Cavanaugh's Senior Bowl Observations: Day 2
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North Team Notes
1 - I thought Carson Wentz was better yesterday than today. Accuracy on the move to his left wasn't great today and at least one of the decisions he made during 7 on 7 was a poor one. It's a limited number of snaps each player gets each day and it's just one day of practice, but that's what I saw today. He's still clearly the premiere QB of this event and has all the tools in the world to work with, but unfortunately it turns out he's not perfect. Cowboys coaches are paying him a lot of attention and his blend of size, athleticism and arm talent are enticing
2 - Adolphus Washington (Ohio St DT) was one of the stars of the OL vs DL 1 on 1 drills. He shows an ability to win inside and out against OGs with quickness and multiple moves including arm over, dip and rip and a spin move.
3 - Cowboys WR coach Derek Dooley has spent more time coaching up Braxton Miller (WR Ohio State) than any of the other guys in the group. Braxton has immense ability it terms of speed/quickness/explosiveness. He's raw as a WR but has natural ability with his hands and body control. They used him on multiple reverses today in team workouts. Also they've had him catching punts.
4 - Two of the RBs stand out in terms of their ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. Kenneth Dixon (La Tech) and Tyler Ervin (San Jose St). Dixon is a complete back that I'm a big fan of on tape. Linebackers didn't have a chance in coverage against him. Ervin is a later round player due to size limitations but he's got an instant burst to him and showed natural hands even on deep balls today.
5 - Jason Spriggs (OT – Indiana) has had two straight days where I thought he impressed while working in pass rush drills against the defensive ends. Played with power and was able to get away from the line and deny the outside to guys.
6 - Got bad news in regards to a couple of Wide Receivers after North practice was over. Tajae Sharpe (UMass) and Leonte Carroo (Rutgers) suffered injuries during practice and probably won't play in the game. Carroo had a good day in 1 on 1s against the defensive backs. He's not a tall guy but he's not small and is a pretty polished route runner and has sure hands that plays with some power. He was able to get open underneath and deep and wasn't dropping anything.
7 - Kyler Fackrell from Utah State is an interesting player. He's a guy that could appeal to a 3-4 or a 4-3 team with his skillset. He's a long guy that uses his hands and length well as a pass rusher off the outside but also shows an ability playing on his feet and in space to appeal to teams looking for a 3-4 OLB that can rush the passer and play some in coverage. He's light in terms of your standard 4-3 DE prospect but plays with a great understanding of leverage and how to use his length to hold the point of attack.
8 - Matt Ioannidis (DT Temple) I forgot to mention yesterday but he had a really good day getting after the passer. Today he flashed a couple of times but was blocked a lot more than he was yesterday.
9 - Austin Blythe (OG Iowa) did a nice job blocking the DTs in 1 on 1s.
10 - Jeff Driskell (QB La Tech) is the other QB worth keeping an eye on for the North squad. He was a transfer from the University of Florida that has some arm talent and has made some really nice throws the last couple of days.
11 - Nick Vannett (Ohio State TE) has shown a nice ability to win the contested ball, use his body to shield defenders and give his QBs a nice target.
12 - Eric Murray (CB Minnesota) showed up in man coverage situations enough that I'm going to try and get to his game tape tonight. Tavon Young (Temple CB) is another guy that's been intriguing to me.
South Team Notes
1 - Sterling Shepard (OU WR) is a really tough cover for these DBs. He's not a big WR but he's a savvy and explosive route runner. Can stop and start instantly and knows how to create space for himself and give his QB a window to throw to. Wonder how many teams view him as a guy they can line up on the outside with his size, but at worst he's a guy who is going to be really good in the slot for an NFL team. He can run your quick in and out stuff but also get vertical from the slot.
2 - Jonathan Jones (AUB CB) is making plays on the ball and closing down windows in a hurry. I hadn't seen him before being out here, it's time to put on his tape. He's undersized but he's making plays in 1 on 1 and 7 on 7 situations.
3 - James Bradberry (Samford CB) is doing a nice job of competing at the line of scrimmage and making it tough on WRs to even get a release. He's going to be worth a continued look.
4 - I've been getting a lot of questions about Dak Prescott and some of the other QBs on this squad, I'll try and focus on that group tomorrow.
5 - Sheldon Rankins (LOU DT) continues to impress as a pass rusher. Showed an ability to win with power and a spin move on back to back plays. Also able to knife between OL in team situations to make TFL plays.
6 - Noah Spence (EKU DE/LB) continues to be the best pass rusher here. Lined up on the outside he's a terror coming off the edge. Also athletic enough to redirect on run plays and chase the play down.
7 - DJ Reader (Clemson DT) measured in a 6'3 340 and moves really well for that size in pass rush drills. Showing a little bit of burst to go with his power.
8 - Deion Jones (LSU LB) had a really nice play staying with a TE all the way down the field and making a play at the catch point to force and incompletion.
9 - Le'Raven Clark (TTU OT) has some really struggles trying to stay in front of guys in 1 on 1s. Guys with some quickness to them were able to beat him inside and outside.
10 - Dadi Nicolas (Va Tech OLB) had a nice day in 1 on 1 and 11 on 11 winning on the outside and getting to the QB. He won't hold up against a blocker but he's gotten off the ball with explosion from a stand up spot and getting to the QB.
11 - Reggie Ragland (Bama LB) is being used as an OLB and pass rusher so far this week. Probably to showcase additional talents for NFL scouts in attendance. He's at his best as a MLB but they did have him put his hand in the dirt and rush on 3rd down at Bama. There's some pass rush ability in there, but he's at his best in the middle of the defense as a tackling machine going sideline to sideline.
12 - In the secondary I thought Deiondre Hall (Northern Iowa CB) and Maurice Canady (Virginia CB) had nice days. They both have the size teams covet on the outside and showed a willingness to be physical and covered well for the most part.
Final note. KT snores. It's not a loud abrasive snore, but he's a snorer.
Any questions or comments about the NFL Draft, Game of Thrones or detective novels you can reach me at @JC1053 on Twitter
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