All posts by Corey Chavous

2019, Football, Articles

Maestro of Returns

Leave a comment

Utah State wide receiver/kickoff returner Savon Scarver’s foot speed and elusiveness have put him on a historic pace. Although he has returned just eight kickoffs in 2019, the Aggie speedster is averaging nearly 43.8 yards per kickoff return. As of press date, he is the all-time leader in career kickoff return average in the Mountain West Conference. He has several attributes that distinguish him in this phase of his game.

Technique

Since his insertion into the team’s kickoff return game back in 2017, Scarver has excelled on right returns that feature a double team. During this season (2017), the Aggies would occasionally double team the R4 (fourth man in from the outside-in) on the opposing team’s kickoff coverage unit (with their right tackle and right guard). One of the reasons he is effective on these types of returns surrounds his ability to swerve through traffic. His swivel hips allow him to stay on a north-south trek without losing speed. Many of these returns during that year featured a five-man front (left tackle, left guard, center, right guard and right tackle) on the Aggies kickoff return team (five men on the front line).

On this kickoff return against New Mexico State in the 2017 Arizona Bowl, Scarver’s balance and underrated core strength prevent him from losing speed as he navigates through traffic. Prior to any of that happening, however, it is his underrated ability to catch the ball coming forward that allows him to get on top of the kickoff return unit. Many of the all-time best kickoff returners gain one-to-two steps by creating a lean with their posture as they field the ball.

Top-end speed

Scarver’s 101-yard kickoff return against Nevada on October 19, 2019 came out of a 4-2 kickoff return front (six-man front). Normally, many of these fronts feature four of the blockers in the six-man front aligned 10-to-12 yards from the ball. The two centers (right center and left center) normally align approximately 15-to-20 yards from the ball in-between the left guard and right guard. On this return, the Aggies front featured the two centers aligned 10 yards from the kickoff team with its left and right guards aligned in-between the tackles and centers.

The Aggies used an inverted 2-4 kickoff return alignment on their first return versus Nevada in 2019. The two guards (left and right) align at the 45-yard line in-between the tackles (aligned at the 49-yard line) and centers (aligned at the 46-yard line).

This front allows the Aggies left tackle (37 Sam Lockett, 6’0 190, S-FR) and left guard (25 Jarrod Green, 5’11 180, CB-SOPH.) to execute a double team on the fourth man in from the right (Nevada’s L4 in their blocking designation). At that point, Scarver is asked to pop the return going to his left. As opposed to bouncing the return, he squeezed it back vertically off the block of the team’s right wing (47 Logan Lee, 6’4 245, TE-JR.) versus the third man in from the right side (Nevada’s L3). It took just one small swivel from Scarver to elude Nevada’s placekicker in the middle of the field. Once he did, the former Centennial HS (Nev.) prep level track star easily ran away from Nevada’s kickoff coverage unit en route to his 101-yard touchdown. The former 21.5-second 200-meter speedster once set a state record with a 37.8-second time in the 300-meter hurdles. He is not going to be caught once he reaches his top gear.

Areas of improvement

When we first saw Scarver back in 2017, we felt as if he had an opportunity to develop into a top-notch wide receiver prospect as well. While he can break down the cushion of unsuspecting defensive backs, he has not been totally reliable as a pass receiver. He let a quick slant carom off of his shoulder pads against LSU in the fourth quarter after beating Tigers senior cornerback Kristian Fulton off the line of scrimmage. A possession earlier, his speed varied on a post route and then he was unable to wrestle the ball away from LSU safety Grant Delpit.

Scarver caught five passes for 90 yards in a 23-17 win over San Diego State on September 21, 2019.

Of quarterback Jordan Love’s three interceptions versus LSU, two were on targets to Scarver. On the first interception, he beat LSU cornerback Derek Stingley off the line of scrimmage on a fade pattern but Love underthrew the ball and Stingley picked it off. Overall, his physical ability shined on occasion against LSU’s cornerbacks but he wasted too much time at the line of scrimmage. Physical corners can deter his paths.

