The Texans launched their three-day rookie camp Friday and from an early look here is what jumps out after the first two workouts from Day 1.
DeAndre Hopkins is as good as advertised. He caught everything that was anywhere near him and a few that weren't. He showed he has great hands and can also go deep. He's competitive and thinks anytime the ball is in the air it's his. Hopkins final catch of day one was most likely his best. A one-handed grab with a defender draped all over him up against the sideline. Hopkins came down with the catch and both feet looked to be in bounds.
He did really good," Gary Kubiak said. "As a matter of fact, his last play he made a hell of a catch. Hes doing fine."
Hopkins left the evening session early after tightening up with cramps in his lower leg.
"Its just that adrenaline and the newness of coming out here and flying around gets some guys pretty tired pretty quick," Kubiak added. "I think theyll be fine tomorrow.
D.J. Swearinger is ready to play in the NFL today. He's confident, poised, comfortable anywhere on the field and has a great football I.Q. Swearinger was directing other players where to be in formations and above all was the exciting showman he was the last four years at South Carolina. After breaking up a pass during a routine drill, Swearinger threw his arms repeatedly back and forth across the front of his body as to signal incomplete as he danced back to the sideline. He was everywhere the ball was.
Alan Bonner is put together. Bonner is listed at 5-10, 193 pounds. He looked bigger than that and stronger. he had a strong first day and already being a favorite of Gary Kubiak won't hurt him either.
"Obviously hes not as big, hes 5-10, 195 pounds," Kubiak said immediately following the draft. "He can really run, comes out of a break excellent, big time ball skills, he can return. There will be every chance to help this football team.
At least one of these undrafted running backs are going to make the team. Dennis Johnson out of Arkansas, George Winn from Cincinnati, Ray Graham from Pittsburgh and Cierre Wood out of Notre Dame are all in attendance. Wood looked to be the front runner coming out of the gate after Friday and looked to show a really good burst.
Well, I know one thing; if I was a running back in this environment, Id be pretty excited because weve got two on our team," Kubiak said after the early session. "So somebodys going to have to step up. Obviously, weve got some good kids back there working. What an opportunity for a free agent to be a part of this team.
Orhian Johnson out of Ohio State is a monster at safety. Johnson, 6-3, 215 pounds, wasn't invited to the combine, but crushed his pro day. Johnson ran a 4.5 40-yard dash, had a 38 1/2 inch vertical and jumped 10-10. he's athletic and big, He did have a huge drop on a potential interception late in session two.
We saw two Collin Kleins show up. In the morning Klein was inaccurate and at times erratic. After working out with Jake Plummer to improve his throwing motion, Klein was more than shaky during the indoor workout in the morning. When the sun came out in the afternoon, so did Klein. He threw the ball much better later in the day and showed much more comfort. Kubiak has talked with Plummer about the improvements of Klein's motion and the next few days will be a big audition for him.
Sam Montgomery didn't look outstanding. Montgomery injured his back during the morning session and was forced to sit most of the second half of the workout. He did return to the field for the evening workouts. He appeared slow and not very fluid. That could have been in part because of his back. It will be interesting to see what he can do the rest of the week to turn some heads and how quickly he recovers.
That's crazy.
