I'm going to start out by answering a few of the questions you guys asked for yesterday and then will break down a few players and do a position breakdown.
Alex Mayes looks to have emerged as the back up LT. Mayes took every second team snap that I saw and Oseland was working with the third team.
If I was going strictly by what I saw today, that freshman CB would have to be KiAnte Hardin. He looked great in coverage and had a few deflections in 11-on-11.
Mostly Miles Thomas. Beebe looks very good and strong, but it looks like the senior is going to get the nod.
'Future me' would tell 'present me' that Melvin Holland Jr. is that guy. He looks so sharp in his cuts and looks far ahead of other freshman. Honestly I would not be surprised at all to see him finish 2nd or 3rd on the team in receiving.
From what I saw today, Brian Bobek was getting the first team reps at center, and that is who I expect to be the starting center on September 3rd.
I would not call the OLine dominant, but they are much better than decent. 1st team when they broke into 11-on-11 was LT: Campion LG: Christenson C: Bobek RG: C. Mayes RT: Prisig. I believe that the Line will take a big step up but I am not ready to say that they will be dominant.
Rodrick Williams, Rodney Smith, Berkley Edwards. That's how I see it going pretty much the whole season. I am a fan of Berk. He looked as fast and as shifty as ever, and any way the coaching staff can think to get the ball into his hands in the open field will help the team.
I covered a lot of the OLine questions above. To answer your questions; Ekpe does look very good but Campion looked pretty solid at LT today.
I'm not sure that Bobek and Christenson are playing strictly because they are seniors. Both are good lineman and have proven that they deserve a chance to play. Only time and actual game play against a quality opponent will allow me to answer this question well.
Prisig did a solid job with what I saw today and should be good as a starter for the next two seasons.
Quarterbacks:
Mitch Leidner- Not the best day. He looked solid when throwing in drills but as soon as the defense stepped in he struggled. First two throws of 7-on-7 were almost picked off; the first by Myrick and the second was thrown into double coverage. He recovered after that and had a solid day. Was not as bad as I made it sound, but he still has much to improve on.
Chris Streveler- Was off on throws down field. Not bad on check downs and tucking and running, but the Gophers are in trouble if Mitch gets hurt and Strev needs to air it out. Took some snaps at receiver in drills and team and looked fast as always.
Demry Croft- The future. I am a huge Demry Croft fan. The unorthodox throwing motion might need a little bit of tweaking, but it gets the job done for the most part. Was pretty accurate on throws and only mistake I recall is a fumbled snap under center. One play Demry stepped up into the pocket, avoided pressure and threw a bullet up the seam to Bryce Witham.
Running Backs:
Rodrick Williams- Looks very good. Should get a bulk of the carries and he looks like he is ready to carry the load. Looks like he's slimmed down while still keeping on the muscle. Looks sharper out of his cuts and did a solid job receiving out of the backfield. I was very impressed in how he picked up the blitz in pass rush situations.
Rodney Smith- Hits the whole hard and is pretty shifty. I expect a healthy dose of Rodney Smith on a weekly basis, as he will be the spell back for Rodrick.
Berkley Edwards- Looked fast. When Berk gets the ball in the open field he is tough to bring down. He might not fit into the Gophers run scheme too much because he's not much of a between the tackle runner, but any way Coach Limegrover can get him the ball in the open field will help the team.
Receivers:
KJ Maye: Fast and should be Mitch's number one option year long. Has the ability to make bug plays when the ball is in his hands and I think they will use him in jet sweeps and on screen plays often.
Melvin Holland Jr.: Favorite Freshman receiver. He had a good day and looked crisp with his route running. Has the athleticism and hands to make a big impact and I think he will be the top freshman receiver for the Gophers.
Jeff Jones: I decided to put him in the receiver category. Mainly because of the play that wowed me and many others on the sidelines today. Mitch threw a ball towards the sidelines that looked like it was sailing over Jones' head, but he stretched up one hand and made an amazing grab. Jones looks like he is ready for Big Ten football.
Hunter Register: Had a good day. Coaches complimented him a lot and they were all much deserved. Good hands and athletic.
Eric Carter: Looked solid but had a few drops. Should get some time this year and a chance to make plays.
Rashad Still: Definitely a red shirt. Looked tall and full of potential, but his hands and strength are not up to par for a B1G receiver just yet.
DLine:
DE: H. Ekpe DT: S. Richardson DT: S. Ekpe DE: T. Cockran
I saw a lot of things that I like today with the defensive line. The starters should have no problem being ready to compete in the Big Ten but the problems lies with their depth. The players that are next up on the line are just not at the same level as the starting front four.
Linebackers:
Jack Lynn: Looked very good. Actually looked pretty good in coverage when defending the running backs as well. Should start day one and could be in for a breakout season.
DeVondre Campbell: The senior looked fast, strong and ready for the season. Don't expect anything less from Campbell. Looked improved in his coverage as well. Can't wait to see him start hitting for real once the season starts.
Secondary:
The Gophers secondary broke it down at the end of practice yelling "D-B-U!" While the Gophers are still behind LSU, they are approaching fast. The entire first and second team secondary looked locked in and was looking as close to a "no-fly-zone" as I've seen lately. BBC almost jumped one for a pick and Jalen Myrick was all over the field, breaking up several passes. Hopefully the reason Mitch hasn't looked too good in practice is because of the Gophers swarming secondary.
