Posts tagged Senior Bowl Practice Reports

Jene Bramel’s Reese’s Senior Bowl Defensive Practice Notes Day 3

January 22, 2014 0 Comments read Reads Listens Views

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMm1Wih0kug&w=420&h=315]

Yesterday, I called the Tuesday sessions at the Senior Bowl Momentum Day, as players try to build on their strong performances from Monday’s opening practice. On the way to Ladd-Peebles this morning, Cecil Lammey said that Wednesday should be called Confirmation Day. I think that captures the theme of the week perfectly. Though there were fewer scouts present at today’s chilly practice sessions, players are striving to show that they aren’t one-session wonders against better competition.

In true Confirmation Day fashion, players like Aaron Donald and Chris Borland added one positive practice rep after another to their Senior Bowl portfolios.

But it was Dee Ford who put an authoritative – and hilarious – cap on Confirmation Day.

Here in Mobile, players practice in full pads but aren’t tackled to the ground. Coaches want plays completed to ensure players are prepared for the game on Sunday and to allow scouts and coaches to see a play to its completion. Defenders are asked to tap the quarterback or ball carrier when they get there rather than take them to the ground and risk injury or end a play too soon.

That didn’t happen on the final play of the session. Ford and Kyle Van Noy, who’s been similarly dominant in pass rush all week, met at the quarterback and dumped him on the cold turf. On his way around the edge, Ford let out a “Wheeeeeeeeee!” that echoed throughout the stadium, preemptively dropping the mic on a stellar week of practice. That prompted Matt and I to debate other ways in which Ford might announce his presence as he approached the pocket.

Our top three suggestions for Ford:

Stick with the “Wheeeeeeee!” theme, which reminded us of Slim Pickens dropping the atomic bomb at the end of Dr. Strangelove.
Calmly and quietly hum The Godfather Theme (City Slickers II Style) from his three-point stance.
Whistle a few bars of The Farmer in the Dell and have his linemates yell, “Omar comin’!”

But there’s another reason Confirmation Day resonates with me. We are still many weeks from the draft and the evaluation of these players will be an ongoing process. Each of the players here in Mobile will get multiple looks between now and May, as we seek to confirm that what they showed against higher competition matches what they were able to do during game action.

As always, there is a long list of Senior Bowl prospects I’d like to revisit with a more critical eye.

DT Ra’Shede Hageman – Expected him to push interior line around much of the week. Wasn’t as consistent as I’d hoped and had difficulty getting back to the passer after initial penetration. I want to see how well he squeezes the pocket outside of Senior Bowl tackling rules.

DT Will Sutton – Sutton was Jekyll and Hyde this week. When successful, he was quick and powerful in pass rush drills and against the run in team drills. But he was on the ground too often. So was Sylvester Williams last year, however. Word is that he was asked to put on 25 pounds last offseason and never adapted. His 2012 tape may be most informative.

DT Deandre Coleman – Man mountains Dan McCullers and Hageman drew more attention, but Coleman had similar size. I didn’t look at Coleman’s college game tape before arriving in Mobile. He’s high on my list to watch in the coming weeks.

DE Chris Smith – Smith could’ve been overshadowed by Ford’s eye-popping reps, but wasn’t. I thought he looked slimmer on film, but his lower body was stacked here. I want to take another look at how he shed offensive tackles after being engaged.

DE Trent Murphy – Lots of splash plays on tape, but was handled too easily by offensive tackles here. Didn’t see an elite first step and he tired too often at the end of his series of reps. I want to review his technique on those splash plays.

DE Kareem Martin – May be biggest disappointment of this week for me. Measurables catch your eye, but was ridden out of running drills and team sessions like he was on skates and very rarely won in pass rush. I want to see if there’s any consistency in his game film.

ER (edge rusher) Dee Ford – There’s a lot to like about Ford in pass rush. While he wasn’t ineffective against the run here in Mobile – he was particularly explosive in backside pursuit – his size raises questions about whether he can stand up when teams run at him. That will be a focus of more film study for me.

ER Kyle Van Noy – Van Noy took most of his snaps at weak side linebacker this week, though the North coaches did bring him down for more one-on-one pass rush reps and put him on the line in Under alignments and allowed him to rush the passer in some team reps. He dominated in those situations, but often lagged behind in coverage and let up too often when engaged by offensive linemen on run plays. I want to see if he showed a more well-rounded game at BYU.

