Wednesday marked the second and final day of padded practice for the North team. As a special guest coach, the Bengals’ Andrew Whitworth was out on the field coaching up some of the offensive linemen. The conditions improved today making it that much easier on the players. So many of the players looked hungry on the field and gave it all they had. As a result, today was the most physical practice from the North team all week.
The quarterback play drastically improved today, though still none of the quarterbacks look appealing enough to warrant a day one selection. All three quarterbacks had problems with center exchanges. Nathan Brown began the day as the quarterback for the team, but fumbled two snaps in a row, early in practice. He did look more comfortable as the day progressed, flashing ability to throw on the run and getting the ball out of his hands quickly when faced with pressure up the middle. Graham Harrell had another above average day which was enough to make him look like the best quarterback of the bunch yet again. Rhett Bomar displayed a live arm in comparison to the other two quarterbacks, but his accuracy was off again. He hit his receivers for the most part, but the ball was consistently behind or on the wrong shoulder. Bomar really struggles with ball placement.
The most impressive running back again today was Oregon’s Jeremiah Johnson. He displayed great speed in turning the corner and a good burst hitting the holes. Johnson also caught the ball well out of the backfield once again. Kory Sheets was also impressive yet again displaying good speed through the hole and elusiveness. Throughout the week, Cedric Peerman has consistently been the worst back, though with average play. He doesn’t provide much speed or power.
The wide receivers have yet to wow me, but on Wednesday, Brian Robiskie came the closest. He looks like a player who understands how to play the game. This is definitely, at least in part, due to his father Terry Robiskie who coaches the wide receivers for the Atlanta Falcons. Robiskie runs good routes and gets just enough separation and a lane to the quarterback. His hands are as good as anyone’s here and of all receivers, he understands how to use his large frame. Washington State’s Brandon Gibson continued to impress. With a very solid build, Gibson understands how to break press coverage, as shown by his victory against Macho Harris in the one-on-one drills today. He catches balls away from his body which is a large plus. I want to see him play more against off man coverage to see how he gets separation and positions his body. For the first time all week, Oklahoma’s Juaquin Iglesias stepped up. He showed good control in setting up a deep route, welcoming the newly added Trent Morgan to the game. Derrick Williams was once again involved in the most pro -looking match-up of the day with Darius Butler. Both are very quick and fluid and while Williams didn’t perform to what he has the past two days, he did nothing to injure his stock. The loser today was the behemoth Ramses Barden. There was no explosiveness off the line of scrimmage and failed to separate. Going up against one of the better press corners in Keenan Lewis, he failed to get off the line, even though he would have drawn an illegal contact later in the play. Separation was the key question for Barden and showing his inability to do it in press coverage today doesn’t bode well for him.
I didn’t notice too much of the tight ends today. Connor Barwin finally received some snaps at defensive end in the one-on-one drills, so that was exciting. He really got up the field fast and looked much better there than he did at tight end. I’m still not sure why they couldn’t just give the Big East sack leader and invite to the game at his real position. Other than that, John Phillips looked good working the middle of the field, running nice routes. Phillips is one of my sleepers at tight end.
In the trenches, today was definitely a day dominated by the defensive linemen. No offensive guys really jumped out. The closest were guard Kraig Urbik and center Max Unger. Unger finally turned around his terrible week by having some nice blocks against power moves. He used good knee bend and technique to absorb the hits and prevent some of the bigger tackles from pushing him into the pocket. Urbik is one of the guards that has snuck under the radar. He isn’t flashy by any means, but he demonstrates an ability to handle all the moves thrown at him. He has a great bend and is strong. Look for him to be a starter in the league very soon. Ryan Shuman from Virginia Tech played really well today against Ron Brace and his bull rush. It was difficult to get past him today, but he wasn’t really challenged with a variety of moves. Andy Levitre played too high all day resulting in several losses in the one-on-one drills. The big losers on the day were Alex Mack and Xavier Fulton. Fulton allowed defenders to get into his chest and drive him straight back. Mack really struggled with B.J. Raji the entire day. Raji was playing motivated and it was apparent that Mack couldn’t handle his power and leverage. This just reaffirmed my beliefs that Mack is a pure zone-blocking center. Phil Loadholt once again struggled with resetting his feet after the initial move. He’ll get a chance at right tackle, but if he doesn’t improve in handling the second move, it won’t be long until he’s out of the league. Still, once he gets his hands on you, the play’s over.
