FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Dylan Cozens is hoping his visit to Gillette Stadium last week is the first step in his transition from Major League Baseball player to NFLer. But even if it isn't, the New England Patriots flying him in for a workout almost felt like draft day all over again.
"Just kind of like getting the call that you're going to be a professional baseball player, similar to that," Cozens told ESPN. "Butterflies. Excitement. Little nervous. Just the standard [emotions] when getting a chance to live out something you've dreamt about."
Cozens, 27, was a second-round draft choice of the Philadelphia Phillies in 2012, selected 77th overall. The outfielder grinded in the minors -- stroking 40 home runs in Double-A ball in 2016 -- and finally broke through to the Phillies' big league club in 2018, playing in 26 games and totaling six hits in 38 at-bats (.158) with one home run.
He most recently spent time in the minors with affiliates of the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers, before posting on Twitter in late June he was hanging up his batting gloves for the football type -- as a tight end.
I've decided it's time to chase my dream of playing in the @NFL. I want to thank the @phillies @RaysBaseball and @Brewers organizations for giving me the opportunity to play professional baseball but more importantly the people, experiences, and memories I'll keep forever.
— Dylan Cozens (@dylancozens) June 22, 2021
He believes the tweet is the reason the Patriots, covering their bases under newly appointed director of player personnel Dave Ziegler, were the first NFL team to reach out.
"I really appreciate the opportunity the Patriots gave me," Cozens said via phone from Arizona. "That's all anyone could hope for -- a chance. For them to take a chance, and even work me out, was pretty cool, I thought."
Patriots coach Bill Belichick said most players the team brings in for workouts have significant experience, but some fall into "kind of a special situation."
"There's not very many of those, but they pop up from time to time," Belichick said. "Our personnel department, I can't even tell you how many YouTube-type tapes we get. People send us DVRs or DVDs, or whatever they are; stuff like that [and] recommendations from various people. ... Just kind of keep our eye on all that."
Cozens was a two-sport star in his final year at Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Arizona, playing defensive end for the football team that won the state championship (Ziegler was an assistant there before entering the NFL). The University of Arizona was among the major colleges to offer him a scholarship.
But baseball was his first love, and he hit .520 with 19 home runs and 52 RBIs in his final season, helping that team to a state championship as well.
At that point, he signed with the Phillies, forgoing college to pursue his professional baseball career. He had been playing for the Brewers' Triple-A affiliate in Nashville in June when announcing his plans to switch sports.
"It's going great. Loving every bit of the process," he said. "It's been a huge learning curve, a lot to take in, in a short period of time. But it's definitely my passion and what I feel like I was meant to do."
The 6-foot-5 Cozens described the workout for the Patriots as helpful in knowing what to expect should future opportunities arise. He was critical of himself when asked how he thought it went.
"I feel like I can do a lot better than what I did. In the past with baseball, I've been up to 270 pounds and put a lot of that weight on my lower body. I was explosive, and felt like I was faster when I was 260, 270 than I am now at 245-250.
Feel extremely honored and lucky to have been invited to workout for the @Patriots. With only having one month of football training I really feel like I'm only scratching the surface of where I can be physically and technique wise. I will continue to get better every day.
— Dylan Cozens (@dylancozens) August 6, 2021
"I just feel like I have a ton of room for improvement with my lower-body strength and quickness and explosiveness, along with flexibility. But other than that, I felt pretty good. I'm not too far off, which is nice. I just have to keep my head down, keep working out, keep grinding."
And hope the phone rings again, whether it's the Patriots bringing him back, or another team interested in taking a closer look at a baseball player turned tight end.
"I'm just too small right now to compete at the NFL level at defensive end. Not that I don't think I can get there eventually. But I would really like to get my foot in the door, whether it's tight end or special teams," Cozens said. "Time is ticking. If I can get my foot in the door, then I can show my athleticism, work ethic, and will to win."