First impressions go a long way. Players on both squads had
to make do through
windy
Mike Person
Jersey , drizzly conditions, immediately putting them on the spot for what
is the biggest stage in many of their young careers. Some rose to the challenge,
other left more to be desired throughout the week. SouthDefensive lineLet’s
start from the ground up. Off the edge, Montez Sweat (Mississippi State) was a
terror in 1-on-1 drills. Sporting a lanky 6-foot-6, 250 pound frame with 35 and
5/8 inch arms, Sweat looks like a stretched-out cartoon character, but plays
like a controlled beast. Sweat showed a number of times in drills the ability to
set up offensive linemen to expose their chest, then fire forward to blow them
off the ball. His combination of raw power mixed with just the right amount of
craftiness lead to a great first day for Sweat. Though not quite as impressive
as the monstrous Sweat, is fellow edge rusher Jaylon Ferguson (Louisiana Tech).
Ferguson is a thicker, less explosive rusher, but showed a number of times
throughout the day that he could keep offensive tackles off balance with his
hand placement and strength.Carl Granderson (Wyoming) may also be of note, but
not necessarily for the 49ers. Granderson put up a few great reps in run drills,
which complements his tackle for loss numbers in college, but looked a smidge
stiff as a pass rusher. He did not look to thrive in getting around the edge
comfortably. If teams want a Michael Johnson type, they could keep an eye on
him. The standout interior lineman on the day was Daylon Mack (Texas A&M). A
former high school and college freshman standout, Mack never finished his
college career the way many hoped.
Regardless
Patrick
Willis Color Rush Jersey , Mack made a knockout first impression in
Mobile, blowing just about every lineman he faced off the ball with ease. His
low center of gravity and natural power proved to be too much for many OL to
handle. LinebackerMoving to linebacker, maybe the clearest picture of a player
painted during Day One was of Terrill Hanks (New Mexico State). Linebacker
drills are largely useless in Mobile, and may be the toughest guys to evaluate
during the practices, but their 1-on-1 coverage drills can be useful. Hanks
showed the duality of a cover linebacker. On one rep, Hanks got dusted by a
running back on an out route, but followed it up on his next rep by crushing his
opponent trying to run a drag route. Thankfully Hanks made up some ground from
his out-route-fiasco with great work in the team run drills. David Long Jr (West
Virginia), to nobody’s surprise, appeared to be the most fluid guy in space. His
ability to pass off zones and collapse to ball carrier’s in the quick game was
impressive, but also the exact type of play to be expected of a small linebacker
such as himself. CornerbackThe South cornerbacks as a whole had issues sticking
to their opponents. With a slew of talented wide receivers on the South roster,
a Day One practice can favor the wide receivers, so the hope is that the group
bounces back Day Two and provides more competition. If anyone, the primary
standout would be Isaiah Johnson (Houston). Johnson is the Legion of Boom style
cornerback that Robert Saleh could be looking for opposite Richard Sherman. More
so than his peers, Johnson was able to stick to opposing receivers and remain in
position to work for the ball when it came time. SafetyAt safety, the Kentucky
duo of Mike Edwards and Darius West made it clear they should be zone corners.
Now, plenty of teams can make that work just
fine
https://www.49ersfanshop.com/Jerick-Mckinnon-Jersey ,
but neither Edwards or West looked great in mirroring in 1-on-1s or breaking
with the tight ends. They appeared more capable as players who could play from
their heels and approach what is laid out in front of them. Juan Thornhill
(Virginia) had a disappointing day given his draft stock. Thornhill is viewed by
many as a versatile, safety-cornerback hybrid, but Thornhill too looked slow in
keeping up with opposing tight ends. It may have been the conditions, but
Thornhill just did not have the best time in matching his opposition
athletically. Hopefully he can recover in Day Two because he is a clearly
capable player on film. NorthDefensive lineThe North’s defensive line roster is
鈥?peculiar. The interior defensive line group is no less mixed than in previous
years, but there is hardly any true edge talent for the North to display. Zach
Allen (Boston College), for example, is a quality prospect who showed out in his
first day in Mobile, but weighed in at 280 pounds. In essence, Allen is Solomon
Thomas size, which is not what the 49ers are looking for. Guys like LJ Collier
(TCU), Anthony Nelson (Iowa), and Charles Omenihu (Texas) fall into a similar
category. However, a few interior defensive linemen were of interest, if the
49ers so choose to bolster that position. Renell Wren (Arizona State) was a
wrecking ball in 1-on-1 reps. Wren blasted a number of different offensive
linemen off the ball, primarily from the nose position, and created absolute
terror from the middle of the defense. It is not a flashy
job
DeForest Buckner
Jersey , but having a standout nose can go a long way in the NFL. On the
other hand, Byron Cowart (Maryland) reminded of a familiar, ever-repeating draft
story: supreme athlete who does not really know what to do with his athleticism.
