Kansas City Chiefs conclude rookie minicamp, leaving Andy Reid happy. Here’s why

The Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday put the finishing touches on a three-day rookie minicamp.

And after not holding a camp last year, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid felt good about having his first-year players in the building.

More importantly, Reid liked what he saw after putting the players through on-field workouts.

“It was great to be able to get back on the field,” Reid said. “What a good group. These guys, it wasn’t as big a group as we normally have for the rookie minicamp, but boy did they work hard and really did everything we asked them to do.”

In total, the Chiefs had 29 players, including all six members of the 2021 NFL Draft class and five on tryout basis, attend the rookie minicamp.

Because of position group limitations, such as having just four offensive linemen, the Chiefs could not do full 11-on-11 drills but put in work with 7-on-7 sessions, including red-zone work, without pads and full contact.

While the three days were valuable for the rookies and select players from last year’s roster like offensive lineman Lucas Niang, the coaching staff’s ability to get a first-hand look at them proved the largest benefit.

And the 2021 rookie group might have an advantage over last year’s class, all of whom had to learn via virtual classroom session without on-field work under the watchful eye of coaches until training camp.

“I just think you want to go into training camp with an understanding of the new things you’re able to study and experiment with as coaches, and then on the field as players to make yourself better this next year,” Reid said. “So, this gave them an opportunity now to hit Phase II (of the offseason workout program) when the veterans are here with an understanding, a base understanding of what’s going on.

“They’re going to have to strap it on when the veterans get in because it’s gone fast. We’re already four installs into it and they’re going to have to catch up and the number of plays and all those things, they’re going to have to catch up. But at least they have a foundation.”

Getting in work now can only help this year’s rookies, especially a pair of second-round picks in linebacker Nick Bolton and center Creed Humphrey. Both players are expected to compete for immediate playing time at the start of the regular season and absorbing what is expected now before organized team activities (OTAs) and when the pads come on in late July is a bonus.

Additionally, the past three days further provided an opportunity for the young players to show what the Chiefs are getting.

“I’m going to work my butt off making sure I’m doing all of the right things, showing them that I’m a loyal guy,” Humphrey said. “I’m a team-first guy and just getting out there and competing.”

After a nine-day break, Humphrey and others will discover how they measure up when the Chiefs’ veterans and rookies gather on May 25 to kick off OTAs, where attendance remains voluntary.

Wide receiver Cornell Powell, the Chiefs’ second of two fifth-round picks, looks forward to meeting other teammates, especially Tyreek Hill, during the educational process.

“I just look forward to getting all the knowledge I can from him,” Powell said. “All the inside scoops on all the DBs that we go against, just trying to get under his wing and learn from him. He’s one of the best receivers in the league, so I know he’s got a lot to tell me and I’m just trying to be all ears and be a sponge and soak it all up.”

Humphrey agreed on working with veteran teammates.

“A lot of these guys are top-notch guys, very helpful,” he said. “They’ve played a lot of football too, so getting to learn from these guys, just kind of the ins and outs of how they do things, is going to be huge for me. So, I’m excited to get to work with all of them.”

In the meantime, the Chiefs are scheduled for 10 days of on-field work, which include 11-on-11 drills, on May 25-27, June 1-3 and June 8-11.

The team then concludes Phase III of the offseason workout program with a mandatory minicamp on June 15-17, and then will go on a little more than a month-long break before training camp in late July.

For the team’s members of the 2021 NFL draft class, the past weekend offered a good starting point.

“I just want to be the best contributor that I can be,” said tight end Noah Gray, the Chiefs’ first of two fifth-round picks. “Whether that’s on special teams, if there’s another need that they need me, whatever role that is, I just want to contribute to the team.”

Gray’s approach all but reinforces what the Chiefs ask for.

“What we got done was tremendous and these guys absorbed it,” Reid said. “It was a real pleasure to coach them. I just appreciate the quality of the player and their effort as they got into this.”