By Ross Jackson
Across the NFL, rookie classes and tryout players are reporting to team facilities for rookie minicamp. For some, this begins a player’s opportunity to get acclimated and begin work towards the rest of the offseason program. For others, it provides a shot to catch on with an NFL club.
Here is what you need to know ahead of the Saints’ rookie minicamp.
What Can Be Learned?
While training camp is really the most educating few weeks before the season begins, some early information can be gleaned from rookie camp.
Injuries
If there are any rookies managing injuries from their final collegiate year or the pre-draft process, it will quickly become apparent. Injury absences and limitations will be hard to hide when media is present. (expected May 10).
Positions
This could be a time that it becomes clear where players will line up, at least to start their NFL journey. Sometimes this is just a glimpse at one of many alignments for a versatile player, other times it ends up being exactly where they spend their entire year.
Rookie OT Taliese Fuaga gets taste of life on other side at Rookie Minicamp
‘I think we’re pretty confident that he can play right tackle, so giving him some work over on the left side is important’
✍️ @JohnDeShazier https://t.co/U4QdOXbVfo
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) May 13, 2024
Last year, for instance, first-round pick Taliese Fuaga (a career right tackle in college) started minicamp at left tackle. While it was surprising, he would end up staying there his entire rookie year.
This could be a similar situation for this year’s first-round pick Kelvin Banks Jr.
Standouts
There will be a lot of information gathering left to do following rookie minis, but early on it is possible for players to catch the eye of media in attendance.
Running back Alvin Kamara moved differently from his cohort as a rookie in 2017. Quarterback Spencer Rattler’s arm impressed against veteran tryout Kellen Mond. There are ways for these rookies to separate themselves even at this early stage.
Who Participates In Rookie Minicamps
Hold your horses, the competition between Rattler and rookie quarterback Tyler Shough will have to wait a few more weeks.
The only players that are allowed to participate are: drafted rookies, undrafted free agents, and non-rostered players on a tryout basis, five of which can be veterans. “First-year players,” or players without an accrued season (six games) may also participate.
So far, these are the players expected to be present, barring an unexpected medical hurdle.
Drafted rookies
- Texas OT Kelvin Banks Jr.
- Louisville QB Tyler Shough
- Texas DL Vernon Broughton
- Virginia S Jonas Sanker
- Oklahoma LB Danny Stutsman
- Louisville CB Quincy Riley
- Kansas RB Devin Neal
- UCLA TE Moliki Matavao
- Syracuse EDGE Fadil Diggs
Undrafted rookies
- SDSU CB Dalys Beanum
- Alabama P James Burnip
- Wake Forest EDGE Jasherm Davis
- UTSA S Elliott Davison
- SMU WR Moochie Dixon
- Kansas State OL Easton Kilty
- Rutgers LB Tyreem Powell
- South Carolina OL Torricelli Simplins III
- Tennessee DE Omari Thomas
- Virginia WR Chris Tyree
- Delaware RB Marcus Yarns
Reported Tryout players
- NIU CB JaVaughn Byrd
- Ottawa CB Eric Cumberbatch
- SMU WR Roderick Daniels Jr.
- Iowa Western QB Hunter Dekkers
- Tulane DL Patrick Jenkins
- USD OL Joey Lombard
- Middle Tennessee TE Holden Willis
There will most certainly be more players in attendance, as well. The tryout list will only grow and can include up to five veteran NFL players on a tryout basis. For instance, last season along with Mond, defensive lineman Kendal Vickers and safety Roderic Teamer were among the veteran tryout group. Both ended up back with the team in training camp and during the regular season.
While rookie minicamp provides just a limited look at what’s on the horizon compared to when veterans report later in the summer, it still gives players their earliest shot at landing a spot or doing something to keep them on the minds of coaches later on in the year.
