Senior Bowl, Day 2: North Squad Practice Notes

The North squad took the field at Ladd Peebles Stadium for the second time during Senior Bowl week. Every player had a lot to prove with a day of practice already under their belt, and having a drop off in performance was not an option. While no player had a significant drop off in their performance, there were definitely some guys who continued to shine and some who continued to struggle.

Below are some highlights and lowlights of the practice:

–Titus Young impressed in practice today. He was very quick and shifty in and out of his routes. He was blowing by the defensive backs and making great adjustments on the ball.

-Nebraska’s Eric Hagg continued to have a rough time during defensive back drills. His main problem is that he continues to be high in everything that he does. The coaches constantly remind Hagg to get low, but he doesn’t seem able to correct his issue fast enough. It’s a bad habit that will hurt his draft stock.

–Jalil Brown impressed today. The Colorado corner showed some very fluid movement in and out of his breaks. He was blanketing receivers during 1-on-1 drills and was definitely the standout in his group today.

–As a whole, the North corners had a much better day than they did on Monday. Late addition Richard Sherman of Stanford made a quick impact. Physically he looked great and he was showing exceptional movement for a corner of his size.

–Jake Locker has yet to impress. He continued with his inconsistent accuracy and checked down during 7-on-7’s on a regular basis. Locker hasn’t made any big impressions on anyone and continues to raise questions. He was considered a potential number one overall pick, but has only gotten worse since then. At this point, he doesn’t even look like a first-rounder out there.

-Tight end Lee Smith of Marshall looked good on the field today. At just a fraction of an inch under 6-foot-6, Smith is a big, reliable target. He isn’t the fastest or most explosive guy out there, but he makes every catch with his hands. He got to showcase his talents even more with the constant checkdowns courtesy of Locker and Stanzi.

–Ricky Stanzi kept on rolling today with his high throws. Stanzi even overthrew a stationary target early in practice when the quarterbacks were warming up. During 7-on-7’s, Stanzi looked uncomfortable and made on awful throw about 5 yards behind the target, which resulted in a beautiful interception by Kendrick Burney of UNC. Stanzi also threw a near interception to Rashad Carmichael of Virginia Tech on an out route. Carmichael made an excellent break on the ball. It would have been an interception were it not for Niles Paul ripping the ball out.

-Along the defensive line, Pierre Allen continued to struggle. The one-trick pony was once again unable to disengage from offensive linemen while making no real impact. Ryan Kerrigan of Purdue also failed to impress. He has yet to make any big plays to make him noticeable.

–Cameron Jordan stole the show. He is by far the best player here at the Senior Bowl and he’s been making himself a lot of money. Jordan is looking like a top ten pick out there. Whether it be 1-on-1’s or 11-on-11’s, Jordan has been unblockable. He has made the most of his long arms and big hands. Jordan uses them better than any other d-lineman in attendance. If you had to describe the way Jordan uses his hands to manhandle offensive lineman, there is no better description than, “ninja hands.” During 11-on-11’s, Jordan ripped through the offensive line and blew up Ricky Stanzi, which resulted in a forced fumble.

-If it weren’t for Jordan, Christian Ballard would be stealing the show. He’s put on an impressive performance and regularly has won his matchups.

–Slippery Rock offensive lineman Brandon Fusco really struggled today. He lost three out of his four one-on-one battles. His only win came against Notre Dame’s Ian Williams — who was also struggling. Fusco got beaten badly inside by Ballard. John Moffitt of Wisconsin did a solid job winning most of his battles.

–Of the offensive lineman, Gabe Carimi was the most impressive. He won every single one of his battles and was going up against Jeremy Beal and Pierre Allen. His work came at left tackle and left guard.

–Colin Kaepernick has been the most impressive of the North quarterbacks. Despite his long, awkward release, he is the only quarterback that has shown a willingness to go downfield with his reads and he has done so with success. Kaepernick has launched some really ugly passes that include overthrows and ducks on the short routes, but he’s working hard and really putting in all of the effort. After every mistake, Kaepernick can be seen going to the coaching staff and trying to not make the same mistake twice.

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