As odd as it sounds, rookie minicamp is perhaps the most important part of the offseason for NFL hopefuls, and Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid knows it.

Stating that it is up to the players to “catch our eye” as the franchise goes through the early phases of rookie minicamp, it can be a big deal for players to come in and learn a new playbook and then implement that on the field.

Of course, it is all structured, but players need to make the most of their opportunities.

And when it comes to fourth-round pick Jalen Royals, Reid has already seen the good news flashes.

“Well, you can see his talent for sure,” Reid said. “He did a couple good things yesterday, we’ll just see how he does today, we load them up again and they actually have a walk-through, so it’s very much like training camp. They have a walk-through and then they have the practice in the afternoon, so sometimes the second day can be a nice challenge for them with the overload part of it.”

With Reid and his offensive staff giving the rookies everything they can handle when it comes to installs, Royals and his fellow teammates will be having quite the mental exercise over the coming days.

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But that is part of being in the NFL, and if players want to make the roster or practice squad, then this is the time when they must show they can handle what is considered the “easiest” part of the offseason.

Royals appears to be traveling along nicely, but doing it for one day is fine, backing it up day after day, that is the real challenge.

And it is something Reid will be watching intently.