L’Jarius Sneed says he doesn’t feel behind despite the abbreviated offseason for the Chiefs.
It’s a major transition for any rookie coming into the National Football League. The speed of the game, the excellence of every athlete, the level of competition, the complexity of the pro playbook—it’s all part of the learning curve that awaits each and every new face in the league, no matter the level of experience in college.
For L’Jarius Sneed and the rest of the Kansas City Chiefs rookie class of 2020, this offseason has featured even more obstacles as they adjust to the pro level. The COVID-19 pandemic has kept teams from hosting the typical in-person rookie minicamps, offseason training activities or even preseason games. Instead, most meetings have gone virtual, if they were able to be held at all, and training camps have been limited to a team’s home site.
However, none of that seems to bother Sneed too much. In response to reporters’ questions, Sneed said he feels up to date in his learning curve and denies he is behind any expected readiness level as a rookie in early August.
"“Just now I’m trying to learn the defense, trying to be a sponge and soak everything in as much as I can in this small amount of time that we have,” he said.“We studied during the offseason. We had virtual meetings. Our coaches are doing a great job at teaching us, as a rookie class. We’re learning each and every day. We’re coming in and soaking everything and we’re looking up to the veterans. They’re showing us a helluva job of how to be a pro.”d"
Sneed was the Chiefs fourth round pick as a versatile defensive back out of Louisiana Tech. The Chiefs announced their intentions to make him a dedicated cornerback coming into the season, and he’ll have significant opportunities to earn reps from the outset with the looming foadfur-game suspension of starting corner Bashaud Breeland to open the season.