by 'Pigskin' Paul
Guillemette, editor
of Paul's Pigskin Place and
Special GBN Scout
Friday wrap ...
<>Just a quick tip for all you addicted gamblers out there: bet
the Vegas under on this game tomorrow. It's a combo of some nice
defensive talent and some mediocre (at best) QB play this week. Points
may have to be scored by the D to get some points on the board. It
should also be added that even with better talent it's hard to install
an offense from scratch in one week. It's the main curse of football
All-Star venues. Second worst thing is player injuries. We'll hope for
the best on both counts.
Without a doubt the most entertaining coach to watch during he practice
week was West offensive line coach Mark Mangino. He's vocal, animated,
demanding and really tries to teach his charges every single day. Even
though we laugh at his physique I sure wish he could find a way to get
his weight under control and live longer than he's likely to now. Good
luck Mark.
Here's my dozen top performers this week in practice. Remember these
aren't the most talented guys necessarily, but the ones who showed me
the most out on the field for the full week.
1) CB JOSH
NORMAN, COASTAL CAROLINA: A really talented kid, who knows
it, and that's not all bad. Confident, but a little undisciplined at
times. He's 'Josh being Manny' to paraphrase a recent baseballism. But
he is a natural corner with high risk/reward potential.
2)
DT AKIEM HICKS,
REGINA: He got everyone's attention right away Monday in his
briefs at the weigh-in and then he held it most f the week with
his ability to produce pressure up the middle and even from the edge at
times. He's a great looking athlete and football player right now.
3) FB EMIL
IGWENAGU, UMASS: He was listed originally as a TE, but he lit it
up all week as a FB. He blocked like hell and showed decent hands and
even a little run ability after the catch. I'd also put my money on his
potential as a special teamer.
4)
WR JARIUS
WRIGHT, ARKANSAS: Everybody looked at each other when he checked
in at under 5-10 and barely 175 pounds on Monday, but he was the most
explosive, productive offensive player at every West practice.
5) LB JOSH
KADDU, OREGON: He looked like a special athlete in shorts
and shoulder pads. And while it is often hard for the LB position to
really shine at these venues, this former Duck did. He made plays all
over the practice field and was the hardest hitter I saw play after
play.
6) DT REGIS
MICANER, MIAMI: The East offensive line could not contain this
guy on the practice field. Whether it was in the individual drills, or
the 11-on-11 Micaner looked like he had a short cut to the pocket on
every passing play. And he also ran down plays at or beyond the line of
scrimmage.
7) TE CHASE
FORD, MIAMI: Another underrated guy from 'The U', who came to
the Shrine game primarily as a local invitee, but may have put himself
on the draft radaras used his long frame and excellent hands to become
a downfield receiving threat every day.
8) RB MARC
TYLER, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: By the far the most powerful,
explosive RB in this game, Tyler did a lot to dispel concerns about his
work ethic and attitude from his USC days. Tyler is incredibly quick
through the hole and does find the crease the vast majority of the
time; plus he's size is almost perfect for today's NFL running game.
9) FS
CHRISTIAN THOMPSON,SOUTH CAROLINA STATE: There are some rough
edges to the game of this small school guy, but nothing some good NFL
coaching can't fix. What there is is lots of athleticism and enthusiasm
for the game of football. He has star potential at a weak positional
group.
10) OG BRANDON
BROOKS, MIAMI (Ohio): This big guy was the most consistent
player along the offensive line for either team. He may get a bit lazy
at times, but he is a natural it on the interior upfront. Brooks is
absolutely huge at over 350 pounds and is effective blocking for both
the run and the pass.
11) P BRYAN
ANGER, CALIFORNIA: This could be a huge projection, but
this guy has such a strong leg and fundamentally sound motion that it's
really fun just to watch him kick. He gets good distance on his kicks,
but its the height and hang time that are off the charts.
12) TE GEORGE
BRYAN, NORTH CAROLINA STATE: This seems to be another guy
that got a bit lost in the shuffling at State this past season, but he
did a nice job re-establishing his ability as a serious receiver as
well as a credible blocker down here this week.
