The Kansas City Chiefs held their rookie junior for three days from Saturday to Monday, concluding with a press conference by head coach Andy Reid and several unregistered free agents.
Kansas City’s first four draft picks spoke to the media on Saturday; The next three occur on Sundays. We have more of their press conferences at these links:
After attending all the six-plus hours of training and every weekend press conference, here he is Five things I think follow the Chiefs’ rookie junior camp:
1. I think the Chiefs are going to sign a couple of test players from practices.
saw the camp 78 players of the audience – including 51 trial players – and Reid hinted at retaining some of them during his post-camp press conference.
“It was nice to get these guys in here, the rookies, and give them a chance – a good tryout camp for a lot of these guys, and I think we’d probably keep a couple of them,” Reed said.
Over the weekend, i I posted some notes on my own Twitter accountbut here’s a quick list of the test players who caught my eye: tight end Connor Plumrick, linebacker Buddy Johnson, cornerback Echo Boy-Daw, offensive tackle Nasir Watkins – and, of course, Kansas State Defensive end Wyatt Hooper, who reached the podium on Monday.
If the Chiefs were to sign a test player or two, they would have to cut someone from their entire roster of 90 players.
I want to give an honorable mention to A non-beta player – Utility man Geryon Eli – One of the returnees who worked with backpacks at this camp. In my view, he was the fastest player in this camp and deserves to be back on the radar (currently reserved exclusively for Justin Ross, who was not eligible to be in camp).
“He can kind of do a lot of things for you from game running back to wide receiver to running back,” Reid said. “He did a wide receiver in the latter part of last year, so (he’s) real smart (and) quick. He’s not the biggest guy, but he knows how to play the game.”
2. I think Rashi Rice looks good but she has some conditioning to do over the next few weeks.
This was the media’s first look at the second-round wide receiver. He had impressive moments as Reed lined him up in various ways throughout the weekend. The highlight for me was seeing Rice catch the ball in the back of the end zone to start Monday’s session 7-on-7, with him jumping and continuing to score.
There were times when Rice seemed a little nervous during rehearsals. When asked about Rice on the podium, Reid talked about it all — the good and the bad.
“Strong, kind of the kind of thing we’ve seen on tape,” Reed said. “He’s got to make sure he gets his run. That position, we’re running like crazy. He’s got to take care of that part, but you can see the strength in his path as he works, his ability to work in space… in good hands.”
Remember when Then the second round rookie Wide receiver Mecole Hardman needing to “keep going?” He just went on to gain 555 scrimmage yards and six touchdowns in his rookie year.
Rice has some conditioning to do before the May 27 start of Organized Team Activities (OTAs). But this blip is nothing to worry about, at least for now.
3. I think Felix Anodic-Uzumah to the Chiefs has the makings of one of the NFL’s greatest stories…but it is anything but they make until produced in the field.
My top and favorite in Kansas son Drafted by those same Chiefs, Felix Anodic-Uzuma, a rabid Chiefs fan, was the beginning of one of the great stories in league history.
This weekend, the 21-year-old told the story of how he came to the club power LIV Championship Parade while in high school; now, he You will get a chance He is in the show.
All fair amazing.
And it would still be “cool” if Anudike-Uzomah spawns him – and he should become the go-to partner in offense for George Carlaftis’ first-round pickup. Hardcore Chiefs fans who double as die-hard Royals fans might come to mind, Bubba Starling. That wouldn’t be good.
Anudike-Uzomah was mostly restricted through junior camp, only wearing a helmet on day three. Reid told reporters they would bring him in “gradually” after he underwent thumb surgery prior to the draft.
Arguably Anodic-Ozuman’s counterpart in the seventh round, cornerback Nick Jones, He had rookie camp play with two interceptions.
As he mentioned during his press conference on Saturday, Chamarik Conner primarily worked safely all weekend. Player personnel assistant Anthony McGee also noticed Conner’s bullish trend at the nickel position.
In the crowded safety room of Justin Reed, Brian Cook, Mike Edwards and Dionne Bosh, Conner’s passion for special teams is a very good thing.
“I’m big on special teams,” he said. “I’ve always been big on special teams. Coming from Virginia Tech, it is something we emphasize day in and day out; We know it’s a huge part of the game. So, I’ve always been locked into special teams.”
4. I think we need to be reasonably prepared for the Chiefs to be careful when starting running back Isiah Pacheco.
the News that starting running back Isiah Pacheco has had several off-season surgeries Gaining momentum ahead of the junior junior camp. Reed finally spoke about it on Monday.
“he did [have surgery]Reed said. “He’s making progress. We’ll just see how he does with it. I can’t even give you a timeline – but he’s doing well. He goes through all the steps in there with Phase 2 and that. He can’t be beaten on this thing.”
The fact that there’s no schedule here means Pacheco won’t be involved in Ota – and we’ll have to update his status on June 15, which is the last chance to speak to the squad before training camp begins.
General manager Bret Fitch said recently that the most polarizing boss – running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire – is in fantastic shape. He must also be incredibly excited after Kansas City predictably turned down his fifth-year option. It’s reasonable to expect he could take the first running back rep of all OTAs – even with Jerick McKinnon back in the mix.
I also think uncut runner Deneric Prine sees the potential there, so he picked Chiefs over Miami DolphinWho took Devon Ashan in the third round. Prince ran 5.8 yards his senior year at Tulsa—appropriately, since he says he admires Charles’s beauty growth.
5. I think fans have to accept that, yeah, Donovan Smith is the Chiefs’ left tackle.
Ever since the Chiefs agreed to a one-year deal for eight-year veteran Donovan Smith, there has been debate among fans about where Smith would fit along the offensive line. I’m here to tell you that it’s not that complicated.
Career snaps
Jawaan Taylor NFL snaps at LT: 18 | Jawaan Taylor NFL snaps at RT:4282
Donovan Smith NFL snaps at LT:8473 | Donovan Smith NFL snaps at RT:0
“He was a left tackle at a high level,” said Reid of Smith. “If you look at – last year (2022), he was injured, and then the year before that (2021), he was one of the best left tackles in the league. And we had the opportunity to play against him a few times, so you know I know seeing him right there (that) A good soccer player.”
The Kansas City Chiefs rule out 2022 — when Smith suffered an elbow injury and sprained foot late in the season. Smith got Focus on professional football He finished 12th in the league’s pass-blocking rankings among tackles in 2021. Now, suddenly, some people aren’t happy about Kansas City giving offensive lineman Joanne Taylor such a lucrative contract to play right tackle.
A similar feeling was felt when the Chiefs signed left guard Joe Thuney to his contract; In Thane’s two seasons, Kansas City lost in the AFC Championship and then won the Super Bowl.
Injury waiting, I think Kansas City’s offensive line is ready for 2023.