Mac Jones' Workout Video is Further Evidence He's Found His Future Favorite WR

This video was posted by Nelson Agholor. And while it's not at all surprising that Mac Jones would fly across the continent to throw the route tree with his highest paid wideout (with a $14.9 million hit this year, Aghholor has the third highest cap number on the roster), because working hard and building chemistry with his teammates is how he rolls, there's one other element of this that is most definitely worth taking notice of. 

Namely, the third man in on this workout, Tre Nixon. 

Nixon was the Patriots final pick in last year's draft, 242nd overall, out of UCF. And seemed for the next 11 months or so to be your classic "What Have We Got to Lose?" late round flyer. He made the 53-man roster last year but never appeared in a game. And it was assumed this year he'd be fighting again for a spot in a semi-crowded wide receiver room that added DeVante Parker and subtracted no one yet. Not even N'Keal Harry, hard as that is to believe. 

And yet Nixon started getting noticed in the couple of minicamp practices the media attended. Here's what I said about Jones and Nixon's chemistry after the one I went to:

--His highlights on this day were a couple of deep balls to Tre Nixon, who of all people is starting to look like a favorite of Jones. He hit Nixon right on the palms on a corner route against Shaun Wade early. And late, he lofted a perfect deep touch pass into Nixon's bucket over Jonathan Jones, which Nixon hauled in with one hand while fighting off JoJones (it's going to take a lot of effort to differentiate our Joneses this year) DPI with his other.

Which was consistent with what others observed at the other practices. Jones dropping back, scanning the field, looking to Nixon who was getting off the line and open, and the two making the connection. And this wasn't necessarily against some roster bubble special teamers or rookies, but Jonathan Jones, their top slot corner. 

Now add to this the fact that Nixon is out in Carlsbad, CA getting a full day (or more) of training with Jones - getting their rhythm and timing down, making that weird emotional Elliot/ET-like connection that exists between a QB and a favorite target - and it's not hard to imagine Nixon is inching his way up the depth chart, Price is Right Cliffhanger's Game style, before our very eyes.

Assuming he is, and I am, he's joining some proud company. Whatever this team's record has been drafting high at the wideout position, they've had their successes shopping on Overstock.com. David Givens (244th) and Julian Edelman (232nd) were both seventh rounders. Jakobi Meyers was undrafted. And between them they earned a half dozen Super Bowl rings with too manyclutch catches to begin to list.

And the closer you look at Nixon, the more you see a classic Patriots receiver. A high-level recruit who was overlooked in the draft after having  to transfer schools and getting injured: 

 NFL.com - Nixon was highly recruited after winning Florida's 7A Player of the Year and USA Today first-team all-state notice as a senior at Viera High School. He signed with Ole Miss and spent two seasons in Oxford. As a redshirt freshman, Nixon played in 10 games as a reserve for the Rebels, making one catch for 19 yards. Once the NCAA handed down sanctions for Ole Miss' recruiting violations, Nixon decided it was best to move on. UCF welcomed him and he started all 13 games in 2018 (40-562-14.1, four TDs). Year 2 for the Golden Knights was even better, as he garnered honorable mention All-American Athletic Conference honors (49-830-16.9, seven TDs in 13 starts). His senior season was disrupted by a broken collarbone, however, limiting him to four starts (19-260-13.7, two TDs). …

Dangerous three-level talent with speed and short-area athleticism to play inside or outside as a pro. … He has the juice to win foot races deep and displays enough route-running potential to uncover against pro coverage on the first and second levels. Nixon offers intriguing value as a potential Day 3 selection with WR3 talent.

Then at the Combine, he ran a 4.44 40 and a most impressive time in the Pats preferred WR drill, the 3-Cone, where he posted a blistering 6.81. By all accounts he needed to improve his play strength, which he's had a year to work on. But like the man said, he showed intriguing value, was available on Day 3, and seems to be fighting hard for that WR3 spot on a receiver depth chart that might lack elite, All Pro-caliber talent, but proven veterans throughout. 

We'll see. But for now, Mac Jones seems to love Nixon. And at the end of the month we'll get to see how much all these workouts have paid off for him.