Gannon, Cardinals Welcome Rookies to Minicamp

The Arizona Cardinals welcomed their rookies to the practice field for the first time.

May 10, 2024; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon talks to wide receiver / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

TEMPE -- Life is pretty sweet for the Arizona Cardinals as rookie minicamp begins.

Well - maybe not too sweet.

"That's not winning behavior," Jonathan Gannon said when asked if he wanted a donut - which were brought to the press room before the day started.

While carbs may not be in Gannon's wheelhouse, acclimating his crop of rookies to the next stage of their career is. May 10 marked the first of three days the Cardinals will have with their rookies alone before voluntary workouts - mixed with veterans - takes place later this month.

"A lot of good energy in the building. Had a good week with the vets closing on phase two here next week, but rookies got here yesterday. Started meetings, we're on the practice field today and tomorrow, excited. A lot of energy in the building," said Gannon.

A total of 16 players were spotted on the practice field in Tempe, 12 of which were part of Arizona's historically big draft class after the Cardinals walked out of the 2024 NFL Draft with the most amount of picks since 1992.

It'd be hard to miss No. 4 overall pick Marvin Harrison Jr., full pads or not.

Just two big dogs 🐶 pic.twitter.com/XYgtYSu3H1

— Donnie Druin (@DonnieDruin) May 10, 2024

"Marvin, he's doing great. He's gonna come in here and go to work with his head down and carve out his role with our team and with the offense. That's what we expect all of our guys to do," Gannon said of Harrison.

It can be an intimidating time for rookies, though Gannon says his wide-eyed troops haven't blinked.

"If they were nervous, they didn't show it. We got a bunch of serious people. I was actually - you get one chance to make a first impression. And a lot of these guys I know, but the amount of detail and the questions that these guys were answering day one was impressive," said Gannon.

"They're gonna make some mistakes, but they're here for a reason too. They were picked by us because of who they are as people and how they go about their business. Honestly, I'm not super concerned about how they act and what they do and how they learn and how they practice and the type of teammate that they're going to be. There will be some mistakes that we'll have to correct, but I think they're going to hit the ground running."

The next stage of the offseason has begun in Arizona, and if the Cardinals can shine much like the sun did today on their freshest crop of talent, the train will keep moving in the right direction.