Life will come to you quickly. Ask the six teams rookies who participated in their first NFL practice just a week after the end of the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Raven, Cowboys, Packers, Chiefs, Eagles and Seahawks all led rookie minicamps last week. In Baltimore, the focus is on defense and offensive lines. This is two areas of the team that focused on during the draft. In Dallas, there is a new era under new head coach Brian Schottenheimer.
There’s another ongoing era in Seattle, too, after the Seahawks traded Genosmiths and signed Sam Darnold to a multi-year deal, and then the Seahawks decided to take the change at quarterback. Darnold is the forecast starter for 2025, but the team’s latest quarterback showed immediate signs of progress during his first NFL practice.
These are just some of the notable stories from the first rookie minicamp in the 2025 offseason. This is the main point from each of the half dozen teams already doing rookie minicamp, starting with two defending AFC North Division champions.
Baltimore opened a rookie minicamp on Saturday, with media being granted access to Sunday practice. The hopes for Baltimore towards Rookie Minicamp are that the first round Pick Malaki Starks and second round Pick Mike Green will be immediate contributors to the defense. It will be interesting to follow, especially as Greene is away from the incredibly prolific 2024 season in which he saw him scored 17 sacks (the most in FBS) and lost 23 tackles.
The offensive line is another area where the Ravens monitor after adding three players to that unit via draft. Specifically, Ravens fans should look to the advancements of Carson Vinson, the fifth pick, the only HBCU player selected in the draft. The 6-foot-7, 321-pound Vinson, an Alabama A&M product, has definitely improved pre-draft stock following an impressive show in his school matchup with Vanderbilt and Auburn.
Vinson’s journey to the NFL can be at least in part due to his willingness to prove people wrong after coming out of high school and being lightly adopted. He said he wanted to go to North Carolina, but showed no interest in him until after he had already started establishing himself at Alabama A&M.
“[North Carolina] He called around my junior [or] Senior years, and I wasn’t going [they] Vinson said. I said, “Okay, I’m going to do it from the school I wanted me first.”
The Rookie Minicamp provided the media with the first chance to see Schottenheimer’s first practice as the Cowboys head coach. First-time NFL head coach Schottenheimer and his staff have been praised early by some of Dallas’ new players.
“The coach has so much energy in this staff,” the rookie runs back Phil Mafa. “It allows players to become themselves… We just feed each other.”
The music and energy of the coaching staff were two of the biggest points from the first open practices of the Cowboys’ Schottenheimer era. Another notable takeaway is Rookie’s third round pick practice status Shavon Revel Jr.. Revel is a cornerback who was considered a possible first round pick and is back from the ACL, who struggled four weeks after his final season at East Carolina.
During his first NFL practice, Level (that knee surgery was performed by Cowboys team doctor Dan Cooper seven months ago) took part in stretching and conditioning drills with his teammates before rehabilitating during the position drill. He reportedly looked good when he saw him run and cut off during practice.
“Now I can do almost everything,” Rebel said. “We’ve been running straight lines, cutting them, not doing too much. We’re trying to take it every day and try to take it slowly.”
One of the biggest stories of Green Bay’s rookie minicamps was not played on the field. Matthew Golden’s decision to change the jersey number from 81 to 22 said Golden, who wore No. 2 in college, didn’t mind asking Packers backup quarterback Malik Willis (now wearing the second one) to abandon the number.
What inspired Golden to choose No. 22?
“My grandma, her favorite number is ‘2’ and she told me to represent that number,” Golden said via Athletic. “And I feel it makes sense to me because I knew (I knew the last receiver drafted by the Packers in the first round was 2002.”
Green Bay’s second round pick, offensive tackle Anthony Belton, wants to use Spring/Summer to improve his hand techniques. Belton only played left tackles for North Carolina, but the Packers believe he can play tackles and both guard spots, assuming he will make the necessary improvements in the coming months.
“I had a kind of bad collection habit instead of strikes,” Belton said of his hand technique. “So, a lot of the time guys gather it and it’s like giving up on your breasts. So it brings you a rush of bulls. Now you’re on the quarterback’s lap. You can’t do it, especially at this level.
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Like the Cowboys, the Chiefs have some rookies overcoming knee injuries. Offensive tackle and first-round pick Josh Simmons have returned from a knee injury that was struggling midway through his final season at Ohio State.
During his first NFL practice, Simmons did not participate in 11-11 or individual drills, but he did participate in position drills with the remaining offensive linemen.
