Commanders Rookie Camp Notebook: Winners Feature 2 Draft Picks, 1 Tryout WR

After the scouting and the NFL Draft picking comes the workouts and practices, and at Washington Commanders rookie minicamp there were three clear winners with one tryout player shining brightest.

ASHBURN, Va. -- The Washington Commanders welcomed rookies and tryout players to the facility on Thursday to start their annual minicamp for those and other members of the roster with less than one year of accrued time in the NFL. 

Thursday was just meetings, however, and Friday was the first opportunity for players and coaches to put their talents on display in front of Commanders fans and media alike. 

"First opportunity to see them in a football environment, on the field," coach Ron Rivera said about the anticipation of rookie minicamp. "I'm looking forward to that this afternoon...We really wanna watch how they react to what they're seeing, how their retention is, and then just some guys making plays in terms of some of the receivers, some of the defensive backs. We wanna see some quickness as far as some of the defensive players."

If that's what Rivera wanted to see, he's going to be mostly happy with the tape he gets after his rookies' first NFL practice, and here are three standouts from the day. 

CB EMMANUEL FORBES

It's not required for a first-round pick in the NFL Draft to show up big in his first practice, but it's nice when they do. 

The first thing that stood out from Forbes' day was the fact that he got extensive work in the slot. 

After playing just about every collegiate snap on the outside, this wasn't something we anticipated seeing, but it was a nice surprise as Forbes not only looked comfortable sticking with slot receivers but also came up with an interception that showed off his trademark football IQ and anticipatory skills. 

His production in getting takeaways at Mississippi State was a big reason we attributed Washington spending the No. 16 pick on Forbes, and his first day on the job only supported that investment. 

DE KJ HENRY

It's hard sometimes to really pick out winners from trench play in these phases of the offseason, but that didn't stop Henry from standing out.

First of all, he plays much bigger than his listed size which had plenty of analysts calling him undersized.

Secondly, when those analysts knocked him for size they praised him for speed, and he showed all of that in his first practice.

"Coming out here I was just kind of reminding myself to play fast," Henry said following the practice. "First day you're going to mess up on some things, you're going to do some things right, but give yourself a little bit of grace...but also work to correct it...when it comes to that I definitely feel like I did that."

WR JADAKIS BONDS

An undrafted tryout invite from Hampton University, receiver Jadakis Bonds made several plays during the two-hour practice session and really emerged as a darkhorse candidate to become an offseason favorite. 

"It's just good to get an opportunity to come out here and showcase our talent," Bonds said after the practice. "Especially coming from where we're coming from, it was just a good opportunity to put on for Hampton University."

Bonds played in 40 games for Hampton in the Big South Conference at the Division I level and caught a total of 180 passes accruing 2,731 yards and 34 touchdowns. 

The tryout invite certainly showed up for his school and did well for himself in the process.

If he impressed Washington as much as he did those in attendance, then we'll get another look at him, Forbes, and Henry - with veterans present - at the end of this month with the team's first offseason training activity (OTA) set to begin on May 23rd.

Find David Harrison on the Locked On Commanders podcast or text him directly at (202) 760-2188.

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