Texas vs. The Nation has gone from a game full of small school and unknown prospects, to a game with good talent from big and small schools alike.  Several players that played in this game in recent years like Pierre Garcon and Johnny Knox have gone on to be star players in the NFL, and the scouting world has taken notice.  Let’s take a look at who stood out in the Nation practice today.

QB

Jonathan Crompton (Tennessee) can sling the rock!  I liked the way he would drop 20+ yard throws in stride, and in the bucket down field.  He does a good job of putting the ball on the right spot, and the timing with his receivers on day one is something you just don’t see too often at these All-Star games.  Crompton did a good job of carrying out playfakes, and threw with urgency and zip.  His scissor step on a five-step drop could be more crisp, and coaches were working with him to get better depth on his first step.  He sees the field well, and does not look confused when going through his progressions.   

Rusty Smith (Florida Atlantic) made a few plays on the field, but was throwing wobbly passes early in practice.  He tends to push the ball, and would overthrow his receivers more than underthrow them.  This tells me that his release point is just a little high, but mechanically he nearly sidearms the ball.  He will make a complete read of the field before checking down, but he threw an interception when he was too impatient waiting for his receiver to open up over the middle.   

Tim Hiller (Western Michigan) looked the roughest out of any of the Nation quarterbacks.  His deep passes are high arcing rainbows that would make Jeff Blake proud.  When he does throw deep he has to load up, which takes too long and will give defensive backs plenty of time to react to an incoming pass.   

RB

Alfonso Smith (Kentucky) has some work to do as a receiver out of the backfield (he likes to body catch his passes) but as a runner he’s very good.  I like his anticipation when waiting for a hole to open up.  He’ll burst through to the next level in a hurry, and keeps his legs churning upon contact.  He’s not the biggest back, but he will churn his legs and try to move the pile if he’s stacked up.  I like his fight, and I like his instincts for running the football.     

Curtis Steele (Memphis) was my favorite running back from the Nation squad today.  He’s a willing inside runner and has enough burst to get to the corner if he needs to.  Steele is a slippery/slashing runner that is very angular and runs with a good forward lean.  He will use a little shake and bake to create space, and I saw him lower his shoulder (instead of running out of bounds) which wowed his teammates and picked up a few extra yards. 

Dominique Lindsay (East Carolina) has perhaps the best burst out of this group of running backs.  He is a textbook slasher and reminds me a little of former Packers RB Dorsey Levens.  He’s not as good of a receiver as Levens is, but I love his effort in the passing game.  Lindsay has good power between the tackles and will fight for extra yardage. 

Toney Baker (North Carolina State) had a rough day.  He’s not a natural receiver, and fights passes nearly every time.  I was left aghast when watching Baker try and run between the tackles.  He simply doesn’t pick up his feet well enough to run through trash at the line of scrimmage.  If I had a nickel for everytime he was brought down with a shoulder/arm/shoestring I would be a rich man.  He also fumbled today, and generally looked out of sync.

Mike Rinfrette (FB - Wake Forest) did not make it into my notebook today.

Chris Zardas (FB - Massachusetts) did not make it into my notebook today.

WR/TE

Marcus Easley (Connecticut) has good ball tracking ability, and goes all out for deep passes.  He showed the ability to adjust to poorly thrown passes, and once came back to the ball (and high pointed it) to come down with a touchdown.   

Donald Jones (Youngstown State) was fighting the ball nearly every time I watched him in practice.  Coaches were yelling at him to get his head around because a few passes thrown his way fell incomplete when he didn’t notice they were coming in.  He does have good sideline awareness, and showed the ability to toe tap with both feet down.   

Scott Long (Louisville) looks very polished compared to the other receivers on the Nation squad.  I liked the way he would use head fakes to dupe defensive backs and get open.  His ball tracking ability needs work, but he knows how to come back to the ball when passes are in the short to intermediate range.

Preston Parker (Northern Alabama) did not make it into my notebook today. 

Brett Hamlin (Buffalo U.) only had a couple of notes today.  One was for driving back to the ball on a comeback route where he secured the pass even though the coverage was tight.  The other note was about him body catching a sideline catch.

Dedrick Epps (TE - Miami) is an intriguing prospect.  He loves to mix it up as a blocker, and can soundly keep his man at bay.  Epps is also a good hands receiver that knows how to find a soft spot in the zone.  I didn’t see him do much after the catch, and we’ll see if he can flash that ability while here at this All-Star game.

Jason Harmon (TE - Florida Atlantic) was the best player on the Nation squad not named Jonathan Crompton.  Wow, what a day of practice he had today!  He has good burst off the line of scrimmage, and will quickly get upfield to surprise defenders.  He made two 1-handed catches in a row that most wide receivers at these All-Star games couldn’t make.  The guy just has exceptional concentration and body control, especially for such a big man.  He can get up the field in a hurry and it looks like he loves to pick on the defense.  Harmon also hates for passes to hit the ground, which make him a fierce receiver when the ball is in the air.