Tre Nixon continues to work his way into Patriots ‘fan favorite’ territory

Fan favorites of the New England Patriots are usually your grinders. The guys who come to work every day as the first ones in and the last ones out. The players you don’t expect to make an impact, but who end up carving out a role for themselves after head coach Bill Belichick has no choice but to take notice.

Is wide receiver Tre Nixon the next of the bunch? Those in New England will have to wait and see, but he’s off to a tremendous start this offseason after being selected in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Nixon turned heads in minicamp and OTAs with some sharp route-running, an ability to stretch the field, and sure hands. If there’s one thing the Patriots really need to catch up to the rest of the NFL with, it’s their passing attack.

Mac Jones was tremendous in his rookie season, but it was evident the Patriots’ offense lacked verticality, and Jones wasn’t tested as often as fans preferred with downfield shots.

Nixon, who was a field-stretcher mostly just during his junior year at UCF, could help change that in 2022. And his continuous work with Jones this offseason is helping him gain more recognition.

Tre Nixon is working his way up to becoming a Patriots fan favorite

The fellas putting in the reps! Think there’s a reason he was the final pick of Ernie Adams’ NFL career? Sure means something!

Though he spent 2021 on the practice squad after the Patriots’ free agency splurge, which featured wideouts Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor, he more than likely used that time to get familiar with the playbook and burnish his skills, since he missed most of the 2020 season with an injury.

Nonetheless, his 2019 showing with the Knights (49 catches, 830 yards, 7 TDs, 16.9 YPR) goes to show there’s potential. His best performances that year came against formidable programs such as Stanford, Pittsburgh and Houston.

The fact that he’s stuck around in New England after being released and sent to the practice squad, and is now putting in as much face time as possible with the starting QB and other members of the receiving corps might get Patriots fans a little too excited for what’s to come, but it’s at least all the right moves/messaging from the 24-year-old.

Man, that first deep ball he catches is going to elicit an unmistakable roar from the crowd in Foxborough.

Is Tre Nixon the next unexpected offensive weapon for the Patriots?

Evan Lazar observed that Tre Nixon made a fantastic catch on a Mac Jones deep ball while establishing himself as a New England Patriots playmaker.