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2017 CGS Day Two Recap

All-Star Post-Game Show No.2 Presented By Halo Neuroscience

Select Post-Game Show No.2 Presented By Halo Neuroscience

Day Two of the College Gridiron Showcase is in the books and both rosters have turned in yet another excellent session for a great collection of NFL scouts and agents alike to Bedford’s Pennington Field for great group of prospects. The following are players and matchups from the Select and All-Star groups that our writers Justen Gammel and Joe Everett will break down.

SELECT ROSTER

C Derrick Nelson, Rutgers – The Scarlet Knight has enjoyed a very respectable couple of days considering the variety of matchups he’s faced and the fight he’s displayed. He has a well developed lower body, his base strength is more than adequate and the guy continues to win his one on one matchups. Nelson transitions his size into power well and the ability to contend with offensive linemen larger than he is has been a credit to his program. His versatility, natural leverage and ability snapping the ball will make him a solid addition to any offensive line with what he brings to the table. – Joe Everett

CB DaQuan Pace, Eastern Michigan – This tiny corner has nice feet and he also possesses adequate straight line speed but he turns and runs with the best of them with quality hips. He’s got the recovery speed needed to stick with corners deep and he is capable of stopping on a dime, changing direction and disrupting plays. He does have a slight build, he is more of a nickel back but the fact of the matter remains that he’s a more fluid mover than most corners and he was a better speed matchup for receivers like Nicholas Norris, Ron Moore and Austin Duke. Pace might not be more than a sub package player but he certainly has the ability to stick on a roster. – Joe Everett

S DaRon Washington, Pittsburg State – This guy appears to be chiseled directly from a slab of marble. He has an excellent lower half, he is an explosive leaper and Washington speeds up quickly in his backpedal. He is a fluid mover and was able to react quickly, start, stop and explode in drills. He also does a great job of keeping his feet in transition, he just has that balance needed to change direction without losing momentum and was a standout today with his athleticism. Washington might have the capacity to play both free safety and strong safety because he is a big hitter that covers a lot of ground as well as possessing quick reactionary speed. – Joe Everett

OLB Dezmin Reed, Appalachian State – Reed is a speed rusher with a low center of gravity, a quick first step and he’s explosive enough laterally to beat multiple linemen off the snap. He looks to be shot out of a cannon from his stance, he runs the “L” drill with precision and takes nice angles off edge. He has a slight build and he could possibly be more of a stand up outside linebacker but regardless of how he looks and where he lines up, Reed is making plays out there and winning reps. The guy shows a lot of bend and natural ability to make a difference as a situational pass rusher. – Joe Everett

The Select group definitely brought more tenacity and energy on the second day of action. The offensive line had a few new standouts today and overall held their own more consistently against a talented and speedy edge rush crew. Among the guys who helped themselves today were Benny McGowan from Michigan State and Brad Seaton from Villanova. McGowan wasn’t a flashy player in the trench drills but he showcased solid hands and a strong base to control rushers who tried to get in his chest and bull him off his spot. Seaton is tall and lanky and desperately needs to add bulk but his feet are quick enough to kick slide and mirror rushers and his bend allows him to stay low and take his man around the corner. He’s an athletic work in progress and his body type isn’t totally ideal, but he’s shown some improvement from yesterday to today. The defensive line group was more fiery today and looked more comfortable in hand to hand combat drills. Ruben Demosthene moved from the linebacker group to the defensive end group and showed off his explosive first step and bend around the edge. He won a few one on one reps cleanly and seemed to be in his element while participating in pass rush drills. Appalachian State linebacker Dezmin Reed was also placed with the edge rushers today and while he lacks arm length and ideal height, he’s a spark plug with a motor that’s always running hot. His functional strength and pure effort helped him win a few snaps and he also utilized a stutter step and head fake allowing him room to counter inside. The skill players were a little less impressive but Tyler Ferguson remained the most impressive quarterback of the bunch. Running back Akeem Judd from Ole Miss looked natural and powerful on inside running drills and has the savvy you’d expect from an SEC runner. Mount Union running back Bradley Mitchell is tiny but he’s also rocked up and thick and cuts well in the open field. He had a few long runs in team drills but scouts could only talk about his size or lack thereof. Several NFL scouts mentioned how he was under their threshold of height requirements and seemed to write him off right away. He’s talented but he’s definitely fighting an uphill battle in attempts to impress evaluators. The only wide receiver who stood above the rest was St. Francis product Seth Coate. His size, routes and soft, natural hands pluck the ball out of the air effortlessly and made him an easy standout today. For me personally, the rest of the receiver, cornerback and safety group was underwhelming and lacked any stars. Tomorrow during the “scrimmage” it’ll be important for some of these players to step up with so many scouts and agents in attendance. – Justen Gammel

