• All week long people have been telling me they were impressed with Nevada QB Colin Kaepernick but every time I watched him he seemed to struggle. That changed today as Kaepernick looked excellent. Kaepernick had a downright amazing throw on the run that sailed over the head of linebacker Mason Foster and was caught by Dwayne Harris. Kaepernick had another nice pass to the back corner of the end zone to Titus Young as well. There continued to be a few overthrows with Kaepernick, but it appeared his footwork and throwing motion has improved. Kaepernick also ran some read option during the practice. I stand by my reports from earlier in the week because in my opinion Kaepernick just did not look that good. However, I will always give credit where it’s due and Kaepernick earned it.
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Washington QB Jake Locker had his worst day of the week. Locker struggled mightily with accuracy and decision making, specifically in the red zone drills. Locker wound up throwing two interceptions, one to North Carolina CB Kendric Burney and one to Oregon LB Casey Matthews, in 11-on-11’s. Locker also fumbled a snap at one point. Combine that with a few overthrows, and it was a tough day.
• Iowa QB Ricky Stanzi also had a very poor performance today. Stanzi looked slow in his drops and reads and also threw a few errant passes. Stanzi did okay in red zone drills but struggled in the two minute offense. Just a poor performance all the way around and did not look like starting material. Stanzi was also intercepted by North Carolina CB Kendric Burney.
• Oklahoma St. RB Kendall Hunter continues to be the most impressive running back in Mobile, on either team. Today Hunter showcased his receiving skills with a nice catch over Mason Foster. Hunter also stood out in the drills and it was amazing how much noticeably quicker his feet were from the rest of the group.
• Maryland RB DaRel Scott flashed at times today and did a nice job of picking his way through the hole in 11-on-11’s. Scott also made a nice special teams play, recovering a perfectly executed onside kick from UCLA’s Kai Forbath.
• Nebraska RB Roy Helu, Jr. has had a great week in Mobile and is really helping himself. Today Helu was at it again and I was especially impressed with his patience, power and ability to cut quickly in the hole. Helu ran a few wildcat plays during practice as well so look for that during the game Saturday.
• Oklahoma RB DeMarco Murray looked like a receiver on the field. Murray excelled in the receiving drills and was lined up in the slot. Murray also owned Greg Jones deep on a fly route early in practice.
• Stanford FB Owen Marecic doesn’t always look pretty catching the ball but he gets the job done. Marecic isn't flashy but he's a very good football player.
• Boise St. WR Austin Pettis had a nice touchdown catch in which he elevated and over Joe Lefeged and snatched the ball out of the air.
• San Diego St. WR Vincent Brown has been fantastic all week and today was no different. On one play Brown extended to snare a Ricky Stanzi pass over the middle.
• Wisconsin TE Lance Kendricks had another drop.
• Indiana OT James Brewer had an average day. Brewer held his own physically against rushers like Jeremy Beal and Christian Ballard when they did not get proper leverage, but he got beat by a power move from Cameron Jordan inside. Looked like a right tackle, not left tackle.
• Wisconsin OT Gabe Carimi had another solid day. Carimi has shown great power and uses his hands well. Stonewalled Ian Williams once in one-on-one’s.
• Boston College OT Anthony Castonzo had another okay day, but he wasn’t great. Castonzo certainly knows how to use his hands and he is fine if he gets good leverage from the start. Had a battle with Ryan Kerrigan at one point and won.
• Slippery Rock C Brandon Fusco held up very well today. Stoned Sione Fua twice in one-on-one’s. Fusco looked like he learned how to use his tools better against better competition.
• Toledo C Kevin Kowalski struggled again and was continuously beat.
• Wisconsin OG John Moffitt had another nice day. Moffitt gets good leverage but needs to work on feet a bit more. As a whole, Moffitt impressive.
• Pittsburgh OT Jason Pinkston was beat twice by Casey Matthews when Matthews was put through defensive end drills. Pinkston idn’t have a very good day and showed he may be more of a backup type.
• Michigan OG Stephen Schilling was average. Didn’t get beat quickly, but never completely stopped another player throughout practice.
• Colorado OT Nate Solder had his best day yet. Since players were not in full shells, most did not get very physical with him. Dominated Herzlich in the defensive end drills and looked extremely athletic.
• Nebraska DE Pierre Allen didn’t stand out. Allen has good lower body strength and used it in 11-on-11’s to drive Kowalski back.
• Iowa DT Christian Ballard had another very good day and looked powerful. Ballard has extremely quick feet and keeps them churning. Overpowered Stephen Schilling at one point and beat Pinkston on another play with a swim move.
• Stnford DT Sione Fua did not flash today. Fua seemed to eat up space well, but did not get penetration. Got pushed back by Brandon Fusco in one rep.
• California DE Cameron Jordan continues to dominate. Unstoppable. Uses a variety of moves and beat Solder, Castonzo, Pinkston, and Brewer.
• Purdue DE Ryan Kerrigan Got good leverage. Kerrigan beat Gabe Carimi using power and forced a hold. Gets to the edge very quickly, but sometimes goes too long.
• Notre Dame DT Ian Williams tried to use more pass rush moves today, but struggled. Brandon Fusco held him in check three plays in a row. John Moffitt drove him back at one point in 11-on-11’s.
• South Florida DT Terrell McClain did well for his first day of practice. He used a great swim move to beat Kevin Kowalski. John Moffitt got the best of him and drove him back in one-on-one’s and appeared to be in his gap in 11-on-11’s consistently.
• Oklahoma’s Jeremy Beal got some work at outside linebacker today and didn’t look out of place. In fact, Beal looked downright comfortable playing standing up.
