As rookies throughout the NFL get their first taste of pro football, some of them will be getting a second taste of their most recent meals.

Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer made it clear during the team’s rookie minicamp that the new players are struggling.

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“None of these guys are in great shape right now,” Schottenheimer told reporters. “You might have saw a few guys getting sick yesterday. A little bit of vomiting going on.”

It’s not a surprise. After football season ended, most of them spent time not doing football conditioning but preparing for the specific drills of the Scouting Combine and the Pro Day workout. Many of them spent the weeks before the draft flying around to various team facilities for visits. (Schottenheimer mentioned that first-rounder Malachi Lawrence visited 16 or 17 teams.)

When the rookie minicamp rolls around, they all get thrown into the fray. And even if it’s not full pads, it’s football practice. For guys who haven’t practiced any football in months.

It’s also a way to get their attention before they get thrown into the mix of offseason workouts with the veterans. The culture shock doesn’t happen in September. It arrives in May, as the first part of the process aimed at getting them ready for the real thing.