The Green Bay Packers hosted their rookie mini camp over the weekend. In addition to their 13 draft picks, they had their undrafted free agents and over a dozen players participate who are just trying to get onto a 90-man roster. Interestingly, one of these players is the grandson of defensive genius Fritz Shurmur. Head coach Matt LaFleur was not present for the entire camp, as he attended a cancer benefit hosted by Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball coach Greg Gard. However, LaFleur got to see a great deal from the rookies, and he shared one surprising message that he had for them before he departed.
Green Bay Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur Said Rookies Played “Too Fast”
When LaFleur addressed the media following rookie mini camp, he had this to say about the players in attendance:
“Our first walkthrough (Friday), it might as well have been a full practice because these guys were flying around. I had to tell them after every play to, ‘Slow down.’ But that speaks to the eagerness — and probably a little bit of the angst — that these guys were going through in terms of just being here and having first exposure. They want to leave a great impression. But it was a very, very productive two days, I think, to kind of lay the foundation for us moving forward.
“We definitely probably saw the best version of all these guys in terms of just the energy, the effort, the urgency. A lot of these guys truly do look the part and then you watch them go out there and compete at a high level and give that great effort and energy. So, it’s something to be excited about.”
While LaFleur was away, assistant head coach/special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia ran the camp. Bisaccia was given the title of assistant head coach following an immensely successful season as special teams coordinator that saw Green Bay’s kick returner (Keisean Nixon) become an All-Pro.
Of all the players that attended the mini camp hoping for a contract, just one received an offer: cornerback William Hooper.
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