GREEN BAY – In a change from prior years, not one of the players the Packers drafted came to Green Bay on a pre-draft visit.
So upon their arrival for rookie minicamp, entering historic Lambeau Field and the team's digs felt truly like walking into a whole new world.
"Dang … it's just kind of a surreal moment," was fifth-round offensive lineman Jager Burton's first thought, adding that he's eager to walk down the tunnel from the locker room to see the actual playing field for the first time.
"We were talking about it yesterday actually, how crazy it is to play for as prestigious of an organization as this is. It almost feels like Green Bay created football in a way."
Burton wasn't the only one to use the word "surreal." Sixth-round cornerback Domani Jackson did, too, saying he was "like a kid at a candy store" with "eyes wide."
Meanwhile fourth-round defensive lineman Dani Dennis-Sutton said he could "feel the tradition" within the building, and in a fun but formal fashion, he actually introduced himself to every member of the media who surrounded his locker before answering questions.
All told, it's been an emotional couple of days for all the draft picks and undrafted rookies as they slipped on an NFL jersey for the first time.
"Kind of gave me chills," second-round corner Brandon Cisse said Friday after the first of two minicamp practices. "Just somewhere different. It's like hey, a new starting point, and the facility is amazing, so couldn't ask for anywhere better to be."
Added third-round defensive lineman Chris McClellan: "I'm excited, man. Every day I'm blessed to wake up and be in the NFL. It's been my lifelong dream. Waking up and coming to work today, the first day, was just like crazy."
McClellan, Dennis-Sutton and sixth-round kicker Trey Smack also referenced Green Bay feeling like the college towns from which they came.
But all that took a back seat when a long series of introductory meetings and playbook orientations began.
"You work your whole life to get to this position, and you've got to celebrate it, but obviously you've got to snap out of it and realize I want to stay here," Burton said. "You gotta come to work every day. It's a business."
That it is, and while the on-field drills are done at jog-through speed, the meetings are more of a required force-feeding of information to get them started.
Head Coach Matt LaFleur called it an "onboarding process" that he hopes will relieve their natural anxiety when they return week after next to join all the veterans during Phase 2 of the offseason program.
"These guys don't even know how to practice yet," LaFleur said. "They're learning the playbook. There's a lot going on. They're drinking water out of a firehose basically all day. It's painstaking, but it's definitely a necessary part of the process."
So is developing good homework/study habits with a playbook they're only seeing about 5-10% of in these opening days.
"It's going to be upon themselves to make sure you study when you're away from here, so you give yourself the best chance possible when you get back with all the vets," LaFleur said.
That's something all the rookies said they're looking forward to as they work on getting their footing while also knowing their place as new arrivals.
Some have developed initial connections already. Keisean Nixon has reached out to the two new corners, Cisse and Jackson, while McClellan has heard from running back Josh Jacobs, as they share Tulsa, Okla., as a hometown.
"Those guys have been in the league for a long time, and those are guys that have experience," Cisse said of the veteran players. "So trying to learn the ins and outs, sometimes it's just best to shut up and learn from the guys in front of you first and just come from a humble place.
"Whatever they tell me, I know they're telling me out of a place of respect, so I'm just coming in ready to work and ready to learn, and just keep improving every day."
