Andre Tippett's Rhody Son Earns Invite to Patriots Rookie Minicamp
To say the New England Patriots have been busy for the past three days would, in fact, be an understatement.
Throughout the course of the 2022 NFL Draft, a total of seventeen players have been added to the Foxboro fold — 10 draftees and seven undrafted free agents.
With two open spots remaining on their 90-man roster, the Pats are reportedly inviting an exciting prospect, with a familiar name, for a chance to compete for one of them.
Former University of Rhode Island safety/punt returner Coby Tippett, son of Patriots legend Andre Tippett, has been invited to participate in the team’s rookie minicamp,which is expected to be held from May 13-16 at Gillette Stadium. The Rhody Rams announced the invitation via their Twitter page on Sunday afternoon.
A native of Sharon, Massachusetts, Tippett has the potential to be a dual-threat prospect at the pro level. He finished the 2021 season with 41 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, one interception, six pass break ups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Tippett’s greatest asset is his speed, which he showcased during his pro day performance in March at Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island.
As a result, he may find his niche with the Patriots as a potential punt returner. Last season, he earned CAA Football All-Conference honors, making the first team as a punt returner [he also made the third team as a safety], and ranked first in the conference in averaging 12.6 yards per punt return. In total, Tippett returned 18 punts for 226 yards and one touchdown in 2021.
As previously stated, Tippett does have some ‘Patriot blue blood’ in him, His father, Andre, was a second-round pick by the Pats in the 1982 NFL Draft, Tippett played professionally for New England throughout his entire 11-year pro career. He was a member of three Patriots playoff teams, including the 1985 AFC Championship squad. Tippett holds the Patriots’ franchise record with 100.0 career sacks, and was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 1999. He was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2008 and is now the Patriots' executive director of community affairs.
Tippett’s invite to workout with the Patriots will not be his first brush with the team. In October 2021, URI Rams had hired a charter plane to take them to Towson, Maryland for their showdown with Towson University. However, the charter flight fell through.
After hearing the news from Coby’s father, Andre, [as well as Kraft Group Vice President Ted Fire, who also had a son on the Rams] Patriots team owner Robert Kraft stepped in and provided the team’s plane to take the URI Football Team to Maryland. Naturally, Coby Tippett was among those on the flight.
If Tippett performs well during rookie minicamp, he may just be riding in style aboard ‘Air Kraft’ once again.
