A day that began at 6:30 AM for myself, Matt Elder, and the rest of the BSN staff, we worked straight up until 8:00 PM with Combine testing, individual workouts, and 7 on 7s.
Unfortunately, some prospects pulled out last second due to injury while others were injured through drills, but all in all, there was some surprisingly impressive showings here at the BSN Collegiate Showcase.
Quarterbacks
-Jackson State quarterback Casey Therriault was still (expectedly) the most impressive quarterback here considering he looked smooth and fluid in all drills and showcased great velocity at times along with his 6’2 size. If teams can not worry about the character concerns, and if he can improve his fundamentals, he could get looks as a solid UDFA.
-The surprising star quarterback of the event was Justin Van Den Raadt of Azusa Pacific. He showcased great arm strength, keeping the ball high and tight, and not showing a letdown in technique or fundamentals all day. Whether you want to call him “NAIA Tim Tebow” like Matthew Elder of BuffaloBillsDraft.com did all day or simply “JVDR”, it may be time for people to know his name.
-The final fairly impressive quarterback was Lee Chapple of North Alabama. While not as consistent down the field with bucket passes or timing quicker routes effectively, he spun the ball well and made some impressive throws. The obvious 3rd best quarterback here, he may be one to re-watch for some that only watched North Alabama for their defense.
Running Backs
-Not a whole lot to note with the running back class, and it wasn’t overly impressive as a group, but the combination of Frank Wolfe’s (St. Francis) forty yard dash time (in the 4.2s both electronic and hand timed) along with Tommy Addison being the most complete back and showcasing the most polish in drills, the position wasn’t a total let down. Both of those players have outside shots at making an NFL roster, still, however.
Wide Receivers
-The number one ranked prospect here by us, Shenandoah receiver Rico Wallace, certainly didn’t disappoint, and I wouldn’t shocked if he’s the reason 3 teams for sure (and potentially more unseen) were in attendance. He ran in the 4.5s, but his 10 yard split time was impressive for his size, he looked the most smooth of any receiver in drills, transitioning well in between cuts, decisively cutting off defensive backs.
-While Wallace was expected to be the top receiver and came through with a great workout, it was Alexander Tounkara of Brown who wowed me more than expected. He’s thin, especially in the lower half, and doesn’t have great explosion after the catch. But he caught ball so well away from his body, has the skill set and vision to be a great jump ball receiver, got off the limited press he faced well, and got some natural separation.
-The two speedy receivers of the event are likely to be slot receivers in the NFL. Demario Barber of Fort Valley State ran a 4.32 forty and looked more consistent on film to me before the event, while South Dakota’s Jeremy Blount ran a blistering 4.25. Blount struggled changing direction at times during the day and consistently struggled to keep his balance on sharp breaking routes, but was near impossible to cover from the slot and getting vertical. Barber was seemed more balanced and polished as an interior route runner.
–Simmie Yarborough of SE Louisiana and Jeremiah Saffold of Doane were two solid receivers in drills, both somewhat expected based on their previous seasons. Yarborough tested well, showcasing some straight-line speed to go with smooth inside out and outside in routes from the slot position. Saffold caught the eyes of the coaching staffs and was a gaining consistent separation in almost every drills, catching away from his body well.
-Finally, Ron Davis of Stillman was one of the few guys that was not high on myself or Matthew Elder’s list coming into this event (as again, we did the scouting for it), but took advantage of the opportunity. He timed well in the forty (4.53), but didn’t play nearly as fast in drills. But he caught well away from his body and in traffic, and made subtle movements in his routes to get separation and impressed enough to warrant a potential NFL camp option.
–Kevin Doty of Lafayette and Clarence Ward of Grandview were both impressive at tight ends. Doty has the length and catches the ball away from his body well to combined with his solid blocking ability. Ward is more of a receiving tight end but positioned himself well in traffic. Also, Troy McKenna, former Lehigh offensive tackle, worked well in drills as a tight end, running well in drills and looking fairly smooth downfield (even though he had a few drops).
Offensive Line
-Jacob Farely of North Greenville ran as well as any linemen at the event, running as low as the high 4.7s, impressive for a guard prospect. He didn’t participate in drills, unfortunately.
