Arrowheadlines: Kansas City Chiefs News 5/27

Rookie Mini Camp Day Three Recap from The Mothership

Q: Last year, Demetrius Harris was a basketball player. Is he a football player now?

REID: "I'll tell you he's a football player right now. I think this camp was great for him. I thought he played exceptionally well. He's so big and he's worked so stinking hard in the weight room, he's been living in there with Barry (Rubin) this offseason and you can tell. You can see he's gotten stronger."

Q&A With Zack Fulton from The Mothership

R: Take me through the day you were drafted.

Z: I was with my family, we were all watching it at the house downstairs, but then things were getting tense because it was down to the sixth-round, so I was getting nervous. I went upstairs to watch by myself, just to take a breather. I turned on some other shows, to take my mind off of all of it, and then I finally turned back to the draft. I turned the draft back on right as the Chiefs were on the clock and then I got a call. My heart just dropped, I was elated. It's kind of surreal being here now. After the draft, I came to Kansas City and have been here ever since.

KCChiefs.com Photo Gallery: Rookie Mini Camp Day 3 Gallery

Chiefs OLB Ford Looks Good At Rookie Minicamp from The Associated Press via FS Kansas City

Ford gives Kansas City another pass rusher after the Chiefs had 47 sacks last season, tied for sixth in the NFL. But 36 sacks came before the Week 10 bye.

The absence of starting outside linebacker Justin Houston, who missed five games down the stretch with an elbow injury, played a role in the Chiefs recording 11 sacks in a span of seven games. Frank Zombo filled in for Houston, but recorded a single sack.

Along with Ford's skills off the edge, Reid said his intangibles are "off the charts."

"He brings a lot of energy," Reid said. "He loves playing the game."

Chiefs Shift Gears To Organized Team Activities from Chiefs Spin

The three-day minicamp afforded rookies an opportunity to become familiar with the fast pace of the NFL.

And more importantly, what to expect from the Chiefs coaching staff in organized team activities (OTAs).

"It was also good to get the guys that have been here the last couple of weeks in Phase Two," Reid said. "The rookies and college free agents that we had on board, a taste where they could get a few more reps with a helmet on, offense vs. defense, which they haven't been able to do in Phase Two. That's a good lead-in to Phase Three, which we're starting tomorrow."

Saying Goodbye To De'Anthony Thomas from ESPN

School is still in session at Oregon and under NFL rules, Thomas can't participate with the Chiefs again until the academic quarter is finished in early June.

The Chiefs will begin full-squad offseason practice on Tuesday without Thomas. They aren't expecting to have him again until they conclude their offseason schedule with a three-day minicamp beginning on June 17.

Murray's Availability Was A Pleasant Surprise from ESPN

Murray has been throwing for some time but faced a pass rush for the first time since the surgery. The rookie camp was no contact, but Murray still had to move to avoid pass rushers.

"It's a nice mental hurdle to get over knowing I just have to trust it,'' he said. "I have to trust, I have to step into throws. I can't worry about what's going on (around) me. There's no second thought right now. It's just reaction and playing football.''

Wilson Gets Chance In NFL With Chiefs from KC Star via The Wichita Eagle

Chiefs rookie wide receiver Albert Wilson began his college career at Georgia State, an urban school that at the time didn't own a helmet, a football, a locker room or a practice field.

Four years later, in its first season as a full-fledged Division I FBS member, Georgia State went 0-12.

But in between the start-up of the Georgia State program in Atlanta and the completion of Wilson's career, he became one of the most prolific playmakers in college football history.

Chiefs Rookie Camp Was 'Pretty Physical,' Despite Limitations from ProFootballTalk

Regardless of what he thought, the rules are clear:  "No live contact is permitted."  And regardless of the fact that Fulton exposed that contact is happening in Kansas City, the Chiefs surely aren't the only team doing it.

The broader question is whether the NFLPA will try to put a stop to it, or whether the union will go along with the reality that football practice will always be football practice, regardless of whether football players are told not to play football.

Chiefs Hoping Travis Kelce Can Stretch The Field This Season from ProFootballTalk

Kelce has been full cleared for football activities, so he's on track to be ready for the start of the season. With Anthony Fasano and Sean McGrath both fitting the blocking profile for the position, Kelce should have every chance to make good on the receiving potential he showed coming out of Cincinnati. The Chiefs could use it as they try to find more ways to spread the ball around in 2014.

OTA Whispers: Chiefs Have Big Plans For Travis Kelce from NFL.com

3. Kelce isn't K.C.'s only mystery man at tight end. Coach Andy Reid is thrilled with the progress of former basketball player Demetrius Harris. The 6-foot-7, 230-pound target from Wisconsin-Milwaukee was eligible for the team's rookie camp after failing to record a snap last season. "I thought he played exceptionally well," Reid said. "He's so big and he's worked so stinking hard in the weight room, he's been living in there with (strength and conditioning coach) Barry (Rubin) this offseason and you can tell. You can see he's gotten stronger."

While The USA Takes A Day Off, Justin Houston Benches Serious Weight from FOX Sports

That's 425 pounds, folks. And he just did that twice. Without help from the man spotting him.