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Old 01-25-2020, 12:47 PM
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Wideouts on Day 3

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/...ance-on-day-3/

Quote:
MOBILE, Ala. -- While many of the consensus top receivers in this draft class are underclassmen such as Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb, Tee Higgins, and Laviska Shenault, the crop of wideouts at the Senior Bowl have reminded the masses of the insane depth at the position during practice this week -- specifically on Thursday.

Baylor's Denzel Mims has been the most impressive pass catcher in Mobile and built on two strong efforts Tuesday and Wednesday with an outstanding, well-rounded performance inside South Alabama's practice facility Thursday.

Mims was a track star in high school and routinely won down the field at Baylor. He showcased his nuanced ability to beat press coverage at the line with the suddenness to free himself to make room to kick it into top gear. It's a huge plus for Mims to prove to be capable of getting open at the short and intermediate levels here in Mobile to add to his standing as a straight-line burner. He's also essentially caught everything, including passes outside his frame with his arms extended over his head and out in front of him.

Probably even more impressive strictly from a route-running perspective, Ohio State's K.J. Hill has continued the recent trend of Buckeyes entering the pre-draft process extremely polished. On Thursday, Hill continued to get in the blind spots of corners before breaking off his route stem to create separation at ease, and, like Mims, he deployed his hands with a little shimmy to consistently beat physical press coverage. In team drills, he made a ridiculous one-handed grab on a drag route thrown behind him.

Liberty's Antonio Gandy-Golden, a power forward with the size and ball skills to rebound over cornerbacks, was quick off the line, then flipped on the jets to create room down the field, and, of course, tracked it wonderfully when defenders recovered. He has proven he can play with top competition this week at the Senior Bowl. Florida's Jefferson has shown route-running savvy too.

Other receivers who've gotten the better of the cornerbacks they've faced include the slippery James Proche from SMU, who has nifty lateral quicks and catches everything, Texas' Collin Johnson, a tall, long leaper who's found a way to get open at the intermediate level, and Notre Dame's wideout-who-might-actually-be-a-tight-end Chase Claypool. He's flat-out overpowered cornerbacks at the line and the catch point.

Dayton's Adam Trautman has inserted himself as a legitimate tight end prospect after this week. He's gotten open often, with linebackers and safeties seemingly surprised at how bouncy he is making cuts as a route runner and when he's exploding downfield. LSU's long-limbed tight end Stephen Sullivan has blazed down the seam and his gliding style has generated space for quarterbacks to get him the football. Major stock up for the former Tiger.

For the defensive enthusiasts, I have some good news. A handful of defenders did stand out on Thursday, most namely Oklahoma defensive tackle Neville Gallimore. His combination of first-step explosion, smoothness in his hips to change directions rapidly, and power in his active hands made him unblockable in one-on-one drills (and all week, really). Also upfront, NC State's Larell Murchison flashed a variety of moves to beat interior blockers on Thursday and showcased impressive speed in his rush.

Notre Dame corner Troy Pride continued his strong week thanks to his athleticism keeping him close to wideouts, and he's found the football better as it has arrived much better in Mobile than he did at Notre Dame in his career with the Fighting Irish. While slightly grabby, Pittsburgh's Dane Jackson has probably logged the most pass breakups this week, in both one-on-ones and team drills. He had two red-zone pass breakups on slants today. Jackson's instincts are outstanding, and he's as feisty as they come despite being somewhat undersized.

Alabama edge rusher Terrell Lewis has worked inside and out with his rushes, and his long arms have kept blockers off his frame. Much of the same goes for Florida's Jonathan Greenard, and he's bigger and more athletically gifted than Lewis.

Small-schoolers Jeremy Chinn from Southern Illinois and Lenoir Rhyne's Kyle Dugger flashed all week in coverage, both at 220 pounds, with tremendous athletic talents, length, recovery speed. They have nickel linebacker written all over them and are unquestionably on the early Day 3 radar at this point with a chance to continue to rise with strong showings at the combine.

Last edited by Chromeburn; 01-25-2020 at 12:56 PM.
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