CBs
─Tye Hill stood out as the best CB on the field
for the North squad. In drills, he shined with great
hip turns, backpedal, speed to the ball, and hands.
Blackmon
is playing the single role of CB for this week, after a
season spent mostly on the offensive side of the ball at
wideout. Blackmon’s athletic skills were on display on
several plays, including special teams.
Small-school invitee, David Pittman came up with
two picks in practice, one a spectacular catch in great
coverage. His effort seemed to suggest he wasn’t just
happy to be in Mobile.
QBs─Cutler
and Whitehurst were the only ones throwing in
today’s practice with Robinson taking reps at WR and as
a kick returner. Not unlike the South team, there’s not
much to be overly impressed with from today’s practice.
On short routes, Whitehurst appeared to be marginally
more consistent than Cutler in his accuracy and touch,
despite throwing a ball that doesn’t always look as
good. To Cutler’s credit, he did hook up deep on a few
passes with Derek Hagan. That’s certainly something to
be enamored with, but hardly enough to override what was
otherwise a mediocre showing.
TEs─One of the most
impressive looking players was Dominique Byrd. He,
along with Hagan, ran crisp routes, caught everything
thrown his way, but most striking was how deceptively
quick and fluid he was when he ran after the catch.
OL─ Overall a more
impressive looking group, but perhaps that was the level
of intensity in their drills, marked by Trueblood
battling Adeyanju , appearing to drive him through the
sod, followed by Trueblood again throwing his close
friend Kiwanuka to the turf, like a rag doll if that’s
imaginable. Kiwanuka was shaken up on the play,
appearing to injure his left shoulder, but later
returned to practice. This theme continued later
when Nick Mangold, without a helmet, had to be pulled
off Clint Ingram by players and coaches.
Daryn Colledge
is an intriguing prospect in large part due to his
physical frame. His legs are massive, giving him a
strong base and leverage, but at the same time, he’s
athletic and leaner than other tackles. You could
almost say he’s part center, guard and tackle.
WRs─ There’s an
immense amount of talent at this position for the North
squad with Martin Nance, Maurice Stovall
and Derek Hagan standing out. Hagan’s
route running, body control, and hands make his
performance look effortless. Nance was more
feast or famine with a bad drop on a short slant, but in
a battle with Blackmon on a 35-yard fade, he
grabbed the ball at the top of his jump, all the while
covered like a blanket. Stovall was most
impressive in his ability to get separation with his
huge strides, particularly in changing directions, like
a deep in route. One thing is clear, Michael
Robinson is not this year’s Matt Jones. While he’s
an impressive athlete, taking a couple of snaps at QB
and running draws, there was nothing spectacular from
him at WR or on special teams.