-The two best offensive linemen were clearly RJ Polley of South Dakota and Soloman Orr of Tarlenton State. Polley showed some decent punch and sliding ability, and is maybe the only player who can play tackle prospect at any level in the future. Orr is a massive body who has some punch and control as he moves downfield. While he’ll be playing a bit of tackle in game on Sunday, he’s a potential NFL Draft prospect at right guard.
Defensive Line
-There was a clear winner among the defensive line: Bucknell defensive tackle-end ‘tweener Robert De La Rosa. At 6’2, 280ish, he tested extremely well in just about every drill, and even though he didn’t work out in positional drills due to an injury, he’s clearly shown he’s athletic enough to both play inside and out as well as potentially at the NFL level.
–Willie McGinnis of Rhode Island was a prospect that I anticipated playing well this week, but he turned in some very mediocre workout numbers. He’s still one of the better prospects here, but his disappointments this weekend are concerned.
–Chris Mayes of Wesley and Keir Jeter of Edinboro both had similar builds and make-ups, but it was Mayes who looked more explosive, balanced through drills, and more complete as a pass rusher from a 4-3 set. Jeter still flashes some deliberate pass rush moves, but lacks the change of direction or balance to be a 3-4 outside linebacker, something he’ll likely need to be for his size (same could be the case for Mayes).
–Corey Scruggs of Averett impressed in many of the workouts on Saturday, and despite being a bit stiff looking laterally, he showed some powerful, low rushes at times and intrigues as a developmental defensive end in a 4-3 scheme if he can continue to develop NFL depth in rush moves.
-Maybe the biggest surprise of the entire event was how dominant James Bowman of St. Francis was as a defensive tackle-defensive end rusher. He consistently beat interior blockers inside and out, kept his hands inside and extended well, and even showed some set-up rush ability from 3-technique and 5-technique initial starts.
Linebackers
-A physical, powerful interior linebacker at Delaware State, Brandon Harvey showcased some outstanding athleticism this weekend, running a sub-4.2 short shuttle, wowing in the 40 time, and displaying a complete workout. He chose not to do drills, but if he can maintain his outstanding times for a linebacker with his size and muscular frame, he could be a potential worthwhile 7th round selection. –Ryan Roberts of Indiana State flashed at times on film this past season and really showed a near complete skill set (except he struggled to get off blocks consistently). He blasted a sub 4.65 forty at 6’3, and looked to fill the role of a KJ Wright (formerly of Mississippi State) at the next level if he continues to improve. –Nick Clark of Averett looks the part of an NFL coverage linebacker. Well built, timed well and looked fairly comfortable in all the workouts. But when asked to consistently drop into middle and deeper coverage, he really struggled to keep his speed and balance as he got into deeper drops. He’s likely more of a Cover 2 linebacker based on his size and struggles against bigger interior linemen, however, so he’ll need to answer those questions moving forward.
Defensive Backs
–Jayah Kasiamba of Georgetown sure looked the part of an NFL defensive back, scupleted, powerfully built in his upper and lower half, and blazed a sub 4.45 forty time along with some other impressive workout numbers before suffering an injury after his first forty time. Based on his impressive junior and senior film along with his build and impressive times, he should be looked at as a draftable prospect and could be hot target in undrafted free agency.
–Stephen Peyton of Brown came in as one of the top prospects here at the showcase, and he really didn’t disapoint. He tested well in most drills, closed well in pass coverage in the short area, and even though he struggled at times vertically in man, he won’t be asked to do that much as a more of a read and react, zone strong safety at the next level. He’s also a fringe draftable prospect himself.
–Logan Kerr of Ashland has the awards to back up his impressive play, being a former Division II All-American. While his timing numbers were less than stellar, in one on ones along with 7 on 7s, Kerr consistently made big plays and only allowed 2 receptions during the entire, hour long passing match-up.
–Cody Eich of Minnesota-Duluth and Herschal Thornton of East Stroudsburg both tested well (Eich surprisingly) and may be two of the better safeties down here, with film to back-up the talent they showcased this weekend as a potential NFL UDFA.
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