ER Marcus Smith – Smith’s best attribute is his pass rush, but he spent 90 percent of his reps with the linebacker group this week. He struggled in coverage and never found a rhythm in pass rush drills. I want to revisit his pass rush technique against his stiffest college competition.

ER Jerry Attaochu – A close second behind Martin as the player who fell most under my expectations here. I’m willing to give him a pass because he took few reps with the defensive end group, but he was dominated on every one-on-one rep with an offensive lineman and didn’t fare much better against backs and tight ends in pass protection drills.

LB Chris Borland – Did everything well in Mobile. Fluid and powerful in run support, dominated in pass rush drills with multiple moves, handled himself well in coverage and was responsible for at least three turnovers. Borland is one of a few players I watched extensively before coming to Mobile. Saw more snaps as a blitzer than in coverage; I’d like to focus on his coverage snaps and watch his stack and shed technique more closely.

LB Chris Kirksey – Josh Norris and others sang his praises before practice began. He flows to the ball well and is willing to physically engage blockers at the point of attack. I want to see how consistently he sheds and take another look at how well he drops and reacts in coverage.

LB Telvin Smith – Looked like a safety during weigh-in, but surprisingly showed a willingness to stack and shed when he had to here. Looked comfortable in coverage, but footwork was lacking at times. Another player I haven’t evaluated on tape at all who deserves a full evaluation.

LB Christian Jones – Jones didn’t do poorly in any drill, but there were technical issues (poor hand use, playing too high, inability to shed consistently) throughout. He didn’t seem to play full speed during the games I reviewed at full speed, but I’m hoping to see more on second look.

LB Jordan Tripp – Active and quick to react on running plays. But turned away when blocked and rarely disengaged. May not be much Montana tape to be found, but he wouldn’t be in Mobile if the coaches hadn’t asked Phil Savage to invite him. I’d like to see what they saw.

S Ahmad Dixon – Dixon grabbed receivers too often and let his technique lapse during one-on-one drills. One scout who interviewed him told me he might have trouble picking up complicated coverage schemes. I want to see how well he reacted to routes in front of him in college game action.

S Deone Bucannon – Had the look of an all-around safety during drills and team sessions. But reps were limited here due to the number of swing corner / safety prospects on the North roster. I need to take an extended look at his college tape.

S Jimmie Ward – Ward did his large cheering section proud this week, looking fluid and instinctive in coverage. At just 191 pounds, however, I’d like to re-examine how physical he was against the run at Northern Illinois.

S Terrance Brooks – Brooks impressed with his change of direction and closing speed today and he looks a little bigger than 197 pounds in pads. I want to see how he performed against the run during game action.

For more Senior Bowl Info also check out:

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Reese’s Senior Bowl Report Day 2: North-South Offense Notes

January 21, 2014 0 Comments read 2014 NFL Draft

Brent Musberger said he talked to scouts who compared Tajh Boyd to Russell Wilson. Let's have a look from the pocket. Photo by PDA.Photo. — Tajh Boyd had a couple of good throws today, but his team isn’t the one to watch for signal callers. Photo by PDA.Photo.

Today’s practice report will have a stream of conscious format minus my id. I wouldn’t do that to you.

If you haven’t heard elsewhere, the jet stream made a personal appearance at Ladd-Peebles Stadium for Day 2 of Senior Bowl practices. I’m not sure if tomorrow will be as blustery, but the morning practice could feature sub-30-degree readings on the thermometer. One can imagine what swirling winds with gusts over 30 mph can do to a vertical passing game so keep that in mind as I proceed through my notes of the day.

Maybe it’s the fact he wears No.1 and he’s in the front row I see during stretches, but Josh Huff continues to be the player I’m drawn to first. This is the second day in a row where the Oregon receiver has earned at least two steps on a defensive back multiple times in a practice session. He had one drop today during drills, but the rest he caught and he used his hands well enough to earn these receptions while attacking the football.

Still, I haven’t seen situations where I would classify the quality of his hands beyond the term “competent.” The passes he has caught in the short an intermediate zones have been on the money with little need to adjust. The vertical looks he caught were in situations where he was wide open.

Huff’s drops on film come in more challenging situations where a player like Jordan Matthews has earned his reputation as a crunch-time performer: plays versus impending contact, tough adjustments to the football, or often both at the same time. Another issue I notice with Huff is some minor difficulty moving to his left. During footwork drills, Huff was much slower in lateral drills where he had to run patterns from right to left and even had to repeat a rep.