At this point, he has morphed into an elite return specialist by trade. For him to become a dual-threat in the true sense of the word, Scarver needs to return to his early season form. If so, he could help re-ignite Love’s draft stock over the last month of the season. The two should be on more of the same page in their third season together.

2019, Football, Articles

Forcing the issue

Leave a comment

Several of the nation’s top defenders have made their marks by forcing the football out of the opposition’s grasp. We take a look at four standouts who continue to impose their will.

Elijah Riley 6’0 205 CB-Senior Army

Along with his three forced fumbles in 2019, Riley has four tackles and six tackles for loss through eight games. His physical playing style is a big reason the Black Knights ranked 21st in the nation in pass defense in 2018. His standout performance against Michigan in 2019 (13 tackles, 2 QB sacks, 2 TFLs, FF) caught the eyes of NFL scouts.

Riley ranks as one of the more physical cornerbacks in all of college football. His confidence rarely varies on the field (after either making or giving up a big play). His ability to jam wide receivers provided former Army defensive coordinator Jay Bateman (now DC at North Carolina) plenty of options for the nation’s eighth-ranked defense in 2018. Thus far in 2019, the Black Knights are still allowing just a little over 200 yards passing per game.

Versus Oklahoma in 2018, Riley challenged wide receivers in man coverage, tackled eventual Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray one-on-one in the open field and saved another would-be touchdown with an open field tackle. He stood his ground and challenged the Oklahoma wide receivers. Against Michigan in Week 2 of the 2019 campaign, he displayed his knack for timing blitzes and his ferocity as a tackler. Riley is a prospect with positional flexibility on Sunday afternoons. Don’t be surprised if teams project him to a strong, H-linebacker or free safety position (which he played some in a backup capacity earlier in his career).

Jake Hansen 6’1 225 LB-Senior Illinois

Hansen (No. 35 pictured) began his 2019 campaign with an eye-opening performance against Akron (7 tackles, INT, FF). It continued when he earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors after posting 11 tackles, QB sack, TFL and two forced fumbles versus Wisconsin on October 19, 2019.

Hansen entered the collegiate ranks as a lightly-regarded two-star recruit from East Lake High School (Fla.). Fast forward four years later and the team captain ranks as the heart and soul of the team’s talented linebacker corps.

Illinois head coach Lovie Smith describes Hansen as “a football junkie.” His reactionary skills in coverage are impressive, evidenced by his first interception of the season versus Akron. On the play, he broke instinctively as an underneath defender in two-deep zone to record the pick. His ability to jar balls loose has grabbed the attention of the nation. The senior linebacker currently leads the country with seven forced fumbles. He is just as impressive timing blitzes, disguising defensive looks, covering tight ends or closing distances going sideways.

Joe Gaziano 6’4 275 DL-Senior Northwestern

Gaziano (No. 97 pictured) had five tackles, QB sack and one forced fumble versus Ohio State in Week 8 of the 2019 campaign.

Gaziano’s impressive resume’ is hard to match in terms of productivity. To put it in perspective, the Wildcats senior defensive lineman already has forced 10 career fumbles and broken up 11 passes (through October 26, 2019).

He aligns at the three-technique defensive tackle, right or left defensive end, and as an occasional two-point stand-up outside linebacker. While much of his success comes from positive hand usage and timing, he does contain a bit of rigidness changing directions. As evidenced by his game-changing strip-sack, forced fumble in the 2018 SDCCU Holiday Bowl, he can regain his footing after initially getting chipped while maintaining his courses.

Patrick Jones II 6’5 270 DE-Junior Pittsburgh

After a slow start to the season, Patrick Jones II (No. 91 pictured) has compiled 9.5 tackles for losses in the last five games.

Jones’ flexibility is aided by a nimble, light-footed nature. The Panthers defensive end’s sinewy nature allows him to long-arm offensive lineman from the outside-in as a left defensive end (Ohio ’19). His quickness to stab linemen creates immediate separation. Defensive coordinator Randy Bates will occasionally use him in a cocked two-point alignment from the right outside linebacker spot in his four-man fronts. From this alignment, Jones II is adept at winning on inside movement (Duke ’19). In this same game (Duke ’19), he won by dipping his inside shoulder (right) when coming out of his four-point stance to force a fumble in the third quarter.