Let me just add that this list was tough to generate, because it meant
leaving off some pretty good football players this year.
>
Thursday practice notes ...
Today was the last day of practice, with only a walk through
scheduled for Friday at Tropicana Field with the players in shorts and
shells only. There was no tackling allowed, but there was spirited
scrimmage type work with plenty of contact to go around.
One guy have haven't mentioned yet this week is Tennessee Tech WR Tim
Benford. He has decent size at 5-11 and almost 200 pounds and looks to
have very good speed. He is also turning out to be a very sure-handed
receiver who doesn't do much of a spectacular nature, but snatches the
ball out of the air on both short and deep routes; he also works hard
in all the WR drills. I fully expect that he is going to make a play or
two in the game and get some buzz at his pro-day workout if he doesn‘t
get a late invite to the combine.
I was pleased for California (PA) OG Rishaw Johnson, who had a terrible
first day of practice, but looked decent to good today as he
consistently held his own against the very strong East defensive line.
Johnson still has a ways to go, but at least looked like he belonged
out there today.
I paid a bit more attention today to Illinois WR A.J. Jenkins, who has
looked solid all week. At just 6-0, 192, Jenkins isn’t physically
imposing, but is quick as can be. He is very precise and explosive in
his route running as he doesn’t appear to lose any speed at all coming
out of his breaks. He caught a home run ball during scrimmage time, but
what really caught my attention was how hard he digs into the ground
when running for such a small, fast guy. You can literally hear Jenkins
running his patterns down on the sidelines.
Accuracy by the QB crew continued to be mediocre at best today, with
multiple interceptions being thrown. It appears just as likely to me
that a couple Pick 6s are just as likely to occur as any actual TD
passes come the game on Saturday.
Maryland RB Davin Meggett showed some nice burst and power today. He
is, of course, the son of former NFL RB and KR extraordinaire Dave
Meggett. Meggett the younger likely won’t be drafted until the third
day this coming April, but he has a chance to stick in a running back
rotation like a Danny Woodhead at New England.
Yesterday, I wrote about the impressive small school DBs for the East,
however, I should have also added Presbyterian CB Justin Bethel, who
has decent size at 5-11, 196, along with good speed and quickness.
Certainly, he made more good plays than bad ones down here this week.
Bethel will take some time to and may require some solid, patient
coaching, but he appears to have enough talent to play at the next
level. If he fails to get drafted I would expect his name to be very
high on the priority free agent list.
Finally got a chance to put a stopwatch on some of California P Bryan
Anger’s kicks. After he got loosened up and started practicing his
punting motion it really got good. As I had expected this man extends
his foot over his head at full extension. He's a tall, angular kicker
at almost 6-4 and 202 pounds. Once he started to put the ball in the
air, Anger came up with the following sequence of hang times in order:
4.79, 4.59, 5.22, 4.66, 4.62, 4.69, 5.22, 5.00 which are all well in
excess of the average punter in the NFL these days. It should also be
noted that Angers kicks were all in excess of 40-45 yards long and,
though he is pretty much a 3-step punter, he is very quick getting
through those steps and getting the ball away. Based on what I've
seen this week some team in need of a punter should use a later round
pick on Anger without hesitation.
I think Mississippi DE Kentrell Lockett is in something of a football
never-never land right now. His career at Ole Miss was marred by
serious injuries the past few years and as we all know everything about
the 2011 season was a veritable disaster in Oxford. He showed up for
the Shrine game weighing under 243 pounds and was been pushed around
pretty badly most of the time in practices this week. And one just
didn’t see from Lockett the kind of athleticism needed to play as a 3-4
rush LB.
I am still skeptical of how much the West offense is going to be able
to go downfield with its passing attack, but if they do I would expect
Arkansas WR Jairus Wright to be their number one weapon. This kid is
like dynamite in shoulder pads. He measured in even smaller than
expected earlier in the week at just 5-9.5 and barely 176 pounds, but
he is quick, fast, explosive and pretty fearless despite his lack of
size. He's getting work on return units as well.
