FOXBOROUGH -- Here are five nuggets/observations from this afternoon's hour-long practice at Patriots rookie minicamp, which was held inside the Dana-Farber Field House and was a padless session:
1) Wilhite makes play of the day. One pre-draft scouting report indicated that fourth-round CB Jonathan Wilhite has "stone hands" while pointing out his low total of three career interceptions. Yet Wilhite didn't fit that profile over the first two sessions today. He made arguably the play of the afternoon practice, running stride for stride with a tryout-receiver in 7-on-7 drills down the left side of the field. He perfectly timed the turn of his head as the ball arrived, tipped the ball away, and caught it while landing on his back. Wilhite looked a bit winded by the end of practice, but that's probably because the cornerbacks seemed to do the most running in the session. He had an INT in each practice today, making a strong first impression.
2) Communication in focus. One of the main teaching points of the practice seemed to be geared toward the linebackers, and how they communicate and react when the offensive formation shifts. Jerod Mayo continued to work on the weakside, with Bo Ruud on the strongside. Shawn Crable and Vince Redd worked on the outside, with Gary Guyton working at both the inside and outside spots at times.
3) O'Connell: Getting a feel for under center. As the lone quarterback in camp, third-round pick Kevin O'Connell took all the throws. Earlier in the day, he explained that he spent a lot of time in the shotgun at San Diego State, so spending more time under center was an adjustment that he continued to feel better about as practice progressed. On the plus side, it's easy to see that O'Connell has the arm strength to make on-time throws toward the sideline. On the other side of the ledger, his accuracy was a bit sporadic.
4) TE Stupar makes diving grab, and snaps to it. Tight end Jonathan Stupar, who signed as a rookie free agent, made a nice diving grab over the middle early in practice. Then, when special teams coach Brad Seely called on the punt team, Stupar was long snapping. While Stupar remains a longer shot to earn a roster spot, such versatility should at least help his cause.
5) Scouts in the house. The sidelines were a bit more crowded than normal, as members of the team's scouting staff watched both practices. In some ways, it is probably a rewarding time for the scouts, as they bounced around from campus to campus over the last year, and they now finally get to see the players working with their team's coaches. The linkage between the scouts and coaches also helps when the scouts head back on the road for early preparations for the 2009 draft.
