Tag: rookie minicamp

LOOK: Jayden Daniels in a Commanders’ jersey for the first time

Jayden Daniels took the field Friday for the first time as a Washington Commander.

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels took the field for the first time as an NFL player during the opening of Friday’s rookie minicamp.

In his first NFL practice, Daniels was wearing the No. 5 jersey he had just acquired from teammate Tress Way.

Check it out:

ASHBURN, VA – MAY 10: Jayden Daniels #5 of the Washington Commanders. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

It was a good first practice for Daniels and the rest of Washington’s rookie class. The coaching staff, particularly the offensive staff, showed much more energy than the previous staff did throughout practice.

While it was only practice, Daniels’ footwork and mechanics looked outstanding. Watching him and fellow rookie quarterback Sam Hartman side by side, the ball just jumped off Daniels’ right hand.

The Commanders are back on the field Saturday for the second day of rookie minicamp.

 

Panthers WR Xavier Legette owns a quarter horse named ‘Dolla Bill’

Xavier Legette, like his horse “Dolla Bill,” is truly one of one.

Have you ever seen a panther ride a horse?

Carolina Panthers first-round pick Xavier Legette took questions following his opening outing of rookie minicamp on Friday. And after chopping it up about the usual football stuff, he got into his well-documented love of horses.

“I was about five years old,” he said of the first time he rode a horse.. “And ever since I was a little boy—my uncle, he would bring the horses to my house every day for my birthday. And then we’ll go out there to the horse stable on the weekend.”

Legette, now 23 years old, was then asked if he has a horse of his own.

“Oh yeah,” he replied. “Dolla Bill.”

Dolla Bill, as Legette added, is a “one of one” racking horse. The racking horse, per the National Racking Horse Association, is a “breed derived from the Tennessee Walking Horse” and is known for a “distinctive singlefoot gait.”

With a 4.39-second 40-yard dash, Legette probably doesn’t need a horse to get some giddy-up. But maybe we’ll be introduced to Dolla Bill real soon.

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Vikings sign three draft picks as rookie minicamp opens

The Minnesota Vikings announced the signings of rookies Michael Jurgens, Will Reichard, and Levi Drake Rodriguez as rookie minicamp opens.

The 2024 NFL draft was less than a month ago, but the work has just begun for the incoming class. The Minnesota Vikings kicked off their rookie minicamp and while the headlines are J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner taking the field for the first time, it’s not the only noteworthy thing to come out of the first day.

Today, the Vikings announced they have reached contract agreements with three more members of their rookie class: offensive lineman Michael Jurgens, kicker Will Reichard, and defensive lineman Levi Drake Rodriguez.

The Vikings took Jurgens and Rodriguez with their two picks in the seventh round, while they were able to get Reichard in the sixth. With the signings of those three, the Vikings are left with four members of the 2024 draft class unsigned: the aforementioned McCarthy and Turner, along with fourth-round pick Khyree Jackson and sixth-rounder Walter Rouse.

With the rookie wage scale, signing the draft class is largely a formality, and fans should expect all four remaining unsigned rookies to be under contract before too long. Certainly, before the pre-season starts in earnest this summer.

First look at Patriots rookies, including QB Drake Maye, in uniform

The rookies stepped on the Patriots’ practice field for the first time on Friday

The New England Patriots’ 2024 NFL draft picks hit the field for the first time on Friday for rookie minicamp.

It was a group led by former North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye, who was the No. 3 overall pick in the draft. There’s a lot riding on Maye under center, following the cataclysmic horror show that was the Mac Jones era in New England.

But Maye will clearly have more to work with than Jones thanks to the incredible efforts made to beef up the offense through the draft. The team added two receivers, Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker, along with Caedan Wallace and Layden Robinson on the offensive line.

They also drafted quarterback Joe Milton III and tight end Jaheim Bell. The lone defensive player taken by the Patriots was cornerback Marcellas Dial. Seeing all of those players on the practice field was a glimpse into the future for New England.

The youth movement is in full swing for a Patriots team desperately looking to get back into contention. They’ve missed the playoffs the last two consecutive seasons, and they finished last season with a 4-13 record.

The climb back to the top is a daunting one, but it looks like the Patriots are building a solid foundation to start from.

Best photos from first day of Dolphins’ 2024 rookie minicamp

More than 40 rookies put on a Dolphins jersey for the first time Friday. Here are the best photos from day one of minicamp.

More than 40 rookies put on Miami Dolphins jerseys for the first time Friday and hit the practice fields on a hot day in Florida for the team’s rookie minicamp.

While most eyes were on first-round draft pick Chop Robinson, the three-day camp probably won’t matter much to him. It’s mostly a chance for the team’s rookies to learn how an NFL practice is conducted and get familiar with their coaches.

But for more than two dozen players who joined the camp on a tryout basis, their dream of an NFL career may depend on their performance this weekend.

With one day of rookie minicamp in the books, here are the best photos from the practice fields at the Baptist Health Training Complex in Miami:

Rookies J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner take the field for the first time

Rookie minicamps have started for the Minnesota Vikings, and both J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner have taken the field for the first time.

It seems like just yesterday, we were watching the 2024 NFL draft with bated breath, wondering how things were going to play out for the Minnesota Vikings. Were they going to be able to get their quarterback of the future? Were they going to have to trade up to do so? Would they be able to keep their second first-round pick, and if so, who were they going to take?

Now that we have those answers in the form of quarterback J.J. McCarthy and EDGE Dallas Turner, it’s already time for them to get to work. Rookie minicamps have started across the league — including in Minnesota — and we finally have our first glimpses of both McCarthy and Turner. The Minnesota Vikings X (formerly Twitter) account has posted clips of both in their first on-field work with the team.

