After missing Monday’s East practice and hoping to catch up on evaluation of Mike Singletary’s squad, disappointment marred the Tuesday session. The East practice seemed far more oriented toward teaching as opposed to showcasing player talents for the purpose of evaluation, which is a curious decision given the nature of the 2015 Shrine Game.
There was an hour-long stretch of practice where no real evaluation could take place as offensive and defensive players split off and went through install at a walk-through pace, while defensive linemen engaged in what can only be described as a 1980’s elementary school P.E. class square dancing session. The players went straight from walk-through/do-si-do into special teams segments.
By: Chris Kouffman
Quarterbacks
-Evaluation points on the quarterbacks were few and far between Tuesday. Most of it could be guessed at based on prior film evaluation. Duke’s Anthony Boone throws the best ball of the group, by a good margin. However his accuracy appeared erratic at times. Georgia’s Hutson Mason appears on track to potentially be named the starter for his unit as he seems to have the firmest grasp on the offense. However, he also possesses the weakest arm of the group.
Running Backs
-Generally speaking, the tailbacks were pretty well destroyed in pass protection by blitzing linebackers when the East coaches engaged in protection drills. However, this is not a surprise. In five years the tailbacks have rarely won these matchups.
-At 6’2” and 240 lbs, Louisville’s Dominique Brown comes off looking like a very impressive specimen. From what I could see prior to the extended walk-through/special teams half of practice, he also caught the football very well out of the backfield and flashed moves in the open field. Unfortunately we will need to see more than just a walk-through in order to see more.
Wide Receivers & Tight Ends
-There has been much said about William & Mary wide receiver Tre’ McBride, and I felt he delivered fairly well on his reputation during Tuesday’s practice session. Of all the wide receivers, McBride showed the best combination of movement skills, physical ability to deal with the press, and ability to finish plays.
-As far as pure movement skills are concerned, Maryland wide receiver Deon Long is only behind Tre McBride in the ease with which he runs his routes and gets open. However, his diminutive build leaves one wondering if these practice sessions are the perfect setting for him to showcase his skills, whereas actual games are a less than perfect setting for him to finish plays. After seeing him only for one practice session, it is easy to see that Long can run, get open and catch the football. Can he handle the physicality of a game setting and still finish plays? That is what remains to be seen.
-Georgia Tech wide receiver Darren Waller appears more like a tight end than a wide receiver. Listed 6’6” and 240 lbs, with rumors of speed in the 4.5 range, many have visions of Kelvin Benjamin dancing in their heads. Unfortunately while Waller displays the physical prowess in confined spaces that one would expect of a 240 lbs player facing a bunch of 190 lbs corners in one-on-one drills, he looked sluggish and did not play up to his rumored 4.5 speed.
-Tight end Wes Saxton of University of South Alabama had a number of attention-grabbing routes and catches during the Tuesday session. What was particularly intriguing was his ability run through the top of the route and finish the play at high speed. Saxton is rumored to be one of the fastest tight ends in the entire 2015 class, and his practice session on Tuesday made it easy to believe the rumor.
Offensive Linemen
-Unfortunately, Tuesday will not be the day for judging offensive linemen as the practice gave too precious few opportunities to see what the players have to offer. From what few glimpses were given on Tuesday, University of Kentucky tackle Darrian Miller and Louisville guard John Miller appeared to do well for themselves.
Defensive Linemen
-Most of the practice session saw the defensive linemen engaging in some sort of choreographed above-water synchronized dance session with their hands clasped behind their backs, circling around a collection of bags. When the players were not engaged in such theatrics, Tennessee-Chattanooga defensive tackle Derrick Lott draw a lot of attention with his prowess in one-on-one pass rush drills.
Linebackers
-The linebacker most immediately noticeable among the East group had to be Newberry College’s Edmond Robinson as he is 6’3” and 244 lbs and built very well. During blitz drills, he stood out. However, later on they asked Robinson to cover and that is when things began to fall apart for him.
Defensive Backs
-The most impressive defensive back of the East group appeared to be Texas State’s Craig Mager. While Mager is not a large player, he is built well enough for the corner position and he appeared very smooth while also being quick. His hips were quick and easy and his back pedal was fast. He also showed off his versatility as he functioned as a wide receiver during several drills.
-The defensive back most likely to give Mager a run at being the best on the day was Tennessee’s Justin Coleman. Despite being listed the same height as Mager and five pounds lighter, Coleman has a more solid build. His movement skills were very fluid and his coverage technique was sound.
-One player in the secondary that consistently struggled was Florida Atlantic safety Damian Parms, who looked too slow to compete with receivers in drills. At some point, a receiver’s accomplishment during a rep had to be taken with a grain of salt as it came against the East squad’s least successful defensive back. He will need to bounce back hard during the next two days in order to make a positive impression.
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