Former Saints tight end Clay Harbor reflects on his rookie minicamp experience
I got signed to the Saints after attending the rookie mini camp in 2017.
Things I knew right away. Alvin Kamara was GOOD. Trey Hendrix was good. Dan Campbell is gonna be a head coach one day. (My TE coach)
Some things are obvious as soon as you step on the grass. #NFLTwitter
— Clay Harbor (@clayharbs82) May 10, 2024
The New Orleans Saints kick off their three-day rookie minicamp on Friday, and it’s an important day for a lot of players. Not just the draft picks and rookie free agents wearing their new helmets and team colors for the first time, but for many tryout players for whom this might be their last opportunity in the NFL. It’s vital that they make a strong impression in hopes of catching on with the Saints for training camp.
That’s what Clay Harbor experienced back in 2017, his final year in the NFL. The former Saints tight end tried out at rookie minicamp that year after playing for four different teams in his career. He earned a spot on New Orleans’ training camp roster and competed well over the summer, but unfortunately ended his last year in the league on injured reserve.
Still, he looks back on that experience fondly. Harbor shared some thoughts on Friday when looking back on it: “Things I knew right away. Alvin Kamara was GOOD. Trey Hendrix was good. Dan Campbell is gonna be a head coach one day. Some things are obvious as soon as you step on the grass.”
Remember, 2017 was the year both Kamara and Trey Hendrickson entered the NFL. It didn’t take long for Kamara to impress Saints fans, and his new teammates saw that he was special right away. Hendrickson’s physical gifts were clear even in his rookie year. Since then he’s refined his skills to become one of the league’s best pass rushers. And Campbell, who was Harbor’s position coach at the time, has transformed the Detroit Lions from a perennial laughingstock into a legitimate Super Bowl contender. It’s clear he shared the field with a lot of star talent.
