Tag: rookie minicamp

Bears DE Austin Booker has connected with Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby

The Bears rookie has already been compared to Maxx Crosby. Now, he’s connected with the Raiders Pro Bowl edge rusher.

The comparisons between Chicago Bears rookie edge rusher Austin Booker and Las Vegas Raiders Pro Bowler Maxx Crosby have been evident for a bit. Booker, who was selected by the Bears in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, was compared to the star pass rusher coming out of school by NFL analyst Lance Zierlein. What’s more, he’s now coached by Travis Smith, who was with the Raiders when they selected Crosby in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Smith has been the Bears defensive line coach since the 2022 season.

Those comparisons and coaching connections only made it that much more likely that Booker and Crosby would connect in some way at some point in time. It turns out that has already happened.

Booker met the media on Saturday following Day 2 of the Bears rookie minicamp and revealed he and Crosby have communicated. “We train in the offseason with the same guy, Javon Gopie, and he just connected us,” Booker said. “He called me after I got drafted, just letting me know I can reach out whenever I have a question or any type of thing like that because he obviously has a great process how he does things because he’s able to compete at a high level. Having that resource has just been great.”

Crosby and Booker both came into the NFL as mid-round picks with long, yet slim, frames for defensive ends. The Raiders star was able to hone his craft and become one of the best edge rushers in the last couple years, totaling 27 sacks and 45 tackles for loss since 2022.

Of course, it’s not fair to expect the same from Booker, but having Crosby as a sounding board on how to adapt to the NFL game will only benefit the rookie. Booker is a raw prospect who had just one year of production in college. He totaled eight sacks and 12 tackles for a loss in 12 games for the Kansas Jayhawks.

Having Crosby as someone he can communicate with, along with his new teammates like Montez Sweat and DeMarcus Walker, should only help Booker’s development as he gets going. If Booker can even have a fraction of Crosby’s production, this will turn out to be a solid pick for general manager Ryan Poles.

Two former 1st round picks now trying out at Titans rookie minicamp

Two former 1st round picks, William Jackson and Shane Ray, are now trying out at Titans rookie minicamp

Rookie minicamp is a chance for the new players to get acclimated into the NFL and their new team. But it’s not always just the rookies who are getting a chance to show what they can do.

Teams are also allowed to invite veterans for auditions on a tryout basis in the rookie minicamp. The Tennessee Titans have a couple of familiar veteran names in for tryouts this weekend.

Former first-round picks William Jackson III and Shane Ray are trying to show enough to earn another NFL shot in Tennessee. Jackson, a cornerback, was the Bengals’ first-round pick in 2016 and played several seasons in Cincinnati and Washington before injuries derailed his career early in the 2022 season.

Ray was a first-rounder by the Broncos in 2015, and he’s been out of the league since 2018. The defensive end battled injuries throughout his four NFL seasons. Ray did play in the CFL and also spent the 2023 season on the Buffalo Bills’ I.R. list.

Both Jackson and Ray have NFL ties to new Tennessee head coach Brian Callahan from previous stops.

Malik Washington plans on ‘being a sponge’ in Dolphins receiver room

Dolphins wide receiver Malik Washington has one main goal for his rookie season: soak up knowledge.

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Malik Washington has one main goal for his rookie season: soak up knowledge. And he’s in the perfect situation to do it.

With Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Odell Beckham Jr. sitting ahead of him on the depth chart, Washington has the opportunity to learn from some of the best.

“I got three guys ahead of me that know what they are doing,” Washington said Friday at the Dolphins’ rookie minicamp. “They’ve done it before, and they’ve had a lot of success at doing it. Being a sponge, taking in all of the information I can and trying to take it into my game as well.”

Washington already got a head start on talking to receivers who know the game. Prior to the draft, the sixth-round pick talked with former Carolina Panthers and Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith Sr., who analyzed his game on a podcast.

“I was talking to one of the greats — one of the guys that I’ve watched his film, I’ve watched him play the game, that’s who I like to model my game after,” Washington said. “So taking some of that criticism — catching that ball and getting straight vertical, knowing the tempo and timing of routes, I think that’s important. Especially when you get to this level where everybody is fast, everybody plays hard and everybody is quick.”

After transferring from Northwestern to Virginia, Washington became a featured receiver in 2023. He more than matched his career yards and touchdowns, hauling in a nation-leading 110 passes for 1,426 yards and nine touchdown receptions in his fifth college season.

