Takeaways From Seahawks Second Rookie Minicamp Practice
RENTON, Wash. - Championships aren’t won in early May non-padded practices, but for second-year head coach Mike Macdonald and the Seattle Seahawks, their annual two-day rookie minicamp featuring 11 draft picks among 72 players provided another positive stepping stone for the organization to build off of as they head towards the start of OTAs and eventual report day for training camp.
“It was a great camp,” Macdonald said in his opening statement after Saturday’s session. “Really excited about the draft picks, undrafted guys. We got a lot of work to do, but this is a really important first step in these guys' understanding how we operate here, how we practice, the initial schemes they'll be learning, and in that matter I think it was really successful. Excited to get them back next week.”
With minicamp wrapping up on Saturday afternoon, here are six takeaways coming out of the second session at the VMAC:
Virtual reality has arrived at the VMAC and quarterbacks won’t be the only ones benefiting.
While some may argue the NFL has been late to the party compared to other professional sports leagues, teams such as the Seahawks have gone full tilt embracing new technologies as aids to traditional coaching methods, especially with the latest CBA putting restrictions on practice time during the offseason. With those limitations instituted as a means for player safety, it can be challenging for incoming rookies to get enough reps once veterans return for OTAs.But as other teams have started to do recently, including the Commanders with eventual Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels last season, virtual reality headsets have helped to fill that gap to an extent, providing an intriguing alternative to real on-field work. While Macdonald said the Seahawks currently find themselves in the “exploratory stage” with this relatively new technology, after seeing how Daniels, Hall of Famer Tom Brady, and others have been helped over the past several years by VR simulation programs, he already has talked to Milroe about diving in headfirst with the aim of accelerating his growth even when Sam Darnold and Drew Lock take a lot of his on-field snaps starting next week.“For Jalen and other quarterbacks specifically, you're only going to get so many full reps out there,” Macdonald explained. “How do you change tempos? How do you do things like that where you can be creative, where you can get these really great cheap reps and you can stack those on top of each other so when he does get his opportunities in practice, you can make the most of them. Seems like it's all positive all the way around.”With teams just scratching the surface when it comes to utilizing virtual reality in pro sports, Macdonald hopes the technology won’t just be beneficial for quarterbacks either. As the coaching staff continues to explore ways it can be used as a learning tool, he believes there will be numerous other applications that can be implemented for different position groups to supplement what happens on the practice field.“We're in the beginning stages of that project. But that's the intent right now is to kind of go down that road and see how it can help all of our quarterbacks and even other positions too. I mean running back protections, punt protection, there is no end in sight with the possibilities, so that's exciting.”
A pair of returning players earn valuable reps at new - or relatively new - positions.
Though the minicamp carried the “rookie” title, NFL rules do allow for players who didn’t accrue an season in 2024 to participate in the two practices, which allowed the Seahawks to bring outside linebacker Jamie Sheriff and quarterback-turned-receiver John Rhys Plumlee onto the field as part of their 72-player camp roster. Both players spent time on the team’s practice squad last year, with Sheriff starring in the preseason before being waived in final cuts and eventually coming back after a brief stint with the Panthers.According to Macdonald, Seattle wanted to provide Sheriff a chance to get some extra snaps on the practice field as the team explores a potential positional change for him to add flexibility to his resume, while Plumlee remains somewhat raw as a receiver and needs all of the additional reps running routes that he can get. With each player being eligible to participate after dressing for only a handful of games as rookies, it wouldn’t have made any sense for them not to be in uniform this weekend to take advantage.“We're looking at moving his [Sheriff’s] position to off the ball ‘backer and SAM for some more position flexibility, so something he hasn't really had a lot of reps doing,” Macdonald stated. “Felt like it was a great opportunity for him to see those more live and in color before we got to OTAs. And, Plumlee, just the same. Just more reps at receiver. Just kind of be a part of it and felt like that as of great opportunity for him.”As mentioned with Woodard, the Seahawks don’t have a ton of depth at off ball linebacker right now, which explains why Sheriff may get a look on that front. With that said, he weighed in at 254 pounds in training camp last year, so it may be a difficult transition for him with no prior experience at the position. As for Plumlee, he did play some running back and receiver in college, so he has more of a baseline at this stage, but there’s obvious room for development after mostly playing quarterback at Ole Miss and UCF.
The UNLV connection of Ricky White III and Jackson Woodard enjoys a strong weekend.
Only a few short years ago, the Runnin’ Rebels were anything but a contender in the Mountain West conference or a top-25 caliber program. Instead, they went winless in 2020 and only won seven combined games over the next two seasons, continuing to be a bottom feeder at the FBS level.But White and Woodard proved to be instrumental in helping orchestrate a remarkable turnaround in Las Vegas over the past two seasons, including leading UNLV to a school record 11 wins and a bowl game victory in 2024. White eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards for a second straight year, scoring 11 touchdowns and blocking four punts, while Woodard racked up over 130 tackles with four interceptions.Reunited in Seattle with White being selected in the seventh round and Woodard signing as a priority undrafted free agent, both players stood out during the two-day minicamp as they kick off their quest to make the roster this summer. White snagged several catches from Milroe, including a juggling reception on Friday on a deep corner route, while Woodard followed up recording a pick six off a tipped pass in the first practice by once again getting his hands on a pass deflection in Saturday’s session.“It’s crazy how god works in mysterious ways,” White said. “I give him all the glory for being able to be here with my former teammate, feeding off each other’s energy, seeing him make plays today and yesterday. It’s a great feeling.”Along with being experienced running routes from the slot as well as the X position, White’s versatility as a punt blocking maestro and ascending punt returner should help his cause vying for playing time in a retooled receiving corps over the next several months. Meanwhile, with the Seahawks not drafting any off-ball linebackers last month, Woodard will be right in the mix competing against returning reserves Drake Thomas, Patrick O’Connell, and Josh Ross.