Blessed with a 34-inch vertical jump at over 260 pounds, the former Virginia high school product has a game that has blossomed this year after serving an apprenticeship role in 2018 (23 tackles, 4 QB sacks, 7.5 TFLs, FF).

Photos, 2019, 2019, Football, Articles

C-USA tandem continuing to leave mark

Leave a comment

For years, the safety tandem of Jovante Moffatt (6’0, 210, Sr.) and Reed Blankenship (6’1, 196, Jr.) has reigned terror on Conference USA football. Last Saturday’s contest against Marshall only served to further the pair’s growing reputation nationally. Blankenship registered six tackles in a solid performance while Moffatt tallied 14 tackles, a pass break-up and two timely athletic interceptions. We go inside the strengths of each player.

C-USA Defensive Players of the Week (9-9-19, 10-7-19)

Moffatt displayed a lot of the necessary NFL characteristics during his C-USA Defensive Player of the Week performance against Marshall last Saturday. He first baited Marshall quarterback Isaiah Green by hanging on the near hash to the short field as a deep post one-third safety. Moffatt leapt over cornerback Gregory Grate to snag the skinny post in mid-air. Later in the game, he picked off an out route by Green when aligned as an underneath zone defender. He displayed his hand-eye coordination by plucking the ball on his inside-out break to the sidelines while reading the eyes of the quarterback. It was a defining performance for the senior after shoulder injuries forced him to miss most of what was shaping up to be a defining 2018 campaign (appeared in just four games).

Blankenship, pictured, was a multi-dimensional athlete at West Limestone HS (Ala.). During his time at the prep level, he rushed for over 3,000 yards (3,192), passed for over 1,000 yards (1,056) and also posted over 1,000 yards receiving (1,004). In the process, he accounted for 46 touchdowns.

Middle Tennessee defensive coordinator Scott Shafer puts a lot on the plates of the fellow team captains. As opposed to playing either from solely a stationary strong or free safety role, the pair is interchangeable. They align in the deep middle one-third post, as eighth men in the box, curl-flat defenders, and even come off the edge as pass rushers. The disguises they coordinate prior to the snap of the ball can fool quarterbacks on a week-to-week basis.

Blankenship -who was named the C-USA Defensive Player of the Week after a two-interception performance against Tennessee State earlier this year (9-5-19)- is an aggressive tackler. He put some impressive hits on his resume’ coming downhill with vengeance in earlier 2019 contests versus both Iowa and Michigan. In his career, he has accounted for 215 tackles, two quarterback sacks and 15 tackles for losses.

Moffatt’s flexibility is adequate but he can be late to adjust his angles on occasion. In the move area as a man-to-man defender, he has the occasional tendency to open his hips to turn-and-run a tick too late. He makes up for it with adequate balance and a solid weave backpedal. He learned a lot from former Blue Raiders safety and current Tennessee Titans All-Pro safety Kevin Byard. As Moffatt put it, “KB was here a lot and it helped me a lot.” Some of his other favorite NFL safeties include Pro Bowlers Malcolm Jenkins (Philadelphia Eagles) and Micah Hyde (Buffalo Bills).

Photos, 2019, 2019, Football, Articles

Alabama’s Locksmith

Leave a comment

Perhaps the receiver with the most expectations this season on the Alabama football roster is junior All-American Jerry Jeudy. However, the one player who continues to prove capable of ascending his game through the season’s first three weeks is fellow junior DeVonta Smith.

When he first came out of Amite High School (La.), Smith weighed in the 157-pound range. While he has put on some pounds to add to his slender frame, he still hovers around the 175-pound mark. Surprisingly, it is his penchant for going across the middle of the field that draws high marks. But when asked about whether or not his heart starts to beat a little bit faster when going across the middle with linebackers and safeties coming across at him prior to the team’s 2018 contest versus Ole Miss by AL.com, Smith had the perfect response.

“No. Not at all,” Smith responded matter of factly.

The greatest thrill of his career up until this point may be his game-winning touchdown catch in the 2018 College Football Playoff national championship game against Georgia. In an offense that often utilizes four or five wide receivers/tight ends, the opportunities are limited. It is a fact not lost upon Smith.

