Based on some questions in another thread in which I gave a few impressions about what I saw in Saturday's football practice I figured I'd start a separate thread and give a more complete account of some of the things I saw. I apologize in advance for not being able to provide ample details since I was just a casual observer who didn't take notes. Everything I say here is based on memory.
Offense:
CJ Sanders - There's another thread specifically dedicated to what CBK said about him as a punt returner. I couldn't help but offer positive comments in that thread based on what I saw firsthand and that is what ultimately prompted me to start this thread. Put simply, CJS was the most impressive freshman I saw on offense all day. He caught almost everything thrown his way in the passing drills. He looked great in the running game from his slot position. On one running play he was almost caught dead to rights in the backfield on a run that looked designed to go up the middle but he alluded the defender (I couldn't see who it was) and started running sideways. Most in the crowd groaned thinking he was just going to lose more yardage (I didn't groan but that was what I was thinking too). The defense seemed ready to contain him but he made a couple of quick moves, got the edge, put on the jets and was able to turn a negative play into a 10-12 yard run. And then of course he had that fantastic punt return. All in all he had a great day. Yes, he does look small, but it's actually just more of him being short. He has a decent build for his height. He's not skinny, so although he probably does need to add on at least a few pounds, I think he'll hold up nicely over the course of the season. CBK says he will get some playing time and I wouldn't be surprise to see him get more PT than any of us thought.
E. St. Brown - The rumors are true. He looks better than advertised. He was tough to cover in passing drills, not only because of his exceptional height and speed, but also because he ran good routes. I will say, from a distance he looks too skinny right now, but as he gets closer you can see how cut he is. Weight training with his dad has definitely paid off. No doubt, he is very slender. I think pants with a 30 inch waist would fall off of him without a belt. Hopefully he'll start to fill out in the coming years, but he has enough solid muscle right now that should allow him to contribute this year.
Miles Boykin - He looks the part. Great size and appears to be fast. He missed a couple of catchable balls, but overall he had a good day, just not as good as ESB and CJS.
Josh Adams - This was a big surprise for me. Josh is faster and more elusive than I thought. During 11 on 11 live action he broke through the middle on one run and took it to the house for an approximately 50 yard TD run. I wouldn't say he has separated himself from Dexter Williams. Dexter looked good in drills too, but, at least on Saturday, Josh looked a little bit better overall.
Corey Robinson - He had a great day. I think most will be pleased see that he is running crisper routes which seems to give him more opportunities to create separation. He also seems to be a little bit tougher. He was beating press coverage by not allowing defenders to push him off of his routes.
DeShone Kizer - He seems to be the clear number 2 QB and not just because he's had more time in the system. He actually played better than Wimbush today. He got all the no. 2 reps and overall he got almost as many reps as Zaire even though he didn't spend any time with the no. 1's. What stood out was his accuracy and zip on his short throws as well as his decision making. He looked very comfortable out there. Obviously, MZ is still quite a ways ahead of him, but at least he looks like a very solid backup QB right now which is something I don't think we would have said as recently as the Blue Gold game.
Brandon Wimbush - Don't get me wrong. Although I think DK is the better backup QB right now, Wimbush still had a decent day. Not great but decent, and probably could be considered "good" considering he's only been in the system for a few weeks. His accuracy on Saturday wasn't as good as I've seen in some of his other practice videos but his arm strength and foot speed are every bit as impressive as we thought. He had 2 throws that looked to be at least 50 yards in the air without much effort. One of those was right on the money to Jalen Guyton who had it for a moment in the end zone before the defender stripped the ball out of his hands. Truth be told, Guyton should have been able to hold onto the ball and that should have been a long touchdown pass.
Malik - I feel compelled to mention him but there's not much to say about him that we didn't already know. He had a good day overall and is clearly our leader. He still needs to work on his long throws but he did well with his short throws.
Torii Hunter/Amir Carlisle - If we're basing everything on what happened Saturday I'd say TH looks better in the slot than AC but AC still had a good day. AC has great straight line speed and he made some great catches, but TH also made some great catches and seems to be a better, more elusive runner after the catch. I don't have a problem with CBK having AC at the top of the depth chart right now as long as TH gets plenty of opportunities to prove himself once the season starts. CBK seems to value proven production over potential. As long as he doesn't forget about TH (as he did at times last year) I think TH will start to make plays and force CBK to play him more.
The TE's - Overall, the TE's just had an OK day. Luatua probably wishes he had a better day. He looked fine blocking but he dropped a couple of passes during drills and had a illegal procedure penalty during 11 on 11. Nic Weishar actually looks like a TE. He ran great routes and has very good hands. Hounshell just looked OK. Smythe is still nursing a minor injury and didn't get any reps. Alize is probably the one most are interested in, and he looks very impressive athletically, but he wore a red shirt all day and didn't see any live action due to a minor injury.
Defense:
Shawn Crawford - He's really good. He was on the field for every nickel package and didn't have any problem holding his own. Yes, he's short but, man, he sticks on his man and makes it difficult for the QB to find a window.
