IRVING, Texas – Morris Claiborne knew he couldn’t practice when the Cowboys’ rookie minicamp started Friday, but the team’s first-round pick just couldn’t help himself.

PODCAST
Cowboys first-round pick Morris Claiborne recaps his draft experience and talks about growing up a Cowboys fan and his expectations playing in Dallas. Listen

While he spent most of the first two sessions as a spectator, he went through parts of the walkthroughs to get familiar with the defenses.

“The whole time I wanted to get out there,” Claiborne said. “I was just itching.”

Clairborne will have the pins removed from his left wrist next week and begin rehabbing. He is expected to be ready for the opening of training camp. The Cowboys want Claiborne to use the offseason to get used to the playbook.

“Just learn professional football and what our defense sounds like and getting the communication,” defensive coordinator Rob Ryan said.

Claiborne got his playbook Thursday and opened it up on the walk back from the coaches’ offices to the locker room.

“Football is pretty much football anywhere you are, but on this level it’s a lot faster,” Claiborne said. “A lot more goes into it. I pretty much picked up on it, on everything where everybody is supposed to be, where I’m supposed to be. It came pretty easy to me.”