Washington said he made sure he caught everything thrown his way, but that’s not even what he would say is his best attribute.

“It will take who can be the best pro, who can learn the information as quickly as possible and utilize it on the field,” he said. “I think that will be to my advantage. I’ll try my best to do that. I’ll study hard and take that to the NFL game plan.”

Washington said he wants to continue to develop his own game, which includes working closely with the offensive coaching staff and quarterback room. Regardless, he’s confident in his ability to make defenders’ jobs harder on themselves.

“I don’t think anybody can tackle me,” Washington said. “I don’t want anybody to tackle me. I don’t want to touch the grass. Each time I get the ball, I’m trying to go score.”

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A complete list of the players who competed at Commanders rookie minicamp

A list of every player who participated in Washington’s rookie minicamp.

The Washington Commanders opened rookie minicamp on Friday with much of the attention focused on quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Joining Daniels were the other eight players in Washington’s nine-player NFL draft class. The Commanders’ second pick, defensive tackle Johnny Newton, was in attendance, but he did not participate due to a foot injury.

Washington’s 11 undrafted free agents, some second-year players, and multiple tryout players also participated in this weekend’s rookie minicamp.

Here’s a complete list, courtesy of Zach Selby:

  • QB Jayden Daniels
  • DT Johnny Newton (in attendance but did not participate)
  • CB Mike Sainristil
  • TE Ben Sinnott
  • OT Brandon Coleman
  • WR Luke McCaffrey
  • LB Jordan Magee
  • S Dominique Hampton
  • CB Chigozie Anusiem
  • QB Sam Hartman
  • WR Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint
  • OT David Nwaogwugwu
  • S Ben Nikkel
  • RB Austin Jones
  • S Tyler Owens
  • DT Norell Pollard
  • RB Michael Wiley
  • CB AJ Woods
  • TE Colson Yankoff

Second-year players

  • WR Kazmeir Allen
  • OL Mason Brooks
  • DT Haggai Ndubuisi (a part of the International Player Pathway Program)
  • CB Nick Whiteside
  • WR Brycen Tremayne

Tryout players

  • LB Bryce Gallagher
  • S Tre Jenkins
  • CB Nolan Johnson
  • WR Tykee Ogle-Kellogg
  • WR Nico Ragaini
  • CB Myles Sims
  • WR Khalil Tate
  • LB Noah Taylor
  • S Rodrick Ward

It wasn’t clear why some other second-year players, such as wide receiver Mitchell Tinsley or offensive tackle Braeden Daniels, could not participate. Head coach Dan Quinn was asked about Daniels, and he offered the following response.

 

 

Mohamed Kamara turning draft slight into fuel: ‘I’m fired up’

Mohamed Kamara was “very, very angry” about sliding to the fifth round. Now he’s channeling that energy at minicamp.

Miami Dolphins rookie edge rusher Mohamed Kamara was “very, very angry” when he was drafted in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL draft.

Two weeks later, that feeling hasn’t worn off.

Kamara is still fueled by his No. 158 overall draft position, but he’s still happy to be given the opportunity to play professional football.

“I have to be humble about it, because — shoot — I’m here,” Kamara told reporters Friday. “I’m still glad to be here. I’m still rocking and rolling out. I’m fired up. Even coach had to tell me to calm down today when we were in walkthrough.”

While Kamara didn’t hear many concerns about his game, he ventured a guess at what caused his slide in the draft.

“I tried to keep the negative out of my head,” Kamara said. “Probably I’m short or whatever, but besides that, it was not a lot of concerns.”

Kamara may measure in at 6’1, but he managed plenty of college production anyway. He had 13 sacks and 17 tackles for loss last season at Colorado State, and had 29.5 sacks and 45.5 tackles for loss during his five-year career with the Rams.

In Kamara’s eyes, he has the production to succeed and is also able to use his height to his advantage.

“Getting 13.5 sacks — production speaks for itself,” he said. “I’m low to the ground, so I’m going to always use that. I’m quicker, too. Some of those guys have a longer length and longer strides and stuff like that. I’m quick and will put my hands on you fast.”

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Dan Quinn already a big fan of Commanders undrafted rookie wide receiver?

Undrafted rookie WR already catching the eye of Quinn.

