NASHVILLE – Members of the Titans rookie class took the field on Friday at Vanderbilt Health Football Center.
Eight draft picks, 11 undrafted free agents, five veterans and 58 other tryout players participated in day one of the two-day camp, some more than others.
Here's a look at the developments…
-I'm not going to pretend the drafted players provided any big highlights, because they didn't. First-round pick Carnell Tate was out there for the stretch period, but he did his work inside, away from cameras. By design, the Titans limited their involvement at the start of their respective NFL careers, as the draft picks focused on conditioning instead of fiercely competing right out of the gate.
-While the draft picks worked inside, everyone else competed after a series of individual, and agility drills.
-Quarterbacks Derek Robertson (Monmouth), Kaidon Salter (Colorado) and Cade McNamara (East Tennessee) took part in Friday's session on a tryout basis. I spent most of my time on the field by Robertson, who completed 11 of 12 passes in the early 7-on-7 period, but he was later picked off twice.
-Receiver Tyren Montgomery from John Carroll arrived as a pretty hyped up undrafted free agent, and he made some plays right out of the gate. Montgomery also had a drop, but there were several drops on Day 1 as these rookies took the field for the first time. Overall, I thought Montgomery made a pretty good first impression.
-I couldn't help but notice head coach Robert Saleh and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll standing side by side on the practice field, and think about how much things have changed since the end of last season.
-Xavier Restrepo was one of five veteran players who took part in the rookie minicamp, which caused me to wonder a bit about his standing on the 90-man roster, even in May. Restrepo used the day to make one play after another against the rookies. Restrepo looks to be leaner and in better shape, and he had a field day on Friday.
-Safety Myles Purchase, a tryout player from Iowa State, picked off a pass in a 7-on-7 drill.
-Delaware safety Mysonne Pollard, a tryout player from Delaware, also had an interception.
-Assistant Head Coach/special teams coordinator John Fassell looked like he was having a ball out there on Friday. Fassell designed one drill that had players on the move, forcing them to show off their agility.
-Cornerback Latrell McCutchin Sr., an undrafted free agent from Houston, had a nice PBU during a 7-on-7 drill.
-I noticed Illinois receiver Hank Beatty, one of the team's undrafted free agents, making a lot of catches on Friday.
-Receiver Jayden Ballard, a tryout player from Wisconsin, scored a touchdown by catching a deep ball.
-I couldn't help by notice Colin Weber, the tryout player from Wisconsin. At 6-foot-4, 258 pounds, he's one of the biggest tight end I've seen out on these practice fields.
-Tate, decked out in No. 14, sure looks the part, even though we didn't see him much.
-Edge Keldric Faulk said he's enjoying getting acclimated to the NFL.
-Linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. was all smiles at the start of his rookie journey, and he was fired up to hear his jersey number (53) was previously worn by a guy he considers a legend, linebacker Keith Bulluck.
-The Titans rookies will be back in the field on Saturday for Day 2 of rookie minicamp.
-Before tomorrow's session, offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, defensive coordinator Gus Bradley and Fassell are scheduled to speak to reporters.
