GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Before Robert Nkemdiche could be the player the Arizona Cardinals expected -- and he envisioned -- he had to be a rookie.

That came with a learning curve that, to some degree, Nkemdiche wasn't ready for. He had to learn how to be a professional football player. That meant figuring out where he needed to be and when he needed to be there. That meant figuring how to find his way around the weight room and a playbook.

"Let's not forget, he went through a whole season of growing and the growing pains of it," Arizona veteran defensive lineman Frostee Rucker said.

But Cardinals coach Bruce Arians expected it.

"When you're the No. 1 high school recruit, you kicked everybody's ass in high school and you did it in college, you just showed up and did it ... it doesn't work here," Arians said. "Especially when you got guys who have children and paying bills. It's a whole lot different level here."

It looks as though Nkemdiche, the No. 29 overall pick in the 2016 draft, has started to figure that out. He was praised by Arians for his play during OTAs and minicamp. He's healthy this camp -- unlike last year, when he suffered a sprained ankle in the days prior to camp opening -- and he understands what's expected out of him. The difference between this year and last year, Nkemdiche said, is understanding the plays and not playing hesitantly: grasping the defensive scheme so he's in the right position.

Nkemdiche knows that's where he needs to be. But he's not rushing to get there. He's taking it slowly this camp. Like moment-by-moment slowly. He's soaking in what defensive line coach Brentson Buckner teaches him. He relishes the extra reps he gets after practice, then spends time integrating them into his game. He focus on the small things in his technique.

"There's a lot of things that I've done on tape that are not my standard," Nkemdiche said.

And that has left the 22-year-old defensive tackle hungry, maybe as hungry as he has ever been.

"They're looking for the best Robert," he said.

"I want to be the best me, man, regardless of anything. I don't care about shoes or fill. I know what the best me can look like. That's what my vision's looking like. Every day when I step on the field, when I'm off the field, I want to work toward that."

Training camp, Rucker said, is the "perfect setting" for Nkemdiche to be "accountable." It's where Nkemdiche can train himself to react, to "play instead of thinking."

A week into camp, Nkemdiche already has displayed signs that he's not the same player he was a year ago, by any measure. He's winning one-on-ones. He's stuffing the run. He's getting into the backfield. He's battling right guard Evan Boehm almost daily. He's getting held by offensive linemen more often than not. It fires him up.

"He's probably the most powerful guy we got and the most talented guy," Rucker said. "And if he puts it all together, he'll be one heck of a player. We need him."

Arians agreed.

"You see quickness and explosiveness," Arians said. "He's been very disruptive. We'll look for him to -- knock on wood -- stay healthy and have a very solid year."

Nkemdiche's play stokes his confidence.

Nkemdiche is feeling better about who he is on and off the field. And that has led him to look like the first-round pick he is.

"My confidence is always sky-high just because I know who I am and I have so much belief in myself," Nkemdiche said. "I know what limit I can reach, so my confidence is always at a primal [level]. I just want to keep that and keep getting better as player and as a person and keep being a professional."