Huff had three reps with this lateral drill and each time he was far more deliberate and less precise with his feet than the other footwork drills where he was often one of the three best on the North roster. How this could matter, I’m not sure.

Maybe a defensive back picks up that Huff is slower or less precise moving left and that makes his job easier undercutting routes or funneling Huff in a direction where the receiver’s balance and agility is less dangerous. Then again, it could mean nothing.

Speaking of Matthews, the Vanderbilt receiver had the catch of the day – a back-shoulder fade at least 30 yards up the left sideline where he made a smooth turn to the ball, extended for the target and had two-thirds of his body parallel with the ground as he tight-roped the sideline. That said, the Jaguars staff had to remind him to work back to the ball after his breaks on shorter routes.

A receiver who might not be earning the same kind of buzz in Mobile because he’s not paired with the best trio of quarterbacks is Shaq Evans. However, he has made a good impression on me for a number of reasons.

Evans’ routes are among the smoothest of the group and I especially enjoyed watching him run a stem that worked so deep into the safety’s frame that the defensive back couldn’t react in any direction. It allowed Evans to catch the defender off-balance, drop the safety with a forearm shiver, and then break outside for an easy catch. That’s how I’d define “crawling up a defender’s ass.”

Unfortunately Evans isn’t earning easy down field targets despite getting separation. One specific target up the right sideline featured a throw from Stephen Morris that was low, inside, and under thrown when it should have been high, outside, and leading the receiver. If Evans could have caught this ball it would have been the catch of the week, but he couldn’t stop his momentum, turn, drop for the low throw, and make the catch.

Where Evans has erred twice this week is throws that arrived a beat earlier than the receiver anticipated and he wasn’t looking for the ball as soon as he made his turn. As the result the passes were on top of Evans before he could react with his hands.

Today’s late reaction was a throw to his back shoulder up the right sideline about 25 yards down field. Evans juggled the ball and had two chances to secure it, but wasn’t successful. He’s a good player on this squad who has room to get better, but between the wind and his quarterbacks I’m skeptical we’ll get to see Evans show off his vertical game like he hoped.

QB Logan Thomas was hesitant where he needed to be aggressive today.

Logan Thomas is one of these North squad quarterbacks and his accuracy beyond the 10-yard range has been sub par the past two days. The worst of these attempts was a deep streak up the right flat where the receiver broke wide open 20 yards past the line of scrimmage, Thomas saw it, and didn’t pull the trigger.

He hesitated for another two beats before attempting the throw. This was the kind of decision-making in the vertical game that Kerry Collins used to make in Oakland that almost ended Randy Moss’ career. Thomas’ throw was so late, the receiver had to wait on the ball and attempt to win the target against two defenders while facing the quarterback rather than running under the ball in stride 3-4 steps behind only one defender.

Tajh Boyd also missed a notable attempt in the deep passing game during a morning session where the wind wasn’t as great of a factor. While the throw to the right flat traveled 45 yards with nice touch, the pass was short and inside rather than long and outside. He did manage an accurate deep out at the right sideline resulting in a strong catch from Jared Abbrederis, who high-pointed the ball at the boundary for one of the better catches of the day.

The most confident throws came during the South practice. David Fales didn’t challenged the deep zones much, but he was willing to split zones in the short and intermediate game with good timing into tight spots.

Both Derek Carr and Jimmy Garappolo were sharp in the short game, but each had multiple throws targeting wide open receivers up the left sideline during wind gusts that carried the ball outside the boundary during the afternoon. There was little I’ve gained from watching these quarterbacks compared to what I’ve seen on tape, thanks to the weather and the nature of the practices.

A player I have gained a lot of knowledge about this week is former Northwestern quarterback Kain Coulter. Although lacking the dynamic promise of Denard Robinson, Coulter is a far better pass catcher than his Michigan counterpart at this stage of their conversion process.

This time last year, Robinson was struggling to catch the football. Some of this had to do with an injury and over-thinking his routes. Coulter has experienced no such problems.

The best quarterback performance on the North Roster might have come from Kain Colter at wide receiver. Photo by West Point Military Academy.

The novice receiver has struggled earning separation and his routes need refinement at the top of his stems, but catches almost everything his way, including targets where the placement is to awkward locations to his frame. One such target was a ball that Coulter had to reach against his momentum and snare low and away from his back hip that even the best receivers in this class would have dropped 60-70 percent of the time.

