May 7th, 2013 
Joe Sageman 
Posted in An NFL regulation will prevent second round tight end Zach Ertz from joining his teammates in organized team activities until his class graduates at Stanford. Many west coast schools like Stanford, Oregon, and Washington hold late graduations, and the NFL does not allow prospects to join their teams for organized workouts or minicamps before their graduation dates.
The rule affects some players more than others. Andrew Luck didn’t skip a beat after missing a few Colts practices, but Isaiah Pead (the Rams’ second round pick in 2012) fell behind late-round pick Daryl Richardson on the depth chart and never recovered.
The rule might not affect Ertz’ rookie production, but every factor matters as he prepares to compete with Brent Celek and James Casey for a large role in the offense.
