The Sports Xchange

KANSAS CITY — The draft choice cornerback duo of Marcus Peters and Steven Nelson were back with the Kansas City Chiefs on Tuesday for the first of three practices at the club’s mandatory minicamp.

They will have three days to make up the ground they lost in three weeks away from the team because of an arcane and ridiculous NFL rule.

Draft choices who have not graduated from their schools are prohibited from participating in OTAs and the club’s offseason program until their school has finished the current quarter/semester.

It’s a mandate that’s supposed to represent a bone the NFL is throwing to their free developmental system in college football.

But it costs those players valuable instruction time on the field and the classroom. They were allowed to take part in a rookie minicamp in May, but then were banished by rule from the team’s facility.

Last season, the same thing happened to University of Oregon product De’Anthony Thomas and he struggled to contribute early in his rookie season.

“I’m anxious to get out there, get the butterflies out and go against the veterans,” said Nelson, a third-round draft choice. “I’m looking to see how I fare.”

Both the University of Washington (Peters) and Oregon State University (Nelson) did not finish up their spring quarters until last week.

The folly of the NFL rule is that Peters and Nelson did not return to campus to finish out their studies. After participating in the Chiefs’ rookie minicamp back in May, Peters went home to Oakland, Calif., and he was working out at his alma mater, McClymonds High School.

Nelson did not go to Corvallis, Ore.; he went to Phoenix, where he worked out with a trainer until he returned to Kansas City.

“I went out every day and did some specific position drills,” said Peters, the Chiefs’ first-round draft choice. “They were just drills that I was doing here before I had to go … I took all the information I had when I was here and went home and kept studying. I don’t feel like I’m behind at all.

“I’m going to take these three days as a learning experience being around the vets and build from there.”

–There were 83 players working in the practice session on Tuesday afternoon. Missing were outside linebacker Justin Houston (unsigned), safety Eric Berry (lymphoma), wide receiver Albert Wilson (hamstring), quarterback Tyler Bray (knee), running back Cyrus Gray (knee), tight end Demetrius Harris (foot) and cornerback De’Vante Bausby (shoulder).

–Defensive starters linebacker Derrick Johnson and nose tackle Dontari Poe appeared to be full participants in the practice, the first time in two weeks they were full-go for work. Johnson was dealing with fluid on a knee and Poe had an issue with back spasms.

–The Chiefs had three players working on a tryout basis: wide receiver Kealoha Pilares, guard Derek Dennis and cornerback Kenneth Penny.