Nation squad displays skills in rain, wind for all-star matchup
EL PASO, Texas -- Rain and wind impacted practice sessions Wednesday, the final full workouts of the week at the Texas vs. the Nation all-star showcase. While the teams will meet today and Friday, players realize the next line on their draft resumes won't be written until Saturday.
Thursday and Friday all-star game practices are typically low-impact walkthroughs designed as much to prevent injuries as for preparing mentally for Saturday's game.
Last season, 25 players from the Texas vs. the Nation game were drafted. There's no reason to think that number isn't attainable again, given all of the players listed below who showed enough talent to earn mid- to late-round consideration.
Nation squad
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| Jonathan Crompton has continued to impress on all of his throws this week. (US Presswire) |
Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton outperformed inconsistent Tim Hiller (Western Michigan) and Rusty Smith (Florida Atlantic), throwing accurate on short, intermediate and deep passes as he has done all week. The ball doesn't explode from Crompton's hand, but it almost always comes out tight. He gives his receiver a chance to run after the catch and has proven he's the best 2010 draft prospect not scheduled to be at the Combine in February.
Hiller threw several nice passes. He also threw one that fluttered nose down, driven to the turf in front of a wide-open player in the end zone.
Smith struggled more with his trajectory, overshooting defenders over the middle and on the sideline.
Neither player necessarily lost any luster in El Paso. Hiller remains a possible Saturday pick in April and Smith a likely free agent.
Wide receiver Kyle Williams has been impressive this week. A slick, wet ball went through his small hands in drills, but throughout the rest of the day, Williams looked as quick and sure-handed as he had the previous two practices.
Memphis running back Curtis Steele (5-11, 194) has consistently stood out. Steele is a slashing back and even in the rain he seemed to have the innate ability to find his way through bodies inside, sinking his hips to cut. He is quick enough to bounce outside if the lane is available and has a good burst past the line. Last year, Bernard Scott from Abilene Christian impressed in El Paso enough to warrant a late-round pick by the Bengals with similar running. He didn't disappoint as a rookie.
East Carolina running back Dominique Lindsey showed some speed in the open field this week, as well as a nice jump-step inside in workouts Wednesday.
UMass fullback Chris Zardas looked much more comfortable as a receiver than Lindsey. Zardas is flexible enough to look back for the ball and secure it before heading upfield. He doesn't have great size as a lead blocker but can position himself well.
Temple tight end Steve Maneri was added to the roster Wednesday. He was a strong blocker for the Owls, and potentially could move to tackle because of his 6-6, 280-pound frame, marginal quickness and top-end speed. However, his strength on the edge was tested by North Carolina end E.J. Wilson, who had successfully bull-rushed nearly every other pass protector into the pocket this week.
Maneri has some distance to go before he puts on a show worthy of what teammate, H-back Jason Harmon, has displayed during these practices. Harmon made sensational receptions all week, from one-handed catches on the sideline to adjusting to high and low throws over the middle. Though he doesn't look explosive when running east-west, he did show a bit of wiggle swimming past a linebacker to get down the seam in a hurry.
Hillsdale offensive lineman Jared Veldheer was the most impressive blocker, but Eastern Kentucky's Derek Hardman is another prospect working inside here after spending most of his career at left and right tackle. Coaches complimented Hardman this week on how much he's improved at the position during the week. By Wednesday, he looked comfortable at left guard, anchoring well and displaying agility moving behind the line on trap plays. Watch for him to be a nice late-round pick up.
Positive reviews are deserved for strong Kentucky guard Zipp Duncan, solid Maine left tackle Tyler Eastman and mauling center Eddie Adamski, while UNLV's Joe Hawley and N.C. State guard Jeraill McCuller have had a week to forget after struggling with the speed and strength of their opponents on the defensive line.
In addition to North Carolina's Wilson, Rutgers' George Johnson is near the top of the list among defensive ends. At 6-4, 265, Johnson could be a 4-3 defensive end or 3-4 linebacker. His speed and quick hands made it tough for linemen to consistently hold him off.
Maryland nose tackle Travis Ivey measured in at 6-4, 341 pounds this week. He looked strong in the middle and rejected a pass with his 10-plus inch hands. Temple's Andre Neblett is a smaller player (6-0, 297) who displayed hustle and strength inside all week as a pass rusher.
Penn State inside linebacker Josh Hull did not receive the hype teammates Sean Lee and Navorro Bowman did in 2009, but he is a solid player with an NFL future. Hull, who led the Nittany Lions with 116 tackles, got deep in his drops all season, and made an interception earlier this week. He's shown an ability to get off blocks, but was caught backtracking in coverage when the ball was instead dumped off to the fullback for a 25-yard gain.
The talent in either secondary hasn't jumped off the field. Probable mid-round safety prospect Kendrick Lewis (Mississippi) stood above the rest. Wednesday he made a big play, jumping an underneath route to break it up and displaying the range to get to sideline. Of course, he would have made a big hit if that sort of thing was allowed here, which is a key reason all-star safety evaluations can be tricky.
