Redskins rookies learn the ropes

The Redskins continued their rookie minicamp on Saturday morning.

All eight 2014 draft picks, 10 signed college free agents and 38 players invited as tryouts – with five returning players from last season – took to the field for the second day in a row.

That came after a Friday with classroom meetings and physicals on Thursday. It’s a lot to take in during a short amount of time. But these young players want to be ready when OTAs begin later this month.

“It’s the speed of things – how fast we’re installing and making that transition out on the field,” said Redskins guard Spencer Long, the team’s third-round draft pick. “It’ s just been learning and immediately you gotta go out and put it out on the field without making any mental mistakes. They’re cramming stuff in as much as we can to make that transition from the meeting room to the field easier for us.”

Virginia offensive lineman Morgan Moses, another third-round pick, was headed to Charlottesville immediately after practice for graduation on Sunday. In several drills he went up against second-round pick Trent Murphy, the Stanford linebacker. But there’s also only so much these players can take in. The week helps get them all acclimated to the organization, the facilities.

“It’s kind of the ancient Chinese secret – there is no secret really,” Murphy said. “Just going back to some fundamental things and some fundamental pass rush angles and get off and things like that. It’s great to kind of get back to basics.”

Baylor running back Lache Seastrunk had some help with friend and fellow Baylor Bears player Robert Griffin III helping him go over the playbook this week. There will be plenty of time for the explosive Seastrunk to work on his pass-catching skills – the coaches are confident he can do that despite few targets out of the backfield at Baylor – and his pass blocking. This weekend is far from what he’ll see during training camp. But it’s a start.

“It makes the chemistry a whole lot easier just because you got somebody you grew up with, we can play off each other,” Seastrunk said. “I would never let nobody hit my mom so it’s the same rules apply to RG.”

Long, a right guard who was selected 78th overall in last week’s draft, tore the MCL and PCL ligaments in his left knee playing at Nebraska last season. But, while wearing a brace on the knee, he also said there are few lingering issues and that he was ready to take the field this weekend.

“Ever since early-to-mid March I was training really hard, trying to get right for my Pro day,” Long said. “But you can never really get used to football speed. This is football. It’s totally different workouts. It does take a little while to get used to, but I’m feeling good now.”