Green Bay — It was the final minicamp practice of the spring.
Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy allowed 16 veterans to leave early. And, in a lighter moment, star running back Eddie Lacy moved over to play safety.
Lacy, the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2013, immediately showed off his skill set, intercepting a pass intended for rookie second-round pick Davante Adams.
"I might be trying out for a new position," Lacy joked later.
Hardly. In a matter of 12 months, Lacy was the No. 1 reason that one of the NFL's weakest rushing attacks became one of the league's best.
Lacy set a franchise rookie rushing record with 1,178 yards. He also averaged 4.15 yards per carry and scored 11 touchdowns.
What makes those numbers even more impressive is that defenses loaded up to stop him during the nearly eight full games quarterback Aaron Rodgers missed with a broken collarbone. But Lacy, who has terrific vision, lateral quickness and runs downright angry, didn't miss a beat.
With Rodgers sidelined, Lacy averaged 83.3 yards per game and 4.41 yards per carry. He scored at least one touchdown in six of Green Bay's final seven games, and was among the biggest reasons the Packers won their third straight NFC North championship.
"Eddie Lacy is an impact player," McCarthy said late in the 2013 season.
Lacy was that — and then some.
In McCarthy's first seven seasons between 2006-'12, the Packers' average rushing ranking was 21st. Green Bay also went 44 straight games without a 100-yard rusher.
But Lacy's arrival in 2013 changed all of that.