Monday Morning Sentimonies: Rookie Camp

Football starts this week!!!!

Rookie camp opens on Wednesday and while odds are that most of those players will not actually make it onto the Mosaic turf, it’s still exciting. It’s a new Rider season and in the words of Michael Scott “No question about it. I am ready to get hurt again.” 

So lets take a look at some of the names to keep an eye on as rookie camp opens:

QB – Really the only thing to watch here is if Jack Coan can take another step forward or if Michael Hiers can overtake him. Baring something unexpected our QB depth chart is set and Coan and Hiers are competing for a practice roster spot. O’Day has always been high on Coan so I will be watching to see how big of a step he can take forward in year 2.

RB - Another veteran group that will be hard for a newcomer to crack. Ouelette will be the starter. Hudon the primary backup. Laborn has CFL experience. That leaves Trent Pennix and Mario Anderson needing to make a big impression to make the roster. Realistically I think Anderson has the better chance but dammit if I don’t want to see what a man of Pennix’s size can do. He’s 6’2, 234. Mostly I would like the opportunity to brag about the size of our Pennix.

OL – We brought in a ton of American OL. With Hardrick and Tate penciled in as starters, Brammer as dept and a chance Reid returns it may all be for nothing. But as last year proved, you can never have too many OL.  From a size perspective the 6’8 315 mountain of a man that is Julius Buelow stands out though his college experience is mostly at guard. Jamir Ross-Johnson was a free agent signing of the Packers and has played two seasons in the UFL so he is the most experienced guy.

DL – D-end is the place to watch here. Other than maybe Saad, I don’t see a newcomer cracking the tackle position with Rose, Micah, Dabire and Sanders. We do need depth at end though. I think there is more to Justin Jefferson than just the same name as one of the biggest stars in the NFL. I also am interested to see what Jordan Smith can do as a former 4^th round NFL pick.

LB – While I assume some of our new DB recruits will end up auditioning as cover LB, we only really have one true rookie LB at this point, Braxton Hill and even he spent time on the practice roster last season.

DB – If I am looking to make this team I think CB is one of the best chances. Like most spots, our starters are set but we need depth. Eddie Heckard is a guy I will be watching here. Solid college career that ended at BYU. He got an invite to Broncos mini-camp in 2024. At 5’10 he does not have the height the NFL wants but his skillset could translate well to the CFL game.

Special Teams – The surprise retirement of Adam Kosak leaves us with a riveting punter competition in camp. I mean I’m sure probably anything you can imagine is more riveting than two foreigners kicking a ball really high but its an important battle nonetheless. After 2 seasons of Korsak’s fantastic directional punting I am just hoping we don’t regress back to booming them straight down the middle and cheering punt singles.