North Carolina State TE George Bryan has performed well here this week
and reclaimed some of the luster he lost having a pretty mediocre
season for the Wolfpack, For some reason, Bryan went from being an
All-ACC TE and primary weapon for State to a guy in the rotation at the
position and ultimately was off the field far too often. However, this
afternoon he clearly made the best catch of the week at West practices.
In particular, Bryan made a great catch in traffic when he caught a
bullet pass threaded between 3 DBs in the end zone and then hung on as
he went to the ground at the back of the end zone.
Wisconsin safety Aaron Henry made a nice pick of a short throw into
traffic by Northern Illinois QB Chandler Harnish early in 11-on-11
drills. And while thought not athletic enough for some, TCU LB Tank
Carder ended the offenses 2-minute drill with a mid-field interception
of his own. Carder will likely slip into the middle rounds come April
and some team will get a smart, instinctive athlete who will play a
mean special teams and eventually work his way into a starting LB
position somehow.
That's a wrap folks. It's been a great week of football watching. The
group of players down here is talented and dripping with pro potential.
And these aren't even the premier guys. Most of them, of course, are
either going to next week’s senior Bowl in Mobile or are underclassmen
not eligible for the all-star games. But I saw dozens of young players
who with patience and good pro coaching should be Saturday draft
choices. A lot of these players are going to make NFL rosters next
Fall. This is a really solid group of players that the Shrine football
staff has assembled. Nice job guys as the Shrine game rosters are just
behind that for the Senior Bowl and leaps and bounds ahead of all the
other All-Star venues in talent.
Wednesday afternoon practice notes ...
West head coach Brad Childress got an unpleasant surprise this
afternoon when the skies opened up 5 minutes into warm-ups for his West
squad and the rain continued pretty much through the rest of the
practice. It wasn't exactly a deluge, but for this time of year in
Florida, that is our dry season, it was a lengthy field soaking rain
and complicated the team‘s workout which ultimately was cut short by
about 20 minutes.
It is clear that if you are a WR for the WEST team your primary job
this week is to act as a decoy and drag DBs downfield so that the QBs
can dink and dunk to RB on the flanks. In fact, when passes went
downfield more than 10 yards it was usually one of the good TE group
members who caught the longer throws. As expected David Paulsen of
Stanford and South Carolina’s George Bryan were the principle
beneficiaries catching a lot of downfield throws.
Even though he's not being thrown to very much Arkansas WR Greg Childs
has at least looked strong running his patterns. He also has worked
hard to get in some blocks coming back upfield for the dump-off throws.
Childs has nice size at 6-3, 215 and was considered to be the most
talented receiver at Arkansas, but was slowed by a couple of injuries.
However, one can see the potential when he runs and if he passes the
physicals at the combine, I'm guessing some team is going to gamble on
him in the mid-rounds.
West line coach Mark Mangino continues to work his charges hard and
shuffle them around a bit in an attempt to get the maximum production
out of a somewhat limited offensive linemen. For example, when practice
began Colorado OG Ryan Miller was working out at RT where the 6-7,
26-pounder didn‘t look out of place.
Missouri DT Dominique Hamilton is a bit rough around the edges, but the
coaches are working him hard and he has made some nice plays on the
inside of the defensive front. Hamilton looks to be a good athlete with
a nice combination of size and strength who just needs more work on his
technique and self-discipline. At 6-5, 320, he's a load and will make a
very tempting prospect for 4-3 NFL defensive schemes.
Here is my list of players who look like they just don't have the
talent to compete with most of the guys down here, let alone the NFL
talent level:
1) S NICK SUKAY, PENN STATE
2) WR KEVIN HARDY, CITADEL
3) CB CHARLES BROWN, UNC
4) RB ALFRED MORRIS, FLORIDA ATLANTIC
5) QB TYLER HANSEN, COLORADO
6) DE ARNAUD NADON, LAVAL
7) C MOE PETRUS, UCONN
8) OG BEN HEENAN, SASKATCHEWAN
9) OG JOSH LERIBEUS, SMU
10) DE JUSTIN FRANCIS, RUTGERS
11) WR JUNIOR HEMINGWAY, MICHIGAN
12) SS DUKE IHENACHO, SAN JOSE STATE
Wednesday morning practice notes ...
