Patriots get 2021 draft picks William Sherman, Tre Nixon under contract

The process of getting the 2021 draft class under contract has begun for the New England Patriots.

Former Colorado offensive tackle William Sherman and former Central Florida wide receiver Tre Nixon signed their four-year rookie deals on Tuesday, according to the NFL transaction wire.

Sherman, 21, arrived in the sixth round at No. 197 overall as the calendar turned to May. Nixon, 23, followed in the seventh round at No. 242 overall.

The 6-foot-4, 310-pound Sherman appeared in 30 games and made 27 starts at Colorado, earning honorable mention All-Pac 12 recognition as a redshirt freshman and second-team All-Pac 12 honors as a redshirt junior. His Buffaloes career spanned over 2,000 offensive snaps between left and right tackle.

The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Nixon transferred to Central Florida from Ole Miss in 2018, and was an All-AAC honorable mention in 2019 after reeling in 49 catches for 830 yards and seven touchdowns. Suffering a dislocated collarbone as a redshirt senior last fall, the wideout started each of his four games to log 19 receptions for 260 yards and two touchdowns.

New England stands with north of $15.375 million in cap space after accounting for the initial signings of the 2021 draft class, according to PatsCap’s Miguel Benzan.

Six selections remain unsigned for the Patriots with rookie minicamp set to take place Friday through Sunday at Gillette Stadium.