FOXBOROUGH – As soon as you walk into the new Patriots locker room inside the New Balance Athletics Center, Quintayvious Hutchins locker is just to the left in the corner.

The No. 45 name plate and ‘Boston College’ looked pretty damn good before practice on Tuesday.

Hutchins walked out to his first ‘real’ NFL practice wearing No. 0, indicating he’d be playing a critical role on scout team this week, mimicking legendary pass rusher Demarcus Lawrence with the season opener in Seattle just eight days away.

Hutchins will need to take advantage of opportunity he gets both on scout team and on special teams when his number is called.

Before the team practiced outside, Vrabel was asked about what he saw from Hutchins during training camp and in preseason games that ultimately earned him a roster spot as a seventh round draft pick.

“Well, I think he continued to be coachable. I think that was something that he really improved on, was to take the coaching and to understand where he needed to improve,” Vrabel said. “I think that just looking at special teams, I think that was something that he improved at. To be a rookie playing on the punt team, to go down there, make a nice tackle in open field and cover kicks. To do all these things, that was really different from the practices to the first game. But then I felt like he improved from the first game to the third game.

“I think it was eye-opening for some of these guys, on special teams, from practices to the first game. I think that’s the best thing that I could say is that they got better through each of those games.”

About an hour earlier over at Boston College’s practice as they get ready to open the season against Cincinnati, I asked Bill O’Brien about how much pride he took in seeing Q make the team.

“Awesome, awesome,” O’Brien said. “Very happy for Q. He did a great job down there on defense, but I think most importantly, on special teams. He got better and better. You know, mid-sized guy that can run. He’s got toughness and I think he really bought into that role. So, now you’ve got to earn it every day.

“You see a lot of other guys…Logan Taylor made the Chargers. Jude Bowry to the Bills. Lewis Bond, practice squad of the Texans, which I know they really like him there. I think he’s got a really bright future there. Ben Mann, Giants long snapper. You’ve got the usual guys, Drew Kendall an Ozzy Trapilo and those guys. Any time you make a 53-man roster in the NFL, no matter what stage of your career that you’re in, that’s a big accomplishment.

“It is hard to do. It is hard to make a 53-man roster, so hats off to those guys. I’m really happy for them.”