The Seahawks rookie minicamp finished day two Saturday, with coaches surveying freshly drafted players and undrafted free agents for the year ahead.
Seahawks 5th round draft pick Shaquem Griffin, who joins his twin brother Shaquill in Seattle, attended minicamp and even snapped a selfie with his mom on the field.
The Seahawks not only underwent a major roster overhaul this offseason, but there were numerous changes to the coaching staff as well. And coach Pete Carroll has noticed an immediate difference.
“Yeah, there’s a newness there,” Carroll said Friday after the team’s first rookie minicamp practice. “I catch myself scrambling around with some reminders on things that just come up in the structure of practice – how we handle when a guy fumbles or we jump offsides – little things like that. You try to cover everything, but then still things pop up, so there is still newness.
“But it brings a freshness and an excitement and energy about it that we’re fortunate to be in the middle of.”
All in all, Carroll was pleased with the first outing regardless of the minor hiccups.
“We messed up on the first drill of the day today – we were a little bit out of whack – which was my fault for not getting them orchestrated properly. I guess you’ve got to get 35 years of experience before you can really get it all right.”
There could be a few surprises at VMAC this year, including one athlete who didn't play collegiate football. According to SeahawksWire, the team has invited track star Aaron Ernst from Louisiana State for a rookie tryout.
This isn't the first time the Hawks have looked outside football for speed. The team invited LSU sprinter Cyril Grayson to last year's camp and he currently has a future contract with the team as a Wide Receiver.
There's already plenty of buzz around Shaquem Griffin. His jersey ranks fifth as the most sold among this year's draftees.
Coaches should also get their first look at running back Rashaad Penny, who they took in the first round.
The Seahawks have yet to officially confirm this year's rookie minicamp roster, but several athletes, schools, and reporters have tweeted out their invitations. See below for a roundup.
The final day of rookie minicamp runs Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. The Seahawks plan to let team officials and athletes address the media after practice.
USA TODAY Sports' Liz Mathews contributed to this report.
