Rookie Mini-Camp Report – Practice #2
by Bob Gretz
After working the first practice of the Chiefs rookie mini-camp indoors on Saturday, head coach Andy Reid took his squad outside for work in practice No. 2 on a muggy Sunday afternoon.
On top of that, Reid put them through almost two hours of work at a very brisk pace. Those players who were not in tiptop condition struggled near the end of practice. Given that only a handful of players had actually been in an NFL mini-camp before, it’s not a surprise that the youngsters got an education in just what the pros expect from productive physical condition.
The roster for the three-day mini-camp stands at 65 players, broken down this way:
2014 Chiefs draft choices – 6.
2014 undrafted rookie free agents – 11.
Players designated as first-year – 13.
Tryout players – 35.
They worked only in helmets, with no other pads and no tackling. That makes it folly to divine any real evaluation of talent. All one can do is see which players get the most practice snaps and how they are used.
Here are observations from Sunday’s practice:
– Quarterback Aaron Murray appears to be at full-go in practice, coming just six months after a torn ACL and surgery on his left knee. He seemed to be able to move around without much trouble, even with a brace on that leg.
– And please, for those fans that don’t like short quarterbacks and their penchant for having passes knocked down, Murray had two throws rejected by defenders. He also threw an ugly interception when he was flushed left and let go of an errant pass that was grabbed by tryout linebacker Nate Dreiling from Pittsburg State.
– Murray did hook up on a nice deep post pattern to first-year tight end Demetrius Harris. The former basketball player was able to get behind safety Malcolm Bronson on the play and Murray put the ball in a great position for Harris to catch with his hands.
– When the Chiefs lined up on offense the first offensive line group was set up this way: left tackle Chandler Burden, left guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, center Alonzo Harmon, right guard Zach Fulton and right tackle Ryan McGee.
– That L.D.T. was working at guard is a good sign for him. If the Chiefs believe he can play guard and tackle, the Canadian’s roster opportunity increases in dramatic fashion. He told the media he weighed in for the camp at 307 pounds, making him the leanest 300 pounds plus on the roster.
– The busiest offensive player was fourth-round draft choice De’Anthony Thomas, who lined up all over the place in Reid’s offense: in the backfield, as a wing back and in the slot. He caught at least a half-dozen passes on short routes in the middle of the field (between the hash marks), hoping the speedy University of Oregon product can produce yards after the catch.
– Here’s the lineup for the first defensive unit: Chas Alecxih, Kona Schwenke and Kenneth Carter. The outside linebackers were Dee Ford and Corey Miller, with Dreiling and Alonzo Highsmith. The cornerbacks were Phillip Gaines and Vernon Kearney, with safeties Dan Sorenson and Kacy Rodgers II.
– They worked some special teams in this segment, with emphasis on the kick return squad. Back to return kickoffs were Thomas, rookie wide receiver Albert Wilson, Canadian Football League import Weston Dressler, rookie running back Charcandrick West and first-year wide receivers Frankie Hammond and Fred Williams.
The Chiefs will wrap up the rookie mini-camp with a Monday practice. The veterans will be on the field come Tuesday for the first OTA session of the off-season.