A final evaluation on the upside of player making a position change is always one of the more difficult calls. What I can tell you at this stage is that Coulter’s hands aren’t a problem and I think if he displays a flair for the difficult play after he’s had time not to think about what he’s doing as a route runner, he’ll be a keeper.

Another intriguing position conversion project is Georgia Southern’s Jerick McKinnon, who displayed sharp cutback ability in the backfield both to his left and his right this afternoon during 11-on-11 drills. I had an AFC scout tell me that his team is excited about McKinnon’s athleticism and they believe he has upside to develop into a contributor at the running back position. I’m still waiting to see a situation where he can showcase his long speed and an opportunity or two where he must display greater maturity to get down hill.

Charles Sims is the best all-around skill player I’ve seen after two days and while I should know better not to play amateur psychologist, I get the sense that he knows it. I interviewed Sims last night and he was an affable young man who possessed a looseness with his interactions that I’d hazard to characterize as a quiet confidence. Or to be more accurate, he was brimming with quiet confidence.

Sims was by far the best in blocking drills today and he won every match-up I saw against linebackers thanks to his quick feet, strong angles, a decent punch, and good hand position. He was decisive to the holes in 9-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills, found a cutback lanes in the creases and found his way to the third level of the defense multiple times.

One of Sims’ more impressive displays of athleticism was a stop-start move to sidestep a linebacker who that he had Sims dead to rights in the backfield outside right end. I still don’t get the Matt Forte comparisons other than I believe these “Forte compers” see a bigger back with quickness and receiving skill and related it to the Bears’ back. The way Sims carries his pads and cuts is more akin to Demarco Murray if you ask me.

What matters is that he’s earning comparisons to good NFL starters. I’ll have another analysis if his game on the blog soon enough. If you haven’t seen the one I did this summer, you can find it here.

I’m also glad to report that James White displayed good feet and tenacity as a pass protector as well as maturity to hit the crease between the tackles and finish with strong pad level on runs where a larger opening did not appear. In contrast, David Fluellen – a 225-pounder – attempted to reverse his field on plays where the interior creases didn’t open. Although these plays looked good to less experienced eyes, it’s not a great sign in 9-on-7 drills where the intensity isn’t as high and the aim is to demonstrate mature decisions.

In pass protection Fluellen’s performance was spotty. He held his own numerous times with decent footwork and hand position, but he also lacked the aggression to deliver the first punch. He caught a punch from a linebacker that forced him into bubble of space near the coaching playing the quarterback during the drill.

Michael Campanaro is a player whose tape had me vacillating with my overall take. Is he a nice reserve capable of contributing along the lines of Falcons receiver Harry Douglas or can he do more as a super productive slot receiver? Nothing from practices is moving me firmly into one camp.

On some plays, he’s earning quality separation and others he’s too deliberate with his route or jammed at the line of scrimmage. If I had to make the call today, I’d say Campanaro’s upside is along the spectrum of Douglas. It means he’s a nice NFL prospect, but one only die-hard fans will find exciting.

I’m not a fan of Jalen Saunders’ game. Now that he’s asked to do more in practice than catch screens, crossing routes, and verticals, we’re seeing a player whose size is an impediment. Saunders was knocked off track almost every rep during press drills and has difficulty getting the opposition to give up position in tight man.

A receiver I was excited to see this week was Cody Hoffman, but I think his performance is another that exemplifies a prospect not playing in an offense that maximizes his positives. Hoffman is a free-access receiver along the lines of Vincent Jackson and it means he’s not a great route technician in close quarters prior to the break. Unlike Jackson, I don’t see the speed. Hoffman isn’t slow, but I’d be shocked if he ran under a 4.5-40.

Other than C.J. Fiedorowicz dropping a pass high and away from his outside shoulder in the flat and Jake Pedersen making a nice grab in tight quarters between zone defenders, I didn’t see much from the tight ends worth reporting at this stage.

Tomorrow, the Falcons and Jaguars coaching staffs will switch teams. Yes, you read that right. Stay tuned for Jene Bramel’s Day 2 report on the defense – there’s a maniac lurking on the South roster.

For more Senior Bowl Info also check out:

Jene Bramel: Does the Reese’s Senior Bowl Put Edge Rushers In Position to Succeed?

