In what was the biggest and most shocking upset of the weekend, the Duke Defense, led by Syndney Sarmiento and Russ Cockrell, gave Logan Thomas ample trouble in the Virginia Tech loss this past weekend.
See how the Duke defensive prospects impressed and where non-offensive Hokies still showed off their NFL upside.
Sydney Sarmiento, DT, Duke (#82), 6’4, 300
Stood up on 3rd and short by Andrew Miller. Rarely stood his ground on the line. Making tackles 5 yards down field if he’s not pancaked. Doesn’t look athletic in the way he moves. His technique and strength didn’t impress either as he often came up high and rarely got any push. I don’t see a skill that could contribute at an NFL level.
Russ Cockrell, CB, Duke (#6), 6’0, 180
Stuck well with WR on start and stop routes. He came up and assisted in some tackles in the red zone, doesn’t shy away from contact. Came away with a big INT in the end zone but coming underneath a route. He didn’t return after getting hurt on the interception, but he showed me enough to think he’ll be a late round pick or training camp invite with a shot to make a roster.
Justin Foxx, DE, Duke (#92), 6’3, 245
Like his teammate Sarmiento, Foxx was getting moved off the LOS often. He finished the game with 9 tackles, but that number looks much more impressive than it actually is since all 9 were assists and most coming more than 5 yards downfield. His body size makes me think he’ll need to move to 3-4 OLB, but he doesn’t seem to have the athleticism to contribute from that position.
Antone Exum, CB, Virginia Tech (#1), 6’1, 224
This was Exum’s first game back from his ACL injury so I wanted to see how he look. He seems to have recovered quite well. The team trusted him to let him play outside one-on-one and he looked good. He didn’t play much bump & run but he showed good footwork. Didn’t see any hesitation with making contact which is always nice to see, although he did miss a tackle on a screen I expect Exum to be able to maintain the draft status he had at the end of last season.
Logan Thomas, QB, Virginia Tech (#3), 6’6, 257
After a few weeks of looking good, Thomas took a large step back. He had time in the pocket and showed a strong arm but was highly inaccurate on throws downfield. His 4 INTs were a result of bad decisions and bad overthrows. He rarely makes presnap assessments. In the 4th quarter, the RB motion out wide and was matched up against LB. RB beat the LB on a quick slant and was open for the 1st down throw, but Thomas never even glanced to that side of the field. He has the arm, but his true quarterbacking skills are severely lacking.
James Gayle, DE, Virginia Tech (#99), 6’4, 253
I was excited to see how Gayle did against a running heavy QB. I was a little disappointed as he didn’t beat RT Perry Simmons as often as I expected. His only pressure was when he went outside on Simmons, using his speed. Duke did seem to favor running away from Gayle however so he had limited opportunities. Gayle remains a low-ceiling, high-floor player.
Other Notes
- Virginia Tech DE Dadi Nicolas only a redshirt sophomore, but huge impact already on the VT defense. He’s a little light right now, but with his height and length, I expect him to add some weight in the offseason.
- Virginia Tech DE JR Collins sat due to disciplinary reasons.
- Virginia Tech OG Andrew Miller looked great all day as he showed drive on his run blocks and didn’t allow any pressure. I don’t think he’ll wow anyone in the NFL, but he definitely can be a starter.
- Virginia Tech WR DJ Coles had a TD called back early in the game but played very physically and did well at catching with his hands. His attributes will get him a look in the NFL.
- Duke OT Perry Simmons did well against James Gayle on most plays. Below average footwork and speed so he is susceptible to the outside rush.
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