San Francisco 49ers
Winners: There were many winners in the San Francisco 49ers’ minicamps. To start with, cornerback Darryl Morris took advantage of an injury to rookie Jimmie Ward and the sudden retirement of Eric Wright and took reps with the first team defense in nickel packages. When Morris was on the field he impressed defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and head coach Jim Harbaugh. Look for Morris to earn some snaps this season in either the nickel or dime packages.
Another winner is rookie wide receiver Bruce Ellington. His speed has translated on the field so far and he was seen beating cornerbacks down the sideline time and time again. It’s also been reported that he’s looked really smooth returning kicks, a position the 49ers absolutely need help at. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick said about Ellington, “He’s faster than he looks and can separate.” Having your starting quarterback endorse you is certainly a great way to make the roster as a rookie at a loaded position.
The third winner for the 49ers is another rookie, Carlos Hyde. Hyde has impressed everyone who has seen him play. His hands as a running back and his footwork are well beyond his years. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman said about Hyde, “Since he got here from the draft, really impressed me as a guy that football just makes sense to him. If you could just tell him what to do, and you don’t have to tell him too much. And that’s a beautiful thing in a running back because they have a lot of adjustments to make and protection, et cetera.” That’s high praise from the man calling the plays on offense and will go a long way when the coaching staff is trying to decide which running back sees more playing time in the 49ers’ deep backfield.
Losers: Adam Snyder is a one of the losers of the minicamps because with right tackle Anthony Davis and right guard Alex Boone both missing minicamp, you would think Snyder would get snaps with the first team offense. However, Snyder wasn’t the one filling in. At right tackle was newly acquired Jonathan Martin and at right guard was Joe Looney. Not many people have heard about Looney but the coaching staff loves him. He’s very versatile and extremely talented. What hurts Snyder’s case here is also his salary cap number of $1.3 million. If Looney keeps impressing the coaches, Snyder might be out of a job.
Special teams ace Kassim Osgood didn’t have a good minicamp. Not so much because of his play but because of the play of the other wide receivers on the team. Last season Osgood earned his roster spot with his special teams play, this season he might not be able to get away with that. This season the 49ers are much more loaded at that position and probably won’t be able to keep one more wide receiver on the roster who just plays special teams. Once rosters start getting trimmed down, I expect Osgood is going to be one of the players getting the axe.
Seattle Seahawks
Winners: One winner in the Seattle Seahawks’ minicamps has been rookie wide receiver Paul Richardson. Most people didn’t expect him to be able to contribute right away but from the looks of it they could be wrong. Reports have said that Richardson has been able to get downfield and separate from defenders easily. If he can maintain this through training camp when they put the pads on, Richardson could be a legitimate deep threat for quarterback Russell Wilson.
Young cornerback Tharold Simon has been gaining a lot of buzz and the Seahawks’ minicamps has done nothing to slow that down. He’s been called a Richard Sherman-Brandon Browner hybrid. Simon is big, physical, and smart and shouldn’t have a problem carving out himself a role in the Seahawks’ secondary.
Defensive tackle Jesse Williams has really impressed people so far this off-season. He was drafted in the 2013 draft and, prior to the draft, some people had him getting drafted in the late first round. But because of injuries he slipped dramatically. Head coach Pete Carroll even said he thought Williams was done with football because of the knee problems he’s had. Williams has rehabbed well and cut his weight down to 312 and is finally healthy. If he can stay healthy he has the potential to be quite a force on the inside of that defensive line.
Losers: Bruce Irvin is definitely a loser for this minicamp. After a disappointing 2013 he was going into this off-season with high hopes. However, he injured his hip and will miss the entire off-season. When you're looking for a bounce back season this is not how you want to start your off-season.
It was first reported that veteran running back Marshawn Lynch was going to miss minicamp in an effort to get a new contract. Well, he ended up showing up. But what makes him a loser of this minicamp is young running back Christine Michael. Michael impressed all the coaches with his blazing speed and incredible agility. With Lynch on the bad side of 30 and publicly showing dissatisfaction for this current contract, Lynch could be in line to lose a considerable amount of snaps.
Arizona Cardinals
Winners: Bobby Massie in right in the middle of a heated competition for the open starting spot at right tackle. Right now it is between Massie and Bradley Sowell. Before the Cardinals signed right tackle Eric Winston for the 2013 season, Massie was the starter. The Cardinals didn’t re-sign Winston for this season so the starting spot is open. Massie made some really good impressions during minicamps, including General Manager Steve Keim, who said about Massie, “Both those guys have been battling hard. Bobby actually showed some real strides as we got to the middle of OTAs and our final minicamp. He did a nice job. He’s got all the physical tools.” If you’re Bobby Massie, these are great things to be hearing from your General Manager.
Rookie wide receiver John Brown has caught the eye of a few important people. First of all, Steve Keim, General Manager, described him as, “too good to be true.” Secondly, his head coach Bruce Arians compared him to T.Y. Hilton and Antonio Brown, both being extremely favorable comparisons. Thirdly, his quarterback Carson Palmer has shown him a lot of attention. If Brown was going to be just a practice squad guy or someone who barely made the 53-man roster, Palmer wouldn’t waste his time. But Palmer has, on more than one occasion, taken Brown aside at minicamps to teach him and correct him. Not only does this show that Brown will be a part of the offense, it also builds chemistry with his quarterback.
Losers: Rookie tight end Troy Niklas was having a great minicamp until he broke his hand. Considering he only played tight end for two seasons at Notre Dame, he needs all the practice he can get before the regular season starts. Even missing part of the minicamps can be a major detriment to his chances at starting right away. This injury is all the more untimely because the tight end position is pretty wide open for the Cardinals at this time.
St. Louis Rams
Winners: Kenny Britt has gotten as many chances as an NFL player could ask for. He might be down to his last life in St. Louis though. Since he’s been with the Rams he’s stayed out of trouble and has seemed to turn his life around. On the field he is as good as ever and has clicked with quarterback Sam Bradford. If Britt and Bradford can maintain the chemistry they displayed during minicamps, they could be a very formidable tandem in 2014.
Sam Bradford is absolutely a winner in these minicamps. Regardless of who he has catching passes this year, his minicamps were such a success because he was able to practice in back-to-back days multiple times. Coming off a torn ACL in 2013, this offseason is extremely pivotal and a lot of people didn’t know what to expect from him. With his first chance to show everyone he definitely impressed. Besides his recovery from the ACL injury, he’s also a winner because of the talent he now has around him. General Manager Les Snead and head coach Jeff Fisher have done everything they can to surround him with talent. If he fails with the talent he has this season (the most he’s had since he’s been in the NFL), it will most certainly be the end of the Bradford era in St. Louis.
Losers: Rookie lineman Greg Robinson was widely looked at as a world-beater going into the draft. After minicamps there are some doubts about how the transition to the pros will be for him. He’s admitted already that he’s having problems learning the plays since he’s switched to a new position at left guard. Because he doesn’t know the plays he is slower. It seems like a long time before he’ll have the chance to play against real NFL talent in September, but Week 1 will be here before we know it and Robinson better be ready by then.