### **"At the end of the day, it's just football."**
Conerly's first bit of work with the Commanders was limited to time with the other four draft picks, 10 undrafted free agents and 21 tryout players. Most of his time did not include interacting with the veterans, who have been working out at the facility since mid-April, but he had gotten to see a few of them around the building. All the vibes, he said, have been good and welcoming for him and his fellow rookies.
He also got some advice from 2024 third-round pick Brandon Coleman, who earned the starting left tackle spot as a rookie. The biggest takeaway: be yourself and "make sure you know everything."
"He just gave me a little rundown of how these few days would have been, and it helped me a lot," Conerly said.
Conerly said it was "pretty unreal" when he got to put on his Commanders practice gear for the first time. The reality that he was in the NFL hit him as soon as he stepped onto the field, and he described it as "a dream come true."
And he doesn't want to miss a single moment of it.
"At the end of the day, it's just football," Conerly said. "And you gotta go out there and play."