Cowart is not a Robert Nkemdiche-level prospect, but he suffers from the same
mishaps and inconsistency. LinebackerGermaine Pratt (North Carolina State) was
more or less the player he was assumed to be. In coverage, Pratt showed plenty
of range and movement skills to keep up with all kinds of skill players. He
showed the ability to collapse on check down options as well as follow guys in
space. And lucky for Pratt, the 11-on-11 drills do not really incentivize
offensive linemen to crush linebackers, so Pratt may scoot by without that being
much of a problem for him this week. Just behind Pratt, Te’von Coney (Notre
Dame) had a solid day through drills and 11-on-11s save for a passing drill in
which he completely left a defender free in the flats. Still, he overall had a
good showing. CornerbackMaybe the most frustrating player on the day was Amani
Oruwariye (Penn State). Among all cornerbacks on the day, Oruwariye was the best
in keeping pace with opposing receivers and sticking right to their hip pockets,
not giving them an inch. However, Oruwariye could not find the ball at all, be
it on curl routes or down the field. It was a conflicting day for the heralded
cornerback, but at least you would rather he constantly be in position so many
times than blatantly being cooked. The other standout cornerback was Kris Boyd
(Texas), not for being outstanding, but playing true to his identity so
perfectly. Boyd excelled in press and had no restraint in trying to scrap with
players throughout routes.
Conversely
Garry Gilliam
Color Rush Jersey , Boyd showed a tendency to open his hips a tad early
and get beat with some crafty early route running. It is on him to show some
more versatility moving forward. SafetyArguably the most disappointing
performance of the day was Nasir Adderley (Deleware). A wildly versatile player
in college, Adderley struggled to play in short zones and in man-to-man during
practice. Adderely simply did not seem ready for the challenge of quicker,
bigger, stronger players than he may have been used to. Granted, this does not
take away from Adderley’s excellent range as a one-high safety, but it does
partly dispel the notion of him being an all-around versatile safety. Darnell
Savage (Maryland), on the other hand, was the only player out there who could
deal with wide receiver Andy Isabella in any capacity. Isabella gave almost
everyone the work with his shifty route running, but Savage showed patience
against Isabella and was able to contest catch points against him. Most other
defensive backs out there were lucky to be within five yards by the time the
ball got to Isabella. Late Monday, reports came out that the 49ers are planning
to hire Ben Peterson to head up both the medical and strength departments. This
was part of a plan to bring both departments together. After getting the post
together, I went and watched a YouTube video he put together on injuries in the
NHL. It’s really an interesting watch and displays his data gathering/research
skills and how he evaluates injuries. It also has geese shouting in the
background. All jokes aside, the 49ers needed to do something, what they had
wasn’t working. Bringing both strength/conditioning together with the medical
side should be great for everyone to communicate methods and status reports on
rehab in a much more efficient manner. Peterson seems like a great person for
it. It’s still early to see how this shapes up, but it looks like they are on
their way. Here’s some links: Report: 49ers to add Ben Peterson to staff in
sports science role (Pro Football Talk)Kyler Murray officially chooses NFL,
could alter 49ers pre-draft plans (Madson)You make the 49ers first draft pick of
2019 (Cohn)49ers projected $60M in salary cap space with free agency a month
away (Maiocco)Video: Highest paid quarterbacks most likely to make the playoffs
(NFL.com)6 players 49ers could target in trade back from No. 2 overall pick
(Madson)
Find in Directory
Find in Events
Find in Marketplace