The National Team took to the University of South Alabama’s indoor training facility today for Senior Bowl practice due to the threat of inclement weather. That meant that us media folks had to watch the action on ESPNU just like everyone else, as there wasn’t room for us and the actual important people under the roof. Good timing on our part – we made it down to Mobile just in time to not be allowed into practice. Anyway, here are my thoughts on today’s National Team practice from this morning.
National Team Practice Day 3 Notes
- If I have to hear about Kenny Pickett‘s hands one more time, I am going to personally riot.
- I feel like a total idiot hearing everyone talking about how excellent Pickett was today, and maybe I am. But, I don’t think he routinely throws a pretty, catchable ball. He threw several low today that could’ve easily been batted at the line of scrimmage or ended up as PBUs at the point of the catch.
- Holy shit, guys – I think I’m falling in love with Carson Strong. Am I outing myself as a terrible scout because I’m lower on Pickett and higher on Strong after this week? Maybe – stay tuned and we’ll see. Also, I’m not actually a scout. Nonetheless, I love Strong’s arm. He had some beautiful drop-it-in-the-bucket throws in the end zone today. His placement was fantastic in the red zone drills, throwing the ball high in the back of the end zone, giving his receivers a chance to go up and high point the ball and minimizing the risk of a PBU. He had some nice touch today, too. Some major areas of concern would be his mobility – he is most definitely NOT the guy you want scrambling in the open field. And, there were a few hiccups in getting the team to the line and getting the play off. If you see that consistently, you’d begin to wonder about his command of a huddle. He had some excellent reps in the red zone drills – throwing a perfect ball to Watson, who just couldn’t separateStrong is a guy that needs to put it all together on a much more consistent basis, but if he does, his ceiling is a lot higher than I would’ve thought it was prior to watching him this week.
- OL Trevor Penning is a big tough sumbitch that is as rough and tumble as they come. He got his ass kicked on one rep, but that was about the only time I saw him lose today. He is a ferocious finisher that will put you in the ground and then piss on your grave. I’m giving Steven McCash credit for the Taylor Lewan comparison because he said it just a few minutes before someone on the ESPNU broadcast said it, too.
- Personally, I thought Strong and Desmond Ridder both threw more consistently than Pickett today.
- Haskell Garrett was injured on a rep where Andrew Stueber drove him into the ground and fell on top of him. He appeared to be holding his wrist as he left the field.
- Zion Johnson continues to get some reps at center this week and his stock continues to rise. He stayed behind after practice to work on getting snaps up and out.
- I know y’all love y’all some Bernhard Raimann, but that guy has been routinely beaten by speed this week. There was a rep in the red zone drills that I don’t know if he even touched the rusher en route to the quarterback. Today, I didn’t notice him winning too many 1:1 match-ups in general. I actually jotted down “this guy can’t be a first round pick, right?? Too far to go.”
- Christian Watson is BIG – another guy that is physical, uses his size and frame to win at the point of the catch, and has had a solid week of practice so far. If you’re looking at guys in this draft class that fit the Titans’ description of what they look for in a wide receiver, Watson is one of them.
- I know running back isn’t exactly high on the list of Titans needs, but I’m beginning to really like Tyler Badie in the role that I think they thought Darrynton Evans would fill. He had a nice 1:1 rep against Darrian Beavers, and a nice run off of a check-down/screen-looking play during which he demonstrated an excellent nose for navigating traffic, avoiding tackles, and pushing the ball down field. He has a physical style to boot.
- Cole Strange‘s stock continues to rise, and for good reason – that dude sets, plants, and just doesn’t move in pass pro. He was out and in front of the play on Badie’s big run, delivering a hell of a block in space. He routinely looks to get to the second level.
- Jalen Pitre had a hell of a PBU in the team drills when Ridder ran out on a bootleg and found his guy 1:1 with Pitre. Pitre just made the play.
- Tight end Cole Turner ran a savvy route during which he leveraged the defender into getting open and making a nice catch off of a nice throw from Ridder.
- Ouachita Baptist defensive back Gregory Junior had a couple of really nice reps in TIGHT coverage and knocked a ball down on one play.
- WR Khalil Shakir was a standout to me today – that dude has a bright future in the NFL just running those quick in routes and the skinny post. But, he also had a nice juke on an out-breaking route that should’ve resulted in a touchdown. This guy is a shifty, solid, and precise route runner, specifically in his breaks.
- I largely focused on offense because I think that’s where the Titans will lean in this draft – specifically, I’m watching this deep offensive line and tight end class, and looking for weapons at the wide receiver position.
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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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