Miami cornerback Sam Shields interests NFL scouts because of his elite speed -- he could run sub-4.4 at his Pro Day -- and experience at receiver. However, his technique is very raw. He got turned around on a double move in Wednesday's practice and lacks a good plant and drive to the ball despite top-end quickness. His fair size on the sideline and willingness to mix it up outside and on special teams will help. He also played just a couple of plays at wide receiver this week, catching a quick screen during drills, showing scouts he uses those 10-inch hands -- big mitts typically found on linemen -- on offense.
At the end of the Nation practice, Ohio State kicker Aaron Pettrey got a chance to show his stuff by kicking field goals as long as 47 yards. He was true from that distance, with plenty of room to spare -- and the wind at his back. He tore a knee ligament covering a kick against New Mexico during the 2009 season, but scouts know he's one of the top two kicking prospects because he consistently hits down on ball, getting high trajectory with the leg strength to kick off and connect on 50-plus field goals.
Texas squad
The sun appeared for the Texas practice, allowing NFL personnel to more clearly view their third session of the week. Most of the same players who impressed on Monday and Tuesday again showed themselves as potential draftees Wednesday.
UTEP receiver Jeff Moturi looks like his slot counterpart on the Nation team, Kyle Williams, running crisp routes and catching nearly every pass thrown his direction.
Baylor's David Gettis caught almost everything thrown his way, but also has a tendency to trap the ball against his chest. He will get a ton of interest because of his size (6-3, 217) and potential sub-4.5 speed.
Missouri's Jared Perry didn't do anything flashy this week, but is just a solid receiver who will be hard to cut next summer, especially once he displays his run-blocking prowess in training camp.
LSU's Trindon Holliday's diminutive size (5-5, 162) means he must be sure-handed and quick to survive at the next level. This week he proved the quickness, separating from every defender he faced, but dropped too many passes to be considered reliable. He also received reps at running back, again showing explosiveness, but lost a fumble during limited reps. Holliday's going to get interest from teams as a return specialist, but his small and unreliable hands are a major problem securing the ball.
Missouri State H-back Clay Harbor (6-2, 250) made another spectacular catch, getting the back end of a fastball over the middle. He made several similar catches this week, looked fluid as a runner, but also dropped a couple of very catchable passes. If he blocks during the game Saturday as well as he did this season at for the Bears, teams won't pass him up in the late rounds.
Gerald Harris from Ole Miss fell down running while attempting to run a jerk route, almost lost his balance when trying to the same route on the other hash, and had trouble with any sort of sudden movement. His hands weren't great this week, but he did have a nice catch above his head today, using his large frame (6-5, 262) to snatch the ball out of the air. Flashing as a blocker and receiver may be enough to earn him a camp invite.
Ryan Perriloux, the LSU transfer who starred at Jacksonville State the past two seasons, has been the most impressive quarterback on the Texas roster. His arm strength is above-average and he's showed excellent touch on deep balls. He needs to improve his footwork, coming from a shotgun offense, and on building consistency in his short-to-intermediate accuracy when trying to throw into tight spaces. Perriloux also came in at less than 6-2 on the tape and teams have a lot of questions about his departure from Baton Rouge. Still, his raw tools and potential to be used as a Wildcat quarterback could earn him a draft slot.
Troy's Levi Brown and Duke's Thaddeus Lewis flashed good arm strength and threw a tight ball at times, but did not do anything this week that caused scouts to re-think the grades they gave him during the season.
One of the more intriguing physical specimens on the line in front of Perriloux is another major college transfer, former Texas tackle J'Marcus Webb, who played at West Texas A&M for two years after earning All-American honors at Navarro Junior College. Webb proved Wednesday he has good enough footwork and strength to anchor against the defensive ends in his game, and he has some mobility in the open field. However, scouts watching him on the field were concerned about his willingness to participate in drills and were disappointed in his body language between reps.
Other small-school prospects proving themselves solid late-round targets or priority free agents on the line were Casey Knips (South Dakota State) and Chris Campbell (Eastern Illinois). They have the athleticism to challenge for a roster spot at left tackle, with Knips potentially moving to the right side if he shows the strength to handle those responsibilities.
One day after seeing LSU defensive tackle Charles Alexander have his way in drills, he failed to do much of anything in team work, with New Mexico center Erik Cook and UTEP guard Mike Aguayo handled him easily inside. That inconsistency is the reason he's here this week, and was not in Mobile for last week's Senior Bowl. Two other D-line prospects who flashed enough this week to earn respect were Ole Miss edge-rush specialist DE Emmanuel Stephens (6-2, 247) and active three-technique DT Jimmy Saddler-McQueen (6-3, 298) from Texas A&M-Kingsville.
Stillman/Temple defensive end Junior Galette is a player some teams are excited about because of his quick first step, but he did not make progress in building a repertoire of pass-rush moves this week. NFL tackles will easily take him around the pocket without a counter or spin move, which he showed only a couple of times. Not working as a linebacker this week also prevented teams from seeing what he could do in that role.
South Dakota State's Danny Batten played inside and outside linebacker this week and might have sealed a draft spot with his ability to handle anything thrown his way.
Stephen F. Austin's Tim Knicky didn't stand out, but it was clear he has the ability to play standing up after dominating his competition at defensive end over the past four seasons.
Chad Reuter is a Senior Analyst for NFLDraftScout.com, distributed by The Sports Xchange.