Natural athleticism, instincts apparent in Nick Emmanwori’s introduction to Macdonald’s scheme.
Without the opportunity to hit opponents or aggressively play the football, non-padded minicamps can be difficult for evaluating defensive backs, especially ones who have a rare combo of size and ball skills such as the 6-3, 220-pound Emmanwori. He didn’t make any noteworthy plays over the two days of practice, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t stand out to his new coach.On Friday, Macdonald could be seen taking Emmanwori off to the side to discuss alterations in alignment, and the second-round pick out of South Carolina quickly began relaying what he learned to other teammates. In the final session on Saturday, there were several plays in 7-on-7 where Milroe hoped to throw the football to a receiver or tight end out of the slot, only for the long, uber-athletic defender to quickly take that option away with sticky coverage.“You see the movement skills. You see all the things you saw on tape,” Macdonald said of his initial thoughts on what he saw from Emmanwori. “Different language for him, but he's got great intent. I think he wants to be great, which is a fun characteristic to work with.”Once veterans return next week, Emmanwori will be thrust into a competitive secondary that already features two quality starting safeties in Julian Love and Coby Bryant, so his learning curve will be sped up as the Seahawks begin to throw more information at him, especially considering he will be asked to play both safety spots as well as big nickel in the slot and in the box. But Macdonald can’t wait for that process to unfold, seeing a prime opportunity to mold a golden ball of clay into a dynamic playmaker who can shine at all three levels.“Now we got to go. We got to detail it up. We got to get our angles right. There is a lot of fundamentals that we'll be working on when he comes back. It's going to be fun to work with him.”
Robbie Ouzts adjusting to a whole new world as he acclimates to fullback in Seahawks’ offense.
Built like a mini tank at 274 pounds, nobody watching Ouzts run around in a No. 40 jersey the past two days would have batted an eye seeing him come out of the backfield as a fullback. At least from traditional standards, in an era where few true fullbacks exist in the NFL anymore, he absolutely looks the part, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be a learning curve either.Though Ouzts told reporters after being drafted by the Seahawks that he had seen a little bit of action as an H-back at Alabama, he acknowledged after Saturday’s session that doing drill work with running backs was a “different world” for him after playing tight end in college. Thankfully, running back coach Kennedy Polamalu has taken the rookie under his wing the past two days, helping him begin to understand the different angles and approach he will have to take as a lead blocker out of the backfield instead of being inline flanking a tackle.“Coach Polamalu has been very fundamental in helping me kind of look at the play in a different perspective,” Ouzts said. “So really, just seeing what the running back is seeing and learning that he's going to trust me, and it's up to me to give him a little window of movement.”On the positive side, Ouzts has already taken notice of how often a fullback may be utilized in the passing game in Klint Kubiak’s offense, and though he wasn’t a high volume target for the Crimson Tide, he did make some plays as a pass catcher in his final collegiate season. He turned eight receptions in 2024 into 108 yards, north of 13 yards per catch, while snagging a pair of touchdown receptions, and that prior experience has made running routes out of the backfield and turning upfield after the reception a more natural transition for him.“It definitely helps being more of a natural tracking the ball, getting upfield and lowering my shoulder because that can be foreign to a lot of fullbacks.”
Jalen Milroe’s attention to detail already starting to show up as he refines mechanics.
Milroe didn’t get as many reps in 11-on-11 on Saturday, as the Seahawks spent more time in “skeleton” 7-on-7 drills than the day before and he did throw a pick to tryout safety Tanner Volk in one of those periods, but he continued to steer a well-operated ship for a rookie minicamp session and his teammates once again followed suit in a practice that was pretty darn clean without any botched snaps.As the former Alabama star indicated after Friday’s session, he has been working tediously in recent months with his personal quarterback coach Jordan Palmer to shore up his mechanics, specifically citing his focus on improving the “lower half” with his footwork and throwing base. Even from Friday to Saturday, growth was noticeable on the field, as he did a better job of not throwing with too narrow of a base and driving off his back foot, allowing him to go through passing drills with just two incompletions, one which came in the form of a blatant drop.After watching Milroe struggle at times at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Macdonald has been pleased with what he has seen from the athletic signal caller so far, demonstrating a spirit about him that wouldn’t be captured from watching film and rubbed off positively on his teammates during the minicamp.“He's got great competitive energy about trying to get it right,” Macdonald explained. “Great command of the huddle, really takes pride in the operation and then all these fundamental things that we're going to be building on from the ground up. He's just got a great attitude about it. The coaches are doing a great job coaching him every play, and it goes for all our guys, but him especially. If you have that attitude, especially at the quarterback position, everybody else tends to fall line, and in that regard, it was really fun to be around.”