KiAnte Hardin: Looked good and ready to play. Flew around the field and made plays.
Alex Mayes looks to have emerged as the back up LT. Mayes took every second team snap that I saw and Oseland was working with the third team.
If I was going strictly by what I saw today, that freshman CB would have to be KiAnte Hardin. He looked great in coverage and had a few deflections in 11-on-11.
Mostly Miles Thomas. Beebe looks very good and strong, but it looks like the senior is going to get the nod.
'Future me' would tell 'present me' that Melvin Holland Jr. is that guy. He looks so sharp in his cuts and looks far ahead of other freshman. Honestly I would not be surprised at all to see him finish 2nd or 3rd on the team in receiving.
From what I saw today, Brian Bobek was getting the first team reps at center, and that is who I expect to be the starting center on September 3rd.
I would not call the OLine dominant, but they are much better than decent. 1st team when they broke into 11-on-11 was LT: Campion LG: Christenson C: Bobek RG: C. Mayes RT: Prisig. I believe that the Line will take a big step up but I am not ready to say that they will be dominant.
Rodrick Williams, Rodney Smith, Berkley Edwards. That's how I see it going pretty much the whole season. I am a fan of Berk. He looked as fast and as shifty as ever, and any way the coaching staff can think to get the ball into his hands in the open field will help the team.
I covered a lot of the OLine questions above. To answer your questions; Ekpe does look very good but Campion looked pretty solid at LT today.
I'm not sure that Bobek and Christenson are playing strictly because they are seniors. Both are good lineman and have proven that they deserve a chance to play. Only time and actual game play against a quality opponent will allow me to answer this question well.
Prisig did a solid job with what I saw today and should be good as a starter for the next two seasons.
Quarterbacks:
Mitch Leidner- Not the best day. He looked solid when throwing in drills but as soon as the defense stepped in he struggled. First two throws of 7-on-7 were almost picked off; the first by Myrick and the second was thrown into double coverage. He recovered after that and had a solid day. Was not as bad as I made it sound, but he still has much to improve on.
Chris Streveler- Was off on throws down field. Not bad on check downs and tucking and running, but the Gophers are in trouble if Mitch gets hurt and Strev needs to air it out. Took some snaps at receiver in drills and team and looked fast as always.
Demry Croft- The future. I am a huge Demry Croft fan. The unorthodox throwing motion might need a little bit of tweaking, but it gets the job done for the most part. Was pretty accurate on throws and only mistake I recall is a fumbled snap under center. One play Demry stepped up into the pocket, avoided pressure and threw a bullet up the seam to Bryce Witham.
Running Backs:
Rodrick Williams- Looks very good. Should get a bulk of the carries and he looks like he is ready to carry the load. Looks like he's slimmed down while still keeping on the muscle. Looks sharper out of his cuts and did a solid job receiving out of the backfield. I was very impressed in how he picked up the blitz in pass rush situations.
Rodney Smith- Hits the whole hard and is pretty shifty. I expect a healthy dose of Rodney Smith on a weekly basis, as he will be the spell back for Rodrick.
Berkley Edwards- Looked fast. When Berk gets the ball in the open field he is tough to bring down. He might not fit into the Gophers run scheme too much because he's not much of a between the tackle runner, but any way Coach Limegrover can get him the ball in the open field will help the team.
Receivers:
KJ Maye: Fast and should be Mitch's number one option year long. Has the ability to make bug plays when the ball is in his hands and I think they will use him in jet sweeps and on screen plays often.
Melvin Holland Jr.: Favorite Freshman receiver. He had a good day and looked crisp with his route running. Has the athleticism and hands to make a big impact and I think he will be the top freshman receiver for the Gophers.
Jeff Jones: I decided to put him in the receiver category. Mainly because of the play that wowed me and many others on the sidelines today. Mitch threw a ball towards the sidelines that looked like it was sailing over Jones' head, but he stretched up one hand and made an amazing grab. Jones looks like he is ready for Big Ten football.
Hunter Register: Had a good day. Coaches complimented him a lot and they were all much deserved. Good hands and athletic.
Eric Carter: Looked solid but had a few drops. Should get some time this year and a chance to make plays.
Rashad Still: Definitely a red shirt. Looked tall and full of potential, but his hands and strength are not up to par for a B1G receiver just yet.
DLine:
DE: H. Ekpe DT: S. Richardson DT: S. Ekpe DE: T. Cockran
I saw a lot of things that I like today with the defensive line. The starters should have no problem being ready to compete in the Big Ten but the problems lies with their depth. The players that are next up on the line are just not at the same level as the starting front four.
Linebackers:
Jack Lynn: Looked very good. Actually looked pretty good in coverage when defending the running backs as well. Should start day one and could be in for a breakout season.
DeVondre Campbell: The senior looked fast, strong and ready for the season. Don't expect anything less from Campbell. Looked improved in his coverage as well. Can't wait to see him start hitting for real once the season starts.
Secondary:
The Gophers secondary broke it down at the end of practice yelling "D-B-U!" While the Gophers are still behind LSU, they are approaching fast. The entire first and second team secondary looked locked in and was looking as close to a "no-fly-zone" as I've seen lately. BBC almost jumped one for a pick and Jalen Myrick was all over the field, breaking up several passes. Hopefully the reason Mitch hasn't looked too good in practice is because of the Gophers swarming secondary.
KiAnte Hardin: Looked good and ready to play. Flew around the field and made plays.