The Washington Commanders could use some help at wide receiver. Yes, Washington has Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson, but behind those two are either veterans, former draft picks, or undrafted players from the past two draft classes looking to make the roster.

McLaurin, Dotson and third-round pick Luke McCaffrey are the only players guaranteed to make Washington’s 53-man roster. From there, multiple players will battle this summer for at least three positions.

One of those players is UDFA Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint. The 6-foot-1 rookie was a part of two national championship teams at Georgia, catching 63 passes and six touchdowns over his final two college seasons.

During Day 1 of rookie minicamp, Jacksaint was the talk of camp after making this spectacular one-handed catch.

What a catch.

And it appears that Rosemy-Jacksaint already has the attention of head coach Dan Quinn.

This is the time of year when you want to stand out in front of coaches. Rosemy-Jacksaint put the spotlight on himself on the very first day of practice for the rookies. Now, coaches will be paying even closer attention to him throughout OTAs, mandatory minicamp and training camp.

There will be plenty of competition for those final roster spots, but Rosemy-Jacksaint looks to be firmly in the mix.

WATCH: Commanders QB Jayden Daniels in action on Day 2 of rookie minicamp

Jayden Daniels in action at rookie minicamp.

On Friday, Jayden Daniels made his first appearance in a Washington Commanders uniform on the first day of rookie minicamp. Daniels was sharp in 7-on-7 drills as he received instruction from offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.

Daniels returned to the field Saturday for his second NFL practice, which was much of the same. Daniels was sharp, displaying excellent footwork, and the ball jumped out of his hand. Sure, he wasn’t facing a live pass rush, but Daniels’ mechanics — which many said were the best in the draft — looked outstanding.

This weekend was all about Daniels’ debut. Next week, the Commanders kick off Offseason Training Activities (OTAs). The team’s annual mandatory minicamp runs from June 11-13 after the conclusion of OTAs, which will likely be the next time fans get a glimpse of Daniels on the practice field.

Let’s see Daniels in action via some of the local media who were in attendance on Day 2 of Washington’s rookie minicamp.

Speaking of that footwork:

Highlights from Day 1 of Chargers rookie minicamp

Check out all the action from the first day of Chargers rookie minicamp.

Friday marked the first day of Chargers rookie minicamp.

The event will run through the next two days and conclude on May 12.

This feature will include a collection of tweets from the session.

Read on to see a collection of the highlights and top tweets from the Bolts reporters in attendance.

 

Panthers waive 3 UDFAs after Saturday’s rookie minicamp outing

The Panthers parted ways with three undrafted free agents and four tryout players after Saturday’s rookie minicamp practice.

The Carolina Panthers parted ways with seven players after Saturday’s outing of rookie minicamp.

According to team reporter Kassidy Hill, the following undrafted free agents have been waived:

  • Tight end Kevin Foelsch (New Haven)
  • Outside linebacker Darius Hodges (Tulane)
  • Cornerback DeShawn Gaddie Jr. (Ole Miss)

Carolina also declined to sign any of the four tryout players they invited to the minicamp. Those players include quarterback Sean Chambers (Montana State), guard Greg Anderson (Monmouth), guard Justin Shaffer and kicker Rory Beggan—who spoke with reporters earlier this afternoon.

“I’ve been known as a kicker, a free-taker, back in Ireland in Gaelic football,” said Beggan, who got his chance through the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program. “I’m a goalkeeper, so a lot of my time is kicking a ball. So it’s transferred nicely over into this sport. I know there’s definitely improvements to be made, but I feel like I do belong in places like this.”

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Steelers rookie OT works at right tackle in Day 1 of minicamp

The Steelers seem to be preparing for a position switch for Broderick Jones.

One positional battle to keep an eye on this offseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers is offensive tackle. As of now the Steelers have three players competing for two starting spots with Dan Moore Jr. and Broderick Jones the incumbents and rookie Troy Fautanu the newcomer.

After one day of rookie minicamp, Fautanu was working at right tackle exclusively, which is a position change over his time at the University of Washington.

In 2023, Jones took the starting right tackle job over Chuks Okorafor at the midway point of the season and played very well. However, when General Manager Omar Khan talked about Jones, he made it clear Jones is the left tackle, which adds up with Fautanu getting in work on the right side. It would also mean Moore, who played last season on borrowed time could be on the way out.

Pittsburgh selected Fautanu in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft out of the University of Washington.

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