Chicago Bears Minicamp

Now that the Draft is over, it's time to see what they're made of.

So begins the brief but important season of NFL, minicamps. Players, both rookie and veteran, are invited to their teams' practice fields and asked to run basic plays and perform standard skill drills. For a few days, the newly drafted rookies will showcase their talent in hopes of earning a spot on the team by summer's end.

This is also a time for veteran players to prove to their team that they've still got it. From banged-up knees to years of hard hits to the body, older players must show they can still play with the best of them. Yet in the end, minicamps are all about introducing the rookies to the intimidating world of the NFL.

"They have to understand that they are now professional football players," says Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. "There is a big jump between playing football in college and being a professional player."

There are teams to make, jersey numbers to choose, physicals to take, playbooks to master, offensive and defensive systems to break down, workouts to make, and real live scrimmages, all crammed into a small, four month window. For now, though, things will be kept small.

"It's pretty overwhelming for the rookies," says Super Bowl champion Colts head coach Tony Dungy. True enough. And with all the pressure to learn everything before the season begins, one thing is for certain: come July, Training Camp won't be so mini.