The Redskins Blog

Rookies Roadmap for Redskins Park

For the dozen Redskins draft picks, it will be like the first day of school all over again.

In the words of Billy Madison: “I got my lunch packed up, my boots tied tight, I hope I don’t get in a fight. Ohh back to school, back to school, back to school. Well, here goes nothin’.”

The rookies have yet to be signed by the team, but with the labor dispute resolved, they should be one of the first priorities of the new NFL year.

The rookies are: Ryan Kerrigan (Purdue, DE), Jarvis Jenkins (Clemson, DT), Leonhard Hankerson (Miami, WR), Roy Helu (Nebraska, RB), Dejon Gomes (Nebraska, S), Niles Paul (Nebraska, WR), Evan Royster (Penn State, RB), Aldrick Robinson (SMU, WR), Brandyn Thompson (Boise State, CB), Maurice Hurt (Florida, OT), Markus White (Florida State, DE) and Chris Neild (West Virginia, DT).

This won’t be a big-man-on-campus-stroll at their alma mater, but rather a swift walk-with-a-purpose through these doors:

The competition is bigger, faster and stronger than the Mountain West Conference that Boise State’s Brandyn Thompson comes from, so the rookies should be looking to take advantage of this room:

Nebraska is rolling deep in this rookie class with Helu, Gomes and Paul vying for roster spots. It should help having teammates to rally each other through training camp and having that support system at Redskins Park.

The Redskins first-round pick, Kerrigan, will be looking at the football field from a new position as he moves from the defensive line to the linebacker core. He will be getting that first-hand experience as an outside linebacker out behind Redskins Park on these fields:

With the wide receiver position unsettled, Hankerson will look to continue the U’s streak of impressive receivers and learn the offense:

It’s a unique time to be around the NFL, and the rookies have their own vantage point of the NFL.  Rookies will be exposed to three of the most important things as soon as they walk in the door:

Welcome home to the newest members of the Burgundy and Gold