The New England Patriots were practicing kickoff coverage during one of their joint sessions with the Houston Texans when Derek Rivers’ rookie season came to an abrupt end. New England’s highest selection of the 2017 draft tried to change directions during the drill but his left knee gave in and he remained on the ground. While their was initial optimism about his injury, an MRI later confirmed that he had torn ACL.
Instead of playing significant snaps opposite the Patriots' top defensive edge, Trey Flowers, Rivers would spend the rest of his first NFL year rehabbing from his season-ending knee injury.