The North practice finally got the pads clicking during pit drills today, and there were a number of defensive standouts among the group. Linebackers Korey Toomer, Tahir Whitehead, and Caleb McSurdy looked great all practice and benefited from the increased intensity today.
Big winners from day 2 were Julian Talley, Anthony Miller, Christo Bilukidi, Ronnie Cameron, Tahir Whitehead, and Brett Roy.
Quarterbacks
-Early in practice warm ups, the quarterbacks were put through a set of footwork drills where the coach pulls them left, right, backward, and forward after a straight drop back. In the drill, Dominique Davis impressed with how light he is on his feet, reacting suddenly and moving quickly through the drill. Matt Blanchard also looked solid during footwork drills, showing off his balance and throwing base. Blanchard still struggled to control the snap from under center, fumbling nearly 10 total today and even dropping 3 consecutively. Really have to feel for the guy, who simply has not put his best foot forward. Blanchard spins a good ball, maintains good flex and bend in his throwing base, but just doesn’t have the arm talent teams look for.
–Alex Tanney took a step back today, wobbling a majority of deep throws and showing much more mechanical flaw than I previously anticipated. Needs to work on getting on top of his throws, cannot continue to dip his back shoulder when placing passes deep downfield, and has to improve his footwork. Deep ball accuracy would improve greatly if he could only spin a consistently clean ball. Very much an NFL prospect, but a development player that needs time with good coaching.
Running Backs
-If he hadn’t already, Michael Smith officially asserted himself as the top back here in Arkansas. Chad Reuter said, “He (Smith) needs to have his last name changed to ‘Smith-Drew’ [in reference to Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew].” And it its true, Smith does run with great pad level, excellent burst to and thru, and bounces off contact with good balance. At 5’8, 200+ lbs Smith is a short, compact, bowling ball runner that breaks tackles, and doesn’t go down on first contact. –Derrick Coleman runs lower to the ground than any running back in Arkansas, dipping his shoulders to present a very small target and generate forward momentum. Has a good burst and first step, looks better off at running back than fullback, where teams can utilize his running ability. –Darryl Whiting from Fordham didn’t show a whole lot today, but did run with some power and explosion when he lowered his pad level through the hole. –Joe Martinek ran with vision and better speed than expected today, bouncing multiple runs to the outside, accelerating up to the 2nd and 3rd levels of the defense, and making good open field cuts to leave tacklers behind. Sneaky fast, runs so low to the ground, but didn’t do as well as I expected in 1 on 1 pass protection drills. -Speaking of blocking, Mark Lampford laid a punishing chip block on Eric Lattimore. In the process of pancaking the big defensive end, a series of ooh’s and aah’s proceeded to follow. Somewhat tightly wound and inflexible runner that doesn’t show the change of direction or feet to consistently bounce runs outside, jump cut across multiple gaps, or adjust to broken plays. Old-school, one cut, downhill runner that needs to land in the right system.
Wide Receivers
-Another crisp day for the former Penn State player, Derek Moye again showed why he’s the most polished receiver here. The game is never too fast for Moye, who is patient but sharp in his routes. Has great feel for the position and the game comes easy to him.
–Michael Willie continues to provide some intrigue as a short area guy that can create after the catch. During the 9-on-7 portion of practice, Willie ran a nice hitch route on the outside, turned upfield with his outside shoulder, stiff armed the corner to the ground, and went all the way for a touchdown. A 49ers scout approached Willie during practice and showed some genuine interest in the guy; I see Willie as an ideal fit in West Coast offense similar to the one in San Francisco so this came as no surprise.
–Marcus Rivers had himself another solid outing, not allowing the ball to hit the dirt very often, and smoothly getting in and out of his routes. Good looking, big target receiver that glides downfield, as noted in day 1, adjust very well to the throw, and works his way back to the quarterback to present a wide target.
-One of the more talented prospects on the North squad, Julian Talley performed exceptionally well from the slot, utilizing his speed, quickness, and balance to win versus man coverage. Talley has great feet, is sudden breaking off the stem, attacked the corner’s leverage much better today, and created separation with regularity. Ran a superb slant route where he worked off the press with his hands and quick feet, stemmed outside, and whipped back to the inside for the catch.
Tight Ends
–Anthony Miller did an outstanding job all day sealing the edge during 9-on-7. Keeps his feet, sits into a solid stance, plays with good leverage, anchors well, and has a strong base. Whips his hips into position and sticks to his man throughout the run; dominated Scott Smith in team drills.
–Garrett Celek really hasn’t shown much all week and doesn’t seem to have near the receiving skills his brother Brent has. Certainly has the body for the position, needs to add more bulk, but doesn’t have the adjustment or hands you want in a pass happy league.
Offensive Line
–Charles Burton, who played right tackle for Montana, really doesn’t look like a natural bender. Has a weak anchor that’s easily moved by stronger defensive linemen and struggles with his footing.
–John Cullen from Utah, looked solid lining up at guard today in pit drills; hand fights real well, has a solid initial pass set, but has difficulty pressing down against any inside rush moves.
