The New England Patriots are no strangers to rookie traditions. Whether it be the old-school preseason haircuts or slip-and-slides before practice, the Patriots like to loosen things up for the rookies each year during training camp, but they don’t want to get them too comfortable.
In recent years the tradition that has drawn the most attention has been their flat-out refusal to give rookies a true jersey number until the last possible day. Everyone remembers Mac Jones running around in No. 50 last season, now it’s first-round pick Cole Strange rocking the number while wiry rookie receiver Tyquan Thornton rocks a ludicrous looking No.