Two weeks before the NFL Draft, the New England Patriots opened the Gillette Stadium doors to prospects from local colleges. Among them was a player the would later select with their final pick, Boston College edge defender Quintayvious Hutchins.
It was not the first point of contact between the two sides after already having met at the Scouting Combine in late February. For the Patriots, however, it was a crucial step toward Hutchins eventually becoming a target in the draft.
“Had the opportunity
to work him out at our local day, which was really cool for him and his agents to decide to come work out,” executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf later explained.
“A lot of times guys that worked out at the Combine aren’t willing to do that, and he showed what kind of competitor he is with his willingness to come over there. I think he helped himself definitely — you know, [Mike] Vrabel with the pad. He was hitting that pad and Vrabel was feeling his strength, so it was pretty cool to see.”
Hutchins being willing to go the extra mile to put himself in a position to succeed is nothing new. Look no further than his college career at BC, which saw him start 16 games on the edge, average 110 special teams snaps per non-redshirt season, and even make a brief move to tight end.
While it is unlikely he will be employed quite as multi-dimensionally as a Patriot, the 23-year-old knows that the mindset behind his college usage will go a long way toward NFL job security.
“You’re going to get an energetic, young kid that’s ready to work and put one foot in the door to lead to two,” he said during his introductory call with the local media.
“You’re going to see a dynamic special teams player; my career started out with special teams where it comes to kickoffs, kickoff return, punt, punt block. You’re going to get a hard worker, a third down guy, also a run stopper. I feel like I have a lot of bend, explosiveness when it comes to third down, second-and-long.”
“Really, really physical player,” added Wolf. “Has some length, has some traits that we like. Went back and watched some of the special teams when he was younger and that really stood out as well.”
As with all rookies, and particularly those selected in the late seventh round, the challenge of acclimating to the pro level will be significant. However, Hutchins has one small advantage: staying home.
“I’ve been there, at BC, for the past five years. So, coming back to my second home, besides Alabama, it feels good,” he said. “Being able to play under the coaches that were able to run our pro day, it just feels like I’m able to go in comfortably to just keep my head up and just work.”