Nick Coleman - He was a very pleasant surprise. He got a lot of reps in the nickel package too. He's very solid in coverage but his highlight today was stopping a sweep for a short gain with a solo tackle. He showed a lot of discipline and toughness.
Nicco Fertitta - I won't try to kid anyone by saying I expect to see Nicco get a lot of playing time this year. He likely won't, but I will say he doesn't look out of place. In 1 on 1 drills he had the unenviable task of covering ESB. On the first rep ESB ran a straight post route, ran right past NF and burned him for an easy TD. On the next rotation ESB ran a similar route but this time NF stayed right with him and defended the pass perfectly. He's clearly down the depth chart right now but he did get a little bit of time with the 2's during 11 on 11 drills and held his own. Oh, and for what it's worth, his dad was at practice too.
Jonathan Bonner - He only had 1 play worth mentioning but it was a very good one. During the 11 on 11 scrimmage he broke through the middle of the 2nd team O-line and stopped the RB for a 5 yard loss.
KeiVarae Russell - Nothing surprising. He was the best DB out there. That's really all that needs to be said.
Daniel Cage/Jerry Tillery - DC actually got a lot more time with the no. 1 D than JT but I think that had more to do with the recency of JJ's injury. JT had already been getting some reps with the 1's before Saturday so I think they wanted DC to get as much time with the 1's so he can catch up. They both did well but there weren't any plays that stood out.
Isaac Rochelle - He had one great play that actually turned into a better play for MZ and Will Fuller. IR broke through the no. 1 O-line and forced MZ out of the pocket. IR kept chasing, but just before he was able to bring MZ down, MZ threw a laser to WF on the sideline who tiptoed inbounds before falling for a 20 yard gain. In most other situations, IR would have ended up with a sack.
Special teams:
Justin Yoon - His first FG attempt of the day was actually blocked (I couldn't see who did t) to end his streak of 18 FG's in a row. I'm not sure if it was just a great play or if he kicked it low. I do know after that he was back to being automatic. He made 3 field goals in a row all from approximately 40-45 yards and all were straight down the middle. He appears to be more of a mechanic than Brindza. Brindza was good but at times he struggled with striking the ball consistently. Yoon seems to strike the ball the same way every time. It should be noted DK was the holder each time and he handled each snap without issue.
Tyler Newsome - He boomed 3 out of 4 punts with the one non-booming punt that still went about 40 yards before going out of bounds. Of course, one of his 3 booming punts ended up as a CJS touchdown so maybe he outkicked the coverage. I don't know. Regardless, he looked great.
That's all I have for now. I hope this is helpful.
Offense:
CJ Sanders - There's another thread specifically dedicated to what CBK said about him as a punt returner. I couldn't help but offer positive comments in that thread based on what I saw firsthand and that is what ultimately prompted me to start this thread. Put simply, CJS was the most impressive freshman I saw on offense all day. He caught almost everything thrown his way in the passing drills. He looked great in the running game from his slot position. On one running play he was almost caught dead to rights in the backfield on a run that looked designed to go up the middle but he alluded the defender (I couldn't see who it was) and started running sideways. Most in the crowd groaned thinking he was just going to lose more yardage (I didn't groan but that was what I was thinking too). The defense seemed ready to contain him but he made a couple of quick moves, got the edge, put on the jets and was able to turn a negative play into a 10-12 yard run. And then of course he had that fantastic punt return. All in all he had a great day. Yes, he does look small, but it's actually just more of him being short. He has a decent build for his height. He's not skinny, so although he probably does need to add on at least a few pounds, I think he'll hold up nicely over the course of the season. CBK says he will get some playing time and I wouldn't be surprise to see him get more PT than any of us thought.
E. St. Brown - The rumors are true. He looks better than advertised. He was tough to cover in passing drills, not only because of his exceptional height and speed, but also because he ran good routes. I will say, from a distance he looks too skinny right now, but as he gets closer you can see how cut he is. Weight training with his dad has definitely paid off. No doubt, he is very slender. I think pants with a 30 inch waist would fall off of him without a belt. Hopefully he'll start to fill out in the coming years, but he has enough solid muscle right now that should allow him to contribute this year.
Miles Boykin - He looks the part. Great size and appears to be fast. He missed a couple of catchable balls, but overall he had a good day, just not as good as ESB and CJS.
Josh Adams - This was a big surprise for me. Josh is faster and more elusive than I thought. During 11 on 11 live action he broke through the middle on one run and took it to the house for an approximately 50 yard TD run. I wouldn't say he has separated himself from Dexter Williams. Dexter looked good in drills too, but, at least on Saturday, Josh looked a little bit better overall.
Corey Robinson - He had a great day. I think most will be pleased see that he is running crisper routes which seems to give him more opportunities to create separation. He also seems to be a little bit tougher. He was beating press coverage by not allowing defenders to push him off of his routes.
