Becoming a professional athlete in any sport is difficult, nonetheless becoming just a collegiate athlete. Looking at the NFL, getting drafted or signed doesn’t mean you’ll be around for a while. If you can’t perform and hang with players at the highest level, you won’t last long in the league, no matter how much you produced before getting to the league.
During NFL minicamp this weekend, Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon delivered that message exactly to the rookies at rookie minicamp. With a mix of drafted rookies and those trying to prove themselves on minicamp deals, Gannon didn’t sugarcoat what the transition from college football to the NFL is.
“Gannon said today that he wants his defensive backs to understand that NFL wide receivers and NFL quarterbacks have the kind of talent they didn’t see every Saturday in college, and that means they have to be perfect on every play.” – Michael David Smith, Pro Football Talk
The Cardinals selected three defensive backs in the 2025 NFL Draft: Michigan cornerback Will Johnson, Ohio State cornerback Denzel Burke, and Nevada safety Kitan Crawford. While all of them have performed at the highest level in college football before, Gannon knows that doing that doesn’t mean you’ll have success in the NFL.
Luckily for the rookie cornerbacks, they’ll be tested constantly during training camp this offseason, going up against the Cardinals’ wide receivers. Not only will they have the opportunity to match up with Marvin Harrison Jr., one of the top rookie wide receivers from last season, but guys like Michael Wilson and Zay Jones are good NFL receivers, too. On top of that, they might see some action against Trey McBride, one of the top tight ends in the NFL.
At the end of the day, rookie minicamp is a tryout for most, as after not being drafted, this is their shot to make an NFL roster for the 2025 season.
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