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 Texas practice today.

QB

Ryan Perrilloux (Jacksonville State - LSU transfer) showed off his big arm, and was throwing with good velocity on all of his passes.  He puts a good spin on the ball, and has a nice and high release point.  Even though it was the first day it seemed as though Perrilloux had good command of the huddle, and several times the coaches commented, “nice throw Ryan!”  He needs to work on getting deeper when taking a five step drop.  He would go back six yards, and the coaches told him he needed to be back about seven yards to avoid the push in the pocket.  I’d like to see him have better touch on his underneath routes, as his accuracy from 10-15 yards is all over the place.  If he’s throwing a deep pass he can drop it in a bucket, in stride, and on the correct shoulder.  However, if the pass is medium ranged it may end up anywhere.  Perrilloux can zip the short throws in with ease, and his passes get there in a hurry.  He is an elite athletic specimen, and had a good showing on his first day. 

Levi Brown (Troy) tends to push the ball and has a similar throwing motion to Philip Rivers from the San Diego Chargers.  He does a good job of looking off defenders, but is often late with his reads which forces his receivers to wait (or slow down) for the ball.  I like the way he keeps passes low and away from defenders.  Brown will go through his progressions, and check down when necessary.  He’s not one of those quarterbacks that immediately checks down when he feels the slightest bit of pressure. 

Thaddeus Lewis (Duke) has a lot of work to do if he wants to make it onto a 53-man roster.  He puts too much motion into his throws, and thus his accuracy is very poor.  When throwing deep Lewis has to really load up, which takes time and sends his mechanics into the trash heap.  On intermediate routes he shows good touch, but no consistency.  Lewis will also force the ball into coverage if he feels any pressure in the pocket.   

RB

Trindon Holliday (LSU) is a mighty-mite back in the mold of Darren Sproles or LaRod Stephens-Howling.  He doesn’t have the lower body strength of either of those backs and he’s not as quick, but he certainly is short.  He’s not much of a runner between the tackles, and will have to make his living as a receiver out of the backfield - or a slot receiver.  The former Bayou Bengal does get lost behind the line of scrimmage because of his diminutive size.  He has build up speed, and also build up quickness (which you don’t see everyday).  Holliday does not get off the line well, but once in his route he can break ankles.  I saw him run a perfect jerk route today, and then he promptly dropped the incoming pass (which was right on the money).  Holliday’s hands are very inconsistent, and he’ll have to improve if he wants to get drafted.  He could do some damage as a return man, which may get him a look in training camp.   

A.J. Cooley (Shorter College) did not have a good showing at practice today.  He fumbled the ball a couple of times today, and generally seemed out of his league.  Cooley lacks vision, and would regulary run right into the back of his offensive linemen.  His footsteps are too cautious, and thus slow and deliberate.  He looked nervous and rattled out there, we’ll see if he can bounce back as the week goes on. 

Keithon Flemming (West Texas A&M) is a slippery runner, and I like the way he picks and slides through the defense.  I didn’t get to see many of his plays, but when I did watch him he really impressed me.  He’s an inconsistent receiver, and I saw him drop an over the shoulder catch he should have brought in for six.  I do like the way he’ll shoulder dip before getting to the hole to freeze an awaiting linebacker or safety.

Deji Kareem (Southern Illinois) was my favorite running back to watch on the Texas squad.  He is very compact, and he knows how to run with good forward lean and a low center of gravity.  He has plenty of power when running between the tackles, and will punish oncoming defenders.  I like his instincts, and burst when he gets to the second level.  He has good hands, and reminds me of a more explosive (with better instincts) Frank Summers.

Jamie McCoy (FB - Texas A&M) did not make it into my notebook today.

Dennis Morris (FB - Louisiana Tech) did not make it into my notebook today.

WR/TE

David Gettis (Baylor) ran some really good routes today, but body caught nearly every pass thrown his way.  I saw him make a great move on a 15-yard out route, and as he backpedaled he gathered in the pass - by pinning it against his body.  It looked like he couldn’t hands catch and toe tap at the same time.  Body catching is definitely a bad habit for him, but to his credit he was catching nearly every pass thrown his way.  He was good at setting up his defender, and ran a great double move that got him open on a fade/stop—that he promptly pinned against his shoulder pad for the catch.   

Juamorris Stewart (Southern U.) did not make it into my notebook today.   

Kevin Jurovich (San Jose State) did not make it into my notebook today.

Jared Perry (Missouri) is a slender receiver, but he has fairly decent body control when working the sidelines.  Because of his build he could get pushed off his routes easily, but fought for the ball when a defender was on him.   

Zuriel “Jeff” Moturi (UTEP) has some quickness and speed to help him get open.  I like the way he keeps his arms tight against his body when running a route, and his hands can zip up quickly for the ball without tipping off a defensive back.  His hands were a little inconsistent, but I like his overall effort throughout practice. 

Stephen Williams (Toledo) showed some good hands out there today.  He could catch passes that were coming in at light speed, and rarely bobbled them.  Several of my notes today were about how great his hands are, but he showed a critical flaw in his game.  His ball tracking ability is very poor, and his sideline awareness isn’t what it needs to be.  If passes are kept in front of him he’ll catch anything.  However, if he has to turn and run under a pass he will struggle.

David Nelson (Florida) high pointed several passes today, and has a good vertical leap.  He will catch the ball naturally with arms extended away from his body, and does a nice job of coming back to the football.  I also liked his breaks when running a seven yard out route.     

Kelton Tindal (Newberry)  can high point passes, and will go down low to scoop them off the turf.  When going over the middle he does think about getting hit too much, and gets a case of the dropsies.  The coaches were yelling at him to get his head around faster, and he does not know how to correctly run a skinny post.   

Clay Harbor (TE - Missouri State) made several big plays out there today.  The first play I made a note of was his one-handed catch that he made while getting two feet inbounds— going backwards.  It was simply an amazing athletic play for such a big man.  I like the way he’ll get physical with linebackers in coverage.  The next play that stood out was an over the shoulder catch that he made with a safety draped over him trying to go for the ball. 

Gerald Harris (TE - Mississippi) got into my notebook by going low for a catch over the middle where he ignored the oncoming safety and just made the catch seem routine.