Colts training camp observations: Two rookies off to a strong start

Zak Keefer | IndyStar

Show Caption Hide Caption Insiders - Andrew Luck shows some rust Insiders Stephen Holder and Zak Keefer discuss Andrew Luck and two rookies that stood out today at Colts camp.

Friday at training camp: Practice from 1:30-3:30 p.m.

WESTFIELD – This is what they envisioned the day they drafted him: A sixth-round pick on paper playing at a level far, far higher.

Deon Cain spent his first NFL training camp practice on Thursday snagging everything thrown at him, picking up right where he left off last spring, when he flashed routinely in the Indianapolis Colts’ new-look, new-feel offense. “His talent would probably be a higher round than we got him,” scouting director Morocco Brown offered back in May after Cain went 185th overall in the draft. “That was what was attractive.”

So far, Deon Cain’s making the Colts’ scouts look really, really smart.

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Remember, though, it’s Day 1, so a disclaimer is warranted: The grind hasn’t really started yet, the pads haven’t been put on, and the real football is still a few months away. It’s one thing to show up in July. It’s another to do it in September. Cain still has a ways to go.

Yet early returns indicate a talent who could see serious snaps this fall in coordinator Nick Sirianni’s offense, a rookie who’s turning heads early and often, a player who’s been flat-out hard to ignore. Every time you looked up during Thursday’s workout, No. 8 was doing something. That’s how receivers earn their keep. Midway through the two-hour practice, after a number of catches, Cain made the play of the afternoon, snatching a long bomb from Jacoby Brissett down the right sideline in tight coverage.

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“In this league, you gotta make chunk plays,” coach Frank Reich said after practice, noting Cain’s long catch. “He flashes, he’s got a little knack, he’s good against press coverage.”

In Cain’s favor is a thin receiving core, one with just one established starter (T.Y. Hilton) and ample opportunity. The key for the rookie will be stacking good practice after good practice, and proving to the coaching staff that he can be a dependable option.

It’s Day 1. He’s off to a good start.

Reich says Luck looks 'strong and consistent' Indianapolis Colts coach Frank Reich assesses Andrew Luck's first practice.

Leonard makes his debut

The bum hamstring that kept second-round pick Darius Leonard sidelined all spring and summer is history. And like Cain, Leonard wasted little time in turning some heads in his first NFL practice.

The versatile linebacker picked off Andrew Luck midway through the workout, snagging the ball out of the air as he backpedaled in coverage. The play demonstrated Leonard’s brimming athleticism, and offered a lens into why General Manager Chris Ballard was so high on him after the draft. The kid can move.

Considering the lack of depth at the position, there’s no reason why Leonard can’t earn the WILL linebacker spot by Week 1.

Early look at the depth chart

Even with a few notable injuries – the Colts began camp Thursday with both starting tackles, Anthony Castonzo and Austin Howard, sidelined – we got our first look at who’s running with the first team, and who’s running behind them.

Jack Mewhort filled in at left tackle for Castonzo, who’s not expected to be out long. The Colts experimented in 2015 by sliding Mewhort, a guard by trade, to the right tackle spot. It lasted all of two games. This move is likely just a temporary solution until Castonzo, battling a hamstring, returns to the fold.

Denzelle Good got a look at right tackle on Thursday in Howard’s stead, and that figures to be a much more competitive position race. Good earned the job last year before a freak injury sidelined him in Week 1. Howard, who was signed in March, ran with the first-team all spring, but by no means has solidified the starting role.

Joe Haeg continued to work as the backup center to Ryan Kelly.

A few other notes:

>> Tarell Basham, like he did during OTAs and minicamp, ran as a starting defensive end opposite Jabaal Sheard. John Simon worked with the second team.

>> At linebacker, Anthony Walker was in the starting MIKE spot, while newcomer Tyrell Adams was working next to him on the weakside.

>> With starters Clayton Geathers and Malik Hooker sidelined by knee injuries, Matthias Farley and T.J. Green manned the starting safety positions, same as they had all spring.

>> Quincy Wilson, Pierre Desir and Kenny Moore all worked as the starting cornerbacks, with Moore lining up in the nickel position.

Colts Camp Live July 26 The Indianapolis Colts' 2018 training camp is underway.

Help at corner?

The Colts hosted free agent cornerback Bashaud Breeland for a visit on Thursday, according to a league source. Breeland will head to Cleveland on Friday and is expected to come to a decision in the coming days. He had previously visited Kansas City on Wednesday.

Breeland has 57 starts to his name over the last four seasons with the Washington Redskins. It certainly wouldn’t hurt if the Colts, thin and inexperienced at the position, added a proven starter in the backend.

Call Star reporter Zak Keefer at (317) 444-6134 and follow him on Twitter: @zkeefer.