Boy, I really did NOT get a lot out of today's practice shows. Tuesday's North practice, NFL Network gave us great looks at the passing drills and pass protection drills, but has never come close since. And today's South practice started late because their team bus got blocked by a train, (what, is this 1950?) so those drills hadn't even started by the time the show went off the air.* SpagWatch. Steve Spagnuolo was shown at both practices, hanging out with Mike Tomlin during the North practice and John Harbaugh during the South's.
* Upgrades/downgrades. Mike Mayock believes Brandon Graham and Daryl Washington have worked their way up into the late first round, calling Washington an ideal 4-3 WLB. He's a 6'2", 226-lb athletic playmaker, a sideline-to-sideline 3-down linebacker. The Rams have to have Washington and Sean Weatherspoon on their radar for their 2nd-round pick. Meanwhile, I'm surprised at the decline of Taylor Mays' draft stock, to the point where he's now being discussed as a second-round pick. Wasn't he considered a top-10 prospect not that long ago? Myron Rolle has shown well in Mobile and clearly stayed in shape while in England, but did I hear correctly that he had only one INT in college?
* The WRs strike back. Finally looked like the wide receivers had a good day today. I liked Deron Dickerson of Pitt. He burned SydQuan Thompson deep and showed good hands and nice footwork on the sideline. Thompson reportedly broke up a bunch of passes in team drills, but it's also starting to look like he can't keep up deep with anybody. Jacoby Ford smoked Kyle Wilson right off the line and burned him for a deep ball. After witnessing his ridiculous custom RV with a giant picture of himself painted on it, it seems Wilson could use several downward ego adjustments like that.
* Well, not all of them. Riley Cooper continued to have drop problems, but the anti-Allstate award belongs to Joe Webb, who appears to have wet soap for hands. He even dropped one of the long sideline lobs the QBs throw when they're just warming up, the football equivalent of dropping an infield popup.
* Living up to hype. Mike Iupati continues to dominate pass-blocking drills at guard. He looked like a wall today. I haven't seen Arizona State guard Shawn Lauvao get beaten yet. When those two worked together against d-line stunts, there wasn't a thing getting by them. Though I'd avoid Penn State players like the plague, Jared Odrick would have had a tackle-for-loss and a sack, in a dominating performance in 11-on-11. And nice deep balls thrown today by Dan LeFevour and...... Tim Tebow.
* More defense. Washington LB Donald Butler's had a solid week and would have had a TFL in 11-on-11. We got to see the South do some zone blitzing drills, and Troy DE Cameron Sheffield broke up a pass while covering a tight end. Got beaten by an out route the next time, though. Still impressive.
* It's a basketball school? I don't know how Kentucky sent anyone to this game. What I've seen from any of their players has been brutal. Mike Mayock seems to love CB Trevor Lindley, but all I've seen of him is that he can't cover anybody. And Sarah Connor would have blitz-protected better than John Conner. Then again, Sarah would have had several large guns and a smoking-hot cyborg chick backing her up.
* Pick-up lines. The highlight of the day was the South's blitz pickup drills. The LBs usually dominate this drill, but here the RBs gave as good as they got. Ben Tate excelled; Mayock described the 5'11, 214-lb Auburn back as a Shonn Greene-type of runner. Also looking good there: USC RB Stafon Johnson and Miami TE Jimmy Graham, who's not well-reputed as a blocker. Mayock likes Dexter McCluster as an I-formation tailback, but he better do better against the blitz than he did against Darryl Sharpton here. Roddrick Muckleroy's name hasn't popped up much this week, but he was dominant in this drill; so was Eric Norwood of South Carolina. I'd have to agree with Corey Chavous that Dekoda Watson's performance was a little disappointing, though.
Two more practices and the game to go.
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