Nasty conditions greeted the players, scouts and other onlookers this Monday for the first day of practice in preparation for this Saturday’s East-West Shrine Game in St. Petersburg, FL. Within minutes of the West squad’s arrival at St. Petersburg High School, the skies opened up a torrential downpour. The rain itself left no players worse for the wear, however the resulting sloppy field took its toll on every position.
By: Chris Kouffman
Quarterbacks
-Today was a difficult day on which to gauge the quarterback play as field conditions affected pass catchers and coverage personnel. Receivers regularly slipped during their breaks and were often could not get to their marks. That said, the quarterbacks generally did a good job adjusting their targeting to where the receivers were, rather than throwing to a spot.
–Dylan Thompson of South Carolina found himself being lectured for not taking solid command of the huddle. That said, he consistently utilized a hard count throughout practice, often drawing defensive linemen off sides. His operation of the offense was a little uneven as he nearly threw an interception to linebacker Zach Vigil of Utah State, who jumped a short route and dropped the ball as it hit his chest. Interception aside, Thompson consistently operated the passing offense, something Arizona State’s Taylor Kelly struggled to do. Nevada’s Cody Fajardo showcased the most impressive physical tools among the passers.
Running Backs
-It is difficult to evaluate tailbacks in a practice setting where hitting is not allowed. Texas ball carrier Malcolm Brown looked a little slow trying to reach the edge of the field, however he showed good vision and cutting ability.
-The West backfield features two FCS players from the Dakotas, John Crockett of North Dakota State University and Zach Zenner of South Dakota State University. The two are polar opposites of one another in terms of field presence. Zenner is quiet and barely looks as if he belongs. Crockett is enthusiastic to an extreme, well-built with a perceptible explosiveness to his movement. If it were not for a costly fumble at the mesh-point during team drills, one would be tempted to declare Crockett a winner on the day. Perhaps he deserves that nod anyway. Suffice it to say, those that have never heard of nor seen Crockett play should probably begin a review of his tape.
Wide Receivers & Tight Ends
-Monday’s sloppy field was particularly hard on wide receivers, who had a tough time coming out of their breaks without slipping or falling. There was one clear exception: Arizona wideout Austin Hill. At 6’3” Hill sports a compact build befitting his jersey number #29. He had the best foot contact and balance of the wide receivers. During individual and team reps, Hill often made onlookers forget that the players were running in slop. He caught the ball well, showed poise and good body language.
-Most of the receivers struggled making breaks and consistently catching the football. Therefore, it is difficult to establish a pecking order based on Monday’s work. However, it should be noted that San Diego State’s Ezell Ruffin struggled the most with his footing, balance and overall execution. He made one highlight reel catch during the practice, hauling in a back-shoulder fade with one hand as he fell to the ground. Outside of that catch, he could barely run a route let alone finish the play.
-If we are to try and see beyond the sloppy field, unsure footing, slippage out of breaks and inability to finish catches then there were some intriguing signs from Washington’s Kasen Williams, who looked nigh on uncoverable when he ran his routes correctly. Alas, one is forced to acknowledge he could not finish catches in team play.
-Oklahoma quarterback-turned-tight end Blake Bell looked the smoothest, most sure-footed and sure-handed of his position group Monday afternoon. The day was not one where many skill players were able to showcase their talent, but his work bears watching.
Offensive Linemen
-While the conditions made it difficult to tell which offensive lineman was truly performing the best on the day, it was quite easy to see which performed the worst. That unfortunate honor belongs to Florida State’s Bobby Hart. He struggled during pit drills pass protecting against defensive tackles as well as defensive ends. In fact, he was the only offensive lineman to consistently struggle during pass protection drills. He followed up by struggling in team segment as he was pushed around, and eventually called for a false start. Hart could not get out of his own head all afternoon, as he would adapt from one mistake by finding a different way to get beat on the following rep.
–Tayo Fabuluje of Texas Christian University may be the most deserving of being dubbed the best lineman of the practice session. He excelled during pass protection drills, showing a nice combination of frame, fight and balance.
Defensive Linemen
-The most impressive defensive lineman during the session was San Jose State’s Travis Raciti, who found different ways of making plays throughout the afternoon. West coaches did a good job using players in a variety of ways during practice and so Raciti got reps on the inside as well as at end. He excelled regardless of position, showing off the nice combination of hand fighting skills and quickness that earned him 27.0 tackles for loss in his SJSU career.
–Tyeler Davison of Fresno State definitely had his moments throughout the practice. Well regarded by most draft media outlets, his performance during the practice session is not likely to make any of his fans think twice about him. He broke through interior linemen during pass protection drills several times, and made at least one big play during team drills. Raciti was just a little bit more consistent.
-Memphis defensive end Martin Ifedi had a day worth forgetting. He was continually thrown off by the poor field conditions, and it seemed to affect him mentally as he pressed too hard as the practice session went on. Ifedi is a talented player who should bounce back and improve throughout the week.
Linebackers
-There was not much to be said of the linebackers during Monday’s session. Utah State’s Zach Vigil made a nice jump on a short outlet pass by quarterback Dylan Thompson. However, he let the ball bounce off his chest.
-Stanford’s James Vaughters certainly passes the eyeball test. He showed off his mobility as the speedy quarterback Cody Fajardo turned on the afterburners on a rollout to try and turn a corner that Vaughters never let him have. Considering his size and thickness, if he continues to flash that kind of speed he may get drafted higher than many expect.
Defensive Backs
-There is no doubt which defensive back is the most communicative of the group. That accolade belongs to Texas Christian’s Samuel Carter, who looked the most comfortable of all the safeties calling the ball from the secondary. Even when his unit looked on from the sidelines, he continued calling the offense’s formations and tendencies. He was loud and enthusiastic in his praise of teammates, and neither his command nor leadership of the defense came off forced or fake. He also practiced very well, handling his one-on-one coverage responsibilities consistently.
-Colorado’s Greg Henderson does not enter the practice week as a heralded player, and indeed he is one of the least likely to impress you getting off the bus. His build reminds of Brent Grimes of the Miami Dolphins. However he consistently showed good hips and feet in coverage, and also showed excellent pad level and leverage in tackling.
-One underrated player who did not necessarily have a great practice session was Bernard Blake of Colorado State. Blake is a good player with the length and mobility to play at the next level, however he had a very difficult time keeping his footing during drills.
-Though all eyes were on the highly rated cornerback Josh Shaw of Southern California, his practice demeanor did not necessarily live up to his reputation. Though he is clearly a confident player who knows what he’s doing, he looked a little lifeless during the practice session. Scouts will want to see him light up a little more as the practice week continues.
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