It’s day three in Mobile, Alabama and the intensity has decidedly waned in practice. Many NFL scouts have left as have several teams’ personnel. There were a few nuggets of information to be gleamed, so I will break down some thoughts after watching both the North and South squads. The players got listed alphabetically and by the squad they were on.
North
RB Ameer Abdullah, Nebraska
The runner has good burst, shows quick feet changing directions, and sells his fakes well. Abdullah can find a small sliver on the line and get small. I have my doubts that he will be more than a third down back though at the next level.
RB David Cobb, Minnesota
He showed a lot of effort on each touch. Cobb has great hands and is a decent pass blocker. I’m a bit concerned about his workload in college catching up with him however.
WR Jamison Crowder, Duke
The diminutive wide out has soft hands, looks great in space, and explodes off the line. He is working on dealing with physical coverage other than out-juking his man, but sometimes struggles with breaking down to get into position to catch the ball.
WR Justin Hardy, East Carolina
If you have read my write-ups for the week, you will already know I really like Hardy. He jumps up to attack the ball catching it with his fingertips. The receiver is smooth and runs clean routes.
LB Jordan Hicks, Texas
The linebacker finds the ball quickly in pass pro while providing tight, physical coverage. He came down with an interception and showed good athleticism all week.
LB Jeff Luc, Cincinnati
The thick-trunked thumper should find a home as a two down linebacker and short yardage specialist. Luc does not have the quickness or agility to stay with running backs or tight ends in coverage.
WR Ty Montgomery, Stanford
He ran crisper routes today, catches the ball in traffic, and probably had his best day of practice. Montgomery had some issues getting a clean release, but is more of a long strider.
DE Nate Orchard, Utah
Orchard got good pressure off the line of scrimmage, swatted a pass into his arms in the end zone. He shows good body position while moving up and down the line quickly always ready to pounce.
QB Bryce Petty, Baylor
This signal caller didn’t do anything to stand out this week. He looked good throwing short and intermediate routes with decent footwork. Despite all that, Petty was far and away the best quarterback in Mobile in my eyes.
WR Devin Smith, Ohio State
He made a few adjustments to poorly thrown balls in the air and did a good job keeping his feet in bounds towards the back of the end zone. Smith still does a bit too much body catching for my liking, but is a dangerous man in the open field running at full speed.
DE Za’Darius Smith, Kentucky
Smith’s great week continued. He gets off the snap quickly, anchors his lane against the running attack, and does a good job collapsing the pocket.
FB/RB Tyler Varga, Yale
The Terminator looked good running inside and caught the ball well. He loves contact and can contort himself to make difficult catches.
South
WR Sammie Coates, Auburn
The wide out came alive near the end zone. He made a few toe tapping catches for touchdowns in red zone drills. Coates lets the ball into his body a bit too much, but shields the pigskin well from defenders and out-muscles everyone for the ball.
WR Phillip Dorsett, Miami
Dorsett has elite speed and quickness. The receiver times his jumps well, while showing good concentration catching the ball in the middle of the field. He looks great in space on bubble screens and reverses. The wide out has a bad habit of body catching and got the ball stripped when he failed to tuck it away.
CB Ladarius Gunter, Miami
This corner played very physical coverage, getting quite handsy. He positions himself between the receiver and the ball well, knocking the ball out-of-the-way or intercepting it. Gunter did not back down from any receiver and gave his best effort on every snap.
RB David Johnson, Northern Iowa
Johnson uses spin moves to create space and glide away from defenders. He does a good job not taking the full brunt of hits and continues to chop his feet until the play is over. My only criticism of him was that due to his long torso, his catch radius isn’t as big as a shorter back would have.
WR Dezmin Lewis, Central Arkansas
Once again, this receiver started off the practice slow and improved on every snap. It takes him a few steps to build up speed, but enjoys fighting for the ball, shielding it from defenders. Lewis contorted himself many times to get in position trying to make one-handed catches. Unfortunately for him, the wide out never made the big splash play, but did look like he belonged with the other receivers.
WR Tyler Lockett, Kansas State
Lockett might be the most high effort player in Mobile this week. He almost made a spectacular twisting reception in the back of the end zone, toe-tapping trying to stay in bounds. The receiver juked his corner going one way and Lockett went the other way for a walk-in score that drew huge “ahhhs” from the crowd in attendance. His adjustments to the ball in the air and shiftiness with the rock in his hands forced me to draw Brendin Cooks comparisons with a discounted draft day price.
OLB/DE Lyden Trail, Norfolk State
The small school prospect was always around the ball. He made a pick in the end zone, and was very fluid for a defender his size at 6′ 6″ 262 lbs. Trail could make a good developmental OLB in a 3-4 scheme.
TE Clive Walford, Miami
Walford continued his impressive play from the day before. He quickly discarded his safety coverage in the end zone, high pointing the ball for a touchdown reception. The tight made catches with a linebacker draped all over him, showing great concentration. At the next level he might not be the best inline blocker, but Walford can stretch the field and be a serious red zone threat.
Thanks for reading. I will have a Senior Bowl recap out on Monday due to the lateness of the game and my early flight home. Please support the website using the PayPal button and follow me on Twitter @AndrewMiley or the site @Dynasty_Blitz.