DeShone Kizer - He seems to be the clear number 2 QB and not just because he's had more time in the system. He actually played better than Wimbush today. He got all the no. 2 reps and overall he got almost as many reps as Zaire even though he didn't spend any time with the no. 1's. What stood out was his accuracy and zip on his short throws as well as his decision making. He looked very comfortable out there. Obviously, MZ is still quite a ways ahead of him, but at least he looks like a very solid backup QB right now which is something I don't think we would have said as recently as the Blue Gold game.
Brandon Wimbush - Don't get me wrong. Although I think DK is the better backup QB right now, Wimbush still had a decent day. Not great but decent, and probably could be considered "good" considering he's only been in the system for a few weeks. His accuracy on Saturday wasn't as good as I've seen in some of his other practice videos but his arm strength and foot speed are every bit as impressive as we thought. He had 2 throws that looked to be at least 50 yards in the air without much effort. One of those was right on the money to Jalen Guyton who had it for a moment in the end zone before the defender stripped the ball out of his hands. Truth be told, Guyton should have been able to hold onto the ball and that should have been a long touchdown pass.
Malik - I feel compelled to mention him but there's not much to say about him that we didn't already know. He had a good day overall and is clearly our leader. He still needs to work on his long throws but he did well with his short throws.
Torii Hunter/Amir Carlisle - If we're basing everything on what happened Saturday I'd say TH looks better in the slot than AC but AC still had a good day. AC has great straight line speed and he made some great catches, but TH also made some great catches and seems to be a better, more elusive runner after the catch. I don't have a problem with CBK having AC at the top of the depth chart right now as long as TH gets plenty of opportunities to prove himself once the season starts. CBK seems to value proven production over potential. As long as he doesn't forget about TH (as he did at times last year) I think TH will start to make plays and force CBK to play him more.
The TE's - Overall, the TE's just had an OK day. Luatua probably wishes he had a better day. He looked fine blocking but he dropped a couple of passes during drills and had a illegal procedure penalty during 11 on 11. Nic Weishar actually looks like a TE. He ran great routes and has very good hands. Hounshell just looked OK. Smythe is still nursing a minor injury and didn't get any reps. Alize is probably the one most are interested in, and he looks very impressive athletically, but he wore a red shirt all day and didn't see any live action due to a minor injury.
Defense:
Shawn Crawford - He's really good. He was on the field for every nickel package and didn't have any problem holding his own. Yes, he's short but, man, he sticks on his man and makes it difficult for the QB to find a window.
Nick Coleman - He was a very pleasant surprise. He got a lot of reps in the nickel package too. He's very solid in coverage but his highlight today was stopping a sweep for a short gain with a solo tackle. He showed a lot of discipline and toughness.
Nicco Fertitta - I won't try to kid anyone by saying I expect to see Nicco get a lot of playing time this year. He likely won't, but I will say he doesn't look out of place. In 1 on 1 drills he had the unenviable task of covering ESB. On the first rep ESB ran a straight post route, ran right past NF and burned him for an easy TD. On the next rotation ESB ran a similar route but this time NF stayed right with him and defended the pass perfectly. He's clearly down the depth chart right now but he did get a little bit of time with the 2's during 11 on 11 drills and held his own. Oh, and for what it's worth, his dad was at practice too.
Jonathan Bonner - He only had 1 play worth mentioning but it was a very good one. During the 11 on 11 scrimmage he broke through the middle of the 2nd team O-line and stopped the RB for a 5 yard loss.
KeiVarae Russell - Nothing surprising. He was the best DB out there. That's really all that needs to be said.
Daniel Cage/Jerry Tillery - DC actually got a lot more time with the no. 1 D than JT but I think that had more to do with the recency of JJ's injury. JT had already been getting some reps with the 1's before Saturday so I think they wanted DC to get as much time with the 1's so he can catch up. They both did well but there weren't any plays that stood out.
Isaac Rochelle - He had one great play that actually turned into a better play for MZ and Will Fuller. IR broke through the no. 1 O-line and forced MZ out of the pocket. IR kept chasing, but just before he was able to bring MZ down, MZ threw a laser to WF on the sideline who tiptoed inbounds before falling for a 20 yard gain. In most other situations, IR would have ended up with a sack.
Special teams:
Justin Yoon - His first FG attempt of the day was actually blocked (I couldn't see who did t) to end his streak of 18 FG's in a row. I'm not sure if it was just a great play or if he kicked it low. I do know after that he was back to being automatic. He made 3 field goals in a row all from approximately 40-45 yards and all were straight down the middle. He appears to be more of a mechanic than Brindza. Brindza was good but at times he struggled with striking the ball consistently. Yoon seems to strike the ball the same way every time. It should be noted DK was the holder each time and he handled each snap without issue.
Tyler Newsome - He boomed 3 out of 4 punts with the one non-booming punt that still went about 40 yards before going out of bounds. Of course, one of his 3 booming punts ended up as a CJS touchdown so maybe he outkicked the coverage. I don't know. Regardless, he looked great.
That's all I have for now. I hope this is helpful.
