Life comes at you fast. Just ask the rookies of six teams who took part in their first NFL practices just a week after the conclusion of the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Ravens, Cowboys, Packers, Chiefs, Eagles and Seahawks each conducted rookie minicamps this past week. In Baltimore, the focus is on defense and on the offensive line, two areas of the team that were a focus during the draft. In Dallas, there is a new era underway under new head coach Brian Schottenheimer.
There’s another era underway in Seattle, too, after the Seahawks decided to undergo a change at quarterback after trading Geno Smith and signing Sam Darnold to a multiyear deal. While Darnold is the projected starter for 2025, the team’s newest quarterback quickly showed signs of progress during his first NFL practice.
Those are just a few of the notable storylines from the first rookie minicamps of the 2025 offseason. Here’s the main takeaway from each of the half-dozen teams that already conducted their rookie minicamps, starting with the defending two-time defending AFC North division champs.
Baltimore opened its rookie minicamp on Saturday, with the media being granted access to Sunday’s practice. Heading into rookie minicamp, the expectation in Baltimore is that first-round pick Malaki Starks and second-round pick Mike Green will be immediate contributors on defense. Green, in particular, will be interesting to follow as he is coming off an incredibly prolific 2024 season that saw him record 17 sacks (the most in the FBS) and 23 tackles for loss.
Offensive line is another area to monitor after the Ravens added three players to that unit via the draft. Specifically, Ravens fans should keep an eye on the progress of Carson Vinson, a fifth-round pick who was the only HBCU player selected in the draft. A product of Alabama A&M, the 6-foot-7, 321-pound Vinson undoubtedly improved his pre-draft stock following impressive showings in his school’s matchups against Vanderbilt and Auburn.
Vinson’s journey to the NFL can at least partly be attributed to his drive to prove people wrong after he was lightly recruited coming out of high school. He said that he wanted to go to North Carolina, which didn’t show interest in him after he had already started to establish himself at Alabama A&M.
“[North Carolina] came back calling around my junior [or] senior year, and I wasn’t going to go because [they] didn’t want me out of high school,” Vinson said. “So, it was really just a chip on my shoulder that I took throughout college. I said, ‘OK, I’m going to do it from the school that wanted me first.'”
Rookie minicamp has offered up the first chance for the media to see Schottenheimer’s initial practices as the Cowboys’ head coach. A first-time NFL head coach, Schottenheimer and his staff are getting some early praise from some of Dallas’ new players.
“The coaches have so much energy on this staff,” rookie running back Phil Mafah said. “It allows the players to be themselves. … We just feed off each other.”
Music and energy from the coaching staff were two of the biggest takeaways from the Cowboys’ first open practice of the Schottenheimer era. Another notable takeaways was the practice status of rookie third-round pick Shavon Revel Jr.. Revel, a cornerback who was considered by some as a possible first-round pick, is still working his way back from a torn ACL he suffered four weeks into his final season at East Carolina.
During his first NFL practice, Revel (whose knee surgery was performed seven months ago by Cowboys team doctor Dan Cooper) participated in stretching and conditioning drills with his teammates before doing rehab work during position drills. He did reportedly look good when he was seen running and cutting during practice.
“Right now I can pretty much do everything,” Revel said. “Running straight line, cutting, haven’t gotten too much into that, just trying to take it day by day, trying to take it slow.”
One of the biggest storylines from Green Bay’s rookie minicamp didn’t take place on the field. It was first-round pick Matthew Golden‘s decision to change his jersey number from No. 81 to No. 22. Golden, who wore No. 2 in college, said that he didn’t bother to ask Packers backup quarterback Malik Willis (who currently wears No. 2) to give up his number.
What prompted Golden to select No. 22?
“My grandma, her favorite number was ‘2’ growing up, and she told me she wanted me to represent that number,” Golden said, via The Athletic. “And so I knew the last receiver that was drafted (by the Packers in the first round) was 2002, so I feel like it kind of made sense to me.”
Green Bay’s second-round pick, offensive tackle Anthony Belton, is hoping to use the spring/summer to improve his hand technique, which was quite possibly the biggest thing that prevented him from being drafted even higher than he was. While Belton played only left tackle at NC State, the Packers think he can play both tackle and both guard spots, assuming he makes the necessary improvements in the coming months.
“I had a bad habit of kind of collecting instead of striking,” Belton said of his hand technique. “So, a lot of times, guys kind of collect it, and that’s kind of giving up your chest, so that invites bull rushes. So now you’re in the quarterback’s lap, and, especially at this level, you can’t do that against guys. … When it comes to that aspect, I need to do a better job of using my length, keeping that separation so I can’t let guys in my body.”
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Like the Cowboys, the Chiefs also have a rookie who is overcoming a knee injury. Offensive tackle and first-round pick Josh Simmons continues to work his way back from his knee injury he suffered midway through his final season at Ohio State.
