Eight of the 10 draft picks met the media on Friday and they presented themselves with great maturity and poise, taking 5-10 minutes out of a busy day: After reporting to the NovaCare Complex on Thursday, the rookies had morning meetings and a walkthrough practice and then hit the field for practice in the afternoon, followed by more meetings.
“Do all the right things. Be detailed. Stay in the moment. Learn from everyone I meet,” said center/guard Drew Kendall, whose father, Pete, played for 13 seasons in the NFL. “This is all about football, which is a good thing. After so much traveling before the draft and then having the stress of the weekend, settling into football feels great. I think everyone is fully locked in on the task. We have so much to learn. This is only Day 1.”
You start by teaching the basics, building a foundation, and then going from there. Not for many weeks and months will the rookies really have a chance to show what they can do, how they can play fully ingrained in the scheme and performing instinctively. Between now and then, it is teaching time. The coaching staff, with some new pieces, gets to work. The players grow. The bond becomes real.
All the while, the veterans are in the building for the early stages of the offseason program, so there is a certain incalculable, incredible, school-is-back-in-session feel in South Philadelphia, and it is amazing. Just a few months after winning Super Bowl LIX, the Eagles are back at it, grinding away, taking one step at a time on the road to victory in 2025.
The rookies are here! The rookies are here! And they’re being thrown into the deep end, learning how to navigate the waters of being a Philadelphia Eagle.