Tre Bien: Patriots WR Nixon Becomes Minicamp Standout
FOXBORO - New England Patriots wide receiver Tre Nixon may only be entering his second year with the team. However, he is well-aware of the place he will always hold in the franchise’s folklore.
Having been drafted by the Pats in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL Draft (242nd overall), Nixon has the distinction of being Ernie Adams’ final draft selection with the Patriots organization.
The revered, but somewhat enigmatic former Patriots director of football research retired in June 2021 — capping a 46-year career which included providing draft analysis, free agency input, football scouting and strategy. As his final order of business with the Patriots, Adams submitted the draft card which made Nixon a part of the Foxboro fold — and he did so with great optimism regarding the Central Florida product’s potential to help the team.
Obviously flattered and humbled by Adams’ confidence, Nixon was also understandably curious about what caught the director’s eye with regard to his game. In the days leading up to his retirement, Nixon approached Adams as he used one of the treadmills in the training room — a story which he shared with reporters in July 2021.
“I went up to him, and I said: ‘Why me?’ He kind of just told me ‘don’t think too far into it,” Nixon said of the conversation. "‘You’re a big guy, you’re smart, and you’re fast. That’s what we need to help us out.”
While Adams made his decision sound simple, he likely paid a great deal of attention to Nixon’s collegiate career when scouting the talented, yet lesser-known receiver. After transferring from Ole Miss, Nixon became a key component of Central Florida’s receiving corps. He caught 40 passes for 562 yards and four touchdowns in 2018, while logging 49 catches for 830 yards and seven touchdowns for UCF in 2019. Nixon played just four games as a redshirt senior in 2020, catching 19 passes for 260 yards and two touchdowns. He also demonstrated impressive speed, having run the 40-yard dash at a time of 4.43.
In Adams’ expert opinion, Nixon had the tools to become an ideal fit in Foxboro.
Two days into New England’s 2022 mandatory minicamp, Nixon is beginning to demonstrate some of the promise which Adams saw in him during the 2021 draft process. Though he spent the entirety of his rookie season on the Pats’ practice squad, the 24-year-old has been a standout performer at the position; quickly becoming a favorite target of quarterback Mac Jones. On Tuesday, Jones connected with Nixon on a 40+ yard pass, in which he made the leaping catch on a post-corner route between safety Devin McCourty and cornerback Jonathan Jones. In his second day of action, the Central Florida product made five catches, while seeing time both on the perimeter and in the slot. Once again, Nixon was on the receiving end of the ‘play of the day’ — a 60-yard bomb from Mac Jones, which Nixon hauled in with one arm through tight coverage from Jonathan Jones.
Though his relationship with his quarterback continues to grow, Nixon realizes that there is still much to learn, and much left to accomplish. In true Patriots fashion, he plans on taking it one moment at a time.
“Everything’s just starting to slow down a little bit,” Nixon said of his assimilation into New England’s offense. “I’ve still got a lot to learn. I’m still trying to find my role, but just compared to last year just a little bit slowing down. I’ve got my routine now, I really know how to take care of myself off the field. Like I said, I’ve got a lot to learn and a long way to go, but way different from the first year, for sure.”
Despite facing some stiff competition at the position, Nixon projects as a vertical deep threat for the Patriots, with the ability to use his speed to shed defenders at the line. Though he has typically lacked some physicality, Nixon has demonstrated the necessary toughness to make catches in tight coverage. He has also shown the capability to run smooth routes to facilitate the catch in short yardage.
With the start of training camp fast approaching, he intends to use his time during minicamp to absorb as much on-field experiences and knowledge as possible.
“I just try to take everything in, I try to be a sponge to the older guys,” Nixon said. “They’ve been in this league for so long, like [Matthew] Slater, why would you not want to sit back and watch them? It’s a pleasure watching greatness out there. I just always take as much information, as much reps and try to implement it into my game as well.”
If Nixon continues to impress his coaches and teammates, to the level which he has thus far, the Patriots may have found an unexpected, yet pleasant surprise— unexpected, that is, to mostly everyone except for Ernie Adams.
