The practice today at the Senior Bowl had a more reserved feeling for the North Team today. The team did extensive red zone work in seven on seven while the offensive and defensive line working on the opposite side of the field. The quarterbacks threw the ball a little better today which allowed some of the wide receivers to shine. Being in full pads gave the linebackers, running backs and tight ends a chance to mix it up in pass protection drills also.
Standout Players
Stanford WR Ty Montgomery came around today. He made a nice catch in the corner of the end zone during red zone drills. He was able to work the defensive backs at the line of scrimmage pretty well during this period. Even though the ball wasn’t thrown to him on this specific play, Montgomery showed that he can use his body to get inside leverage against a defender when running the slant route. He caught the ball well, using his hands and not being a body catcher throughout practice. This is the kind of day that he needed after having a few drops and seemingly letting it hit bother him yesterday.
Kent State TE Casey Pierce had a solid day catching the ball. He did a very good job in one on ones against the linebackers. He showed that he has the quickness to pull away from them. He caught pretty much everything that was thrown to him during that period and showed the ability to pass block also. He held his ground against OLB Zack Hodges from Harvard and even drove him down to the ground.
Washington DE Hau’oli Kikaha flashed some of his pass rushing ability today. He has violent hands which he uses to keep the offensive linemen from getting to him. His frame doesn’t make him look like the 260 pound player that he is. Kikaha also looked good getting into his drops during movement drills. He may not be the kind of player that sets the edge on the outside but his situation
Nebraska RB Ameer Abdullah continues to impress. Despite his size, he held his own in pass protections drills against a much bigger player than him in linebacker Jeff Luc from Cincinnati. He has stood out catching the ball out of the backfield as well.
Cincinnati ILB Jeff Luc Showed exactly why Pro Player Insider’s columnist Brandon Howard calls him a bully. He had bad intentions during blitz pickup drills. On one play, he destroyed Yale RB Alex Varga. Players like Luc standout more when in full gear. He had no problem finding the runner and stuffing him on a couple of plays in the team period.
Kentucky OG Laken Tomlinson played well in the trenches today. He continued to battle with Washington DT Danny Shelton today. He bends pretty well despite being 6-3 and 325 pounds. There is a lot of buzz about him.
Washington State WR Vincent Mayle is a bigger receiver that did an excellent job of squaring up and giving his quarterback a large target to throw the ball to. He consistently catches the ball with his hands. Mayle made a couple of nice catches in red zone drills today. One of his catches was a textbook quick hitch route in which he got the defender behind him as he turned to the quarterback and showed him his numbers preventing the defensive back from making a play on the ball. Mayle extended his hand and caught the pass away from his body.
Random Notes
As noted by Brandon Howard of Pro Player Insiders and Emory Hunt of Football Game Plan, Washington DT Danny Shelton does a good job of grabbing offensive linemen, pulling them towards him and throwing them aside during one on ones. Shelton may not be as athletic as many think but he has a nice solid base that will allow him to occupy two gaps at the next level.
Jamison Crowder, the Duke WR spoke to me after practice about being able to do more than just work from the slot. He said that his shiftiness at the line of scrimmage is what allows him to be able to also be a threat on the outside.
Texas CB Quandre Diggs blew up a running back that he met in the hole. The collision made a nice pop sound and it was the last play of practice. Diggs has made it a point to be physical this week and is confirming the beliefs that he can be an outstanding nickel back.
Hobart OL Ali Marpet continues to make a name for himself at the Senior Bowl. The small school player is very aggressive and it has shown in various drills against the defensive linemen.
USC CB Josh Shaw is one of those long corners that can cause quarterbacks to have trouble dropping the ball over him to receivers in the red zone. He stood out today during that period as he defended the corner end zone throws very well.
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