Philip Dorsett, Sammie Coates, Clive Walford, Shaq Mason, Trey Flowers and Markus Golden all emerged as winners after the second day of practice for the South Roster. As was the case with the North practice, Alex Brown wrote up the offensive and defensive line, while Ian Wharton wrote up the skill position players.
Quarterbacks
-A newcomer joined the quarterback rotation on Wednesday, as Bryan Bennett from Southeast Louisiana was added to the roster. Unfortunately for Bennett and his receivers, he performed as poorly as Blake Sims has this week. Bennett and Sims each have had issues keeping passes inbounds or in the general area of their targets. Bennett’s deep passes sometimes sailed as many as 10 yards away from the designed landing spot. His footwork is robotic and slow at this point.
-The top quarterback at the Senior Bowl continues to be Garrett Grayson, but even he struggled today. He has good velocity on his passes and can fire the ball into tight windows, but he only has the fastball to throw. His arm isn’t strong enough to be totally reliant on it, and defensive backs were able to step in front of passes a few times for breakups. He has to show more anticipation and placement with his passes to maximize efficiency and effectiveness.
Running Backs
-Northern Iowa running back David Johnson is a tough runner downfield, but he is incredibly stiff laterally. His hips have no give to them at all, and his jukes are more like jokes. The positive for Johnson is that he has terrific receiving ability and is a functional pass blocker.
Wide Receivers
-It was a big day for the receivers, who had to adjust to some poorly thrown balls in order to complete the play. The tie for best day goes to Sammie Coates and Philip Dorsett. Coates, from Auburn, delivered on his physical talents today, as he was a man amongst boys and playing with great toughness. Coates was able to win deep but also underneath by using his feet to break on-ball coverage. He looked much more comfortable today.
-Dorsett is showing that his size doesn’t matter. He’s been very impressive, catching nearly everything thrown in his catch radius. He clearly has the “dog” in him, and is not just a deep threat receiver.
-Small-school receiver Dezmin Lewis had an inconsistent showing, but he definitely should be drafted. He made several highlight-reel catches on the sideline, showing great balance and body control. He had some drops as well, but his combination of size and speed is worthy of development.
Tight Ends
-Miami (FL) tight end Clive Walford had a strong day, and plays much bigger than his size would lead to believe. He had two touchdown catches where he went up, climbed the ladder, and snatched the ball high out of the air. He’s a smooth runner with good speed, and offers solid blocking for a zone-blocking scheme.
Offensive Line
-Georgia Tech offensive guard Shaq Mason was a standout performer, sinking his lower half and winning the leverage battle at the point of attack. Mason has an excellent first step as a zone blocker and takes proper angles to cutoff his opponent.
-Small school guard Ali Marpet had a strong practice performance as well, timing his punches and creating noticeable push. The Green Bay Packers scouts recommended Marpet to the Senior Bowl and he hasn’t disappointed. He’ll be a prospect that teams go back and evaluate more closely as the process continues.
-Alabama’s Arie Kouandjio on the other hand, had issues moving laterally on zone blocking drills. Kouandjio did not block with ideal leverage, struggling in particular versus Clemson’s Grady Jarrett. From a dimensions standpoint, he possesses the wide base, long arms, massive hands and broad shoulders to occupy opponents. Still, he isn’t a good fit for zone teams, as he doesn’t have the foot speed to execute reach blocks.
-At offensive tackle, La’el Collins did not perform well and looks more and more like a guard projection. On zone reach blocks, Collins jacks up out of his stance and allow his elbows to load wide prior to delivering a punch. As a result, he loses the leverage battle and lets opposing defensive ends like Markus Golden to gain an inside fit. Collins not only suffered from bad leverage in the run game, but also continued to struggle with reaching landmarks in pass protection.
Defensive Line
-Arkansas DE Trey Flowers made plays throughout the practice today, using his long arms and heavy hands to set the edge. He’s disciplined as a run defender and consistently in proper position, but also capable of using rip and pull-through moves off the edge as a pass rusher.
-After a bland first practice, Markus Golden flipped a switch. In run drills, he latched onto a much larger La’el Collins. Golden lacks ideal length with 31” arms, but his functional playing strength and hand usage both graded out as pluses today. He consistently set the edge, showed violent hands and located the football.
-Auburn DT Gabe Wright competed at a very level in today’s practice and won with first step quickness versus most of the blockers he faced. The struggle right now for Wright is his hand usage with regards to disengaging, but his burst off the line makes him a plus fit as a 3-technique. Locating break points and disengaging are two areas that Wright must improve upon.
-Right next to Wright, Grady Jarrett continued to be very disruptive with his low build, natural leverage and developed hand usage. Jarrett dominated his one-on-one’s versus Arie Kouandjio, building on a strong day one of practices. He can get overextended when implementing a speed rush, but shows a good understanding of playing through blockers and winning at the point of attack.
-Houston’s Joey Mbu deserves a ton of credit for competing and giving plus effort during practice. Beaten badly on double teams and not understanding how to properly approach, attack and disengage from blocks, Mbu took to coaching and improved throughout the day. He was more active in 7-on-7 run and team settings than individual drill work, evidencing his need for development at the next level.
Linebackers
-Stephone Anthony from Clemson showed the ability to drop and transition in coverage. He carries a high cut frame and packs a punch as a tackler, but the closing burst and movement skills are evident in his game.
Defensive Backs
-Jaquiski Tartt could project as a strong safety at the next level or even as a lighter weakside linebacker. While he shows the range to make plays in coverage, he also plays with excellent physicality in run support. He’s been an active defender through the first two days of practices and has shown no issues with the heightened level of competition.
-Imoan Claiborne simply didn’t match up well with the length and long speed of Auburn star receiver Sammie Coates. While Claiborne is a jack-of-all trades defensive back with corner, nickel and safety experience, he lacks the plus foot quickness you look for. His special teams play and versatility will get him on a roster.
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