All draft picks considered equal as Cleveland Browns rookie camp opens
by Mary Kay Cabot/Plain Dealer Reporter Thursday April 30, 2009, 9:42 PM
Joshua Gunter/The Plain Dealer
Browns coach Eric Mangini tells all rookies the same thing: "It doesn't matter how you got here, it just matters what you do."
Guys like sixth-round pick Coye Francies and undrafted Akron kick returner Bryan Williams will be happy to discover at Browns rookie camp today that they'll be given as much of a shot to make the team as first-round pick, center Alex Mack.
"Once they're in the door, no matter where they were drafted, how they were drafted, everybody is equal and we'll judge them based on what they do," said coach Eric Mangini on Sunday night after the draft. "[When] we go into the rookie weekend, I tell them all the same thing: It doesn't matter how you got here, it just matters what you do."
Mangini cited the case of Jets special teams ace Wallace Wright, who tried out during the Jets' rookie camp in 2006 after going undrafted out of North Carolina.
"The guy comes in, he's literally on a three-day job interview, five practices in three days, and he was good enough to take somebody's contract at that point," said Mangini. "He made the roster initially, went to the practice squad, and made the roster the next year. He's becoming a better and better special teams player and developing into a nice receiver as well. The great thing is the opportunity just to get in the door. Once they're here, they're all Browns."
Cont.
All draft picks considered equal as Cleveland Browns rookie camp opens - cleveland.com