Originally Posted by Rambozo
Obviously you can't see everything when you watch these practices but, they usually show some good stuff. There is no where to hide in the one on one drills and they are what I invest the most in. Keep in mind this only what I see and I'm no expert LOL
North Practice #1 (January 21, 2013)
Pre-practice Notes
Mayock and Charles Davis called out Geno Smith, Montee Ball, and Kenny Vaccaro for skipping the Senior Bowl. None of them are injured so he felt like they should have all been there. All of the other top senior QBs, RBs, and S were there. Mayock said Geno was mistaken if he thinks he is a top 10 lock right now. For what it's worth, Charles Davis concurred and said he sat next to a high ranking executive on his flight to Mobile who said the exact same thing.
Offense
Mike Glennon, QB, NC State looked great throwing the ball. He definately looked the best out the bunch. His throwing motion, footwork, and form are perfect. He throws tight spirals. He can throw a 30 yard pass across the field from the back hash on a dime in drills. He had the best control of the huddle and he was also the tallest guy in the huddle (including the o-linemen). He is sneaky elusive like in the pocket and looks almost exactly like Flacco when he is playing. When he is just walking around and getting a cup of water, he looks really awkward. He makes me think of Big Bird and doesn't look like an athlete at all. The thing is that he's really inconsistant. He overthrew a wide open WR by like ten yards and it was picked. He seems like he's kind of a spaz back there and he panics a little. He seemed very stressed out and maybe he just had the first day jitters. Mayock thinks he's a combination of Joe Flacco and Ryan Mallet. When I just watch him in the pocket, I agree with that but, when I watch where the ball goes, he's not even close to those guys. He's not calm like Flacco and you can see it when you watch his passes. It seems like this would be hard to fix. Again, maybe he was just nervous.
Mayock compared Nassib, QB, Syracuse to Andy Dalton and Kirk Cousins. Said he was more athletic than you would think. He said he expects his stock to rise in the next few months. They didn't show much of him or Dysert, QB, Miami of Ohio. He did commend both of them for playing well in the big games. He said USC was to big of a game for Syracuse but, it wasn't for Nassib. Said he stood in there and played tough. He said the same thing about Dysert vs. Ohio State. Hopefully they will show more of them in the other practices...
Markus Wheaton, WR, Oregon State seemed to catch evrything with his body. He can get open and runs great routes but, I worry about the catching.
Aaron Dobson, WR, Marshall is big at 6'2" and kind of looks like Bowe out there. He's not the fastest guy in the world but he caught the ball with his hands and ran good routes.
Chris Harper, WR, Kansas State looks like a RB playing WR. He's like 6'1 228 lbs. Like Wheaton, he caught the ball with his body and ran kind of sloppy routes.
Maquize Goodwin, WR, Texas is 5'9" and weighs 177 lbs. I guess he ran track for the Olympic team and finished 10th in his event. He is blazing fast and I mean he has elite speed. He out ran one of Glennon's passes and Glennon has a really strong arm. He was quick off the line and gets open consistantly on go routes. He caught the ball confidently with his hands. He might be toast if a CB got their hands on him but, that didn't happen. I hope to see him as a returner and I have a feeling he could be a stud there. He reminds me of Jerome Lewis that used to play for the Ravens. He might be able to play a part time slot role like TY Hilton does for Indy...
I didn't see Aaron Mellette, WR, Elon or Denard Robinson, WR/QB, Michigan at all.
Honestly, I was more impressed with some of the WRs I watched in the East-West Shrine Game than this bunch.
Kyle Long, OT, Oregon stand 6'7 and weighs 312 lbs. He's a monster and is Howie Long's son. He really struggled against everyone at OT. When they moved him to guard, he was great. He can get up quick for such a big guy. He just doesn't have the best feet. I think he will definately be a guard in the pros.
Hugh Thorton, OG, Illinois had a bad day. He got whipped every time they showed him.
Robbie Rouse, RB, Fresno State stands 5'7" and weighs 195 lbs. He's a rock and looks like a minature version of MJD if you can imagine that. He is quick, agile, and cuts extremely well. He also excels at catching balls out the backfield. I liked him. He's a lot like Utah State running back Kerwin Williams who played at the East-West Shrine Game. It's close but, I like Williams a little better because he can block.
They didn't show much of the TEs...
Defense
John Simon, MLB, Ohio State was really the only LBer that they showed. He has a high motor, is a tough guy, and a solid tackler. He struggles in coverage and would probably be about like Belcher was. He's strong as hell and had really good push in one on one drills with the o-linemen. He kind of reminds me of Zach Thomas. He is a little taller than Thomas but he plays just like him. He would fit our system perfectly and has some potential imo.
