It hasn’t been an easy three years for Derek Rivers since coming into the league in 2017.
After the New England Patriots spent a third-round draft pick on him — their first of just four selections that year — he struggled with injuries over the first three seasons of his pro career. Entering Year Four, however, Rivers has seemingly put it all together: coming off a strong training camp, he proved on Sunday that he appears to be fully healthy and can be a crucial piece to the Patriots’ defensive front seven.
After New England lost Kyle Van Noy and Jamie Collins to free agency, and had to watch Dont’a Hightower opt out of the season, 2020 was considered a “do-or-die”-type campaign for Rivers and many felt as if he was on the outside looking in heading into camp this year.