ALL-STAR ROSTER

TE Anthony Kukwa, Lake Erie College – This kid is athletic, he has adequate size and he has ball skills. He also showed a lot of power in his blocking drills with excellent form and great pop in his blocks. Kukwa is an intriguing guy because of his versatility and movement skills. He could be an H-back, he can function as an inline player and some team might try him as a long snapper. Kukwa doesn’t show off any elite category but he doesn’t have a lot of weaknesses and he simply does a lot of things well. He should be a highly sought after player this draft season because he is a “Swiss Army Knife” type of guy that brings a lot of different skills sets to the table on game day. – Joe Everett

OG Freddie Tagaloa, Arizona – Tagaloa was flat out dominant in some of his reps today, most of which came at guard. He countered bull rushers with his strength, he kept his feet moving throughout contact and showed off a real knack for overpowering the opposition with his big body. Tagaloa was efficient along the interior stumping the rush drills, he put four different defensive linemen in the dirt that I saw and just flat out finished in the pit drills. Tagaloa has clear strength, heavy hands and an unbelievably long frame that will make talent evaluators salivate and he did himself a service coming out here and performing the way he did today. He separated himself from some of the other guards in this year’s class. – Joe Everett

DE Chris Odom, Arkansas State – Odom has an ideal build as a pass rusher with 33¼“ arms and a variety of rips and swims to beat defenders. Chris Odom rocked back the center on a bull rush, he beat tackles off edge and really flashed a rare ability to explode off the ball. He is a player that should end up being successful regardless of what scheme he’s playing in but his most natural fit would be with his hand in the dirt, firing out of a three point stance as a base end in an even front with his size. Odom will be a Sunday player, he has enjoyed a couple of productive days here and should show out during the final scrimmage tomorrow. – Joe Everett

DE Standish Dobard, Miami (FL) – Standish Dobard showed off great acceleration, he consistently beat offensive linemen off edge and has nice height for the position. He is a little narrowly built and high cut type of athlete but he has an excellent first step, he has the range and length needed to get into the backfield with two simple strides. Dobard is a real defensive end that will transfer well to the pros because of his strength, power and ability to turn the corner. There’s certainly some upside here with his long arms, big wing span and explosiveness. – Joe Everett

The All Star squad has been super competitive both days of practice and continued on battling today. The quarterbacks are an encouraging group that consist of two Big Ten guys with size and arm talent, and then a smaller school guy who is a natural gunslinger with poise and athleticism. Tyler O’Connor from Michigan State didn’t wow anyone, but he has some arm strength that scouts will like. Bart Houston is very cerebral and continues to be a great leader and smart pocket passer. Talking with some coaches about Dane Evans, they feel like he’s easily the quarterback here and said that if he was four inches taller, he’d be all over scout’s radars. His arm is live and he’s able to put some good zip on his balls with his quick feet and easy delivery. His accuracy waivers here and there but he’s also playing with a ton of wide receivers and tight ends who he’s never played with so a lot of that can be attributed to a lack of timing and chemistry. The most impressive offensive performance today came from Wyoming tight end Jacob Hollister who excelled in both blocking and pass catching drills. He’s not a huge man but he’s strong and uses his hands well in pass protection. In one on one drills, he uses subtle head fakes and quick feet to set up defenders before leaving them in the dust. Up the seam he shows the savvy to stack linebackers once he gets on top of them and has late separation speed to pull away and make clean catches. His hands are reliable and natural and he didn’t look stiff or rigid when adjusting to poorly thrown passes. He definitely turned some heads today. Garry Brown from Cal (PA) had an amazing catch down the sideline on a go route today and had to high point the ball over a cornerback and safety. It was a solid display of vertical ability and body control. Ryan Reid had another moneymaking type of day as he covered everyone under the sun and did it at a high level. In seven on seven he drew a matchup on the boundary against the imposing Tyrone Swoopes. Reid got into press technique and jammed him at the line, stayed in his hip pocket and completely threw off the timing of Swoopes and the quarterback who attempted a back shoulder throw that ended up hitting the dirt. He’s a polished playmaker who I believe will hear his name called in the draft next spring. Jared Collins from Arkansas is a long, lean prospect who needs to add weight, but has above average fluidity and movement skills. He’s had a solid couple of days and plays all techniques well. His SEC background definitely shines through when viewing him play. Of the safeties, none have really left their mark. But Texas Dylan Haines is a big, rangy, smart guy who the coaches say learns fast and can straight up play football. He’s been a bright spot among a group of underachieving safeties. – Justen Gammel