The New England Patriots’ rookie class, including 11 draftees along with UDFAs plus tryout players, made its first appearance on the practice fields on Friday. The team kicked off its rookie minicamp inside the WIN Waste Field House.
While the hour-long was light with no contact or pads allowed, here’s what went down throughout the day.
Attendance
Absent: RB TreVeyon Henderson
New England’s second-round running back was the lone member of the rookie draft class missing from Day 1 of minicamp. The reason for Henderson’s absence is not known at the moment.
Cornerback Chris Mills, who was there on a tryout, watched the second half of practice on the sideline with an apparent injury.
The Patriots additionally had a group of young veterans suit up. Wide receiver John Jiles, defensive lineman Truman Jones, and defensive back Miles Battle participated in the session.
Takeaways
Receiver standouts: Third-round draft pick Kyle Williams looked as advertised on Day 1. The primary outside target in the top grouping, he ended the day with a strong grab along the sideline. The Washington State product also had a contested catch over the middle of the field at one point.
Elsewhere in the receiver room, the aforementioned John Jiles was the standout of the entire practice. Hauling in several passes throughout the session, he even drew praise from Vrabel after one extended snag. After signing to New England’s practice squad last October, the 6-foot-3, athletic Jiles will look to climb up a deep wide receiver depth chart this offseason.
UDFA eye-catchers: Joining Kyle Williams in the top receiver group was undrafted rookie Efton Chism, who showcased his quickness inside. New England gave Chism a large guarantee of over $200k in his base salary, beating out several other suitors to secure his services.
Also notable on multiple occasions was running back Lan Larison. Larison (No. 34) running behind fullback Brock Lampe (No. 46) drew flashbacks of Rex Burkhead behind James Develin in Josh McDaniels’ offense.
Will Campbell watch: As expected, New England’s fourth overall pick Will Campbell assumed the role of left tackle throughout the practice. He did not face a live rush during the day but worked closely with offensive line coach Doug Marrone, with Marrone even lining up at defensive end opposite the rookie for one period.
“I can’t imagine not playing for someone like him,” Campbell said after practice.
Hands-on coaching: The increased energy Mike Vrabel has brought to the building has been noted by several veteran players — as has been his hands-on coaching during the early parts of the offseason program. Both were on display on Friday, as Vrabel (in addition to the rest of his staff) was consistently part of drills — often wearing a pinny or his famous chest pad — and pulling players out for 1-on-1 instruction.
“It shows you how much — not only they care about winning and stuff like that but shows how much they care about you and your production and things like that,” first-round draft pick Will Campbell said of the coaching.
Other notes
- Elsewhere on the offensive line, third-round pick Jared Wilson repped primarily at center. Mike Vrabel did not rule him out cross-training at guard down the line.
- You can see the pass-catching skillset in UDFA TE Gee Scott Jr., who was a former wide receiver recruit. The same can be said for the 6-foot-5 C.J. Dippre with his potential as a run blocker while also having some juice down the seam.
- Safeties coach Scott Booker was one of the more vocal coaches throughout the day during individual and team drills. Booker, who joins cornerback coach Justin Hamilton in coordinating the secondary, spent six seasons in Tennessee before serving as the Buffalo Bills’ nickel coach and senior defensive assistant last year.
- Defensive coordinator Terrell Williams was not part of procedures after recently experiencing a “health scare.”
