Former Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds, who is trying to make the transition to wide receiver and special teams player after being drafted in the sixth round, compared the early portion of his first NFL training camp to when he was a plebe in Annapolis four years ago.
"I'm not where I want to be," Reynolds said Saturday.
Reynolds, who has always been something of a perfectionist dating back to his childhood outside Nashville, Tenn., acknowledged that there are "good days and bad days" in terms of trying to make the transition from college star to NFL rookie.
While many players on offense seemed to have problems Saturday, Reynolds had trouble, particularly at receiver. In one 11-on-11 drill, he dropped two short passes, though one of them was thrown slightly behind him.
"I've got a lot to work on, I'm just working every day, trying not to repeat the same mistakes and learn as much as I can because we've got a lot of veteran receivers out here who make a lot of great plays," Reynolds said. "I'm just trying to learn as much as I can from them."
Reynolds appears to be making strides more quickly as a returner, the position that could be the difference between him making the 53-man roster for the season opener against the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 11, winding up on the practice squad or worse: getting cut.
Special teams coordinator Jerry Rosburg said Saturday that he plans to use multiple players for punt and kick returns and that Reynolds will be given "every return opportunity we can. We need to find out about him. He needs to show us what can do as a returner."
Said Reynolds: "I'm working as hard as I can, [getting] in the playbook, they run a lot of plays on special teams. I'm trying to learn as much as I can, where I'm supposed to be."