Slow and heady is a winning pace for Rams rookies
Rams wide reciever Nelson Spruce looks to run past defensive back Winston Rose (41) during mini-camp on Saturday.
There were no long passes. No sensational moves. No outstanding pursuits or tackles.
And that suited Rams Coach Jeff Fisher just fine.
After two days of watching the Rams’ drafted players and free agents go through a rookie orientation and mini-camp in Oxnard, Fisher was pleased that players observed the half-speed mandate and came away informed and uninjured.
“You want a healthy roster when you start training camp,” Fisher said Saturday.
The new players still must navigate their way through the off-season program this month and organized team activities in June.
So Fisher purposely had them take it slow as they acclimate to the NFL.
“You’re looking at the mental thing,” he said. “Are they doing the right thing?”
Gary Klein and Lindsey Thiry discuss the Rams’ progress during rookie minicamp in Oxnard.
With two days of meetings and workouts behind them, the players will have Sunday off before a week of immersion and observation in preparation for getting onto the field with veteran players.
“The objective of what we’re doing is so that it’s not a shock,” Fisher said.
Most of the new players will introduce themselves to veterans during a team meeting Monday — “That’s always amusing,” Fisher said — but some, including quarterback Jared Goff, will return to their college campuses for final exams.
Goff, the top pick in the draft, was not allowed to cut loose during the mini-camp or show many of the skills he demonstrated during predraft workouts.
But Fisher said the former California standout was given much more information to process.
“He handled it without any problem, and that’s the impressive thing,” Fisher said. “I passed [Friday] night . . . and he was leaving the meeting room at 10 o’clock. He’s that kind of guy. He’s spending the time.”
Tight end Temarrick Hemingway, a sixth-round draft pick from South Carolina State, said Goff worked to make a connection even before mini-camp.
“After I got drafted, he texted me immediately after, ‘I can’t wait to work with you,’” Hemingway said. “That just showed me what kind of guy he is.
“He comes in early to work. He’s always ready to work.”
Fisher said the Rams will continue to give Goff information during his absence so he won’t be behind when he returns from Berkeley.
Big impression
Hemingway is listed at 6 feet 5 and said he weighs 245 pounds.
That’s much heavier than the player who began his college career as a 170-pound receiver before switching to tight end.
“I started gaining weight pretty fast” in college, he said, laughing. “I gained more than ‘the Freshman 30’ or ‘the Freshman 20,’ whatever you want to call it.
“I had like ‘the Freshman 50.’”
Hemingway was one of two tight ends drafted by the Rams. Tyler Higbee of Western Kentucky was a fourth-round pick.
Hemingway is adapting to new terminology and said he was enjoying the demands of being a pro.
“It’s a lot of work — a lot of hard work,” he said. “In college you can do it if you want to, but here you need to go ahead and do it to get ahead. . . . It’s more competitive here in the NFL.
“I’m loving it because it makes you better.”
Catching on
Receiver Michael Thomas is accustomed to going full-speed on long routes, but he welcomed the slowed-down approach of the mini-camp.
“By walking us through everything, it’s great because I get to learn the depth of routes and the concepts of routes and plays,” he said.
General Manager Les Snead said after the draft that Thomas was particularly adept at making catches in the air in contested situations with defenders.
Thomas is looking forward to showing those skills.
“I go up strong for the ball and make dynamic plays and stretch the field vertically,” he said. “That’s something I’m very good at and something I can bring to the table on this young team.”
Defending his ground
Linebacker Josh Forrest was the only defensive player among the Rams’ draftees. The sixth-round pick began his college career at Kentucky as a receiver, but then switched to safety, outside linebacker and then middle linebacker.
The 6-3, 255-pound Forrest said he was working at the strong-side spot during the mini-camp. Competing against tight ends, he said, will offer a change of pace.
“Going from middle linebacker and having to deal with bigger guys, and now going back to tight ends is a little easier,” he said. “I definitely think that playing all the positions helped me.”
Follow Gary Klein on Twitter: @latimesklein
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