The New England Patriots’ rookie class took the field Friday in Foxboro for their first NFL practice.
NBC Sports Boston’s Patriots insider Phil Perry was in attendance for Day 1 of rookie minicamp. He came away with a handful of takeaways from the session, including a lasting impression made by new head coach Mike Vrabel and an impressive showing for third-round wide receiver Kyle Williams.
Perry shared his rookie minicamp notes on the latest episode of the Next Pats Podcast.
🔊 Next Pats: Rookie Camp Takeaways – Mike Vrabel is a MACHINE | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube
“Boy, the man is non-stop,” Perry said of Vrabel. “Toss that man some kind of pain reliever for the throat, specifically, because he is at a high volume and he is constantly saying something to someone. He just won’t stop coaching. It was entertaining to watch. I’m sure it’s beneficial to the players, because they are hanging on his every word.
“At one point, he was wearing a yellow pinny with the number 51 on it. He’s playing middle linebacker in an 11-on-11 sort of drill. He’s working with defensive linemen in the individual position drills. … Maybe the most interesting part of the practice might have been when he was working with players on the punt coverage team, and just the timing and the footwork and the hand placement and the purpose, really. … He was in their ears constantly and letting them have it at times.”
As for Williams, the Washington State product looked as advertised.
“He made a couple of really nice catches in this practice,” Perry said. “One on a comeback route, corners playing way off and respecting the speed. Stops, comes back, not an easy catch. He had to actually leave his feet. Goes up, high-points the thing, comes down inbounds. That was probably his best catch of the day. … I thought it was a good practice for Kyle Williams, and we’ll see moving forward just how much chemistry he’s able to develop with a guy like Drake Maye. …
“Kyle Williams, to me, looks like an X receiver. That’s where he was in college. His size might indicate that he should be somewhere else, according to some people. … He looks like an X here too, at least that’s probably where they’re gonna start him. … It will be interesting to see moving forward where they end up moving him around.”
Also in the episode:
- Phil reacts to defensive coordinator Terrell Williams not being at practice due to a “traumatic” health scare
- Who was, and wasn’t, in attendance for the rookies on Friday?
- Will Campbell was at left tackle — and ONLY at left tackle on Friday
- Josh McDaniels was loud and clearly excited to be back on the field running an offense
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