January 21, 2014 0 Comments read 2014 NFL Draft

Kyle Van Noy epitomizes the glut of rushers that aren't an easy fit for the current specifications of 4-3 defenses seen at the Senior Bowl. Photo by Ken Lund. — Kyle Van Noy epitomizes the glut of rushers that aren’t an easy fit for the current specifications of 4-3 defenses seen at the Senior Bowl. Photo by Ken Lund.

Players may be more scheme diverse than ever before, but short practice schedules and a traditional mindset may limit their ability to display their true upside at the Senior Bowl.

By Jene Bramel

The NFL evolves quickly. Decades ago, Jimmy Johnson’s preference for speed first and size second generated a new wave of defenders. Defensive ends looked like linebackers. Outside linebackers looked like safeties. Some defensive coordinators adapted immediately. So, too, eventually did old school defensive coordinators and fans, who began recognizing that 255 pound defensive ends and 230 pound inside linebackers weren’t liabilities in a base defensive package.

A similar transition started some years ago as many of the league’s best defensive minds began using a 1-gap, attacking 3-4 and hybrid fronts. Then, the default term for a pass rusher considered too slight to hold up as a down defensive lineman but too big to be successful in coverage was “tweener.” It was rare to find a “tweener” who was a dominating pass rusher from both two and three point stances and could also handle stand up linebacker responsibilities. That skill set is much more common today. Even those that do struggle to handle more traditional linebacker responsibilities are often adept at rushing the passer from either stance.

That’s made the term “tweener” obsolete. These players are now scheme diverse. They deserve to be called what they are – edge rushers – without forcing them into a given base defensive scheme. And in today’s NFL, those players are now prized commodities.

Here at the Senior Bowl, however, these players aren’t treated as such. Even worse, when too many are invited to the game, some are forced into a more traditional, base 4-3 strong side linebacker role. It may not necessarily hurt their draft stock, but it isn’t putting them in a position to succeed.

It wasn’t a major issue in recent years, as there was enough all-around outside linebacker talent in the ranks that each squad had a well-rounded group of defensive end and outside linebackers. The coaching staffs also did an admirable job of giving players like Courtney Upshaw, Cam Johnson, Sio Moore, Melvin Ingram, Ty Powell, Shea McClellin and others opportunity in multiple situations over the past two seasons. This year’s rosters seem more unbalanced, however. Many of the linebacker prospects – and some defensive end prospects – may not see many snaps in the roles they may be best suited for on Sundays.

The North squad is using Trent Murphy exclusively at defensive end. That’s likely a good decision. But Michael Sam and Marcus Smith would seem better fits in an edge rushing role than the strong side linebacker role they’re being used in currently. In Monday’s North practice, Sam and Smith saw just three pass rushing reps each in one-on-one drills and zero reps in team drills. Teams want to see both players in a new role, but they should be given an opportunity to show how their best skill holds up against Senior Bowl competition.

It’s even worse on the South roster, where there’s not a prototype middle linebacker on the roster. Instead, it’s a mix of flow-and-chase 4-3 outside linebacker talents and edge rushing prospects. That mix led to the Jacksonville coaching staff using Jerry Attaochu at inside linebacker for a handful of reps today, according to those who watched the South practice on Monday.

It’s early in the week and there are lots of practice reps yet to be taken. Tomorrow could be the day the coaches have planned to work Marcus Smith in heavily as a weak side end or use Attaochu exclusively in an edge rushing role. We could see a heavier installation of 4-3 Under concepts than in past seasons as the week progresses.

More likely, however, the limited practice time will prevent the coaching staffs from deviating from the early week plans. Unfortunately, that means the “tweeners” of the Senior Bowl experience may not get a chance to see how their best skill stacks up against elite college competition.

Under Phil Savage, the Senior Bowl has been more progressive and NFL-friendly over the past two seasons. It’s time to continue the trend on the field and find new ways to highlight this critical group of players.

Senior Bowl: North Squad WRs Day 1

January 21, 2013 0 Comments read Players, Wide Receiver

Oregon State's Wheaton shined on the first day of Senior Bowl practices. Photo by John Martinez Pavliga. — Oregon State Markus Wheaton shined on the first day of Senior Bowl practices. Photo by John Martinez Pavliga.

Every NFL team that conducts a Senior Bowl practice has a different style and process. The Oakland Raiders began and ended with special teams and utilized a lot of scrimmaging in a variety of 1-on-1, 5-on-7, and 11-on-11 situations. The drills I tend to get the most from feature wide receivers and the Raiders practice was no different.

