Latest news with #rookies
New York Times
20 hours ago
- General
- New York Times
Patriots rookies' first impressions: How have their 11 draft picks looked at OTAs?
Earlier this week, New England Patriots offensive line coach Doug Marrone sidestepped questions about rookie Will Campbell's development so far. It was fair to be a bit evasive considering, as Marrone pointed out, there have only been a few spring practices, the players aren't yet wearing pads, they're not quite at full go and the playbook is simplified. Advertisement That said, only Drake Maye's development is more important this summer than the question of how Campbell fares at left tackle, particularly given that the Pats used the No. 4 pick in April's draft on him. So even if the Patriots are merely finishing their voluntary OTA practices this week, we've now had a chance to see the team's 11-person draft class on the field. With minicamp on the horizon, let's offer up some first impressions. There is, of course, still a long way to go for these rookies and plenty of development that coaches are banking on. But here's how things stack up in early June. Off the field, Campbell has done everything you'd want from the No. 4 pick. He says the right things, has vowed to protect Maye and stuck around after practice to pick veterans' brains. On the field, it's been up and down. But that's to be expected, as multiple coaches noted, especially from a rookie offensive lineman. Most every play is lined up as third-and-10, so rushers can pin their ears back and go. Playbooks are still being learned, and no one is wearing pads, so there's an early advantage for speed rushers, which hurts players like Campbell. Even if the Pats O-line has been beaten on the edges so far (including Campbell), it doesn't really matter unless it continues well into August. 2025 outlook: There's little doubt he's going to be the starting left tackle. OTAs aren't a great setup for him since it favors speedy edge rushers. But the future is bright, and that should show up more in training camp. I was pretty critical of this pick when the Pats took him in the second round. (I didn't think a rebuilding team needed to use a pick that high on a running back.) But Henderson is a ton of fun to watch and brings a pop that the offense doesn't have without him. He has been the lone consistently explosive player in OTAs. His speed is obvious. He might be the most fun player for fans to watch in training camp. 2025 outlook: My bold prediction: Henderson overtakes Rhamondre Stevenson as the starting running back in the first half of the season and leads the team in rushing yards. Like all rookies, he's had ups and downs. So far, what's been good to see is that he isn't a repeat offender with his mistakes (which has been an issue with some rookie receivers the Patriots have drafted in recent years). One thing to keep an eye on in camp? On an offense that lacks juice, he needs to prove to Maye that he can be a downfield target. 2025 outlook: The guess here is he'll be the team's No. 4 wide receiver, eventually settling into a role behind Demario Douglas, Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins or Kayshon Boutte. He has been a limited participant, so it's difficult to glean too much. But his athleticism is intriguing, and he looks the part (along with his athletic testing) of a long-term center in the NFL. 2025 outlook: Training camp will bring a competition between him and Garrett Bradbury for the starting job, but Bradbury probably enters with a slight leg up, which could put Wilson on the bench to start the season. Teammates have raved about the way Woodson has taken to the defense and his maturity on the back end. He has gotten additional reps because of Kyle Dugger's injury, and so far, he's making the most of them. Advertisement 2025 outlook: It's going to be a crowded group of safeties, which could make it tough for Woodson to carve out a role, but he should contribute on special teams if nothing else. It's tough for interior defensive linemen to stand out in OTAs since there are far more passing plays than rushes. That said, he has already shown nice instincts filling a hole in a simulated rush and tipping a pass on Monday. 