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Patriots Rumors: New England fears Derek Rivers is lost for the season

By Nick Ziegler

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 05: Defensive lineman Derek Rivers of Youngstown State participates in a drill during day five of the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 5, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 05: Defensive lineman Derek Rivers of Youngstown State participates in a drill during day five of the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 5, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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Recent New England Patriots rumors are not good for their rookie defensive end Derek Rivers. Will he be lost for the season?

As we get closer to the start of the NFL season, recent Patriots rumors aren’t good for the team, as rookie Derek Rivers might be done for the season.

In the 2017 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots didn’t have a lot of draft picks like they usually do. Generally, we see the Patriots stockpile picks in the mid-to-late rounds. With a history of finding talented players in these rounds, the Patriots have helped create their dynasty.

This season, however, the Patriots didn’t make a selection until the third round. With their first round pick going to the New Orleans Saints and their second round pick going to the Carolina Panthers, New England was finally on the clock in the third round.

With their first selection, the Patriots took defensive end Derek Rivers from Youngstown State. So far in training camp, Rivers has done well for the Patriots. New England has been using him as both an edge rusher and standing up as an outside linebacker.

During the Patriots’ joint practices with the Houston Texans, Rivers’ leg gave out on him during a kickoff drill. After being checked out by the training staff, Rivers was sent back to New England for tests.

According to Mike Reiss, the Patriots’ early fear is that Rivers might be lost for the season.

Due to the retirement of Rob Ninkovich at the beginning of camp, the Patriots are a bit thin on the edge. Also, fellow rookie Deatrich Wise suffered a concussion in the first preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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While there is nothing official on Rivers yet, it doesn’t look good. Rivers might not have had a huge role on the team in his rookie season, but he was figured to be part of the rotation on the edge. Now, the rookie might be in danger of missing the whole season. Hopefully, the Patriots get some good news, as missing the entire rookie season would be a big blow for the development of Rivers.

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