We're getting to that point where I know most of the players
by their numbers so it's getting a bit quicker to see who is doing
what. I spent most of my time this morning watching the QB, WR and
secondary groups.
If the East offense scores this weekend it probably won't be because of
a long sustained drive led by one of their 3 QBs. None of the three has
been consistent in any phase of their game. The best overall
looking guy has been Chattanooga’s B.J. Coleman, but his reading of the
field and his throwing accuracy range from mediocre to bad. He looks so
far like the kind of guy who would need a shotgun to go bird hunting.
Meanwhile, Florida QB John Brantley just continues to struggle with
ball control, footwork and his throwing in general, while Southern
Mississippi‘s Austin Davis may ultimately be the most effective for
this game because he's more mobile, and can move the pocket at least a
bit, but his arm and decision-making under pressure is only mediocre.
On the bright side there was some very nice work by many of the WR
corps members. They spent a reasonable amount of time running red zone
and goal-line situations this morning. A revelation is these
drills was Miami WR Laron Byrd, who had a horrible start to the week
with multiple drops on Monday. However, today he effectively used his
body to shield off defenders and made several diving catches for TDs,
while he also high-pointed another in the deep corner of the end zone.
Another receiver who acquitted himself very well on the short field was
Michigan State’s B.J. Cunningham. There are serious questions down here
whether he has enough speed and suddenness to get open against NFL
level competition, but Cunningham showed great body control and
excellent hands in the short field just like Byrd. Cunningham was
especially effective getting two feet down inbounds on several of his
catches.
Meanwhile, small-school wideout Thomas Mayo of California (PA) has been
a star this week, but defenders gave him a hard time today, although he
still managed to make one very nice end zone catch after he appeared to
figure out that when the ball was coming to him quicker in the red zone
and he needed to shield off defenders with his body. Let's be realistic
about this, Mayo is a work in progress and shouldn't be taken until the
third day, but he has skills and lots of potential to make his mark in
the NFL in a couple of years for a patient team.
From day one, the most impressive, promising work in St. Petersburg has
been the performances of several young, small-school defensive backs
such as Micah Pellerin of Hampton. Pellerin has had his share of highs,
as well as a few lows this week, but he battled his way to an
interception this morning that he took back to the house during
11-on-11 drills. At the same time, South Carolina State safety Chris
Thompson has flashed the most potential of any safety on either roster.
In particular, Thompson has the ability to stay with most receivers and
locates the ball nicely when it is in the air. At just over 6-0 and
over 210 pounds, Thompson looks to have NFL starting potential.
But the biggest star of all these small school DBs has been Coastal
Carolina CB Josn Norman, whot everyone's attention on Monday morning
during the weigh-in when he showed a solid, athletic body that measured
in at 6-0, 203. And Norman has been handling receivers in every drill
at practice. Plus, he has that air of quiet confidence that has been
noticeable every day. He doesn't brag, he doesn't strut, but he
radiates an attitude that says don't mess with me. Indeed, NFL.com guru
Mike Mayock, who is in St.Petersburg this week, not Jacksonville, is
already in high praise of him in a video breakdown. This young man has
a chance to become a second day pick if this keeps up and he impresses
at the combine.
Raise your hand if you have ever heard of Emil Igwenagu. Now put your
hands down all of you liars. He's a bruising 6-1, 245-pound FB from
that new football factory at Umass (which just recently produced
emerging Giants WR Victor Cruz). He's a physical blocker with decent
speed to lead even wide running plays. He also caught a short pass over
the middle and took it to the house on Tuesday. There are a lot of NFL
teams that don’t even officially carry a FB on their roster these days,
but for any team that does covet FB types, this young man surely has
gotten their interest already this week. This is another example of why
games like this have value to talent evaluators. Good work once again
by the Shrine staff in coming up with an invitation for this young man.
