Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid met with the media following the team’s three-day rookie minicamp on Monday afternoon.
(Listen to the full presser above or by clicking here. It is also available on Spotify.)
During the press conference, Reid provided injury updates on rookie wide receiver Skyy Moore and tight end Jody Fortson (more on that here). Reid also took questions, which we have rounded up in four takeaways:
Reid recapped the three-day rookie minicamp to start.
Chiefs rookie minicamp ran from Saturday to Monday.
“It was great,” said the head coach. “It was great getting everybody in here, these young guys in here. (General manager) Brett [Veach] did a nice job of supplying us with two deep for every position at least. We were able to get some good team work in. I think it’s a good foundation for the young guys that are coming back. Not everybody is making the team, obviously, that’s out here, but the ones that are coming back in a week will at least be able to hit the ground running, know the snap count, right? You’re down to the basics. Snap count, how to get into the huddle, what the coverages are, fronts, so it’s good.”
Despite players working through the three practices in shorts, Reid sees value in having the younger players in for their own camp.
“They’re meeting like crazy,” said Reid. “They’re in meetings half the day, so you get an idea of what their retention is, how do they take it from the classroom onto the field. It’s all passes, right? We’re not running the football out there, so you get to see some of their mechanics out there and what they can do at all positions. That’s really it.
“Hard to tell about tackling, which is pretty important. Hard to tell about blocking, run game. How does the defensive line transition from the pass to the run? You can’t see that. How does an offensive linemen run block? You can’t see that right now, so you just take it off the bags for those things.”
Reid discussed the Chiefs’ two first-round picks, cornerback Trent McDuffie and defensive end George Karlaftis.
Reid described McDuffie as both “smart” and “smooth.”
“He moves around well,” he said of the cornerback. “Good hips. Good hands. I like the part about being smart when you’re playing that position. Leverages become important. How you do those. Size, different-sized players — we have some big receivers that we go against. How are you going to take care of that?”
Reid learned that Karlaftis never takes a play — or moment — off.
“He goes 100 miles an hour,” Reid said with a smile. “Walk-throughs, everything. We had to slow him down, but I’ll tell you, it looks like he has a nice feel for the game. We put some fire zones in yesterday, and he moves around well when he’s in space. He’s got good hands it looks like. Again, this is with the little we’re doing. But that motor is probably the thing that jumps out at you. He goes and goes.”
The Chiefs have already had to be careful with the rookie defensive end.
“At a point, you have to think of the other guy, but when you’re going at that tempo, and it’s a walk-through and everybody else is doing a walk-through, then you’re going to get somebody hurt,” said Reid. “And it might be you, so go at the tempo we give you. We’re going to give you plenty of time to go fast. He’ll get that up at training camp. He can go 100 miles an hour and do his thing. Just knowing the tempo of the drill.”
Reid shared some final thoughts about Tyrann Mathieu.
Mathieu recently became a member of his hometown New Orleans Saints.
“Love the kid. He’s great. Great kid. Somebody else will have to step into that and pick their game up. We’re lucky to have him here where guys could see how he rolls and how he leads. I’m happy he has a chance to go home and play like he is here with the Saints.
“They got a good football player and a great person. I know he’ll be missed in the community with the things he did there. Again, other guys have to pick that up and go. Sure loved having him here. Great kid.”
Reid outlines what happens between now — the end of rookie camp — and May 25, the beginning of OTAs.
Voluntary, full-team workouts begin in two weeks.
“Once you hit phase three, that’s when you can go offense versus defense,” said Reid. “For a few more weeks in phase two, it’s offense and defense separate, you can kind of scout yourself up with guys holding bags. Once you get into phase three you can go. We’ll still have meetings and then practice in the afternoon, but you can do offense versus defense.”
