Time to check egos at the door when rookie camp begins

It does not matter if the quarterback led Clemson to a come-from-behind victory over Alabama in the national championship game, the linebacker was the most decorated athlete in Vanderbilt history or the running back rushed for more than 2,000 yards at the University of Texas, there will be no special favors when they report for Texans rookie minicamp

Thursday.

Quarterback Deshaun Watson, inside linebacker Zach Cunningham and running back D’Onta Foreman — selected in the first three rounds — will be among the 46 players —

seven draft choices, 22 undrafted free agents and 17 prospects — trying out this weekend.

The rookies undergo physicals Thursday afternoon and have their first meeting that night. They will be on the field with the coaches Friday and Saturday.

“It’s all about what you do when you get here,” O’Brien said about his fourth rookie minicamp as the team’s coach. “Even the first- and second-rounders pay their dues. They’re in the blue lockers just like every other rookie.”

The temporary lockers are set up in the middle of the dressing room. There won’t be enough regular lockers to go around until the roster is reduced to 53 and the practice squad is set before the regular season begins against Jacksonville.

Time to be excited

Naturally, fans and media are most excited to learn about Watson, who was one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in college history. General manager Rick Smith traded next year’s first-round pick to Cleveland to move from the 25th overall pick to 12 to select Watson.

Coaches are no different from fans.

“Sure, we’re excited to see Deshaun,” O’Brien said. “I’m excited to see the kid from Bucknell. I learned to pronounce his name correctly. It’s Julién ( Julie-own) Davenport. I’ll make sure I get that right.

“I’m looking forward to seeing Deshaun (and), I’m looking forward to seeing all the guys who are here.”

Davenport, whose name was spelled Julie’n and pronounced Julien in college before it was corrected after he was drafted, was one of two fourth-round picks along with Clemson nose tackle Carlos Watkins.

“We’ve watched them in college, and they had good careers in college, but this is a big jump,” O’Brien said. “There’s a big difference between playing against certain college programs relative to now you’re lining up against these guys every day.

“But we’re excited to get going with them.”

Learning process

The rookies will learn fast that O’Brien is all about hard work, competition, being a good teammate and being the best player they can be.

“It’s part evaluation, part installation,” O’Brien said. “There’s a lot of work to be done with these guys. It’s a fairly long weekend for them.”

O’Brien and his assistants can show the rookies what rookies can accomplish if they reach the goals the coaches set for them.

For instance, running back Arian Foster and cornerback A.J. Bouye were undrafted. From left tackle Duane Brown in 2008 to receiver Will Fuller in 2016, every first-round pick has been a starter.

“We try to evaluate everybody, whether they’re veterans here right now or rookies coming in,” O’Brien said. “We’re looking for guys who come in here and really understand what we’re trying to do. They can contribute in their own way.

“They understand their roles early on and figure, ‘Hey, I’m going to try and embrace this role and do the best I can with the role that I have.’ Once they do that, they can grow into another role. It’s all about getting in and getting to work.”