Here are some notes and observations from Monday afternoon’s practice session of the Under Armour/ESPN All-America game.
Team Red
The most consistent skilled player for Team Red was wide receiver Josh Jarboe (Ellenwood, Ga.). Jarboe performed very well in both sessions on Monday and had another stellar performance in the afternoon, consistently beating coverage and making plays when thrown to (although he did drop one pass late in the afternoon session). Jarboe scored on a long touchdown pass from Mike Glennon (Chantilly, Va.), as he beat Janoris Jenkins (Pahokee, Fla.).
Another standout in the afternoon was Burton Scott (Prichard, Ala.). Scott, who played on defense in the morning at cornerback, moved over to the other side of the ball in the afternoon, playing wide receiver. He showed good hands and great moves in the open field. Scott has very good quickness and a good burst.
Daryl Stonum (Sugar Land, Texas), had a few big plays and long receptions as well. On one play late in the afternoon practice session Stonum beat double coverage of Spencer Adams (Matthews, N.C.) and Jamoris Slaughter (Tucker, Ga.).
Defensively, Omar Hunter (Buford, Ga.) looked almost unblockable from his defensive tackle position, just like he did in the morning session. Hunter plays lows and uses his strength so well. He just beats who ever is in front of him to the gaps and once he wins the leverage battle it’s over. Time and time again he would penetrate and get pressure on the Red quarterbacks and have to pull up.
Uona Kaveinga (Lawndale, Calif.), Sean Spence (Miami, Fla.), and Jerrell Harris (Gadsden, Ala.) all had some good moments at their respective linebacker positions. Kaveinga looks like a bear against the run while Harris and Spence make plays with their speed. Harris is everywhere. Spence had a nice interception late in the afternoon.
Tyler Westphal (Menasha, Wi.) also did some nice things in the afternoon, often putting some nice pressure on the quarterback.
Absent from most of the afternoon session was the Scout.com No. 1 rated prospect, wide receiver Julion Jones (Foley, Ala.). He is bothered by a knee injury he says he sustained during his last game (playoff loss last month).
Team Silver
The star of the Silver practice in the afternoon was tight end Blake Ayles (Orange, Calif.). Ayles was awesome, catching passes all over the field; in the flats, over the middle and deep. He showed great, soft hands, good speed and quickness. He releases quickly off the line and he was also flexed out wide. Ayles is a versatile tight end that shows the ability to get open and make plays. He looked outstanding this afternoon.
A few other players that had a standout afternoon session were running backs Jamie Harper (Jacksonville, Fla.) and Andre Ellington (Moncks Corner, S.C.) and wide receiver Aldarius Johnson (Miami, Fla.). Harper has a great combination of size, speed, quickness and agility while Ellington shows great quickness.
One nice play in the afternoon session was Nick Crissman (Huntington Beach, Calif.) hooking up deep with A.J. Green (Summerville, S.C.). It was a double move by Green and a pump fake by Crissman. Cornerback Terrance Parks (Fairburn, Ga.) was beaten on the play.
I thought quarterback E.J. Manuel (Virginia Beach, Va.) showed some nice things as well. Often he had to extend a play because of pressure and showed good movement and the ability to run. He’s deceptive because he’s so big. On one run by design he had a nice collision with linebacker Andrew Sweat (Washington, Pa.) about ten yards down field.
Defensively, Sweat stood out again in the afternoon, as did defensive end Daquan Bowers (Bamberg, S.C.) and defensive tackle Rod Davis (Houston, Texas). In fact, on certain front the Silver Team runs, Davis and fellow defensive tackle Brandon Thompson play line up at defensive end.
Nigel Carr (Jacksonville, Fla.) also had some nice plays and pressures. He sure has outstanding size and speed.