I was only able to go to the North Practice today, as both were at the same time. Our South Coverage will be from NFLDraft101.com’s Doug Lancy.
Anyway, it was a somewhat colder day, aroound 50 degrees, at Ladd-Peebles stadium, and I got a chance to see a lot of guys, with the exception of the running backs, linebackers, and offensive lineman. More on those guys from North tomorrow.
–Colin Kaepernick showed how his practice with his throwing motion has improved since the end of the season. It’s not perfect yet, but much quicker and more compact. He had trouble with his accuracy on the outside. He still did look uncomfortable in drop backs, he looked stiff and needs to get to his drops quicker and deeper
–Jake Locker started out well in practice, looking comfortable dropping back, pushing off his back foot, and has the best looking throwing motion of the group on North. However, he struggled with accuracy at times, and through two picks in practice, both to Rashad Carmichael.
–A guy who showed how excited he is to be here was Vincent Brown at receiver. He showed great effort in every drill, exploded off the ball, won battles in blocking, separation, routes, and special teams drills, and overall was one of the more impressive receivers.
-Maybe outside of Brown, Dwayne Harris of East Carolina looked very solid as well. He had a nice looking one handed catch, and showed great tracking ability and coordination all day long. His routes were quick as well. Hopefully more of the same for him.
-As for a disappointing player, Titus Young at Boise State struggled all day. He was targeted at least 10 times in all drills, and had 5 drops, most of which were his fault entirely. His routes were a little sloppy and didn’t win many blocking battles.
–Jeremy Beal of Oklahoma was working with the defensive lineman, but the way he stayed fluid, low, and quick in drills makes me think he could make a very smooth transition to 3-4 OLB.
-Both Stephen Paea and Ryan Kerrigan were solid today. Kerrigan was quick off the snap and had no wasted steps in pursuit, while Paea thrusted his hips well and changed direction well for a big guy.
-The most impressive player I saw all day was Cameron Jordan, defensive end from California. Work ethic was a question mark coming off the season, but his effort was top notch, was a leader in drills, and seemed very coachable. His quick feet and explosiveness for his size are very impressive, and he won a lot of battles in the scrimmaged against the right tackles.
-As mentioned before, Rashad Carmichael had two picks today and could have had three. I like his ball skills and hands, and while he wasn’t physical in getting off blocks or against his receiver, he could still be a solid starter in the NFL. As for a physical cornerback, Kendric Burney had an almost opposite day. He played very physical vs. receivers all day long, but struggled flipping his hips and running with receivers across the field. I still like him, but he needs some coaching work for sure.
–BIGGEST WINNERS: Cameron Jordan, DE, Calfornia; Vincent Brown, WR, San Diego State; Dwayne Harris, WR, East Carolina
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
