Under most circumstances, NFL coaches love it when their players exert maximum effort during practice. But standout defensive end Robert Nkemdiche went a bit too far for Bruce Arians’ liking Friday.
Robert Nkemdiche bench-pressed a lineman during his first NFL practice
Bruce Arians said he was “killing people in walk-through.”
During the first day of rookie minicamp, Nkemdiche, the Arizona Cardinals' first-round pick, didn't hold anything back. Arians chided him afterwards for bulldozing through his teammates.
“He was killing people in walk-through,” Arians said, via the Arizona Republic. “I had to slow him down. It’s a walk-through, and he bench-pressed a lineman already.”
Since no pads are allowed and contact is forbidden, rookies often focus on the mental aspects of the game, such as learning the playbook and different schemes. Nkdemiche, who signed a four-year contract worth $8.8 million, comes from a rather simplistic defensive system at Ole Miss. He could probably use a lot of time brushing up on the Cardinals’ playbook.
But in his defense, bench pressing linemen just sounds a lot more fun.