–Darrion Weems from Oregon possesses good initial foot speed and short-range agility, but struggles to keep his man blocked for the duration of the play. Needs to finish better.
Defensive Line
-I came into this week holding very high expectations for Texas Tech defensive end Scott Smith, and to this point I have been completely unimpressed with his overall lack of polish as a pass rusher. A taller, longer specimen that has a solid first step and power rush, Smith doesn’t have any secondary or counter rush moves at his disposable. Hasn’t been able to get to the quarterback with consistency, which is shocking to me, especially since the South squad has a more talented offensive line. Really disappointing first two days of practice for the Tech end.
–Jamie Blatnick flashed today with some incredible force and power at the point of attack; his hits really ring throughout the stadium and grab the attention of scouts. Plays with more bend and speed, than his frame would seem to suggest. Could get looks not only as a 3-4 outside linebacker, but also as a base end in a 4-3 front.
–Josue Ortiz, Ivy League player really tore apart the Calgary offensive tackle in pit drills. Used an inside swim to leave his blocker in the dust, and created decent snap at the point when attacking head up.
–Eric Lattimore, more than any player here, looks the part of an NFL lineman. The big, long armed Nittany Lion is sudden off the snap and uses his hands pretty well. Physical tools and all, Lattimore has struggled this week to dominate his man like he should be. Doesn’t keep his feet well throughout the rush, falls down too often for my liking, and seems like an underachiever.
–Ronnie Cameron played with plus leverage in pit drills, rolled up under his blocker every rep he got, and dips well for a big guy. Moves well for his size, has some quick twitch ability as a 1-gap penetrator, and I’ll be keeping a close eye on him tomorrow.
–Christo Bilukidi was constantly told by the defensive line coach, “You are what you are”. And it’s true, Bilukidi is forceful with his hands at the point, gets off the snap pretty well, and is a true power, interior rusher. Had his way with the offensive line for most of the practice; locks onto the blocker’s chest plate, creates a snapping pushback separating him from the blocker, and rips underneath.
-Today, I decided to shift my focus on Brett Roy from Nevada; Roy received an invite to the combine and should be a draft pick come April. Overall is an all around, solid player that has a high football IQ, understands leverage and technique at the point of attack, and can consistently shed blockers after initial engage. Adept stack and shed 3-4 backer that can set the edge well, pick up sacks every now and then with his non-stop motor, and will always fight through the whistle. Russ Lande compared Brett Roy to Rob Ninkovich from the Patriots, stating that Roy’s athleticism and sound technique make him a good fit for the Patriot’s 3-4 scheme.
Linebackers
–Caleb McSurdy really benefited from the increased contact and team oriented drill work today. Fills with great intensity and power, has the body and strength to stun lead blockers in the hole, and takes on blocks with correct shouldering. Allows his pad level to rise in coverage and is a bit stiff hipped, but takes good cutoff angles in pursuit to HB routes. Gets caught with eyes on the football too often and struggles to quickly diagnose run or pass. Powerfully built, wide bodied, and strong with his hands, McSurdy is a running down only linebacker at this point.
–Korey Toomer consistently was around the ball today and showed off very good athletic ability. Sits into a nice athletic stance with good pad level, locates receiving targets in zone particularly well, and gets good, not great depth to his hook to curl zones.
–Tahir Whitehead impressed me so much today with his footwork, run reads, and suddenness playing in the bubble. A 3-4 outside guy in college, playing 4-3 outside linebacker is an entirely new world for Whitehead. This guy has picked the scheme up very quickly, already looks confident in the position, and took remarkably consistent, correct read steps to flow today. Has a nice recovery step to play action, and can flip and run down the seam. Filled hard against the inside run, producing a violent snap on impact and utilizing plus leverage when taking on blockers. Great hands at the point, can stack and shed after run fits, and makes plays off of blocks more than any backer on the North squad.
–Zach Nash from Sacramento State got some work in today at middle linebacker and continued to leave a good impression with his solid stance, light feet, and scraping ability. Called the plays for the second group, has adjusted very well to the position change and shows promise.
Defensive Backs
–Derrius Brooks from Kentucky has really established himself as the top corner from the North squad. Has the movement skills to play in the NFL, quickly reads the route and drives hard on patterns. Retraces his feet very well and doesn’t allow much separation at all.
–Troy Woolfolk showed up at practice today; maybe, I was going crazy, but I could’ve sworn Woolfolk wasn’t at the first practice. At any rate, he constantly was beat off the line and never could seem to land his jam; recovered to make a play on underthrown deep ball.
–Clarence Laster, though he impressed with competitive fire in day 1, struggled to keep locked up in man coverage, fighting with his hands to the point of obvious pass interference. Misses his jam at times, leading to downfield separation. Needs time for development, but isn’t much more than a dime or nickel corner at best.
–Cyhl Quarles didn’t overly impress today, but was more vocal than any of the North defenders, getting calls out, and chiding teammates for poor tackling in 9-on-7 drills.
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