Philadelphia Eagles second-round rookie safety Andrew Mukuba knows his work is cut out for him. He's learning a complex defensive system led by one of the greatest minds in NFL history.
And did we mention he's a rookie trying to fit in with the defending Super Bowl champions?
But Vic Fangio (Philly's defensive play-caller) has a plan for the University of Texas product. As the Eagles prepare for training camp in a few weeks, the staff wants to bring up Mukuba at his own pace.
And if that soon enough means he is truly competing with former third-round safety Sydney Brown, then so be it.
The good news is that Mukuba is learning quickly. Veteran safety Reed Blankenship, suddenly the elder statesman of Philly's secondary, lauded the rookie's work ethic and improvements over the last few months.
"He's great," Blankenship said. "I feel we bring a lot of guys in that have the same personality; kind of what allows that room to be open. He came in, he's shown his personality, and that's what you wanna see.
"You want to see a rookie comfortable. He's asking questions, he's talking. He's checking all the boxes. Really excited to see him, too. He's learning as much as he can."
The "personality'' take is a fascinating one. Rookies don't always "fit'' that way, for a number of obvious reasons.
Can this happen now?
The position battle between Brown and Mukuba will be one of the biggest things to watch during camp. Both players are impressive physical specimens with the kind of athleticism to fit well in what Fangio likes to do.
In a sense, it would be fantastic for the Eagles to see Mukuba win the job outright.
Why? In a salary cap league, youth (cheap youth) is king.
Having young talent produce on a starting-caliber defense allows Philadelphia to be flexible with other roster positions. If Mukuba beats out Brown, the club can allocate additional funds to other areas of need.
His improvements - and his "personality'' - show that this may be precisely what is happening as training camp looms.