2025 outlook: He'll likely begin as a backup but has a chance to carve out a bigger role if he plays well against the run. With the defensive front seven rotating a lot, Swinson has had plenty of early opportunities and shown flashes with some burst off the edge. Again, this portion of the offseason favors players like Swinson, but it's not a bad thing to stand out. 2025 outlook: The opportunity is there for him to carve out a role since a lot is unsettled on the edge, but he'll be behind Harold Landry and Keion White. I stood behind the kick returners on Monday, and it was interesting hearing them tell each other to adjust because Borregales' kicks were coming in from a higher trajectory than John Parker Romo's, a testament to the rookie's strong leg. 2025 outlook: Barring a terrible camp, he'll be the kicker. Bryant is typically one of the final players to leave the practice field and has taken to following right tackle Morgan Moses around, since the vet has been so willing to share tidbits between plays and on the sideline. 2025 outlook: A spot on the practice squad is most likely, but he could develop into a swing tackle down the road. 2025 outlook: Not much to report here other than the snaps at practice seem fine and Ashby will be the new long snapper, following the incredible run Joe Cardona had with the Patriots at the position. Advertisement Carlton Davis wasn't at practice Monday, so Minor got extra reps. It's tough to evaluate too much since corners are told 50-50 balls in OTAs should go to receivers, but speed could be an issue for him once the pads come on. 2025 outlook: He's probably a long shot to make the squad, but nothing is settled for the Pats at cornerback behind Christian Gonzalez and Davis. (Photo of Will Campbell: Eric Canha / Imagn Images)
News.com.au
28-05-2025
- General
- News.com.au
AFL mid-season draft 2025: Live updates and every pick as it happens
The mid-season rookie draft is here and Essendon and Port Adelaide are set to shape a night that could involve up to 18 selections. Follow all the action and every pick with us below. Originally published as AFL mid-season draft 2025: Live updates and every pick as it happens
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Oregon baseball coach Mark Wasikowski talks Ducks' growth over the season
'The goal is to win': Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon on his expectations of rookies Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon spoke with the media at the Arizona Cardinals training center in Tempe on the first day of rookie minicamp.
Washington Post
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Alex Sarr and Bub Carrington land on NBA all-rookie teams
For the first time in more than 60 years, two Washington Wizards were named to the NBA's all-rookie teams, the league announced Tuesday. Center Alex Sarr made first team — the first Wizard to do so since Bradley Beal in 2012-13 — while guard Bub Carrington was named to the second team. They are the first Wizards to make the teams since Rui Hachimura in 2019-20. The only other time the Wizards had two selections came when Rod Thorn and Gus Johnson earned the honor in 1963-64.
New York Times
20-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Hurricanes rookies Logan Stankoven, Jackson Blake are ‘not afraid of the moment'
RALEIGH, N.C. — The top two rookies remaining in the Stanley Cup playoffs both play for the Carolina Hurricanes — one who was not expected to do this much this soon, and another no one knew would be wearing the red, black and white this spring. Jackson Blake, the 2021 fourth-round find who is a few months shy of his 22nd birthday, made enough of an impression in his first NHL training camp to earn a spot with the team to start the season and never looked back, scoring 17 goals and playing on the team's top power-play unit much of the year. Advertisement Logan Stankoven, meanwhile, had a bright future in Dallas after playing in nearly as many playoff games (19) as regular season games (24) last season with the Stars — at least until the Mikko Rantanen experiment failed on the Hurricanes. Then Stankoven became Carolina GM Eric Tulsky's prime target, and the Hurricanes acquired him in a deal that shipped Rantanen to the Lone Star State. 'It was mostly about the fit,' Tulsky said Monday. 'Our coaches, our scouting staff, everybody who watched him said this is a guy who's built to play for the Hurricanes. And so that was the No. 1 thing. On top of that, we know we're getting skill, we know we're getting competitiveness, we know we're getting someone who can drop into our team and play the way we want to.' Now the Hurricanes have a bigger rookie contingent than any of the league's final four teams. But neither Stankoven nor Blake has been paralyzed by the moment. Stankoven can lean on his run to the Western Conference final with Dallas last year, while Blake was one of college hockey's top players the previous two seasons. 'We've already had big moments, and they played great,' Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal said of the two rookies on the eve of the team's Eastern Conference final matchup with the Florida Panthers. 