While many people are focused on a receiver’s ability to catch the football in these practices, what has equal if not greater importance is everything a receiver does before the ball arrives. Monday afternoon’s practice included drills to test the craft of each receiver’s ability to establish and maintain separation before the ball arrives:

Agility drills to emphasize footwork and hip flexibility.
Receiver versus corner drills with an emphasis on releases within a five-yard boundary.
One-on-one receiver vs. corner press-man drills with a variety of routes.

None of the receivers I saw on the North squad did anything that altered my assessment of what they have or haven’t shown in their careers. Each of these prospects displayed strengths and weaknesses that I think will ultimately come down to an NFL team’s perception of a player’s fit within the organization and how patient they are with that player to develop. Of course, most of you reading this don’t care about the long view. You want to know who looked good and who struggled.

I don’t blame you. Here’s what I saw with each of the drills listed above and then the 5-on-7 and 11-on-11 scrimmages. Remember, catching the ball in these situations is nice but slightly overrated if the rest of the form, technique, and craft is missing.

This contact takes at least 1-2 steps for Goodwin to recover. He'll have no such leeway against good defenders in the NFL. — As I wrote about last year, this contact takes at least 1-2 steps for Goodwin to recover. He’ll have no such leeway against good defenders in the NFL and he didn’t in Senior Bowl practice.

Agility Drills

Receivers ran through a set of mini cones in a footwork pattern that the coach requested, ending the exercise with a curl inside as the break on the route to catch a pass. The focus of this exercise was to demonstrate fluid hip-turn, precise footwork, quickness, and strong change of direction while keeping the head up and looking down field.

Marquise Goodwin, Texas: Goodwin is a track star with excellent speed, but it was clear from the onset that his hip flexibility needs work. The Raiders coaches gave this feedback about his hips on multiple reps and even pulled Goodwin aside to emphasize the point after his third run through the drill. Goodwin attempted to do what the Raiders staff asked, but his movements were exaggerated and lacked the refined motor movement of someone capable of picking up this technique on the fly.

Aaron Dobson, Marshall: Dobson looked good in this drill. His feet were fluid, his hip turns were sharp for a man of his size (6’2”, 203 pounds), and he demonstrated some explosion making his final break to the football. He isn’t a burner, but he acquitted himself well in this opening exercise.

Chris Harper, Kansas State: The coaching staff asked Harper to pick up his feet during the drill. The 228-pound receiver is quick for his size, but his movement could stand to get sharper. I didn’t see much improvement in subsequent reps after the coach’s feedback.

Markus Wheaton, Oregon State: Wheaton was quick, crisp, and fluid with each rep. He demonstrated quick hips and good control making turns. He also caught the ball well despite some throws that were arriving at awkward windows as he executed his break at the end of each rep.

Denard Robinson, Michigan: They key takeaway from Robinson in this drill was “intent.” Robinson’s movements were careful and intentionally slow to master the precision of the footwork and hip movement with each drill. While I thought this was admirable for a quarterback-turned-receiver, eventually the coaching staff turned up the heat and exhorted Robinson to speed up during the final reps of the exercise. Robinson caught each ball cleanly, but the position is new to him and I’ll be interested to see how much he improves with this drill between now and Wednesday.

Aaron Mellette, Elon: Mellette looked fast and his feet were pretty good, but the hips didn’t move with the alacrity you want to see. He was quick, but the precision was lacking. Mellette caught the ball well and I like the athleticism, but the raw technique on this drill was a preview for the rest of the drills in practice.

Denard Robinson is known for his speed, but naturally this new convert to wide receiver was doing everything in slow motion on Day 1 of Senior Bowl practices. Photo by Adam Glanzman.

Four-Corner Cone Boundaries vs. Cornerbacks

Two pairs of cones demarcated a 10-yard-long x 5-yard-wide boundary. The receivers faced the corners in press-man coverage. The objective for the corners was to force the receivers outside the width of the cones before the receivers reached that 10-yard distance. Lots of hands technique to study in this drill.

Goodwin: Goodwin’s size (5’8”, 179) didn’t do him any favors in this drill. When a corner locked onto Goodwin, the receiver had difficulty working free unless he used a spin move of some type to work loose. The corners repeatedly pushed Goodwin outside the width of the boundary.

