Wide receiver Jaelon Darden was featured in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' play of the day for Friday's training camp practice. On Saturday, he admitted that the rep was his favorite play of his entire rookie camp with the team.
The play? His first touchdown reception - in 11 on 11 practice situations, of course - thrown by Buccaneers' quarterback Tom Brady .
Darden called the play, and the feeling that came with it, "epic" when speaking with the media on Saturday.
Darden admitted that life as an NFL rookie can be a bit nerve-racking, particularly after joining the reigning Super Bowl champions' squad. However, it is plays like the one he made on Friday - and the reminder that he's in the pros for a reason - that keeps him calm and on top of his game.
“It was definitely nerves – being out here in the NFL, I mean that’s a big accomplishment for myself, so I kind of was nervous," Darden shared on Saturday. "But at the end of the day, I just have to slow myself down and tell myself that I’m doing what I’ve been doing for a whole bunch of years – playing football. It’s kind of helping me out now.”
For Darden, one of the biggest challenges has been growing accustomed to what Brady expects from his pass-catchers. It hasn't been a problem for the North Texas product, and his physical skill-set is certainly sufficing, but he's had to adjust the mental side of his game in order to get on the same page as the seven-time league title-winning quarterback.
"Mostly the mental aspect of the game, I’ve had to change that," Darden said. "Not anything with my routes – more so just being where I need to be and knowing where I need to be and knowing how to read coverages and things of that nature.”
As such, Darden affirmed that his comfort level is growing day by day as he continues to work with Brady and receive guidance from wide receivers coach Kevin Garver.
Buccaneers veteran receivers Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown have offered Darden tips of the trade as he develops and learns how Brady and Co. operate, something that Darden has appreciated. In return, the veterans have been impressed by what they've seen out of the rookie wide receiver.
"[He has] a lot of juice," Evans said of Darden on Saturday. “He’s a really good, young player. He’s going to be big for us this year."
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