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Travis Hawkins ready to ‘learn from everybody’

Travis Hawkins is a cornerback but could be valuable to the Patriots as a kick returner.Jim Rogash/Getty Images

FOXBOROUGH — A fair number of young players arriving in New England, whether they play quarterback or not, get a little star-struck around Tom Brady in their early days.

Travis Hawkins feels a bit like that about a new teammate, but for the speedy cornerback, it’s Darrelle Revis.

“Revis is someone I admired coming up, so it’s crazy seeing him in the locker room,” said Hawkins, quickly adding, “but I’m going to learn from everybody.”

The Patriots rookies may have a lot to learn on the field, but they all picked up one early lesson quickly: praise everyone. When Hawkins was asked about Revis specifically, he deflected the question like one of the eight pass breakups he had last year.

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“I watched Revis — who hasn’t watched Revis coming up?” he said. “But I’m here to learn from everybody. Everyone has their little techniques here and there and I want to pick up all the good ones.”

Hawkins, who signed with New England as an undrafted free agent, played his final three seasons at Delaware after beginning his college career at Maryland. He impressed scouts at the Blue Hens’ pro day with his 4.37-second 40-yard dash, 6.8-second three-cone drill, and 20 reps on the bench press, all of which would have put him among the top performers at his position had he been invited to the Combine.

Hawkins, who is 5 feet 9 inches and 192 pounds, had 66 tackles and four interceptions his final season. But he may prove of greater value to New England as a kick returner: He averaged 25.6 yards per return in 39 career opportunities, with two touchdowns. Last year, Hawkins had nine returns for 247 yards (27.4 yards per) and a touchdown.


Shalise Manza Young can be reached at syoung@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @shalisemyoung.

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