The pace is fast, faster than they were accustomed to in college. The stakes are higher, of course, now that the players taking part in this weekend's Eagles Rookie Camp – a total of 52 players in all for practices on Friday and Saturday – understand that this is their job now.
"It's all about learning how to be a professional," said cornerback Mac McWilliams, the team's first of three fifth-round draft picks. "Nothing is given to you here. You have to earn everything. I know, for me, after the long NFL Draft process, I can't wait to get on the field."
That is what this weekend, and the weeks to follow, are all about for the youngest Birds. Nobody is offering any quick evaluations and while the physical side of things is certainly top of mind, even more important is the player's ability to absorb reams of information and process it quickly and translate it from the meeting rooms to the practice fields.
This is the fun stuff. This is football stuff. This is a roster chock-full of talent – bursting at the seams, on paper – starting the build. The build toward the start of the 2025 Eagles regular season.
"Gotta take it one day at a time and be a sponge and absorb as much as you possibly can," said quarterback Kyle McCord, a South Jersey native who played his high school football in Philadelphia, a lifelong Eagles fan who admits that the reality of being an Eagle has not totally settled in. "I know that I have a lot to learn and so many things I need to improve that I'm completely focused on the process of just getting better every day. That's the goal."
Eight of the 10 draft picks met the media on Friday and they presented themselves with great maturity and poise, taking 5-10 minutes out of a busy day: After reporting to the NovaCare Complex on Thursday, the rookies had morning meetings and a walkthrough practice and then hit the field for practice in the afternoon, followed by more meetings.
This is all baby steps.
"Do all the right things. Be detailed. Stay in the moment. Learn from everyone I meet," said center/guard Drew Kendall, whose father, Pete, played for 13 seasons in the NFL. "This is all about football, which is a good thing. After so much traveling before the draft and then having the stress of the weekend, settling into football feels great. I think everyone is fully locked in on the task. We have so much to learn. This is only Day 1."
You start by teaching the basics, building a foundation, and then going from there. Not for many weeks and months will the rookies really have a chance to show what they can do, how they can play fully ingrained in the scheme and performing instinctively. Between now and then, it is teaching time. The coaching staff, with some new pieces, gets to work. The players grow. The bond becomes real.
All the while, the veterans are in the building for the early stages of the offseason program, so there is a certain incalculable, incredible, school-is-back-in-session feel in South Philadelphia, and it is amazing. Just a few months after winning Super Bowl LIX, the Eagles are back at it, grinding away, taking one step at a time on the road to victory in 2025.
The rookies are here! The rookies are here! And they're being thrown into the deep end, learning how to navigate the waters of being a Philadelphia Eagle.
