Coach Marty Schottenheimer had his players in pads today for the first time, and ran an old school practice with plenty of hitting.  I’m upset I missed the pit for the West squad because I was watching 7-on-7 drills, so not much on the defensive side today.  Let’s take a look at who stood out in the afternoon.

QB

Todd Reesing (Kansas) was too hesitant when waiting to throw the football.  He held on to the ball too long, which would have resulted in multiple sacks if the quarterbacks were allowed to be hit in practice.  When he did throw, he had nice zip on his shorter passes.  Anything over 15-yards he struggled with accuracy and velocity.  He did pull the ball down to run and picked up a first down.  It just seems like overall Reesing is trying not to make a mistake instead of trying to make a play.

Matt Nichols (Eastern Washington) continues to impress me at practice.  He threw with plenty of zip on both short and deep routes.  Nichols seems to have a better sense of timing than the other quarterbacks on his squad.  The offense seems to have a better pace when Nichols is calling the shots, and he does a good job of leading his receivers on long passes down the sideline.

Max Hall (BYU) did a good job of evading the rush today.  He mainly looked for check down receivers, or his tight end from BYU Dennis Pitta.  Hall is very adept at throwing off the rollout, and seems to be overly cautious with the football.

RB

Pat Paschall (North Dakota State) had some nice runs between the tackles today.  His game is best suited in space, but I was impressed with the way Paschall would lower his head and try to get yards inside.  He would keep his feet moving after contact, and even had a run where he was able to break a tackle then bounce it outside for a big gain.  He’s decent as a receiver, but not a natural hands catcher.  He’s got speed, cutback ability, and the quickness to get to the edge.  I call him a sneaky back because he’ll get low and sneak through the smallest of creases.

Keith Toston (Oklahoma State) impressed me once again with his lightning quick stutter step.  I liked his leg drive after contact and his ball security was top notch as several defenders were trying to strip the ball away from him but to no avail.  He has great body control and balance.  Toston spun away from contact, and then used an arm bar to keep Dexter Davis away.  He also has the ability to spin when trying to pick up extra yardage after already being wrapped up.  Even though he’s not the biggest back he does run with adequate “pop”.  It’s advisable not to blink when Toston is on the field because he can get to the second level in a hurry.

Dimitri Nance (Arizona State) tried to bounce a few too many runs outside.  That’s just not his game, and it certainly won’t work at the pro level.  Nance is swift, but he needs to get past the line and to the linebackers before he even thinks about cutting outside.  He gets very low, and can spin off contact.  Nance is hard to bring down because of his girth, and he doesn’t give defenders much to grab onto.  He found the cutback lanes on a couple of different runs, and shows good field vision.  Occasionally he would stutter step before hitting the hole up the middle and it was just enough for him to move the oncoming linebacker - which allowed him to run through an arm tackle rather than take a defender head on.  Nance does have power to run over people, and runs with a great pad level.   

WR/TE

Kerry Meier (Kansas) has great footwork and sideline awareness.  When the receivers were working with Keenan McCardell on sideline routes it was Meier that stayed in bounds on every catch.  He can go high for catches, or scoop them off the ground.  I also saw him catch the back half of the football with his fingertips.  It was an amazing catch that highlights just how strong his hands are.  He did have problems running comeback routes, and needs to clean up his footwork. 

Seyi Ajirotutu (Fresno State) was getting coached up on coming back to the football after sitting down in a zone coverage.  He’s a project, but one with good upside.  His footsteps are crisp and his hands today were like glue.

Emmanuel Sanders (SMU) is quickly becoming one of my favorite players at this game.  He will go after a catch no matter where the ball is placed.  He’ll scoop passes off the turf, and sky for passes over the middle.  Even though he’s not the biggest receiver he does play with a fearless nature.  The receivers ran a mini-gauntlet drill and Sanders was the best at turning and finding the football in the air.  Sanders is quick in and out of his breaks and can gain separation on most defensive backs he’s facing here.  He also did a nice job of using his frame to shield cornerback Devin Ross away from the ball on a sideline route. 

Verran Tucker (California) lacks the body control he needs to be any sort of factor at the next level.  He did not have a good day of practice and left several passes on the turf.  Tucker struggled in the gauntlet drill and kept tripping or knocking over pads.

Jordan Sisco (Regina) continues to shine here in Orlando.  He is a very smooth route runner, and his footwork is right on point.  His steps are even, and it’s hard for a defensive back to press him and knock him off his route.  He can sky to snare the ball, and stands out on comeback routes.  A potential interception was ripped away from Alterraun Verner and became a reception for Sisco.  He’s the token Canadian player here in the Shrine Game, and has impressed me more than other Canadian players in the past.

Dennis Pitta (BYU) is not your traditional tight end.  He may not be much of a blocker, but he can get open and haul in passes with regular consistency.  He knows how to use his frame to shield defenders away from the football, and is aggressive when going for yards after the catch.
DEF

Brian Jackson (DB - Oklahoma) did a nice job of swatting down a pass without pass interference.  He timed his move correctly, and the result was an incomplete pass.

Alterraun Verner (DB - UCLA) had one of the best plays of the day.  With Emmanuel Sanders about to haul in a sideline pass, Verner slashed in front of the receiver, high pointed the pass, and picked it off.  He also was able to get both feet in bounds as he fell to the turf, drawing “oohs” from the crowd of scouts on the sideline.

Klint Kubiak (S - CSU) made a nice interception today in practice.  He read the route all the way, and stepped in front of the pass - easily hauling it in for the pick.

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