'I don't think that the moments really feel much different. It might get heightened a little bit, but they're big-time players and they're here for a reason. I don't really have any doubts.' Blake and Stankoven have modest but respectable playoff numbers. Stankoven's three goals match Aleksander Barkov and Connor McDavid, while with five points apiece he and Blake are even with Dallas mainstays Tyler Seguin and Matt Duchene and have outscored veterans like Edmonton's Adam Henrique and the Stars' Jamie Benn. Points, however, aren't everything, and what's perhaps been most impressive about the two rookies is how they've been able to hold their own in coach Rod Brind'Amour's structured system. Advertisement 'They're both really skilled and offensive-minded,' said Sebastian Aho, a player who has blossomed into one of the game's top two-way forwards under Brind'Amour. 'But then again, they can play the game the right way. In the playoffs, it's not always scoring goals or making nice passes. Obviously you would like to see those too, but there's a lot to it, and they've definitely been great players for us.' Blake ran shotgun to Aho on the Hurricanes' top line at the end of the season and through the start of the playoffs, while Stankoven spent time during the regular season playing alongside Staal and Jordan Martinook on Carolina's shutdown line — roles that aren't handed out without merit by Brind'Amour. Both are in different spots heading into the series with the Panthers: Blake is opposite Eric Robinson on a line centered by Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and Stankoven and Taylor Hall are being centered by Jack Roslovic. Stankoven said he's taking the lessons learned from his trip with the Stars to the conference final last year — along with a pair of deep playoff runs with the WHL's Kamloops Blazers — and applying them to this postseason. 'Even dating back to my last two years of junior, I made the conference final both years as well. And when you go so far and you come up short, it's a tough feeling,' said Stankoven, sounding like one of the Hurricanes who has experienced being swept twice in the conference final rather than a playoff neophyte. 'For me, it's like, 'Hey, it's time to get over that hump.' And it would be a dream come true to play in the finals. 'It's really motivating, and you never know when you get that opportunity again. So you make the most of it, and you do it for the guys in the room, to guys that have been playing for a long time and want to win a Cup.' He can't look around the Hurricanes' locker room without seeing a player who has played a decade or more in the NHL without winning a championship — from former first overall pick Hall and Norris Trophy winner Brent Burns to oft-maligned goalie Frederik Andersen and heart-and-soul warrior Martinook. Advertisement And the infusion of youth — Carolina has used rookie Alexander Nikishin in one game this postseason, with Scott Morrow also a plug-and-play option on defense — can give a boost to those who are perhaps wondering if their chance to lift the Cup will ever come. 'It definitely brings energy in a room and on the ice,' said Aho, who has gone from a young, emerging star to now being in his ninth season, probably with fewer chances left than he's already had. 'Sometimes it's good to have a couple of rookies there to bring some fresh legs. I feel like both are definitely, first off, adapted to the NHL level, and (they) obviously proved that they're definitely NHL players. But then in these playoffs, they can play, right? They can play different ways.' The rookies are also quickly learning the difference between their prior experience and this current one. 'College was just one game and you're done,' Blake said during the series against the Devils. 'So I like this, honestly. I've never played in a seven-game series in my life — the most I've played is five in USHL. … I think the team that wears the other team down the most usually comes out successful.' That fits the Hurricanes' mindset, and Brind'Amour has been quick to say neither looks out of place despite the rookie label. 'He's still a young kid,' Brind'Amour said of Blake, 'but I think his play certainly doesn't look like he's a first-timer in this environment. … He's not afraid of the moment. We knew that anyway, just the way he played all year. But he's still just a kid.' One of two kids the Hurricanes are more than comfortable counting on — and who already feel like part of the bigger goal. 'I feel right at home, and it feels like I've been here for quite a while now, a couple years,' said Stankoven. 'But obviously it's only been a few months.' (Top photo of Jackson Blake: Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images)
