Gifted receiver Chris Conley is trying to master the Chiefs’ vast playbook

When Chiefs general manager John Dorsey first spoke about Georgia receiver Chris Conley, a third-round pick in this year’s NFL Draft, the first two words out of his mouth were “size” and “speed.”

And thus far, it appears to be a short, but adept, description of Conley, because through 10 practices of organized team activities, players and coaches have consistently uttered the same two words when asked about the 6-foot-3, 205-pounder, who ran a blazing 4.35 40-yard dash at this year’s combine.

“He’s getting better every day,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “He’s big, strong, fast and smart. Those are good characteristics to have.”

Especially in Reid’s offense. Much has been made about his vast playbook, and with good reason — the terminology is wordy and the responsibilities are great, as receivers are called upon to make route adjustments based on the defensive coverages being played.

That’s why it’s difficult to consistently depend on rookie receivers to make an impact in Reid’s offense, though it has happened.

“I’ve been lucky enough to have some young guys that came in as rookies and played for us in a big role,” Reid said. “I’d tell you generally it takes a wide receiver a year or two or three to learn.”

During Reid’s 16 years as an NFL head coach, only two receivers — Reggie Brown in 2005 and Jeremy Maclin in 2009 — have finished their rookie seasons with at least 500 yards and four touchdowns, although others (like DeSean Jackson, who finished with 912 yards and two touchdowns in 2008) have made an impact.

Reid said the receivers who typically make an early impact in his system often come from passing offenses — Maclin (Mizzou) and Jackson (Cal) certainly apply — and are football smart.

“They’re smart football players — they pick things up easily,” Reid said. “We ask our receivers to be in a million different positions, so you better be able to get it spit out quickly. From the time the quarterback gives it to you, you better be able to line up right.”

Conley, 22, did not post prolific numbers at Georgia — he only caught 36 passes for 657 yards and eight touchdowns as a senior.

But the 2014 SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year ran a variety of routes at Georgia, according to his NFL.com scouting report, and Dorsey called him a “really sharp kid” who “is going to pick the playbook up” following his selection.

The latter process, so far, seems to be going just fine, though Conley said that grasping his responsibilities on each play requires supreme focus and concentration, especially when the Chiefs practice outdoors in the sweltering Kansas City heat.

“That’s not difficult when you’re inside and it’s the first play on a drive and there’s air conditioning,” Conley said. “Once you get out here and bullets are flying, it’s hot and it’s hard to think, then it becomes difficult, you have to pay attention.

“It gets really hard when there’s a long play being called and there is certain tags and words that speak to you — you have to pay attention a lot … every single play moves and changes after the defense does.”

But if Conley can grow more comfortable with the mental side of the game, there’s little doubt he is well-positioned to become a good player because physically, he’s got the goods. During rookie camp, he was consistently the fastest player on the field, and he remained in the conversation for that title, even after the veterans took the field for voluntary workouts three weeks ago.

“I’ll tell you what — Chris is a big strong kid,” receivers coach David Culley said. “The thing we like about him (is) physically, the tools are there … I think the sky is limit for him. He fits the M.O. of the type of receiver you want in this offense, big and strong, playing the position he’s playing.

“He’s learning right now. He’s learning again. He’s learning right now what Jeremy went through five years ago; he’s going through it right now.”

The good news for Conley is that in Maclin and fellow veteran Jason Avant, he has two veteran receivers who are willing to mentor him on the finer points of being a pro.

“(I’ve learned) how to be a professional (from them), how to go about your business, how to be efficient with your reps,” Conley said. “That’s a really big deal here, because being healthy is very important. You take a lot of reps; you run a lot. Taking care of your legs while also being explosive and clean in and out of your breaks is really hard to do.

“Being able to learn from those guys has been invaluable. Every single rep that they take, I watch.”

And so far, Avant likes what he sees in Conley, too, which just makes him part of the growing contingent of Chiefs who see in Conley the same things their general manager apparently did.

“He can play; he can play some football,” Avant said of Conley. “Real fast guy, he has to learn the little small things at this stage. Those are the big things from graduating to the next level. He has the potential to be really, really good.”

This story was originally published June 12, 2015 at 8:39 PM with the headline "Gifted receiver Chris Conley is trying to master the Chiefs’ vast playbook."