Atkins in rookie minicamp

With the sun beating down and temperature approaching 80 degrees during the Cincinnati Bengals' first workout at rookie minicamp, defensive tackle Geno Atkins made sure he got something to drink at every break.

The lineman from Georgia has to guard against dehydration, one of the effects of a condition he inherited from his NFL father.

Atkins was born with sickle cell trait, which is not nearly as bad as sickle cell disease but makes him careful about taking care of himself. His father, Gene, was an NFL safety for 10 years despite the condition, and his son is hoping for similar longevity.

“I don't really feel it,” he said, following a workout at Paul Brown Stadium. “That's why I try to be in the best shape I can, so it doesn't affect me too much.”

The Bengals were aware of Atkins' condition when they drafted him in the fourth round, hoping he can improve their pass rush. The only allowance the coaching staff has to make for Atkins is making sure he drinks enough during workouts.

“They knew all that stuff,” defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer said. “They just monitor him.”

Sickle cell disease results from abnormal hemoglobin, the protein that gives red blood cells their color and carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. People with the disease — caused by a genetic abnormality — have sickle-shaped blood cells that can damage organs and cause other serious problems. Sickle-shaped blood cells also die quicker, resulting in anemia.

In Atkins' case, only one of his parents had the gene that causes the problems. Although he carries the gene, he doesn't have the disease, so his condition is called sickle cell trait. People with it are generally healthy.

In some cases, a person with the trait can develop problems if they get dehydrated during workouts. Their healthy blood cells could turn sickle-shaped, which is what Atkins guards against by drinking a lot of fluids. The trait also could affect an athlete's stamina, although Atkins hasn't felt such problems.

“I don't believe so,” he said. “In all my years playing sports, I haven't had any problems with the sickle cell trait.”

His father went to Florida A&M and was taken by New Orleans in the seventh round of the 1987 draft. He had 25 interceptions during seven seasons with the Saints and three with the Dolphins. He also returned punts and kickoffs for New Orleans.

Atkins' mother told him about the sickle cell trait when he was developing into one of the nation's top defensive linemen at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Pembroke Pines, Fla.

“She told me that my dad had it, so it doesn't really affect me too much,” he said. “Usually at Georgia when we had our camp, it would get so hot that they'd have somebody sitting by me making sure I was OK, making sure I was staying hydrated.”

He was All-SEC as a sophomore at Georgia, his best season in college. Atkins is known for his quickness off the snap. He's 295 pounds but only 6-foot-1, a little short for a defensive tackle in the NFL. During drills at the Bengals' weekend minicamp that ended Sunday, he impressed coaches with how fast he moved at the snap.

“He's very quick,” Zimmer said. “He looks different than most guys at that position. He's a little short, but he looks good.”

Atkins' father runs an apparel store in Round Rock, Texas. Atkins talked to him after he got drafted, and again leading up to the rookie minicamp, getting tips from someone who spent 10 years in the league.

“He just told me, ‘When you go out there, make sure you work hard, always listen to the coaches. When you go out there to practice, try to perfect one thing. Make sure you minimize all your mistakes,'” Atkins said.

Atkins felt comfortable in the Bengals' football-shape locker room, where he and the rest of the rookies are housed in temporary, metal lockers in the middle of the room. They have to make the team to move into one of those nice, wooden ones on the periphery.

It wasn't the first time that Atkins was in an NFL locker room. Atkins was born after his father's rookie season, and would often go into the Saints' and Dolphins' locker rooms as a youth.

“I feel at ease,” he said. “Growing up, he used to bring me into the locker room and stuff like that, so I'm pretty used to it. I've got pictures of me in the Saints' locker room and the Dolphins' locker room.”

Now, he can add a new venue.