After weeks of anticipation and first-day of school excitement, the Texans rookies finally hit the field for the first in their NFL careers on Friday.
The Texans opened the first day of rookie minicamp for the nine players they selected during last month’s NFL Draft and the six undrafted free agents they have sense brought aboard. It’s an acclimation period for the young players before the veterans arrive for the mandatory minicamp early next month.
“Man, it felt great to get out there, just play football,” said cornerback Kamari Lassiter, the former Georgia star who the Texans drafted with their first pick of the draft in the second round (24th overall). “Be out there with the guys. Just going out there learning, competing, and just having fun.”
It was head coach DeMeco Ryan’s first opportunity to see the players he drafted up close and person. It was a no-contact practice where players ran through drills, and had their first opportunity to understand the expectations in practice and to get familiar with their surroundings.
It was also the player’s first introduction to the Houston heat, with the temperature reaching the low 80s for the late-morning, early-afternoon practice across the street from NRG Stadium.
“Man, so I looked at the weather before I got out to practice,” said Lassiter, who is from Savannah, Ga. “It just said 80 degrees. So, I was like, ‘Okay, bet. It’s only 80.’ I walked out on the field, and I was practicing and I’m like, ‘This is not 80. This 90 – something else.’ So, it’s a little bit different.”
The pace and the amount of information being thrown at the players is also new. Ryans told his new players that he isn’t looking for perfection from them at this point as deal with what has to feel like information overload.
“The realistic expectations for our rookies, and what we have as coaches, is be patient,” Ryans said. “We understand that you have to be patient with these guys and understand that they’re not going to pick it up in a day, or two days. It’s the same with our veterans – it takes time.
“As I told the guys when I broke it down today, ‘This is day one where you’re expected to make mistakes. Now, it’s all about the next day. We can’t come out and make the same mistakes again, let’s continue to progress. And that’s the realistic expectation.”
The biggest spotlight was on safety Calen Bullock, who was drafted in the third round out of USC, and Lassiter. Both secondary members are expected to contribute early. And previously, Ryans had said both players could play multiple positions with Lassister possibly seeing time at the inside and outside corner spots and Bullock seems to have the ability to play either safety spot or even take on a rover role.
But Friday, Ryans seemed cautious not to want to overload Lassiter and Bullock.
“Both guys are very versatile,” Ryans said. “And us as coaches, you know their versatility, you know what you’ve seen them be able to do on film. But again, at that same token, you can’t overload them.
“We’ll put them at one position and see how they handle it, and you just see what a guy can absorb, and the more he continues to handle, we’ll give him more. So, we won’t overload those guys to start. We’ll take it day-by-day. If they show us they can do multiple things, then we’ll allow them to handle those things.”
Ryans said he could see the nervousness in some of the rookies as they entered the building for the first time, sat in NFL meeting rooms with their notebooks open and prepared to take notes
“It’s like it’s the first day of school. Everybody’s excited that first day of school,” said a smiling Ryans. “I told the guys, ‘Just remember this day. Remember how attentive you are, how locked in you are. I want that same approach always because that’s what’s going to give you an edge.”
Lassiter still seemed somewhat amazed, even after going through his first practice.
“I would say that it’s been fun,” he said. “Just really taking it all in day by day, just really trying to put my best foot forward every day. Just trying to come in and just get one percent better every day, just learn something new every day, just soak up a little bit of knowledge, but I’d just say, it’s been a great ride and it’s just getting started.”
