Marcus Lattimore explains one of the challenges rookies face preparing for NFL mini-camp
The newest episode to the podcast series “BLEAV in South Carolina” with me, Marcus Lattimore, and Nick Klos on the BLEAV Network is live.
On this week’s episode we recapped the NFL Draft and what’s next for the eight (as of Wednesday morning) Gamecocks who either signed with teams or were invited to mini-camp.
A fourth round draft pick in 2013 by the San Fransisco 49ers, Lattimore shared how for many players preparing for mini-camp will feel bizarre compared to anything else they’ve experienced before.
“It’s kind of a weird period. You find out where you’re going so you have all of these greats emotions; you’re excited, everyone is texting you, but you’re not leaving yet,” explained Lattimore. “So now you’re in this place where – I think I had about 11 days and those 11 days were spent doing things I probably shouldn’t have been doing but it was just a limbo state. What do I do for the next 11 days of my life? It’s just free time.”
Say your team made a bowl game and the season wraps up at the end of December or beginning of January. You’ve been fully locked into football since August and now you’re about to head into the “longest interview” process of your life as you begin to meet with teams and prepare for Pro Day and maybe the NFL Combine. You’re on the go for eight going on nine straight months of football. Going from having so much structure while playing in college and going through the draft process to being on your own more is an adjustment that comes at players quickly.
“You have the three day rookie mini-camp and then after (that) you have another break. So now you get two weeks off before OTAs. And then OTAs only last three weeks and then it’s like another break, two weeks after that until training camp at the end of July, early August. You really have to be flexible and you have to find time to take care of yourself. In the midst of that you’re receiving your signing bonus.”
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