PATRIOTS WR TRE NIXON – 2021 DRAFT, PICK 242
CONFERENCE CALL
May 1, 2021
Q: Take us back to the moment that you learned you were drafted by the Patriots. What was that like?
TN: It was probably one of the biggest, most emotional times of my life that I will always remember for the rest of my life. It was a huge blessing. God makes no mistakes and I was just really, really happy to share that moment with me and my family. Like I said, it's a moment I'll tell my grandkids about and I'll never forget it. I'm very blessed.
Q: Can you describe what your mindset was as the draft was at that point and what was going through your mind at that time?
TN: At the time, I was just watching the draft. I was kind of seeing what teams took what players. In the back of my head, I was going to kind of think about where I would go if it came to free agency and that's where my mind was heading. I saw the Patriots on the clock and I got the phone call. Like I said, it's a moment I'll never forget. It's the ultimate blessing and I give God all the glory.
Q: When you see the Patriots on the clock, was there any contact you had from them that made you think that might be a possible landing spot for you?
TN: You know, at that time I really had no clue. We were late into the draft and anything can happen. A lot of people that were projected high even slipped to the later rounds. So at that point, I really had no idea. I had a couple of talks with the Patriots of course and you know, I had a good feeling about them. But at that point in the draft I really had no clue so ultimately it caught me by surprise and was a huge blessing, man.
Q: How would you describe your style of play?
TN: I feel like I'm a very versatile receiver. I'm ready to get to the Patriots, put my head down and work. Meet all my teammates and fit into that culture. I'm ready for it.
Q: What kind of contact did you have with the Patriots going into the draft and what were those conversations like?
TN: Yes sir. So, I did have contact with Mick Lombardi, the wide receivers coach, just on a couple of Zoom calls. And those calls were really just the basics, watching some film, talking some ball, getting to know each other. Like I said, that was a contact I had prior to the draft so leading up to it, I just really was focused on that anything can happen in that moment. I'm just lucky to be in the position that I am.
Q: When it comes to your playing style, is there anyone you model your game after or any receivers that you like to watch?
TN: I like to watch a lot of receivers. I feel like I can pick up a lot of things from many different guys like Doug Baldwin, Adam Thielen, DeAndre Hopkins, Devante Adams. I like to watch a lot of different receivers because you can always find something you can implement into your game whether it's a release, how you run a certain route, a certain way they caught the ball or certain drills. I just love watching film and being a sponge to the game of football. You can always learn and learn more.
Q: I wanted to ask you about everything you've gone through leading up the draft with suffering the injury in September, coming back last season and going through the pre-draft process. With everything you've gone through, what did it mean to you and your family to be drafted by the Patriots?
TN: I can't even put it into words. Like I said, it's one of the most emotional, exciting, happy moments I've ever had in my life. Every kid's dream is to see their name being called in the draft. Like you said, with what I went through, with all the hard times, all the, 'You don't know what's next,' to share that moment with my family is something I'll never forget. I can't even put it into words, not one word can describe that feeling. I'll never forget it.
Q: How much did your family push you to continue to work hard to get to this point? Especially when you suffer an injury like you did and how that can be a hard thing to grind through and come back from.
TN: That's what family is for. That's what your support system is for, that's why that's so important. My mom, my girl Savannah, my brother, my college roommate – if I didn't have them, I believe that it would have been way harder and I probably couldn't have even made it through the situation that I made it through. Having those kind of people supporting you, pushing you, keeping you level-headed, keeping you positive, that's what it's all about and I can't thank them enough for it. And now being able to look back and celebrate that moment with them, that's just amazing. It's all God, it's all God.
