Now that the NFL Draft has come and gone, New England Patriots brass will look forward to the three-day rookie minicamp, taking place next weekend, May 9-11.
This minicamp consists of the 11 players the Patriots selected in this years' NFL draft, plus undrafted players who got an invite to participate in the weekend event. For those players, the minicamp is more of a tryout. Regardless, the Patriots coaching staff can see if there's any diamonds in the rough that went undrafted during this rookie minicamp.
So far, the Patriots have signed 20 undrafted free-agents, including former Louisiana QB Ben Wooldridge and UC Davis standout RB Lan Larison. These players will also take part in the rookie minicamp.
While there will be a plethora of new faces taking the field at the Patriots practice facilities next weekend, one Massachusetts and Ivy League product headlines the list of Patriots minicamp invitees.
Former Brown QB Jake Willcox Invited to Patriots Rookie Minicamp
Jake Willcox was a three-year starter at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Now, getting the chance to compete in front of Mike Vrabel, as well as a roster spot going into training camp, has got to be a surreal feeling for the New England native.
Former Brown QB Jake Willcox will get his first shot in the pros, earning an invite to Patriots Rookie Minicamp
— Brown Bears Football (@BrownU_Football) April 30, 2025
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Willcox was born in Everett, MA, a city just outside of Boston and only about an hour drive to Foxborough. He played for Everett High School, one of the most successful football schools in the state for Division 1, as it's produced 19 NFL players. After leading Everett to the MIAA D1 State Championship in 2017, Willcox decided to take his talents to Milton Academy, a preparatory school in Massachusetts.
After playing two seasons at Milton, Willcox accepted an offer to play quarterback at Brown University, an Ivy League school. He also had offers from Bryant University and the University of New Hampshire.
A three-year starter from 2022-2024 at Brown, Willcox amassed 7,000 passing yards and 41 touchdowns as a Bear. His career record was 11-19 across three seasons, and was named a two-time captain (2023 and 2024).
Now, Willcox will get to compete for a spot on the team that he's been watching his entire life. The Patriots didn't draft a quarterback in this year's draft, leaving Drake Maye and Joshua Dobbs to be the presumptive starter and backup as of now.
Most NFL teams carry three (sometimes four) quarterbacks on their roster, and it would be smart for New England to follow that trend. Willcox joins UDFA signing Ben Wooldridge as two rookie quarterbacks who will attend the minicamp.
Whether Willcox will remain tied to the Patriots after the rookie minicamp remains to be seen, but it is certainly a cool moment for the Everett native. Who knows? Willcox could impress the Patriots coaching staff enough to fight for the QB3 job as the offseason progresses.
Willcox could join Drew Bledsoe, Dave Grogan and Scott Zolak on the list of Patriots signal-callers with ties to Massachusetts, and the first chance to shine for Willcox will be in the Patriots rookie minicamp scheduled for May 9-11.