“No matter who it is, which one of us gets it we can all make the same play,” Smith told AL.com back in 2018. “When a play is called, you never know whether you’re going to get it or not. You just wait for the quarterback to throw it.”

Smith vs. South Carolina, 9-13-19: In-game report

Despite improved bulk from his prep level days, Smith’s strength is still a bit of a question mark. In Saturday’s game against South Carolina (9-14-19), Gamecocks CB Jaycee Horn raked a ball out of his hands on a slant route that resulted in a pass deflection. Although he contains a deft drop-step speed release, defensive backs do lean their frames on him at times on his inside releases versus press-man.

Last Saturday’s contest against South Carolina flashed Smith’s slippery skills after the catch. On a couple of his receptions, he used one-step cuts to get initial room from CB Jaycee Horn. Then, on a quick post/slant concept in the third quarter (9:42 mark), he used a slick sidestep to elude South Carolina safety J.T. Ibe in the middle of the field. The result? A 42-yard touchdown reception.

Smith’s ball skills and arm length (pictured here versus Georgia DB Richard LeCounte in the 2018 SEC championship game) both stand out. On Saturday in Columbia, however, his eight-catch, 136-yard, two-touchdown day may have hidden his best catch of the afternoon. At the 13:20 mark of the second quarter, he made one of his textbook leaping grabs over the top of South Carolina CB Israel Mukuamu, who stands 6-foot-4, 200 pounds. It was an example of the talent Smith possesses when adjusting to the ball in the air.

Most locksmiths specialize in rekeying, repairing, opening and modifying. Some numbers have meaning in the process, while others do not. It fits perfectly with what Smith communicated to AL.com when asked about whether he had accumulated the most receptions on the squad through Week 2 of the 2018 campaign.

Smith’s response?

“I don’t keep up with stats.”

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akD2oUl51rg

Photos, 2019, Football

DraftNasty lenses: Oluwole Betiku, Jr. 6’3 250 DE-Illinois

Leave a comment

Betiku’s activity last Saturday versus UConn was noteworthy, but should have been expected after his Week 1 performance against Akron. The graduate transfer from USC dealt with offseason hip surgery in 2018 but has responded favorably since coming to Champaign. While his snap count reactions vary, he displays very good play strength. From either a right-handed or left-handed stance (RDE or LDE), he works to press his inside shoulder versus the offensive tackle’s high shoulder to press the pocket over the top. Many of his sacks thus far in 2019 have come from him finishing through the down. In a defense that has been effective running line games, his activity winning on spikes (stunts that attack the inside shoulder of offensive linemen) has been noteworthy through two weeks. He currently leads the nation in quarterback sacks (6) and tackles for losses (7.5).

From either a right-handed or left-handed stance (RDE or LDE), he (No. 47 pictured at the top of the screen) works to press his inside shoulder versus the offensive tackle’s high shoulder to press the pocket over the top. Many of his sacks thus far in 2019 have come from him finishing through the down.

In this pregame repetition prior to the UConn game on September, 7, 2019, Betiku is matched against Illinois 6-foot-6, 320-pound left tackle Vederian Lowe (No. 79 pictured). Due to Lowe’s bulk and width, Betiku’s feet do not point in a direction towards the quarterback. This causes him to get pushed up the field initially. Despite containing definitive play strength, bigger offensive tackles can sometimes engulf and shield him from the action on his up-and-under rip moves.

This photo represents how the upward movement of his rip move allows him to circle over the top of Lowe (No. 79 pictured). In addition, his activity winning on spikes (stunts that attack the inside shoulder of offensive linemen) has been noteworthy through two weeks. He currently leads the nation in quarterback sacks and tackles for losses.

Photos, 2019, 2019, Football, Articles

DraftNasty lenses: Aaron Fuller 5’11 188 WR-Washington

Leave a comment

Today, we go inside our lenses with  Washington senior wide receiver Aaron Fuller.  Fuller -who caught five passes for 73 yards and two touchdowns last Saturday versus Eastern Washington- continues to impress with his high-flying antics.