Tuesday afternoon practice notes ...
It might just be because I get a little tired of standing and
walking as the day progresses, but it honestly seems to me that there
is a huge difference in the pace and energy of practices for the West
team. It also seems clear that Coach Childress places great emphasis on
special teams play as he has opened both practices with special teams
work of some kind and then ends each session with more of the same. But
the overall pace and intensity just does not seem to match that of the
East morning sessions.
Another former USC Trojan who had an excellent day's work this time on
the defensive side of the ball was DT DaJohn Harris who was was pretty
much dominant in all the defensive line drills including one-on-one
pass rush work. The solidly built 6-3, 308-pounder has a very nice
combination of strength and quickness. He also stays low out of his
stance and is effective using his hands to keep blockers away from his
body. Although he is not as highly touted as his predecessor, I see
some strong similarities to former Trojan DT Sedrick Ellis and should
be a very solid 3rd rounder in April.
Unfortunately, one of the most clearly overmatched, struggling players
in the East camp is UConn C/G Moe Petrus. Petrus just doesn't appear to
have the foot speed/quickness to get where he needs to be quickly
enough and he gets overpowered and knocked off balance with frequency.
And at just 6-2, 299, he seems physically overmatched in most
situations. On the other hand, Texas C David Snow had a much better day
today and may be able to slide back into his old OC slot if Petrus
continues to be a liability.
One guy the team does not appear to have to worry about is massive
Miami (Ohio) OG Brandon Brooks as the 6-4.5, 353-pounder has looked
both strong and athletic. He had spent some time at OT in college but
seems to have found a real home inside over the past year or so. He
generally keeps his pad level low and is very strong. He has even shown
some foot quickness at times for a guy his size and is arguably the
best overall offensive lineman on the West team.
I give myself one big demerit today for not having my stop watch out at
the beginning of practice. I had it with me to check hang-time on punts
from Cal P Bryan Anger who was so impressive on Monday. But once the
practice got underway the specialists went to the sidelines and Anger
spent most of the day working on his holding skills. However, I will
bring the stop watch again Wednesday and make sure I get my eyeballs on
Anger as soon as I get to the practice field.
The West WR corps has not been very impressive to date. Based on the
scrimmage portion of the session it appears the West offense will
revolve around dink and dunk passes both inside and out. In fact I felt
like the TEs were actually running some deeper routes than the WRs
through much of this practice.
It appears that the defensive coaches have anointed Wisconsin S Aaron
Henry as their leader out on the field. He's getting a lot of
instruction and direction from the coaches and it all appears to be in
a positive manner. Henry has been used in the box to play the run and
jam receivers much of the time. But they also seem to trust his cover
skills deep as well, which would make sense seeing that he is a former
CB. At just under 6-0 tall and weighing in at 208 pounds, Henry has
nice size for either task.
Another player who has grown on me is Oregon State CB Brandon Hardin,
who may also see some time at safety. It's not that he can't play the
corner, but the squad has some nice talent there and Hardin, with his
exceptional size at almost 6-3 and 222 pounds and could ultimately make
quite a ball hawking athlete in the deep secondary. In fact, Hardin
reminds me quite a bit of Seattle CB Brandon Browner, another former
Beaver who had a break out rookie season for the Seahawks this fall
after spending a number of years playing the pass happy Canadian
league.
There's another young defender making quite a name for himself this
week in Oregon LB Josh Kaddu who was the somewhat unsung hero of the
Ducks defense during their late season run and Rose Bowl win over
Wisconsin. Kaddu he is playing like a whirling dervish ranging all over
the field and delivering some very punishing blows to ball carriers and
receivers alike. In this day and age of speed and finesse, Kaddu
is looking more and more like a punishing hitter who can find and get
to the ball. I would also expect him to play a significant special
teams role come Saturday's game.
