The Kansas City Chiefs are set to start their 2018 rookie minicamp on Friday. Here’s everything you need to know about what’s happening.
The Kansas City Chiefs are kicking off their rookie minicamp this weekend, beginning on Friday, and that means several things—all of them good. Here’s a rundown to help you know everything you need to know about football in the spring.
First of all, the Chiefs are smart to kick off their rookie minicamp so soon after the draft. Several of the players invited (we will get to who they are) received multiple offers from teams and are taking them up on it—at least if the Chiefs don’t want them.
For example, a certain player might accept an offer from the Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers won’t convene until May 11 for minicamp, which means K.C. gets a first look (or first refusal, so to speak) at a player if they can convince him to join them. It’s hard to imagine a non-drafted player suddenly having the guts to refuse an offer in order to wait and see if another team might want him. That’s good news (and leverage) for the Chiefs.
How does a player get to attend rookie minicamp?
There are three ways for players to make it to a team’s rookie minicamp. First of all, you’ll see every drafted player (or should) at minicamp, which means all six of Brett Veach’s first draft class, from Breeland Speaks to Kahlil McKenzie.
Second, there are players signed as undrafted free agents. That is the post-draft frenzy in which teams try to secure some of their favorites from their draft board who happened to slip through seven rounds.
Finally there is a wave of unpaid tryout invitations sent out to fringe players. These are guys who were passed over twice already, so they’re the long shots of the long shots. They face the biggest uphill climb of any.
There can be as many as 50 or more rookies at a team’s minicamp weekend, depending on that franchise’s particular leadership style and how wide they wanted to cast their net. Given that there’s literally only two days of meetings, activities, etc., the ability to really make an impression is very limited among a few dozen players.
Who are the drafted players?
The Chiefs drafted six total players over draft weekend and each of them should be in attendance. The complete list:
- Breeland Speaks, DL/LB, Ole Miss
- Derrick Nnadi, DL, Florida State
- Dorian O’Daniel, LB/S, Clemson
- Armani Watts, S, Texas A&M
- Tremon Smith, CB, Central Arkansas
- Kahlil McKenzie, OL, Tenn.
Any other players to watch for?
There are several key undrafted free agents or player tryouts that stand out, including:
- Marshall QB Chase Litton
- Oregon CB Arrion Springs
- Villanova DB Malik Reaves
- Kansas State WR Byron Pringle
- Arkansas State DL Dee Liner
- Iowa LB Ben Niemann
- Murray State CB D’Montre Wade
- LSU RB Darrel Williams
It will also be fun to see Eric Berry’s youngest brother, Elliot, attempt to make the team.
You can also see the complete list of players invited here.
What happens at rookie minicamp?
Players will certainly go through drills and they’ll also have coaching sessions on technique with their position groups. There’s also film study. Intelligence is a huge part of this weekend, because in order to stand out among 50 of your peers in such a short amount of time, a player really needs to soak in what they’re being taught very quickly. The on-ramp in this scenario is very short, which creates a serious division between those who quickly assess and acclimate and those who wrestle with what the Chiefs are trying to teach/instill.
Rookies will typically begin in a classroom as coaches try to teach them about their schemes, their playbook, their concepts. From there they will transition outside as coaches continue to stack new ideas on top of the ones they just heard a few hours before. It’s a boot camp of sorts, both mentally and physically. If that sounds intense, it is, but teams have to figure out a way to identify players to sign in a short amount of time.
What’s next?
Each NFL team runs a rookie development program that lasts for seven weeks, but it doesn’t begin until May 14 (or later if teams want to schedule it then).