DAY 2 OF RIDER ROOKIE CAMP

Rookie QB Noah Picton looking downfield

Some notes from the second and final day of 2015 Saskatchewan Roughriders rookie camp at Mosaic Stadium:

– The sun was shining but the wind was howling on Thursday making the conditions fairly unpleasant for the Rider prospects on the field.  The wind was gusting to 56 km/h.  No one seemed to bother to count the number of hopefuls but let’s peg it somewhere between 26 and 44.  I’ve heard both figures, and everything in between.

– It should be pointed out that there will be NO cuts after the workout and ALL players will be carried over to main training camp in Saskatoon which begins Sunday morning.

– One position we’ll be keenly watching at training camp is at centre, whatwith the off-season departure of veteran Dominic Picard to Winnipeg.  U of S Huskies product #63 Brad Nehring got a lot of work there on Thursday.  The top two players on the main depth chart at that position are veterans Corey Watman and Dan Clark.  Right now it seems to be a wide open competition.

– I didn’t pay too close of attention to Rams product OL #54 Kyle Patterson out of Weyburn but I’ll be sure to zero in on his play in Saskatoon.

– We’d mentioned in prior write-ups that there were two kickers in rookie camp – including the Huskies’ Denton Kolodzinksi – but don’t forget CFL veteran Hugh O’Neill was signed in the off-season and he’s been getting plenty of work in before the rookie camp sessions.  He’s a placekicker by trade, and will provide stiff competition for incumbent Chris Milo.

– Corey Chamblin noted in his post-workout media scrum that a lot of the players on defense look similar, just a jumble of numbers.  However they all possess one eye-popping trait: speed.  Early on, and perhaps even late in the season, this team’s identity will come from its defense.

– Franchise star Darian Durant had no problem with that assessment when he joined us live on the SportsCage Thursday afternoon.  He feels it will be rare to see the Rider defense give up three touchdowns in a game and says that’ll greatly take the pressure off the offense.

– Defenders #91 Brandon Tennant (Laval) and #92 Tim Agbaje (Saskatchewan) were consistently in the quarterbacks’ faces during the team sessions.

– Rookie receiver #86 Devin Wilson (Tennessee State), who was recently signed – had me looking at my roster several times for his name.  He seems taller than the 6’2″ he’s listed at, and seems to be an inviting target.

– So too will be 6’3″ receiver Jamel Richardson – who obviously didn’t participate in the rookie camp – and his injury status is still unknown (at least to us observers).  Durant noted that “J-Rich” will arrive in town this weekend and at that time, we’ll learn whether he’s healthy enough to participate in camp.  At this point, Darian isn’t sure how his leg is.  It kept him out of the Florida minicamp however he participated in one walk-through in Florida.

– Running back #32 – the roster says he’s Kwame Adjei (Mt. Allison) – had me checking my roster as well, ripping off one long run but remember they’re playing touch football out there.

– Outside linebacker #48 Eltoro Freeman (Auburn) is a guy whom you’ll hear a lot of in the next couple weeks.  He won a BCS championship at Auburn and had a cup of coffee with the Baltimore Ravens in 2012 but has been out of football since.  However he plans on replacing Brian Peters – who departed for the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings this winter – and that’s the position formerly patrolled by Craig Butler, Reggie Hunt and George White in the past.  Freeman’s first name translates from Spanish to “The Bull” and he has the attitude to match.  Chamblin said Thursday “there’s something about him” and he could soon find himself at the top of the depth chart.  Freeman had a hamstring problem which limited his effectiveness in the Florida minicamp but the coaches thought enough of him to bring him to Regina.

Veteran QBs Kevin Glenn, Darian Durant and Tino Sunseri look over Picton’s shoulder

– I asked Durant about the competition at the back-up quarterback position.  He said they all get along well, as you can see by the photo.  Who knows who will be the #2 man behind Durant when the season opens?  CFL people tell me to expect Glenn to replace Durant when the situation arises this year but you have to think Sunseri didn’t re-sign here to be #3.  Soon the situation will sort itself out.

– Noah Picton said he felt he had a far better Day 2 than Day 1.  He made some impressive plays, finding Preston Bews underneath while escaping pressure.  It drew a big whoop from the offense and illicited high-fives.

– Quarterback Brett Smith – who spent part of 2014 with the Argonauts – will likely have to really sparkle in Saskatoon to stick with the team as the fourth guy.  He seems to have a penchant for holding onto the ball for an extremely long time.  However when he unleashed the gun on Thursday, right on the numbers of #82, he dropped it.  #82 is Naaman Roosevelt.