I keep watching Nebraska OT Marcel Jones and wonder if this huge,
athletically gifted player will ever put it all together and be a real
football player. However, the more I watch the more I think maybe not.
My guess is he will bounce around on NFL practice squads because of his
size (6-6, 330) and athleticism, but will never really put it all
together and find his way out onto the NFL battle field.
We'll see what tomorrow brings but it sure looks to me like this squad
will be severely challenged to move the ball and score in the game
Saturday. None of the 3 QBs has shown any consistency in finding open
receivers downfield and making accurate throws time after time. Maybe
someone will emerge, but I'm just not sure I see any of them having a
major impact on the game unless Northwestern’s Dan Persa can scramble
and loosen things up. It also appears to me that Northern Illinois QB
Chandler Harnish may be suffering some after effects of the ankle
injury he suffered in the team’s bowl game earlier this month.
That's a wrap from St. Petersburg for Day 2. Stay tuned for tomorrow's
reports since Wednesday's are often the peak days at these All-Star
venues. I will try to send more time watching receivers and QBs.
Tuesday morning practice notes ...
It was clear from the start of practice this morning that the
players had had their Rice Krispies for breakfast, because there was a
snap, crackle and pop at proactice this morning right from the first
drill. The tempo was way up from yesterday with the two line units
literally beating up on each other.
When all was said and done I thought the best player on the field this
morning was Miami DT Micaner Regis. He measured in yesterday at 6-3,
309 and played with a solid combination of speed and power. Regis stays
low and uses his arms and hands well to fend off blockers. He also has
displayed a non-stop motor for the first two days. He sometimes losses
track of the ball on running plays because he is so intent on his pass
rush, but the coaches seemed very pleased with his work.
Under the category coming out of nowhere to getting some serious
attention from pro scouts add the name TE Chase Ford of Miami. Indeed,
when I saw his name on the roster Monday I wrote him off only as a body
needed in the TE numbers game. But Ford was exceptional today in
getting open and making all the catches, while he also showed some run
after the catch ability. Ford does look skinny at first blush, but he
actually has decent size 6-6, 258. Ford is not going to be the next
Jimmy Graham, but personnel people around the NFL will definitely be
looking at some tape of him after this day when they get back home.
None of the QBs really impressed today during the scrimmage segment of
practice, but some of that was because secondary coverage was very
solid and the wideouts were frankly not open very much. The scary part
is that none of the QBs looked particularly adept at escaping the
pocket to scramble. The does not bode well for getting a lot of points
on the scoreboard come Saturday.
I was also really impressed with the athleticism and toughness of
Georgia TE Bruce Figgins. Figgins is a sculpted 6-3, 272, but still
looks trim in pads. He blocks well and, though raw, seems to have
decent hands. I think some team will love the fact that he can probably
be used as a FB/TE/HB, as well as a good special teamer. That likely
doesn't make him a high draft pick, but I think he'll get a call early
on the third day of the draft, perhaps as early as the 5th round.
Another relatively lightly regarded prospect who made some big plays in
the secondary, including almost notching an interception and putting a
couple of big licks on WRs was Duke safety Matt Daniels. Again Daniels
stock is helped by his measurables as he measured in at a solid 6-0,
215. Plus, he moves better than I expected and seems to relish contact.
Given that this year’s draft class at the position is less than
stellar, Daniels has a chance to really help himself over the remainder
of this week.
On the other hand, it was a tough day for California (PA) OG Rishaw
Johnson. The small school kid was kicked out of the offensive line
rotation twice for false starts, during drills no less. Johnson did
have a couple of decent moments in pass-pro drills, but also got beaten
soundly just as often as not. The step up in competition is obviously
hard on him, and he appears to be trying too hard to get everything
right. Unfortunately, I hear much more yelling than I see coaching at
times and I am not sure if he will rally himself somehow or just give
up. He has NFL size and talent, but so far looks far from ready to
contribute at the next level. He's slipping into late round land and
may have a lot to prove come the combine.
