NASHVILLE – The Titans rookies took the field for the second day of rookie minicamp on Saturday.
Today's session was open after Friday's practice was closed to media.
Below I'm going to list my initial observations on every draft pick, plus some additional notes.
I'll say this at the top, though – Coach Brian Callahan noted the team's focus in the rookie camp is more on an orientation, with an emphasis on technique and getting acclimated, rather than a competitive session. So, there were no 7-on-7 or team drills today, as it was more individually focused.
Still, there were some things to watch, so I'll drop tidbits below…
QB Cam Ward
-Decked out in No.1, with red cleats and a white towel hanging from his waist, Ward arrived with a presence.
All eyes – and cameras – were on him during the stretch period, and throughout.
He broke the group down after stretch with a "Titans on 3!"
Ward looked smooth throwing the football, rolling to his left and right during the session.
In individual work, quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree threw red, yellow and blue beanbags at Ward's feet as he worked on his footwork before rolling outside of padded dummies on each side of him, and throwing the ball toward a massive net 35 yards away.
Later in practice, Ward connected with several of his rookie receivers, from Chimere Dike to Elic Ayomanor to Xavier Restrepo, his former teammate at Miami.
Ward has a pretty unique release, and he showed off his throwing motion on Saturday, most of his throws of the short to mid-range variety.
Not all of Ward's throws were on the money, but he looked mostly accurate to me, and he was victimized by a few drops.
I liked how Ward and Ayomanor repeated a rep when it wasn't as crisp as it should have been.
Overall, I thought it was a nice start from the first overall pick.
OLB Oluwafemi Oladejo
-Oladejo came out for his first practice on Friday without a shirt on, but he was easy to recognize – the guy is jacked. Check out the team's Instagram story for proof.
But I think I heard "Femi" before I saw him.
Oladejo has a big personality as well, and that was evident right out of the gate.
But that's perfect, because he's wearing the right number (53) if he wants to be known for making plays, and being lively – Keith Bulluck made the number famous during his long and successful career.
Oladejo plays with energy, and from the look of things, he does everything at 100 miles per hour.
S Kevin Winston Jr.
-Winston is still recovering from the ACL injury he suffered last fall.
So, for now he's working in rehab instead of taking part on drills with teammates.
Winston is a big safety.
Decked out in No. 23, he doesn't look anything like Blaine Bishop, who donned the number while playing the position so well back in the day. Winston, however, looks every bit of the 6-2, 213 pounds that he's listed.
WR Chimere Dike
-Dike, decked out in No. 17, looked smooth in individual drills, and running routes.
He caught a number of passes from Ward on Saturday, including one crossing route when he caught the ball and ran right at me.
He looked ... fast.
Dike also caught passes from quarterback Donovan Smith, the former Houston QB who is taking part on a tryout basis.
TE Gunnar Helm
-Helm, the most recent draft pick to sign his contract with the team, is a big target.
Outfitted in No. 84, Helm moved the sled with ease while working with tight ends coach Luke Stocker.
He made a number of catches in individual drills, but also saw one of Ward's passes sail behind him, and deflect off his hands.
WR Elic Ayomanor
-I was probably looking forward to seeing Ayomanor, one of the team's fourth-round picks, as much as anyone.
The 6-foot-2, 206-pounder from Stanford, Ayomanor is an impressive looking athlete, and he has a fun personality as well.
Ayomanor caught the ball well most the day, but he also saw a pass from Ward go off his hands. This incompletion one was on Ayomanor, not Ward.
But Ayomanor later made up for it by catching a bullet from Ward across the middle.
G Jackson Slater
-I managed to get a quick peek at Slater in drills.
I saw a big man (6-3, 311) who moved well while decked out in No. 64.
Slater is getting his first taste of life under veteran coach Bill Callahan, and he appeared to pass the test on the sled.
CB Marcus Harris
-Decked out in No. 26, Harris worked in special teams drills early before individual work with the DBs.
His technique and footwork were good on Saturday, along with his awareness – when a stray football was loose behind some backpedaling DBs, Harris ran over to pick it up, and get it out of the way.
He then joined the backpedaling group himself.
RB Kalel Mullings
Like Winston, Mullings is slowed during the minicamp as he recovers from a core muscle injury which required surgery.
But I saw Mullings, decked out in No.28, and he looked good.
Plus, some additional things I jotted down …
-Undrafted receiver Xavier Restrepo, Ward's college teammate at Miami, was wearing No. 87.
Restrepo, listed at 5-10, 202 pounds, is even thicker than I remember (I first saw him in person a Miami's Pro Day).
But he explodes off the line of scrimmage, and he caught the ball well.
In addition to catching passes, Restrepo also fielded punts.
Something else I noticed: He was quick to jump up in line in drills.
-Former Vanderbilt linebacker Ethan Barr, who played last year at UCF, is among 11 players taking part in rookie minicamp on a tryout basis.