Dobson: Dobson had a lot of success with this drill and the coaches praised him for playing big. The Marshall receiver used his hands well in this drill. He often bulled through the jam, or deflected the defenders’ arms and then used his size and quickness to get on top of his opponent.

Harper: Harper got coached up after getting knocked down during his first rep and his subsequent reps incrementally improved. He performed better when he played to his size, but there were moments where he tried to be use quickness to get on top of the corner and it failed. I’ll be interested in seeing if he makes the adjustment to his natural strengths in subsequent practices.

Mellette: Multiple defenders got the best of Mellette in this drill, but has he started to use his 216-pound frame, his reps improved to the point that he began to win some of the action. Mellette is one of those players who might tease an organization because the natural ability is there, but can he accelerate his learning curve to develop into an NFL-caliber receiver. This will be the big question.

Wheaton: Wheaton was the most fluid of the receivers in this drill. He was the best at integrating his hands and footwork, using his hands adeptly to swat away the jam and position his feet to create angles so he could accelerate past the defenders with every rep. He is the most polished receiver of the North squad and there were further illustrations of this fact later in practice.

Robinson: Once again, slow motion was the theme of Robinson’s performances in the drill. I have no notes of him winning these battles. He wasn’t pushed aside as much as held up too long and unable to get on top of the defender.

1-on-1’s, 5-on-7’s, and 11-on-11’s vs. Corners with a Variety of Routes

Dobson: I continued to notice precision and fluid movement from Dobson, who demonstrated a nice mix of physical play and quickness. I watched Dobson integrate his footwork and hands well to get open on a deep fade, but the quarterback underthrew the pass and the cornerback tipped the ball away. The one thing the coaches notice that was a repeat issue came at the end of routes as the ball arrived: Dobson had a tendency to lean back towards the ball rather than attack the ball after his break. I hope to see a more aggressive finish to his routes in subsequent practices.

Goodwin: When Goodwin got a free release, he made defenders pay with his speed. However, he had a lot of wasted, imprecise movement off the line versus quality press coverage. I want to see him make incremental improvement versus press coverage. One of his best plays of the day was a crossing route with a sharp break and good catch in the thick of zone coverage. He did a nice job reaching for the ball over his head, making the grab, and turning up field.

Mellette: The most notable issue with the Elon receiver came in these drills. He had difficulty gaining position to shield the defender from the pass after his break. I like his size and quickness, but his hands technique and the depth and angle of his breaks were lacking.

Harper: He did a strong job of selling some two-move routes although I thought each of these instances the second move into his break was a little ragged and something he’ll need to sharpen. His breaks at the end of routes weren’t as sharp or as quick as the early portion of his patterns. At the same time, he’s decisive and has a nice size-speed combo that allowed him to keep defenders guessing about the tact he’d take with each rep. I did notice that he was a little better when he didn’t have to deal with contact despite the fact he’s the biggest receiver of this group. He beat a corner by two steps on a deep sideline fade up the right sideline, but Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib was either late on the throw or simply underthrew the ball by 3-5 yards.

Wheaton: The Beavers receiver worked well back to the football and he did a good job versus off-man technique as well as press coverage. He ran the best fade route of the North practice, gaining early separation with an outside move, slipping inside the defender to get his back to the defender and also buying real estate away from the sideline to make the quarterback’s job easier by giving the passer room to target the receiver at the sideline. Although the quarterback overthrew Wheaton, this was a textbook sideline fade that a receiver like Mario Manningham still doesn’t run consistently as well. On one route, a 12-yard out that looked like the beginning of a double move, Wheaton got the best of the corner so early into the route that the defender had no other choice but pull the receiver to the turf so he wasn’t beaten. Wheaton’s best catch was at the end of 11-on-11’s when he beat his man on a streak up the left flat and made a turning, leaping catch behind coverage on a late, underthrown ball. If Miami quarterback Zac Dysert demonstrates better anticipation, Wheaton has a 50-yard touchdown that he catches in stride.

For more analysis of skill players, download the 2013 Rookie Scouting Portfolio available April 1. Prepayment is available now. Better yet, if you’re a fantasy owner the 56-page Post-Draft Add-on comes with the 2013 RSP at no additional charge. Best, yet, 10 percent of every sale is donated to Darkness to Light to combat sexual abuse. You can purchase past editions of the Rookie Scouting Portfolio for just $9.95 apiece.