One offensive lineman who intrigues me is Rutgers OG Desmond Wynn and
it seems to me that the coaches feel the same way as he appears to get
plenty of encouragement and instruction. At 6-5, 305, with that well
toned athletic frame, I sense that a lot of people think that Wynn is a
potential late bloomer who could really turn into quite a football
player with some work and patience.
I think it's very important when evaluating a layer to make sure you
grade him on what he is and does, and not what you'd like him to be. A
good case in point would be South Carolina DT Travian Robertson.
Robertson is a well-conditioned 6-4, 305 pounder who is your basic stay
at home, control the line of scrimmage DT, or even perhaps a
5-Technique DE. I sense that the East coaches realize that, because
even though he doesn't show much in the pass-rush drills they praise
his effort and encourage him repeatedly. Are you old enough to remember
the Purple People Eaters of the Vikings IKINGS. If you are, you’ll
remember Carl Eller, Alana Page and Jim Marshall who were all
exceptional pass rushers, but needed a guy named Gary Larsen who manned
the stay-at-home DT slot, while the other three racked up sacks.
I have heard and read some criticism about Mississippi State C Quentin
Saulsberry, but I disagree. No question that Saulsberry is somewhat
undersized, but he is a try-hard guy who can play all three inside
offensive line slots and will battle to the whistle on every down.
He'll probably never go to a Pro Bowl and he'll have to fight like hell
just to make a team, but once he does he's likely to be a solid reserve
for quite a few years. The Packers have a guy with his kind of pluck
who's done pretty well for himself by the name of Scott Wells.
Monday practice notes ...
Before we get started I want to remind everyone that it is a
very risky business to put too much stock in what players do on Day 1
of any all-star game other than their measurable. It's all new and
their heads are already overloaded from getting the first bits of their
playbook for the week. It's kind of like going to an International Camp
outing and realizing everybody there speaks a different language. Then
add a lack of familiarity with each other in route running, blocking
continuity, coverage details, etc. and it's a wonder that guys don't
get killed out on the Monday practice fields. That said daily progress
is what counts the most in these venues. And that I will document as
the week goes on. So for one day I am not going to harp on how many
dropped balls someone had. There will be time for that come later in
the week when the action really peaks.
One of the nifty features of the Shrine game is that every year they
include several players from Canadian universities, most of whom have a
great week in the south and then back north to continue their careers
in the CFL. There may be an exception this year as Regina DT Akiem
Hicks may attract more than passing interest from NFL teams. Hicks
certainly passed the eyeball test in the morning weigh-in measuring in
at almost 6-5 and 324 pounds; he also has arms that measured over 35"
long with a huge wingspan of 84". Hicks then put the pads on and looked
very impressive at the first East practice showing a nice combination
of quickness and strength as he was pretty much dominant in the
one-on-one pass blocking drill. As noted, though, this drill can be
overrated since it heavily favors the defensive guys, but let's just
suffice to say that nobody showed me more than Hicks during that venue
today. Right now he looks to be the best Canadian football prospect I
have ever seen at an All-Star Game. Stay tuned for more on his progress.
Anther defensive lineman who was not so impressive today was Virginia
DT Matt Conrath who checked in at 6-7 and 281pounds, but still looks
thin for an interior defender. And Conrath got pushed around pretty
handily during blocking drills by almost every offensive lineman he
faced. Conrath did get moved outside to DE on a few occasions, but
looked like a duck out of water with the position change. We'll see if
he progresses this week, but this guy needs a serious case of weight
gain to play in the NFL.
Along those lines there was a big surprise for my money on the West
squad in Boise State DE Tyrone Carter who was a much heftier guy than I
thought when he weighed in at a solid 285 pounds on his 6-4 frame. He
was also one of the more impressive defensive linemen at the today’s
practice as he got good penetration into the pocket and was very active
in pursuit during scrimmage time.
I was very impressed with the physical presence of Chattanoga QB B.J.