Wednesday’s practice was yet another day dominated by BC defensive tackle B.J. Raji. He’s moving his way into the early teens and possibly even the top ten. Raji blew up numerous plays in the backfield and manhandled interior linemen, particularly Alex Mack, in the one-on-one drills. When his motor is rolling, it’s nearly impossible to lock him out for extended periods. His teammate, Ron Brace, showed that he’s only a one-trick pony. Aside from the bull rush, he has nothing in his game. Even that didn’t fare so great today as he was stonewalled several times. Brace is only a space eater at the next level, unlike Raji who can do a little more. I said yesterday that I was surprised with Larry English’s quiet week. Well, we can scratch that from the books. He finally showed his explosive speed on the edge, running a nice arc to the quarterback several times. Look for him to go in the second round as the Ware/Merriman pass rush type in the 3-4. Will Davis also showed some good speed coming around that edge.
Nic Harris and Marcus Freeman were the cream of the crop at linebacker today. Harris is an intriguing prospect because as a converted safety, he’s a smooth mover and agile. Like Cato June in the Cover Two defense, Harris could also make a successful transition in the pros. I’d still like to see him bulk up and want to see how he performs getting off blocks in Saturday’s game. Marcus Freeman looked very good all day. When he goes in for a tackle, he squares his shoulders, stays low, and drives through the tackle. He’s shown great form tackling this week which is a good addition to his resume that already showcased speed in pursuit. South Florida’s Tyrone McKenzie didn’t look as good as I had imagined. He was a very productive linebacker at South Florida and I liked some of things I saw from him in games, but this week he hasn’t shown form tackling. He’s going too high and playing like that will get you burned in the NFL. Clint Sintim and Zack Follett still looked stiff today. With time, I think Sintim could learn to play the SAM in the 4-3, but I could see him providing a more instant impact in a 3-4 defense.
Draft analyst, Mike Mayock said Wednesday that he’s heard strong talk from scouts who have begun to look at Missouri safety William Moore as a linebacker. He played very poorly this season after adding weight and has looked stiff and out of place covering receivers one-on-one. He doesn’t turn well and allows too big a cushion. Moore’s stock is falling and to me, he’s been easily overtaken by Oregon’s safety Patrick Chung. Now this doesn’t come as a direct result of the Senior Bowl because Chung has been outstanding throughout his career. Chung can handle playing on top of a receiver, but looks more comfortable in press coverage. Fellow Pac-10 defensive back Keenan Lewis showed why he’s considered to be one of the more physical corners as he jammed Ramses Barden off the line, ruining his chances of beating him that play. He did continue to stay physical a little after the 5 yards given in the NFL, so overphysicality is something to keep an eye on with Lewis. If you go back to watch tapes of Lewis, that’s something to look for. Even in practice, Louis Delmas plays a physical game. This guy just will not stop coming and hitting. He’s as aggressive as they come.
As the last padded practice came to a close, I’m sure coaches would have liked to see a little better play from the quarterbacks and offensive line. The quarterback-center exchanges were pitiful as it would take two hands to count the number of snaps that ended on the ground. The defense looked a little better than the offense today, especially in the trenches. With the superior quarterback play belonging to the South team, the North team will need good pressure and disruption from their front line to win Saturday’s game, even though it’s just an afterthought at this point. The NFL Network will cover the North team practice from 10:30AM-12:00PM (ET).
Continue to Wednesday's South Practice Recap -->
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