Fuller began his 2019 campaign with five receptions for 73 yards and two touchdowns versus Eastern Washington. His one-handed twisting catch while keeping one foot inbounds made most of the highlights around the country from Week 1. In 2018, Fuller caught a career-high 58 passes for 874 yards (15.1 YPR) and four touchdowns.

The team frequently put Fuller at the No. 2 slot receiver position to run fade patterns in 2018. His ability to adjust to the ball over either shoulder is one of the big reasons he's been employed on the concepts. As a prep level track and field athlete at Lucas Lovejoy HS (Tex.), Fuller ran 22.0 in the 200 meters and nearly went 22-feet in the long jump (21'10.5").

The team uses him on a number of wide receiver screens to get the ball in his hands. On this one-step screen versus UCLA in 2018 Fuller made several Bruins miss on his way to a 19-yard gain. He has not, however, stood out as a punt returner while in school.

Although Fuller dropped this crossing route in the fourth quarter of the UCLA contest in October 2018, he has shown relatively reliable hands throughout his career. On several crossing routes (see video from Colorado '18 below), he has flashed the skill to snatch the ball while running at high speeds.

Fuller (No. 2 pictured timing this 46-yard reception vs UCLA's Nate Meadors in 2018) exhibits requisite timing and body control to adjust to passes on the field. New Huskies quarterback Jacob Eason seems to have already found a comfort level giving Fuller chances on 50-50 passes.

Photography by: Corey Chavous, DraftNasty Magazine

 

 

2019, Football, Articles

Heavy handed

2 Comments

Washington offensive tackle Kaleb McGary finished his career with 43 straight starts. The Huskies right tackle is intent on proving to NFL personnel that his heavy-handed nature translates to multiple spots along an offensive line. His efforts include working with a former Pro Bowl offensive lineman and legendary NFL offensive line coach. DraftNasty’s Corey Chavous sat down with him to talk about technique and his future prospects.

McGary: Nice to meet you.

Corey: Nice to meet you too man. You started off today (Senior Bowl 2019 practices, Day 1), with a very strong pass pro period and you complemented that with a strong team period. How did you feel about your first day out here?

McGary: I felt like I had a pretty good day. I think I showed I’m very capable…a very good tackle. I just hope to continue to improve and show that I’m better and better as time goes on.

Corey: Well you’ve played a lot on the right side of the offensive line, but do you feel like you’re capable of playing on the left side if needed?

McGary: I am. Actually the last couple of weeks I’ve done a lot of work with retired coach Howard Mudd (former three-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman and 40-year NFL OL coach who has since this interview been re-hired by the Indianapolis Colts) on guard and left tackle sets. I actually intend to try and jump over to the left side, even guard, if they’ll let me.

Corey: When you talk about being able to play multiple positions, what other positions do you feel like you can backup? Now you talked about guard. Do you feel like you’re a guy who can backup all four positions and maybe be a starter at the right tackle or the left tackle spot?

McGary (No. 58 pictured) earned the Pac-12’s Morris Trophy Award in 2018. The award goes to the conference’s best offensive lineman as voted on by the opposing teams’ players.

McGary: I think so. I was given a lot of really good physical abilities. I’m really flexible for my size so it lets me kinda bend and get down there for a guard position. So I do. I think I’m capable and I think if given a chance I think I can earn my way into any of those four spots.

Corey: Talk about your short-set technique or quick-set or whatever you would describe it as. That’s something that’s been very effective for you. Talk about how you’ve perfected that technique.

McGary: Working with Coach Howard Mudd. He came up with the short-set/dish idea. And just working with him a lot over the time that I’ve known him. Sessions upon sessions with him, and it fits my play style. I like to be aggressive, I like to get on, get up…I don’t like to leave a lot of things to question or room for them to do their thing. I like to put pressure on D-linemen. Can’t wait for them to apply pressure to me. It just fits the way I go.

Corey: Heavy hands. Scouts have described you as having heavy hands. Do you feel like you’ve got heavy hands?

McGary: I think so man. I want let them know if I hit ’em.

Corey: Who was the toughest opponent you went against in school?