After a disappointing season in 2023 and an NFL offseason that saw the Vikings lose two high-profile, long-time staples in Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter, it’s nice to have something to be excited about finally getting to see the rookies take the field. The Vikings are heading into a new era, and both McCarthy and Turner figure to be at the forefront.

Panthers sign Washington DT Ulumoo Ale

The Panthers announced that they signed Washington DT Ulumoo Ale on Friday.

Yet another fresh face has been welcomed in by the Carolina Panthers.

The team, per reporter Darin Gantt, announce that they’ve signed University of Washington defensive lineman Ulumoo “MJ” Ale. Ale is now the 19th undrafted rookie to officially join the roster on Friday.

A Tacoma, Wash. native, Ale spent six years as a Husky. After redshirting the 2018 campaign, he’d go on to play in 55 games for Washington up until 2023.

Over that time, Ale amassed 29 total tackles (four for a loss), a sack and two passes defensed. He was also given the program’s Husky Excellence Award at the team’s postseason banquet this past year.

Ale, again, was one of 19 undrafted rookies who were added by the Panthers today. The other 18 players are as follows:

  • QB Jack Plummer (Louisville)
  • RB Jaden Shirden (Monmouth)
  • WR Devin Carter (West Virginia)
  • WR Jalen Coker (Holy Cross)
  • WR Sam Pinckney (Coastal Carolina)
  • TE Kevin Foelsch (New Haven)
  • OT Jeremiah Crawford (Tennessee)
  • OT Christian Duffie (Kansas State)
  • C Andrew Raym (Oklahoma)
  • DT Popo Aumavae (Oregon)
  • OLB Kenny Dyson (Bryant)
  • OLB Darius Hodges (Tulane)
  • OLB Derrick McLendon II (Colorado)
  • CB Willie Drew (Virginia State)
  • CB Jackson Mitchell (UConn)
  • S Clayton Isbell (Coastal Carolina)
  • S Demani Richardson (Texas A&M)
  • K Harrison Mevis (Missouri)

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Panthers WR Xavier Legette: Improving route running was most important thing to me

Panthers WR Xavier Legette said he worked on improving his route running during the pre-draft process.

The Carolina Panthers’ first installment of rookie minicamp concluded with a treat—Xavier Legette on a microphone.

Legette, the team’s first-round pick, spoke with reporters following Friday’s practice. He gave his thoughts on the opening outing.

“First day was smooth,” he said. “It was real short, but we got good work out there.”

He would then be asked what he worked on most during the pre-draft process.

“That was the most important thing to me—to really put emphasis on certain routes that the media was sayin’ I couldn’t run, that I wasn’t able to run,” Legette replied. “I felt like that was the most important thing to me, so I just worked on those things a lot.”

Those things, per Legette, included comeback and curl routes. The thickly-built 6-foot-1, 221-pounder stated he wanted to improve on coming out of breaks and dropping his hips.

So, if he heard people saying he couldn’t run those routes, does Legette have an ear out on the outside chatter?

“I don’t necessarily really worry about what folks say, but a lot folks were bringin’ that to my attention,” he later added. “Like, a lot of coaches who I was talkin’ to, they was also bringin’ it up—like why you think a lot of folks sayin’ this and that?

“I felt like the coaches kinda thought the same thing as well. So I feel like that was important, to put emphasis on makin’ that happen and bein’ able to show them that I can do that through the process.”

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WATCH: Falcons head coach Raheem Morris on rookie minicamp

WATCH: Falcons head coach Raheem Morris discusses start of team’s 2024 rookie minicamp

The Atlanta Falcons currently have 40 players at their facility in Flowery Branch for the team’s 2024 rookie minicamp. Head coach Raheem Morris has returned to Atlanta to get the Falcons back to the postseason, and it all starts in these offseason workouts.

Rookie minicamps are important for everyone in attendance but especially for those undrafted free agents and tryout players, which Morris explained on Friday:

“The exciting part for me is to go out there and watch the tryout guys,” Morris said during his pre-camp press conference. “I feel like I’m going to ignore our draft picks since I’ve been watching them for months.”

Check out Morris’ full Friday press conference, as shared by the team’s YouTube channel below:

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Panthers RB Jonathon Brooks talks about his recovery from ACL tear

Panthers rookie RB Jonathon Brooks on his recovery from an ACL tear: “You gotta be mentally tough more than anything.”

Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks is grateful to be where he is right now—even if it isn’t on a football field.

The team’s second-round pick, who is still recovering from an ACL tear, will not be participating in rookie minicamp this weekend. He did, however, take some questions following Friday’s outing, and was asked how he’ll adjust in his transition to the pros.

“For me, just to learn from ’em,” Brooks said of Carolina’s veterans. “To take all the little stuff that people need to know about the game. And for me, there’s always stuff to prove. But for me, I just need to get healthy, learn the playbook and do what I need to do—just get healthy and get right for the season.”

Brooks is getting healthy from the knee injury that halted an impressive 2023 campaign. Before going out in November, the standout University of Texas back rushed for 1,139 yards and 10 touchdowns in just 11 games.

He was later asked about the challenges of his recovery.

“You gotta be mentally tough more than anything,” Brooks said. “Physically, obviously, it gets better. Mentally, it gets better. But for me, it was more mentally. As far as rehab, it’s just the mental part of it that’s the hardest part to get through.

“But I feel like it’s a blessing in disguise. God tested me. He’s making me a tougher person. But I’m still just blessed to be here, even regarding my situation.”

The 20-year-old has previously stated that he expects to be ready to go by training camp.

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