The Kansas City Chiefs welcomed a host of rookies and first-year players for their rookie minicamp earlier this month. From first-round draft picks to rookie minicamp tryouts to undrafted free agents, a number of players got out on the field for the first time in an NFL uniform.
One of the Chiefs’ initial undrafted free agent signings, former South Dakota LB Jack Cochrane, got his first taste of the NFL. Cochrane recently joined YotesCast host John Thayer to talk about his NFL draft experience, rookie minicamp and more.
While it’s a little jarring coming into the NFL from South Dakota, Cochrane found a silver lining that helped him stay focused while he was a rookie minicamp.
“I’m a very goal-driven dude,” Cochrane told Thayer. “As soon as I got there it was work mode. I was doing everything that I can to compete and produce well on the field. Yeah, it’s bigger facilities with nicer bells and whistles, but the cool thing about the game, no matter what level you’re at it’s still the same game. It’s 11-on-11, wherever you’re at, you put the pads on and it’s the same thing you’ve been doing since you were a little kid.”
Cochrane reports that he felt he had a good outing at rookie minicamp. He was able to show the coaching staff his prowess in the classroom, but also on the practice field too. On the first day of practice, he recorded an interception in 7-on-7 drills.
“It was good,” Cochrane said. “It was a whirlwind, learning a lot in a few days. It’s not going to be perfect, but I really enjoyed getting to be around my teammates and getting to know everything. I also think I did some good things on the field as well. Definitely a good place to start from. I’m excited to continue to take the next step and develop my relationship with coaches and teammates and earn their trust and continue to do whatever the organization asks of me.”
The next step for Cochrane is the integration of veterans with OTAs on the horizon. The rookie says he won’t be starstruck by meeting any of the players that he’s watched in the NFL on Sunday, but instead, he’ll be eager to learn as much as he possibly can.
“I see it as an awesome opportunity to learn,” Cochrane said. “These are some of the best football players in the world on (the Chiefs) and I’m trying to become one of them myself. So, (I’m) just taking everything I can learn from them, whatever their position may be. I just think it’s a great opportunity for me.”
Like most undrafted free agents, Cochrane knows that his best route to making the team and earning playing time is to play special teams. It was something he prided himself on in college with the Coyotes, and something he’ll look to be a part of in Kansas City as well.
“That’s a huge thing,” Cochrane said. “Anyone in the league will tell you, as a rookie, especially a linebacker, if you’re not valuable on special teams, your value greatly decreases. We got a little taste of that in rookie minicamp. I really, really enjoy the special teams staff and learning from them the past weekend. Definitely, that’ll be a big part of the next step for me.”
The Chiefs kick off Phase 3 and OTAs in late May, which will be the next part of the process for Cochrane.