McGary: Probably my time against Greg (Gaines) and Vita Vea. Those guys are big, brawny, just freakin’ boulders. Playing against them every day made me what I am I think or it’s a large part of it, having to go against that kind of ability.

Corey: Look forward to you having a great NFL career man..

McGary: Appreciate it.

Corey: Nice to meet you.

McGary: My pleasure.

2019, Football, Articles

Wise beyond his years

Leave a comment

DraftNasty’s Corey Chavous sat down with former Kansas Jayhawks star defensive lineman Daniel Wise for a Q&A during the week of the 2019 East-West Shrine game to talk about the Wise last name, family lineage and what it meant to be a Jayhawk.

Q&A with Kansas DL Daniel Wise

Corey: What about this week (2019 East-West Shrine Game) and what it represents for you and the Kansas program?

Wise: It’s huge for me to be able to just represent the University of Kansas. Throughout everything I’m doing at the Shrine hospital, on the field, having that Jayhawk on my helmet means a lot to me.

Corey: I know the team success wasn’t what you may have hoped for during your career but individually you’ve been very productive the last three seasons. When you think about how you’ve been able to work the edges of guards and tackles by being slippery. Talk about your technique and what has allowed you to become that type of player.

Wise: My work ethic, my routine in the summer, my workouts, guys I train with, my teammates. Picking up things from them (teammates) and picking up things from my coaches. My dad (former NFL player Deatrich Wise, Sr.), my No. 1 coach, and my older brother (New England Patriots DL Deatrich, Jr.). Always being around football and always watching football.

Daniel’s older brother, Deatrich, Jr. (No. 99 pictured), was a participant in the 2017 East-West Shrine Game and has since gone on to post 9.5 quarterback sacks in two seasons with the New England Patriots.

Corey: We actually spent time with your brother here at the East-West Shrine game a couple of years ago. What has his success meant for you in continuing on that family lineage?

Wise: It’s huge for me to be able to follow his footsteps at the East-West Shrine game and hopefully one day maybe with him or wherever I go. But to be able to enter the league with him, it’s been a journey.

Corey: What type of scheme do you think you fit best in? You’ve been a four-technique, five-technique and three-technique. You can line up in the reduced front over the center. What do you think is your best position to start at?

Wise: Just the experience that I got playing at the University of Kansas in a 4-3 and 3-4, playing all up and down the line. It has given me a lot of experience on the line. Can play just about anywhere on the line confidently. But I think I earn my best money at the three-technique.

Former Kansas defensive lineman Daniel Wise (No. 96 pictured) posted 151 tackles, 18.5 quarterback sacks, 44 tackles for loss (2nd in school history) and blocked three kicks during his time as a Jayhawk.

Corey: It’s funny, when your brother was coming out, we asked him the exact same question. Because at Arkansas he was playing up-and-down the defensive front.

Wise: Yes sir, yes sir. That’s right.

Corey: So I guess the family lineage spreads to positional versatility. Toughest opponent in school?

Wise: My toughest opponent in school I’d say would have to go to No. 55 at West Virginia.

Corey: Cajuste (Yodny).

Wise: Yeah…Cajuste. He was a good athlete. His ability to adjust. His hands and his feet. He was a nice athlete, nice guy to go against.

Corey: If an NFL scout wanted your best game of your career what would it be? I know one game I watched two years ago against Texas (2016)…in Kansas.

Wise: Yeah, when we beat ’em. I feel like that’s one of my best games. Yes sir.

Corey: Give me another one.

Wise: Texas again this year. The West Virginia game (2018). The West Virginia game is kind of what sparked the season for me.

Corey: Best of luck. Enjoyed watching you play and good luck in the NFL.

Wise: Thank you.

Photos, 2019, Football

2019 East-West Shrine Practices, Day 2, 1-15-19: Gallery/Recap

Leave a comment

In what proved to be a competitive day for both the East and West squads, DraftNasty dove even deeper into the action. Find out which players either continued to make an impact or stood out for the first time on Day 2 of 2019 East-West Shrine practices.

On Day 2, Georgia's Terry Godwin was challenged by James Madison CB Jimmy Moreland (No. 15 pictured), one of the better cover guys in attendance. Godwin's ability to roll his hips off of one step was evident on this out route during a one-on-one period. Moreland's eyes ventured into the backfield slightly out of his break as Godwin's ball skills continued to shine.

