Rookies catching on

No one cracks the starting lineup during rookie minicamp, but it’s a great opportunity for skill-position players to make a good first impression on coaches.

A pair of wide receivers, third-round pick Juaquin Iglesias and especially fifth-rounder Johnny Knox, got noticed as much as any of the 43 rookies on the field Saturday at Halas Hall. Knox, who ran a 4.34 40 at the Combine, was the fastest player on the field, and he might also have the softest hands, a nice combination.

“Some of the guys that stood out, I thought (were) Johnny Knox;” coach Lovie Smith said, “and you notice Jauquin Iglesias, too, catching the football.”

Devin Hester is the only wide receiver on the Bears’ roster guaranteed a position in the starting lineup, so both rookies have a chance to make an immediate impact, either as a starter or as a situational substitute in three- and four-wide receiver formations.

Even though veterans have the weekend off from the voluntary off-season workout program, Hester stopped by to watch the rookies after hitting the weight room.

“Devin's a gym rat,” Smith said. “He got a good workout in on his own. This (was) a day that the (veteran) players are off, and he's out here working out trying to get better.”