Carlinville’s Dixon Signs as UDFA with Patriots

 

By TOM EMERY

Enquirer~Democrat Contributor

 

A former Carlinville High School football standout has signed as an undrafted free agent with the New England Patriots.

 

Kyle Dixon, a record-setting receiver at Culver-Stockton, an NAIA program in Canton, Missouri, inked the deal with New England after being passed over in the NFL Draft April 23-25.

 

Dixon was seen as an outside shot at being selected in the draft. He reportedly had visited at least one team, including Indianapolis, and was the subject of Internet speculation from various writers on his potential.

 

At Culver-Stockton, Dixon named to the American  Football Coaches  Association – NAIA All-American team. He was also a Heart of America Athletic Conference first team pick for the second straight year.

 

The 6-4, 216-pound Dixon was fourth in the NAIA with 83 receptions and third with 1,282 receiving yards in 2025.

 

New England advanced to last February’s Super Bowl, losing to Seattle.

 

It was the tenth Super Bowl appearance in the last 25 seasons for the Patriots, one of the NFL’s marquee teams over the last quarter-century.

 

New England won six Super Bowl titles in that span.  The Patriots also played in the Super Bowl after the 1985 and 1996 seasons.

 

Though most undrafted free agents have an outside chance of sticking on NFL rosters, some future superstars began that way. Notable UDFAs include NFL Hall of Famers Kurt Warner, Warren Moon, Antonio Gates, Adam Vinatieri, and John Randle.

 

In 2025, eight NFL teams had at least three starters who had been UDFAs coming out of college.

 

Read the full story in the April 30, 2026 issue of the Macoupin County Enquirer~Democrat.