Simmons said he will prioritize mental personnel during the mini-camp and study the playbook. To some extent, Simmons said the Chiefs playbook was “not as complicated” as he predicted. It may be because he played his college days in Ohio State’s head coach Ryan Day in an NFL-style offense.
Simmons didn’t take the bait when asked if he saw himself as an immediate starter.
“[I want to] Simmons said through the movement. “Simmons said that when training camp comes, what I can do becomes the most useful. Nothing, really, I can do it for some kind of power – there are plenty of vets here. My point is to get in the way, work hard, and make it a useful piece if possible. ”
Another notable takeaway from the Chiefs’ first rookie minicamp practice was receiver Jalen Royals, a third round pick who he said he felt “very uneasy but happy” since his arrival in Kansas City. The Royals didn’t seem to be worried at all during practice. The Royals (who said they saw veterans Davante Adams and AJ Brown “trying to hit the pigs out of what they’re doing”) did a good job showing off his speed and strong hands during the position drill.
“You just need to take one step at a time,” the Royals said. “I know it’s the first day, but I’m just going in and doing work and trying to take it step by step.”
For the second year in a row, Philadelphia has hired a young quarterback who grew up as an Eagles fan. After Kenny Pickett realized his dream of playing for his favorite childhood team last year, rookie sixth round pick Kyle McCord will have that chance.
McCord finally got the opportunity to work with Scott Loeffler, the new quarterbacks coach for the team who provided McCord with scholarships when he was in eighth grade as Boston College’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
“He’s one of the few college coaches I haven’t played and I still have a lot of conversations,” McCord said via sports illustration. “And now to play for him. I don’t know how your paths cross, so it will be his first year [in the NFL] And obviously my first year in the NFL. It’s pretty sweet to be with them. ”
At 6-foot-3, 220-pound McCord spent most of his college career in Ohio. After sitting behind CJ Stroud for two years, he got a chance to start in 2023. However, despite helping to lead the Buckeyes to an 11-0 start, McCord was encouraged to enter the transfer portal at the end of the season. He eventually went to Syracuse. So last year he led the overall FBS with 4,779 yards and finished 10th in the Heisman Trophy vote.
McCord is about to win a spot on the Eagles’ depth chart. He competes with Dorian Thompson Robinson, the fifth pick of 2023, who was part of the Eagles trade with the Browns, including Pickett, for QB3 work and perhaps the final roster.
Can McCord also challenge Tanner McKee at a major backup spot? That’s unlikely, but not completely impossible. A six-round pick in 2023, Mackie threw 269 yards and two touchdowns in his first career start last season (and threw two touchdowns in 18 wins against the Giants). That being said, McCord can make things interesting if he has enough strong spring/summer while making the most of his practice personnel. His relationship with Loffler doesn’t hurt his chance either.
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All eyes in Seattle were Jalen Milroe, the third quarterback drafted by the Seahawks since 2010. During his first minicamp practice, Milllow and fellow rookies were undrafted Rogers, who spent the day running a traditional NFL offense that didn’t feature a design run. That’s notable given that Milllow scored 20 touchdowns on the ground in his final year at Alabama.
Seattle is clearly pleased with Milllow’s skill as a runner. On Friday, it was clear that the team’s brass wanted to see what he could do as a signal battery. He and Rogers were asked to call the play in the huddle, scream rhythm at the line of scrimmage, and take a dropback below the center with or without play action. They also had a person with multiple reads in progress that needed to throw into time and rhythm.
Milllow was not disappointed. He has some things he has to improve as a passerby, but he appears to have a work ethic and determination to make those improvements.
Part of Milroe’s preparation was his work with QB Guru Jordan Palmer. Having worked with Palmer for over a year, Milllow has focused on improving lower body mechanics and weight distribution when throwing.
“So it’s all about being an efficient passerby,” Milllow said via Athletic. “The more you work, the more you understand your body, the more efficient passerby you become. That’s what we’re working on. [will] I will continue to work to be the best quarterback I can. ”
Milllow said he plans to spend a lot of time diving into the Seahawks playbook this spring/summer when he’s not on the football field. He also emphasized the importance of caring for your body.
“I’m taking care of my body, so it’s now available to my coaches, my teammates,” he said.
Milllaw’s intangible strengths were fully on display on Friday. He was frequently seen celebrating and encouraging his new teammates to the success.
“No matter where you are on the depth chart, we’re all trying to succeed,” Millow said. “That’s what I saw [today] And today I was really happy because there were so many good guys on the soccer field. ”
