Julian Neal, a big, physical cornerback who the Seahawks selected in the third round of this year's draft, was on the field for his first day of rookie minicamp when, to his surprise, THE big, physical cornerback from his era, Richard Sherman, approached Neal with some pointers.
Sherman, a Seahawks Legend in every sense of the word and one of the best cornerbacks of his era, was a visitor on Day 1 of rookie minicamp, and as has been the case whenever he has visited in recent years, Sherman was more than a spectator, he was a Hall of Fame caliber player looking to pass knowledge on to a younger generation.
"I was just talking to Richard Sherman after practice, he was showing me a few things.
Neal said. "So I'm just excited."
"First day of minicamp and Richard Sherman is coming to me and telling me some stuff? Mid practice, he was like, 'Hey 1, what are you looking at when you're in press?' And this is mid-rep, and I'm like, 'Right here.' He said, 'OK, all right.' Stuff like that just gets me pumped for the season."
Safety Bud Clark, Seattle's second-round pick, had to remind himself not to "fanboy" over Sherman, wanting to play it cool now that he too is an NFL defensive back.
"I walked up to him—I tried not to fanboy—I shook his hand, I was like, 'I'm Bud Clark,' then I just kept kicking," Clark said with a big grin. "I looked up to him since I was a kid, that's crazy. I was about to ask for a picture and all, but I'm like, 'Nah, I can't do it. I'm a Seahawk now, I can't do it."
That Sherman was a visitor at rookie minicamp was somewhat fitting given that the Seahawks used four of their eight draft picks on defensive backs, including three cornerbacks, Neal, Andre Fuller and Michael Dansby.
"I'm already locked in with them," Fuller said of the bond forming between the rookie defensive backs. "They're my dogs."
Neal and Clark, who both have the potential to become fan favorites, but because of their on-field talent and their big personalities, got to know each other a bit in the pre-draft process. The two both worked out in Texas during the offseason, and while they were at different facilities, they were close enough together that sometimes the defensive backs from both groups would workout together.
"I was like, 'Who is this big old corner, bruh?'" Clark said of his first interaction with Neal. "I'm a safety he's bigger than me. I was like, 'You're sure a big dog.' But getting to know him has been amazing. I feel like we've grown our friendship, grown our teammateship. We're going to be great together.
"Honestly, I feel like it's going to be a great duo between me and Julian for sure."
Neal has also enjoyed his early interactions with Clark.
"That dude, he's different man—in a good way," Neal said. "He's lively, he's a great teammate. I'm sitting right next to him at my locker. He's a different type of guy, I'm excited to play with him and be able to play with him this season."
