The North was the first team on the field today so let’s start with them.
THE NORTH
WR Denzel Mims from Baylor was the offensive standout on Wednesday. Mims, 6-3, 206, was very productive in college with 168 career catches and 28 TD receptions. He made plays all over the field today.
Mims started off by catching short passes. He showed good strength and was able to play through contact. That is important for a receiver with his size. It wasn’t all small ball. Mims was able to get deep multiple times and haul in long passes.
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UCLA runner Joshua Kelley has been impressive this week. He has ideal size at 5-11, 214. That makes him big enough to have some power and break tackles, but also small enough to still move well and be elusive.
Kelley had multiple runs in the team drills when he got loose for good gains. He showed excellent vision and burst. You just watch him run and he is impressive.
As you are seeing with both SF and KC, RBs with some juice can make a huge difference in the run game. Damien Williams, Raheem Mostert, Matt Breida and Tevin Coleman all have above average speed. Give them a hole and they can deliver big plays.
Pure speed can be overrated at RB, but the ability to burst through a hole and create some separation makes a world of difference.
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There were officials on the field today and they threw a lot of flags on DBs.
Terrell Burgess from Utah and Davaris Davis from Auburn were also offenders. Burgess was too handsy for much of the day. Davis drew a flag or two.
It is good for officials to get out there and let the players know they can’t grab and push receivers around. You want to see how the guys perform in a true football setting. That means playing by the rules.
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Ohio State DT Davon Hamilton was dominant in some of the team drills. He blew up multiple run plays by just driving blockers backward. Hamilton is 6-4, 327 and can just overwhelm blockers at times. He might remind you of a Linval Joseph type of player.
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Washington C Nick Harris got pushed around by Hamilton at times. Harris is only 293 pounds so bigger guys are a real challenge for him. Harris also had a bad snap.
Before you get too down on him, watch this.
Harris has some special traits. He won’t fit every team, but some will really like him.
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DL Jason Strowbridge had another strong day. He batted down 2 passes and showed the ability to get off blocks and be disruptive.
After practice, Strowbridge talked about how the coaches are moving him around, using him at 1-technique, 3-technique and 5-technique. Rather than being frustrated, he sees this as a chance to show he can make plays anywhere on the line. Strowbridge has helped himself this week.
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CB Troy Pride from Notre Dame was up and down. He had tight coverage early on, but then gave up a long TD. Pride was actually in pretty good position. He just didn’t play the ball well. After the rep, a coach pulled him aside to talk about what he needed to do to win the rep. Being close isn’t enough. You need to find the ball. He did have a nice pass break-up after that talk.
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Hakeem Adeniji played LT at Kansas, but he is only 6-4, 302 so NFL teams may think of him more as an OG. Adeniji stood out to me today in the 1-on-1 drills. He was able to stonewall multiple rushers. Adeniji can really lock on and stick with his defender. He definitely impressed me.
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I had concerns about Cal ILB Evan Weaver coming into this week. He was incredibly productive this year. He is a tackling machine. Weaver was good today on run plays that came at him.
Coverage is the issue. Weaver is stiff and just doesn’t move well when he’s trying to cover a RB or a TE. I was hoping he would prove me wrong, but Weaver has to get better there to make it in the NFL.
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Wyoming ILB Logan Wilson has impressed me. He shows the ability to get off blocks and find the ball. He also looked good in coverage. Wilson played safety early on in college and still has good cover skills. Wilson picked off 10 career passes, very impressive for a LB.
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LB Zack Baun had a terrific year for Wisconsin. He racked up 12.5 sacks and was a regular force off the edge. Baun measured in at 6-3, 240 so he’s playing more ILB this week. The results haven’t been pretty.
Baun has really struggled with taking on blockers. OLBs play in space. They usually get to attack. ILBs have to read the flow of a play before knowing what to do. Baun is a talented player, but the switch has caused him real problems.
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WR Chase Claypool is huge at 6-4, 229. The Notre Dame star also plays big. He’s able to get the best of CBs who try to press him. Some big WRs try to be finesse. Claypool is smart and uses his size to his advantage. Claypool has caught the ball well in the first couple of practices.
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WR Quartney Davis had multiple drops on Wednesday.
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Antonio Gandy-Golden was up and down. He got deep and hauled in a long pass. Later, he got behind a CB and dropped the pass. That was a good throw from Shea Patterson and should have been a fairly routine catch.
One note on the TD…the player AGG beat was CB Essang Bassey. He has really struggled both days with getting beat deep. His lack of speed has been a glaring problem.
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Safety Alohi Gillman had some good moments in coverage. He was able to be physical with receivers on short routes. He had good downfield coverage as well. Teams will be impressed with his man cover skills.
He was playing deep safety in a team drill and tried to come over and break up a pass on the sideline, but got banged up on the play. He walked off the field so hopefully he’s okay.
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THE SOUTH
For most of the day, the OL got the best of the DL. It surprised me how little DL were winning in drills.
Then DT Robert Windsor got going. The Penn State star became a disruptive force, beating blockers with quickness and strength. He was at his best in the team drills. Windsor even lined up at DE for some snaps.
Windsor, like the other DL, got off to a slow start. During one drill he was taking on a double-team. They destroyed him, just driving him off the ball.
As the day went along, Windsor got better and became disruptive.
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Stephen Sullivan played both WR and TE at LSU. He measured in at 6-5, 245 so he’s obviously playing TE in Mobile and will be there in the NFL.
Sullivan only caught 46 passes in college so he’s not exactly a household name. Sullivan really stood out today. He showed good speed in getting downfield and he caught the ball really well. Sullivan tracked the ball well and showed soft hands.
This is a great example of a player coming to an all-star game and making the most of his opportunity. He wasn’t a starter at LSU, but that’s because they had so much talent. Sullivan has NFL ability. He just needed a chance to show it.
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Kyle Dugger, the small school star, came up with a terrific INT in a coverage drill. He has shown that he can play with the big school players. Beyond that, Dugger is showing that he might just be able to play safety in the NFL. At 6-1, 217, some think he’s best suited for LB. His cover skills have impressed me.
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Florida receiver Van Jefferson had another strong day. He runs good routes and is able to get open. He catches the ball naturally and easily. Jefferson is a polished receiver. He can win with skill as well as athleticism.
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WR Devin Duvernay had another good day. He was able to catch a long TD pass. He runs well and has good hands.
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OL John Simpson had a tough day on Tuesday. Thankfully he bounced back on Wednesday and looked good. Simpson looked much better in the 1-on-1 drills, winning many of his reps. He was able to move well laterally and hold his ground vs power moves.
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Darnay Holmes had another strong day on short and medium routes. The UCLA corner is quick and aggressive. He plays the ball well. His big issue is deep speed.
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CB Reggie Robinson from Tulsa had a good day. He covered receivers tightly and was impressive in the 1-on-1 drills.
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Dane Jackson from Pitt had his struggles with the officials. He was flagged for holding and pass interference on multiple plays. Jackson started off well, but was up and down as the day went along.
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DT Marlon Davidson was really good on Tuesday, but was in a walking boot today. Hopefully that is nothing too serious.
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