(Stats Perform) – There’s a good sign why NFL teams traded up for Jeremy Chinn and Adam Trautman in the draft this spring:
The first two FCS selections are intent on doing whatever their teams ask of them.
On Sunday, Chinn is set to make his debut with the Carolina Panthers against the Oakland Raiders, while Trautman will play his first game with the New Orleans Saints against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Chinn, from Southern Illinois, is listed twice on the Panthers’ depth chart, as a co-starter at outside linebacker and the backup free safety. The 6-5, 253-pound Trautman, from Dayton, is the backup tight end on the Saints’ depth chart.
When asked about his position, Chinn said, “I tell them really just defensive athlete. Coach (Phil) Snow (defensive coordinator) has me doing a lot of things, learning a lot of different positions from the back end all the way to the second level. He’s been really creative and I’m just learning.
“I played safety in college, I played nickel, I played dime and I’m doing those similar things here. Coach Snow has me learning a lot more things inside the box, with the back end as well. Really everything I learned in school, but being expanded.”
Said Trautman about his role: “Obviously, I stick my hand in the dirt and run block. Obviously, be used in the pass game as well. We’re still figuring that out.
“I feel like I’ve acclimated well. For me, it was just coming in and getting used to the speed of the game. Obviously, the size difference in guys that I played in college versus Cam Jordan, Marcus Davenport, Margus Hunt, all those defensive ends. We’ve got some big guys there. Just kind of getting used to that, but I feel like knowledge-wise I get better every single day, knowing assignments and what I am doing.”
Both players were first-team All-Americans as seniors. The Panthers used the final pick of the second round – No. 64 overall – on Chinn after trading their No. 69 and 148 picks to the Seattle Seahawks. The Saints took Trautman with the second-to-last pick of the third round at No. 105 overall, dealing their fourth-, fifth-, sixth- and seventh-round picks to the Minnesota Vikings.
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