WATCH: Cameron Heyward, Thomas Davis, Devon Kennard share hilarious 'welcome to the NFL' moments
Taking over the set of NFL Network, veterans Cameron Heyward, Thomas Davis and Devon Kennard shared their “Welcome to the NFL” moments from their rookie seasons.
Heyward, a 12-year vet for the Pittsburgh Steelers, started things off by describing his moment, which came in a blowout loss to the Baltimore Ravens in game one of his rookie season.
“We get out there, they smoked us,” the former Ohio State star recounted. “They laid the law down. Like Haloti Ngata clotheslined Rashard Mendenhall. There were a lot of hits by that Baltimore Ravens defense that made me say, ‘Oh man, I got to get my game together because this is a different brand of football.'”
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Former Panthers first-rounder Thomas Davis Sr. had a similar “Welcome to the NFL” moment. The three-time Pro Bowler started his first game as a rookie but struggled and ended up riding the bench for the rest of the season. Davis played 12 more seasons for Carolina before moving to the Chargers and then the Washington Football Team.
Reality hit Devon Kennard when he went up against legendary quarterback Tom Brady in his rookie season. The quarterback calling out his plan in coverage quickly dashed his illusions about how easy the transition would be from college ball to the big leagues.
Cameron Heyward has a unique opportunity this season to welcome his brother, Connor Heyward, to the NFL and to the Steelers. The Steelers drafted Connor with the 208th overall pick in the sixth round, uniting the brothers on an NFL roster. Heyward said ahead of the pick that if they were united on the Steelers’ roster, “all hell would break loose.” The younger Heyward spent five seasons with Michigan State Spartans, making a transition to tight end in 2021.