Ron Rivera Presser: Cole Holcomb will get a shot at MLB, but we need more veteran LBs on the depth chart

Ron Rivera and players speak to the media at rookie mini-camp

Rookies:

“Well, there was a lot of good things. I mean we were real positive, got an opportunity to watch the guys really go through their early paces. There’s a couple things that really stood out that was really impressive. You know, we got an opportunity to just watch the whole group. [WR] Jahan [Dotson] looks as solid as advertised. We were real pleased to see what we saw from him. I thought he moved around really well. [DT Phidarian Mathis] Phil looked solid, big stout guy on the inside. That was really good. We saw [RB] [Brian] Robinson run the ball, a big physical body. When you see him out here it’s impressive. It really is. He moves well for a big guy. He’s got good lateral quickness, good footwork. That was really good to see. [S] Percy [Butler] looked fast, big, long and can move. That was really good. I’m trying to remember all of our picks. [QB] Sam [Howell] threw the ball very well. He’s got good footwork and a strong arm. That was very evident. [TE Cole Turner], when you see him out here moving, he he’s a big body, moves well and presents a good target. Like we talked about, he’s a guy that’s gonna help us. Then [G] Chris [Paul] looked good. He’s a big physical guy, good size body. [CB] Christian [Holmes] looked good. For a big guy you look at him, you’re gonna think this guy’s a safety, but he moves well for a corner. He’s got some things to learn obviously, but he’s a big body, so we are pleased for the most part. And then some of the UDFAs that we signed, we thought moved around well. It’s an exciting group. It’s still early and it is the underwear Olympics, so we just try to temper all that.”

Sam Howell:

“I think he’ll be okay. I really do. I think he and [QB] Cole Kelley, the other quarterback we brought in are two guys that we did pay a lot of attention to. Both guys are really football smart, football savvy guys. And I don’t think either one of ‘em is gonna have a huge learning curve. But I think they’re young guys that aren’t gonna have any timeframe where they have to hurry to get anything done. We feel just good about who they are.”

Jahan Dotson:

Teamwork:

Cole Holcomb:

Cole Turner:

Brian Robinson Jr.:

Washington’s offense:

Deionte Knight:

“Well, one of the things about him is his athleticism and it’s something we wanted to see just how it translates to our game. He was a little bit of a long shot, but bringing a guy in, it doesn’t cost anything to take a look at him and just kind of see where he is and if there is a possibility for him to fit. But, the biggest thing that they really talked about was his athleticism and his athletic ability.”

Chris Paul:

“He seems to be pretty easy going for the most part. And so there seems to not be many issues about fit. He’s a stout, physical guy and just from watching him do the drills this morning with [Offensive Line] Coach [John Matsko], I think he’s a guy that’s got an opportunity to help us.”

Jamin Davis:

“Well, based on what I’ve seen as far as the way he’s practiced during the OTA periods, he’s looking good, he’s moving fast. We’re doing a lot of walkthrough stuff right now, a lot of formation recognition and adjustment and listening to him communicate and talk out there has been good. Again, right now all we’re really looking for is that we’re going in the right direction and that’s probably been one of the biggest pluses right now.”

Late round picks:

“First of all, it was athleticism more so than anything else. That’s when you look at Chris, Paul, you look at Christian and you see guys that are athletic to begin with. For a big guy, Chris Paul moves very well, very exciting. When you look at Christian, you sit there and think to yourself, ‘Man, he’s built like a safety. I mean, you guys see him out here moving around, but he’s a guy that can run. He’s got a quick twitch, he’s a physical guy. I also think that in both cases, those guys were smart football players. They really were. They understood the game, and they knew how to do things. I think looking at these guys, they both know the game just based on what you’ve seen, and they are athletic. So, that gives you some hope that these guys have a chance and they’ll be there to help us.”

Jahan Dotson

PSU graduation:

Developing his game:

Phidarian Mathis

Cole Turner

Coordination:

Wide receiver background:

Madden: