Jacksonville Jaguars

Jaguars rookie Rashad Greene settling in after first taste of camp

Published May. 8, 2015 5:27 p.m. ET

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- No college had more players taken in last week's NFL draft than Florida State, and no high school had more players chosen than St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale.

As someone who attended both schools, wide receiver Rashad Greene has a lot going for him. But that background, as well as a past free of any significant injuries or character issues, didn't prevent him from slipping until the fifth round, where the Jacksonville Jaguars were more than happy to select him.

Despite setting a school single-season record for receptions as a senior with 99, Greene wound up being the eighth of 11 Seminoles drafted after being projected to be as high as a second-round choice.

"It was difficult, because you're waiting to go ahead and get picked and get started," he said Friday before the first of two days of practice at the Jaguars' rookie mini-camp. "But the opportunity presented itself. And that's all it takes."

At Florida State, Greene was a two-time captain of a team that featured 2013 Heisman Trophy winner James Winston. Winning a national championship with the Seminoles came three years after winning a state championship at St. Thomas Aquinas, a school that also produced fellow wide receiver Phillip Dorsett, a first-round pick of the Indianapolis Colts out of Miami, and Greene's Florida State teammate Bobby Hart, a guard who went to the New York Giants in the seventh round.

With Winston now a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after being the No. 1 pick, Greene will be on the receiving end of passes from Blake Bortles, who was the third overall choice a year ago and started the Jaguars' final 13 games.

"He reached out to me via text and said he's ready to work with me," Greene said. "And that's the same way I feel. I'm ready to learn and try to learn as much as I can."

The only two quarterbacks on hand are Stephen Morris, who spent the majority of his rookie season on the Jaguars' practice squad, and free agent Jake Waters from Kansas State. Coach Gus Bradley said he believed Greene and several other receivers looked anxious in the early going before settling down.

"I talked to him, and he said without a doubt he did," he said. "But what I saw that was cool was he kind of eliminated it. Some things became normal, and he started catching the ball like he's capable of doing. That's what happens in these camps, and it was no different with Rashad."

Of the Jaguars' top four receivers last season, three were rookies, including the undrafted Allen Hurns. Greene said he knew the former Miami standout from when the Seminoles and Hurricanes faced each other but added he has not talked to Hurns since the draft.

The track record of wide receivers taken in the final three rounds the past four years does not appear to work in Greene's favor. Other than Kenny Stills (fifth round in 2013 by the New Orleans Saints) and Jeremy Kerley (fifth round in 2011 by the New York Jets), no one has made much of an impact.

But Antonio Brown of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who led the league in catches (129) and receiving yards (1,698) in 2014, was a sixth-round pick by them in 2010.

"It'll work itself out," Greene said. "You put the work and time into it, and it'll all pay off. That's my motto. I'll just do what I've been doing my whole entire life."

BENNETT SITS OUT

Sixth-round draftee Michael Bennett, a defensive tackle from Ohio State, was held out of practice as a precautionary measure. Bennett injured his left hamstring during the Buckeyes' pro day, with that coming not long after a groin injury following the Big Ten title game limited him in the Sugar Bowl and the national championship game.

"It's been like seven weeks, so this is about right for a hamstring," he said. "It's really close to the end. I can go about 90 percent with absolutely no problems, but as soon as I try to push it into that next gear, I kind of feel it flaring up.

"Within a week, I should be good. It's just not something that we want to push right now."

LOOKING FOR KEEPERS

After the success of Hurns a year ago, the Jaguars are trying to see if other players who went unchosen can make a similar mark. Of their nine free agents signed following the conclusion of the draft, three are linebackers, the only area they did not address during the seven rounds.

Thurston Armbrister made 23 starts in three years at Miami, while Matt Robinson of Maryland and Todd Thomas of Pittsburgh also come from high-profile programs.

"We evaluate everything -- how they walk, how they talk, how they take notes in the meeting rooms, how they care of their bodies," Bradley said. "So that's another advantage to this week. Evaluation does not just take place on the field. I think we're looking to see: Do they have the abilities to be a pro and handle all those things we place on their plate? We look for that with all the position groups."

You can follow Ken Hornack on Twitter @HornackFSFla or email him at khornack32176@gmail.com.