Coleman, who actually began his career with Tennessee before
transferring. Coleman is a solid 6-3, 235-pounder with the 10"
hand-spread that NFL personnel people want to see. For good measure,
Coleman also displayed better than average footwork and mechanics as
well as a strong arm. However, Coleman also has accuracy issues as he
was pretty scatter-armed today.
Speaking of Tennessee, it wasn’t surprising to see the burst and
quickness exhibited by former Vols’ RB Tauren Pole. I have always felt
that much of his lack of stardom at Tennessee had to do with health and
head issues not lack of talent. Today, he was incredibly fast through
creases created by the offensive line and showed that extra gear to
pull away from people in space.
I have also been a fan of Baylor DT Nick Jean-Baptiste for two years
now and was very impressed with his work this afternoon. Jean-Baptiste
showed an impressive mixture of burst and power out of his stance and
used angles very nicely to split blockers. He also is explosive with
his hand punch. At just under and 6-2 and 335 pounds he reminds me
quite a bit of Green Bay’s B.J. Raji, although I don't think he's a
either a possible first rounder, nor do I actually see him as being
best at the nose. But I do think he looks like a potential mid-round
pick who can be that massive anchor next to a 3-Technique DT in a 4-3
scheme.
I was struck by the running of USC RB Marc Tyler. On a couple of
carries he danced, not trusting his blockers and paid the price by
being stacked-up in traffic. But on the three occasions where he ran
full tilt through the specified hole he broke into the open field like
a rocket. I know he has had his issues off the field and that will
weigh he will have to address at the combine, his physical talent is
undeniable and may be about to surface down here in St. Petersburg. And
with that speed, and the 230 pounds he packs at just under 5-11, he
will be a very attractive complimentary runner for an NFL RB corps.
I know that his NFL chances are seemingly slim, but I never cease to be
amazed at the athleticism and talent of undersized Northwestern QB Dan
Persa. Persa measured in at barely 5-11, but a compact 212, threw a
perfect spiral 30-plus yards down the right sideline during 7-on-7
drills this afternoon. Maybe Persa will be the compensation package to
the CFL if indeed the NFL steals Akiem Hicks.
Don't want to sound like a pervert here, but the prettiest feet I saw
in action today in either practice were those of Iowa CB Shaun Prater
who is as quick as a cat, which should be no surprise, but I was
particularly struck by how light on his feet he was during back-pedal
drills. None of the other West DBs had the same smoothness or quickness
of foot movement that Prater displayed over and over again.
Punting is anything but a science, and trying to predict the future NFL
stars at that all important position is precarious at best, especially
at an all-star game, but California P Bryan Anger got the best height
and hang time on his punts that this reporter has seen in 14 years of
attending all-star events. Anger was somewhat inconsistent in the
distance his kicks were going, but I will have my stop watch ready and
primed Tuesday to get a better idea of the hang time Anger was actually
getting.
As I prefaced this article, it's early in the proceedings, but I was
favorably impressed with the work of BYU OT Matt Reynolds at LT today
during blocking drills. Reynolds had a nice first step and maintained
his balance quite well; he looks to be a bit of a knee bender, but at
least he does not appear to pop-up straight up out of his stance, while
he also displayed a decent hand punch, which of course bought him time
to steady himself. Bottom line is that Reynods showed enough to make me
think he has a chance to compete at the OT position at the next level,
instead of an automatic switch inside to OG as some have projected
recently.
Michigan TE Kevin Koger also made a favorable impression with his
blocking today. The 6-3, 262-pound former Wolverine is quick to attack
his man with a hand punch and never stops driving with his legs. He
executed a couple of nice double-team blocks as well as some seal
blocks. If Koger can just show some separation in his short patterns
and look natural catching the ball I think he may have mid-round
potential.
It was a mixed bag today to for Miami OT Jake Long’s kid brother Joe
Long, an OT from Wayne State. Long certainly has the size needed to
play in the NFL as he measured in at over 6-5 and 308 pounds; he also
has 34" arms which are actually longer than those of his brother. At
times, though, he looked overmatched in the pass-pro drills, but then
he pinned one opponent to the ground and rode another way outside of
the pocket area.