Patriots draft pick's reported reason for skipping rookie event will please Tom Brady
Malcolm Mitchell is the only invited rookie to pass on the NFLPA Rookie Premiere
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Forty-one rookies were invited to the NFLPA Rookie Premiere this past weekend. Only 40 reportedly showed up.
The lone holdout? Patriots' fourth-round pick Malcolm Mitchell. His reason for turning down the invitation should make Bill Belichick and Tom Brady happy.
Apparently, according to the Boston Globe's Ben Volin, Mitchell skipped the event to study the playbook. And in the process, he probably won over the collective heart of the team's fanbase.
I'm told #Patriots WR Malcolm Mitchell is the only one among 41 expected attendees who didn't make it to NFLPA Rookie Premiere this weekend
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) May 19, 2016
I'm told #Patriots WR Malcolm Mitchell declined to attend the NFLPA Rookie Premiere so he could stay home and study his playbook
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) May 19, 2016
Don't worry -- the Rookie Premiere isn't a mandatory event. It's not the Rookie Symposium, which the NFL cancelled last month. Individual teams will now be responsible for acclimating newcomers to the league. The Rookie Premiere simply served as a chance for rookies to "learn the business of football," as a press release put it (via CBS Boston).
According to Pro Football Talk, the invited rookies were not allowed to train at team facilities during the event. So, it's not like Mitchell spent his weekend in the film room with Josh McDaniels.
He still, however, found a way to endear himself to Patriots fans and his teammates. And with Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola recovering from injuries, his work ethic could come in handy if he's asked to produce on the field immediately.
