College Gridiron Showcase: Day 2 Observations (Desperados)

Desperados Hit the Field for the First Time

Emory Hunt

Day 2 of the College Gridiron Showcase was the first opportunity to see prospects that represent the 2 major groups of the event, the Desperados and Wranglers.  We’ll start with Desperados.

QBs Start Slow, Finish Strong

The quarterbacks from this group: Hayden Moore (Cincinnati), Hayden Bauserman (Shenandoah), Dalton Banks (Cornell), Brad Mayes (Lehigh) and Grant Kraemer (Drake) got off to a bumpy start. That is expected considering this is the first time working with an entirely new group of receivers, so the timing just wasn’t quite right during a good part of the 1-on-1 drills. However, as they went into the Pass Skel portion of practice, we saw all QB step their game up significantly as they started to find the right timing with the wideouts, and getting the ball out decisively to the right target.

Canadian Impact

There are 5 Canadian Draft Prospects participating in this week’s events: OL Samuel Thomassin (Laval) & Zack Williams (Manitoba), DT Connor Griffiths (British Columbia), CB Jamie Harry (Ottawa) and RB Brady Oliveira (North Dakota). I thought the two OL Thomassin and Williams had really good days in 1-on-1s. Thomassin was able to stalemate a few DTs. Oliveira caught the ball extremely I thought, which is a major plus in today’s game. It’s going to be interesting to track their success here this week as yesterday all 5 guys got good reviews.

Practice Standouts:

DT – Sean Kubit-Miller (6’0 302), Albion: He was the prospect the other day in the Marshalls group who’s number wasn’t on the roster. So, this is back-to-back strong days for him.

S – Ezekiel Edmonds (6’3 200), Clark Atlanta: The 6’3 200lb safety has very good footwork and is fluid in his backpedal. He was strong in 1-on-1s as well.

DE – Kevin Thompson Jr. (6’3 250), Bethune-Cookman: He is an impressive prospect. Heavy handed edge rusher that is extremely stout verses the run. He also stood out in the FCS Bowl as well.

OC – Michael Fleming (6’3 305), East Stroudsburg: Fleming played Left Tackle for the Warriors, but is making the move to the interior. The way he uses his hands in conjunction with his feet, was impressive yesterday in 1-on-1s.

ILB – Quentin Moon (6’1 230), Western Illinois: Terrific ‘thud’ player in 9-on-7 drills. He was consistent in his run fits as well as his ability in getting off blocks.

OT – Messiah Rice (6’6 310), Hampton: He’s all of 6’6 and definitely looks the part of an NFL offensive lineman. I thought he played the part as well yesterday also.

WR – Curtis Smith (5’9 169), SUNY-Maritime: Smith has tremendous acceleration and was able to consistently slip past and stack the defensive back during both 1-on-1s and Pass Skel. He’s been really impressive so far.

LB – Cardell Rawlings (6’1 240), Wingate: Putting together back-to-back strong All-Star game performances (National Bowl). Rawlings suddenness and explosiveness is evident when you watch him play. He’s can legitimately play all 3 backer spots.

CB – Issac Warren (6’1 195), Delta State: Big fan of how Warren uses his height to his advantage. He’s a patient player in both his backpedal, how he uses his hands and playing the ball once it’s in the air.

DE – Vincent Jackson (6’3 255), South Florida: Jackson was very disruptive during 9-on-7. It’s very tough for offensive linemen to get a good punch on him.

Desperados Practice Highlights

WR-vs-DBs & RBs/TEs-vs-LBs 1-on-1s

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OL-vs-DL 1-on-1 Drills

9-on-7 Drills

Pass Skel Drills

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