During his first NFL practice, Simmons did not participate in 11-on-11 or individual drills, but he did participate in position drills with the rest of the offensive linemen.
Simmons said that he would prioritize mental reps and studying the playbook during minicamp. Somewhat surprisingly, Simmons said that the Chiefs’ playbook was “not as complex” as he predicted. That might be because he spent his college years playing inside Ohio State head coach Ryan Day’s NFL-style offense.
Simmons didn’t take the bait when he was asked if he views himself as an immediate starter.
“[I want to] attack rehab as hard as I can,” Simmons said, via The Athletic. “That way, when training camp does come around, I can be the most help that I possibly can be. There’s nothing, really, I can do to kind of force — there are a lot of vets in here, and my thing is to stay out the way, work hard and be a helpful piece if I can.”
Another notable takeaway from the Chiefs’ first rookie minicamp practice was receiver Jalen Royals, a third-round pick who said that he felt “very anxious but also happy” since arriving in Kansas City. Royals didn’t appear to be anxious at all during practice. All told, Royals (who said that he watches veterans Davante Adams and AJ Brown to try to “piggyback off of what they do”) did a good job showcasing his quickness and strong hands during position drills.
“Just taking it one step at a time,” Royals said. “I know it’s the first day, but just trying to come in and work and take it step-by-step.”
For a second straight year, Philadelphia is employing a young quarterback who grew up 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 now get that chance.
McCord is also finally getting a chance to work with Scot Loeffler, the team’s new quarterbacks coach who offered McCord a scholarship when he was in eighth grade as Boston College’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
“He’s one of the few college coaches that I didn’t play for that I still have a lot of conversations with,” McCord said, via Sports Illustrated. “And now to be playing for him. I mean you never know how your paths are gonna cross and so it would be in his first year [in the NFL] and obviously my first year in the NFL. Being together is pretty sweet.”
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound McCord spent the majority of his college career at Ohio State. After sitting behind C.J. Stroud for two years, he got his chance to start in 2023. But despite helping lead the Buckeyes to an 11-0 start, McCord was encouraged to enter the transfer portal at season’s end. He ultimately went to Syracuse, where last year he led the entire FBS with 4,779 yards while finishing 10th in the Heisman Trophy voting.
McCord will now look to earn a spot on the Eagles’ depth chart. He will be competing with Dorian Thompson-Robinson, a 2023 fifth-round pick who was part of the Eagles’ trade with the Browns that included Pickett, for the QB3 job and possibly a final roster spot.
Can McCord also challenge Tanner McKee for the primary backup spot? That’s unlikely, but not entirely impossible. McKee, a 2023 sixth-round pick, played well last season (he threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns in his first career start, a Week 18 win over the Giants), well enough to convince the Eagles that they could trade Pickett this offseason. That being said, McCord could make things interesting if he has a strong enough spring/summer while making the most of his practice reps. His relationship with Loeffler doesn’t hurt his chances, either.
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All eyes on Seattle were on Jalen Milroe, who is only the third quarterback the Seahawks have drafted since 2010, John Schneider’s first season as general manager. During his first minicamp practice, Milroe and fellow rookie Will Rogers, who went undrafted, spent the day operating a traditional NFL offense that didn’t feature any designed runs. That’s notable, given that Milroe scored 20 touchdowns on the ground during his final year at Alabama.
Seattle obviously feels comfortable with Milroe’s prowess as a runner. On Friday, it was clear that the team’s brass wanted to see what he could do as a signal-caller. He and Rogers were asked to call plays in the huddle, yell cadences at the line of scrimmage and take under-center dropbacks with and without play action. They also had reps with multiples reads in the progression that required throwing on time and in rhythm.
Milroe didn’t disappoint. While there are things he has to improve on as a passer, it appears he has the work ethic and determination to make those improvements.
Part of Milroe’s preparation has been his work with QB guru Jordan Palmer. Milroe, who has been working with Palmer for over a year, has been focusing on improving his lower body mechanics and weight distribution when throwing.
“With that, it’s all about being an efficient passer,” Milroe said, via The Athletic. “The more you work, the more you understand your body, you’re going to be more of an efficient passer. That’s something we work on and [will] continue to work on so I can be the best quarterback I can be.”
Milroe said when he’s not on the football field, he’s going to spend a lot of time this spring/summer diving into the Seahawks’ playbook. He also stressed the importance of taking care of his body.
“I’m taking care of my body so that I can be available for the coaches, my teammates,” he said.
Milroe’s intangible strengths were on full display Friday, as he was frequently seen encouraging and celebrating the success of his new teammates.
“No matter where you’re at on the depth chart, we’re all trying to be successful,” Milroe said. “That’s something I saw [today] and was really happy about because we have a lot of good dudes that were on the football field today.”
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