have a lot of respect for him because all he does is stay quiet and work hard.  So I’m happy you guys get a chance to get a glimpse of his hard work.”"

With second-round pick Tyquan Thornton expected to get a lot of the buzz this summer, a player like Nixon could be a sneaky important development for the Patriots who are looking to surround Mac Jones with as many reliable weapons as possible.

While this would be a great story for a hard worker like Nixon, just imagine who the transcendence of a seventh-round pick would be for Bill Belichick who doesn’t have the best resume when it comes to drafting receivers.

In all, Nixon making a jump in Year 2 of his career would be an unexpected benefit for the team.  There seems to be one or two of every season.  Tre Nixon is one to watch.