Jamar Taylor, CB, Boise State is a smaller type of corner at 5'11" and 196 lbs. He's a scrappy little guy and I liked that. He seems to play a little too far off of receivers and his back peddle wasn't clean. His feet are a big red flag imo. He doesn't have fast feet. Maybe he just had a bad day but he struggled out there.
Jordan Poyer, CB, Oregon State is a smaller guy like Taylor. Mayock was high on this guy and liked him as a playmaker. He held on every play and I wasn't impressed. He would have been penalized if it were a game.
Desmond Trufant, CB, Washington played with a lot of swagger. He definately has a mouth. He looks like a slightly taller version of Terrance Newman out there. He plays very fast and had really tight coverage. Like Poyer, he had his hands all over people which made me a little nervous. He would have been called for pass interference. I think he will come around and I really liked him. He really stood out in a good way. He's very fast and we might be able to get him like we got Flowers in the second round. IF, he doesn't sneak into the first.
Note that Mayock said all of these guys were best when giving a push at the line. They didn't do any of that in the practice.
Phillp , S, Fresno State is a big boy. He stands 6'1 and weighs 215 lbs. but, he looks and plays bigger than that imo. I think he could play either safety position. He struggled a little in man coverage and wasn't as quick as I would have liked but, he is a safety after all. He does seem to have good straight line speed but, he struggled with cuts. He looks like he could knock the shit out of people but, we'll see. I liked him. As a side note, Mayock talked about TJ McDonald's dad coaching him at Fresno State as the secondary coach. I thought that was interesting.
Duke Williams, S, Nevada really got exposed. He looks like a big safety but, he just can't seem to get his head around and would have been called for pass interference a couple of times. He struggled bigtime in man coverage against the running backs.
Alex Okafor, DE, Texas was a stud. He really looked good on the one on one drills and has a high motor.
Datone Jones, DE, UCLA was the fastest DE of the bunch. He is extremely fast off the line and was the best speed rusher. He is 6'4" and weighs 275 lbs. He looks like a poor man's JPP.
Kewann Short, DT, Purdue looked really good. He had a high motor and probably had the most push out of everyone. He is really strong and the first round seems possible. I bet he could play DE in the 3-4.
Brandon Williams, DT, Missouri Southern had a great day. He is almost an exact clone of Short. He's also strong and gets a lot of push. He's a bit raw but, will be a baller imo.
The Good
Eric Fischer, OT, Central Michigan weighs 307 lbs. and stands 6'7". He was a man among boys. The only comparison I think of is the year Von Miller went to the Senior Bowl. It was that obvious. Mayock compared him to Joe Staley but, I think he's better. He had the best footwork I have seen in a prospect in years and his form was impeccable. He completely dominated everyone. He is so clean looking out there that it's crazy. He reminds me of Tony Boselli. He's a top 10 lock imo.
The Bad
I liked Margus Hunt, DE, SMU going into this thing but, let me tell you, he was horrible. He looks like a perfect fit for our defense but, he can't beat one blocker let alone occupy two. He was really just out of his league. You could tell he hasn't played long and he was pancaked on one on one drills twice.... it was that bad...
Nick Cave, C, Notre Dame was another guy I really liked going into this. He was the worst o-linemen by a mile. He only played center and had no push at all. He got knocked on his back twice. Short and Williams just embarrassed him.
Maybe they will do better as the week goes on...
Suprise Players
David Quessenberry, C/G, San Jose State is big at 6'6" 295 lbs. He was kicking ass all day at both center and guard. He pancaked Hunt, Jones, and Buchanan. This guy is the real deal and he held his own against everyone. His stock went up for sure.
Brian Winter, OT, Kent State stands 6'5" and weighs 310 lbs. He was my favorite player of the day. He is mean, nasty, and he has a bad attitude. He just let it all hang out and he didn't seem to care about making friends. He ripped William's helmet off and absolutely owned him. He stood his ground with everyone and didn't seem to give a shit what the scouts thought about him. He looks like he hasn't shaved in a week and is just an old school player. He reminds me of John Runyan. He's got a serious mean streak and I love this guy. I think Reid will too. His stock went way up imo.
Plays of the Day
TJ McDonald, S, USC had a really nice pick. He covered a lot of ground and made a diving pick off of the pass that Glennon overthrew. That's really the only time I saw him. Maybe we will see more of him tomorrow. Mayock noted that his dad is the former 49er Tim McDonald so he comes from good stock. There are a ton of former players kids in this class. It's really pretty crazy.
Duke Williams, S, Nevada got smoked by Kyle Juszczyck, FB, Harvard on a one on one coverage drill. he got mad and chased him down and punched the ball out of his hands from behind causing a fumble on the 2 yard line. LOL
I'll try and post another report tommorrow.
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