• Michigan St. ILB Greg Jones had a ton of trouble in coverage. Not only did Jones show poor awareness when he lost a ball while running with DeMarco Murray, but he also fell down while trying to stick with Mike McNeill.
• Boston College OLB Mark Herzlich isn’t great in coverage but he did a solid job on Da’Rel Scott, keeping up with the smaller, speedier player. I also liked how when the ball was in the air Herzlich started flashes his hands in front of Scott’s face, which was quite heady.
• North Carolina CB Kendric Burney was todays star, intercepting two passes, one from Locker and one from Stanzi, but he dropped a third from Kaepernick.
• Colorado CB Jalil Brown isn’t even considered to be the top corner prospect out of Colorado this year but he may be the best cover guy in Mobile. Brown held his own against Titus Young today and that is no small feat.
All that is left now is Friday’s walk-through and then on Saturday it is game time. Most scouts have already gone home but those still in Mobile were treated to gorgeous weather, a lot of talent and some high-quality football. The question now becomes whether the North squad can take what they’ve learned this week and carry it over into the game. If that happens the South will have their hands full
Florida St. QB Christian Ponder looked the best of the three South signal callers today. Ponder displayed excellent touch, timing and accuracy and one throw he made to Hawaii WR Greg Salas was absolutely gorgeous. Salas actually had two defenders on him but Ponder put it right on the money while Salas extended and snatched it out of the air. It just doesn’t get any better than that hook-up and this was by far the best Ponder has played in Mobile.
• TCU QB Andy Dalton had some good moments and some bad. On anything under ten yards or so Dalton looked terrific but the further down the field he had to go the worse Dalton got. Dalton also missed West Virginia WR Jock Sanders, who was wide open in the endzone in 7-on-7’s. Time to dial down the hype machine.
• Alabama QB Greg McElroy has had a good week but struggled with his accuracy today, which is surprising since that is one of his strengths. However, McElroy did hit Tennessee TE Luke Stocker for a touchdown during redzone drills.
• South Alabama WR Courtney Smith made a few great catches with good body control, but he isn’t overly fast and is just very raw. Looks like a late round pick.
• TCU WR Jeremy Kerley didn’t do much in practice today. Kerely did some off his outstanding quickness in drills, but really wasn’t targeted much.
• USC WR Ronald Johnson had a very good day at practice today. "RoJo" howed off some great hands. He did drop a touchdown pass in the red zone drills, but made up for it by beating teammate Sharece Wright for a touchdown catch later. Drops his hips very well and doesn’t round off his routes. Slot guy at the next level.
• Miami (FL) WR Leonard Hankerson had an amazing catch tapping his feet on the sideline. However, "Hank" did have one drop in the endzone. Hankerson continued to find holes in the zone and after he caught passes would turn it upfield immediately. Really abused DeMacrus Van **** in the two-minute drill.
• Hawaii WR Greg Salas isn't flashy, but he continued to catch nearly everything. Salas had a great catch in the back corner of the end zone over Marcus Gilchrist.
• Arkansas TE DJ Williams didn’t have as many opportunities as the previous day. Looked okay in blocking drills, but just doesn’t have the strength to be a consistent blocker. Showcased soft hands and is definitely a mismatch for defenses.
• Alabama TE Preston Dial was used at fullback nearly as much as tight end today and displayed some solid blocking skills from the backfield.
• Tennessee TE Luke Stocker had another very solid day. Locker continued to showcase soft hands, despite a couple of drops. He did have a dropped pass where he tried to run without the ball, but Stocker is a dual threat. His blocking leverage was very good and held his own against linebackers.
• Baylor OG Danny Watkins continued to look strong and also looked excellent when on the move or pulling. After practice Watson was pulled aside to be coached up and run through some center drills. Watkins struggled at times but that is to be expected since it’s something new for him.
• Miami (FL) DE Allen Bailey stood out as much as he has all week, consistently generating a good amount of pressure.
• Arizona DE Brooks Reed flew by Alabama OT James Carpenter in 11-on-11’s then later used that same speed to get the best of Auburn’s Lee Ziemba.
• Mississippi St. DE Pernell McPhee beat Auburn’s Lee Ziemba in 11-on-11’s.
• Texas DE Sam Acho batted down an Andy Dalton pass inside the ten yard line during 11-on-11’s. Acho may not have the ideal physical tools you look for but after a rough start he has just found a way to make plays. As I've said all week, Acho is such an impressive young man that if he isn't playing for an NFL team he may eventually own one.
• Auburn ILB Josh Bynes showed some quick feet and decent closing speed, but not much past that shown.
• North Carolina State ILB Nate Irving had a great day of pass coverage. Broke up a pass in the end zone in the red zone drills where he leapt in the air to bat down an Andy Dalton pass. Still had some trouble shedding blocks, but looked like a starter.
• Miami OLB Colin McCarthy showed a nice back pedal in coverage drills and looked improved at this practice. Instincts are still a bit suspect at time and had trouble adjusting to the run game.
• LSU OLB Kelvin Sheppard continued to be impressive. He showed major range despite his size. Playing in the zone, he reacted very well to runs and even got behind the line of scrimmage when Greg McElroy decided to run in a red zone drill.
• Mississippi State ILB Chris White was in good position against the run, but was often eaten up and simply not effective. Looks like more of a late round selection.
• Florida S Ahmad Black has performed well all week but the focus today was on his hips. Black’s hips aren’t perfect, but he was able to turn himself in coverage with relative ease. They appear to be good enough to at least consider a move to corner.
• Texas CB Curtis Brown had the best day of any defensive prospect. After struggling to adjust to the ball early, Brown made some great plays. He had a great break-up against Dwayne Harris and got in front of Ronald Johnson in the end zone and nearly intercepted a ball. He looked like he finally “got it