One of the most impressive aspects in Godwin's week was his attention to detail during the team's wide receiver individual drills. On this repetition, he sinks his hips at a sharp 45-degree angle on a cone drill.

Syracuse wide receiver Jamal Custis used this pull-through maneuver throughout the week to get on top of defensive backs. Miami (Fla.) cornerback Michael Jackson (6'1, 207) was a physical presence at the line of scrimmage, but even he couldn't handle Custis on this rep.

Custis, pictured, used his 82-inch wingspan to snag this high pass during a one-on-one drill versus Jackson.

Even though Jackson (No. 28 pictured) would lock his hips by jamming with his outside arm, he was able to handle Ole Miss' DaMarkus Lodge on this one-on-one rep. Lodge, perhaps the least heralded of the Rebels trio entering the 2019 NFL Draft, displayed good quickness in-and-out of his intermediate patterns during the week.

Tennessee DL Kyle Phillips (No. 92 pictured going through bag drills) did an excellent job of bowing back tight ends with his six-inch punch during the week of practice. In addition, he re-traced his steps to the ball in pursuit. His biggest issue was establishing effective counters once his first move was taken away (at either DE or the three-technique DT).

North Dakota State's Easton Stick throws a quick screen to Fresno State's KeeSean Johnson during a team drill. Stick was effective on bootlegs going to his left and demonstrated decisiveness throwing in-between the hash marks. Some of his comeback patterns tended to die before reaching their final destinations.

SMU cornerback Jordan Wyatt celebrates with Troy cornerback Blace Brown after picking off a slant and returning it for a touchdown during a team period. Wyatt got his hands on a number of passes during the week as he continues to round back into form following a 2017 late season injury.

Pittsburgh running back Darrin Hall's instincts shined on draw concepts and gap-schemed runs. He also displayed solid hands to track the ball out of the backfield. A tendency to turn to the side was a bit of a surprise in his pass pro drills.

Wyoming safety Andrew Wingard picked off this pass late in practice and took it to the house. It shouldn't have come as a surprise. He picked off 10 passes during school. While he didn't have success in one-on-one drills covering wideouts, the former Cowboy was far from shy in challenging any receiver in attendance.

Colorado's Evan Worthington (No. 35 pictured) broke on an out route thrown to Old Dominion's Jonathan Duhart. Worthington took full advantage of his second chance in school and his effort stands out. He rounded back into form during the week after missing three of the team's last four games.

Angelo State's Markus Jones, pictured, works through bag drills with a level of intensity that signifies his overall approach. The Lone Star Conference Player of the Year posted an unbelievable 36.5 tackles for loss in 2018. His power showed up in the Day 1 one-on-one pass rush sessions, when he powered Missouri offensive tackle Paul Adams to the ground with a speed-to-power bull rush.

In a true SEC battle, Missouri's Paul Adams (No. 57 pictured from top-to-bottom) initially had control of Texas A&M's Landis Durham. Despite an 85-inch wingspan and 63-pound weight advantage over Durham, Adams allowed the former Aggie to win the leverage battle. He got his hands inside of Adams' jersey and used a snatch maneuver to reach the bottom of the pocket. Durham's 17 sacks and 22.5 tackles for losses the last two seasons lay credence to his quickness off the snap.

San Diego State OT Ryan Pope was also one of the longer offensive tackles in attendance, but this battle came down to quickness. Oregon OLB Justin Hollins used a swipe move (see fourth picture on bottom) to clear Pope and easily turn the corner.

In a battle of perhaps two of the strongest offensive or defensive linemen in attendance, Texas A&M's Daylon Mack initially forced Louisiana Tech's O'Shea Dugas to cross his feet. However, as the down progressed, Dugas was able to re-corral his frame and sit down versus Mack's power step.

Colorado School of Mines wide receiver Brody Oliver (pictured getting the toe-tap grab down during an individual drill) caught 224 passes for 4,010 yards and 59 touchdowns during school. During the week, he impressed with his body control and flexibility.