Who stood out? What did we learn?
ORLANDO, Fla. — I don’t like making judgments about players based on one three-hour practice at an all-star game, part of which isn’t even in pads, part of which is wasted on special teams, and part of which is spent on install.
But the readers ask for it, so here are observations from Day 1 of the Under Armour All-America Game practices. The 2018 Under Armour All-America Game will be played at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla. on Thursday, Jan. 4, at 6 p.m. ET live on ESPN2.
Kwatrivous Johnson, an offensive tackle from Greenwood (Miss.) is listed at 6’9 and 360 pounds. I had never seen Johnson before, so I was eager to see if he was really that size. I saw him next to Daniel Faalele, a fellow offensive tackle who is about that size, and he measured up. What’s more, Johnson isn’t sloppily built for his size, and the Mississippi State signee seemed to move all right.
Alabama defensive end signees Stephon Wynn and Jordan Davis both made a number of good plays. Wynn is built like a five-technique end, and he has great strength. He has improved his technique. Davis is a longer, leaner end who will likely play in both a two- and three-point stance. He showed some good speed off the edge.
Penn State defensive tackle signee PJ Mustipher is not the freakiest of athletes, but he has worked on his craft and has some excellent technique. Mustipher slapped away hands of blockers with ease and won a number of one-v-one reps.
Florida QB signee Emory Jones had some nice throws. It’s no secret that the absence of five-star Georgia QB signee Justin Fields (injury) has reduced the quality of the QB group at the event this year, but Jones threw some nice balls. And come Thursday during the game, he’ll be able to use his legs more as well because the blocking in all-star events is never good due to the quality of defensive line competition and the lack of time for offensive linemen to get acquainted with each other.
Over the last three years, Dan Mullen’s QBs at Mississippi State have averaged 196 carries per season, not including sacks. In an offense that runs its QBs 15 times/game, Jones athleticism and build are a major reason why he will be a serious contender to start Day 1 in Gainesville.
QB Emory Jones can't wait to get to FloridaFlorida Gators Football QB signee Emory Jones tells SB Nation about his excitement for getting to Gainesville, why he picked the Gators, and his chance to play early.
Posted by Alligator Army on Sunday, December 31, 2017
I saw Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) speedster Anthony Schwartz showcase some more refined receiver skills, as opposed to a player who looks like a track star trying to play football. This was new to me. Schwartz gave a stutter move, changed tempo, and then turned on the jets to gain greater separation. I expect Schwartz to pick Auburn on Thursday.
I like Miami defensive back signee Gurvan Hall. He is not the biggest or the fastest, but every time I see him, he is around the ball and making plays. Hall has strong instincts and showed them off Sunday by breaking up several throws.
Nicholas Petit-Frere more than held his own. I was interested to see how the 6’6’, 280-pounder would do, considering he plays for Berkley Prep in Tampa, which does not face many of the better teams in Florida. But he played with confidence Sunday, not getting out over his feet, and trusting his technique and athleticism.
Two smaller corners stood out to me against bigger receivers: Texas signee D’Shawn Jamison and FSU signee Asante Samuel Jr. Both used their feet to stay in the hip pocket of bigger receivers, and in the red zone they did a good job to fight through the hands and break up passes.