Army Bowl: Gorney's takeaways from Day 1

SAN ANTONIO - Day 1 of practice at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl is in the books. Here are thoughts from the East and West practices that were held inside the Alamodome because of freezing temperatures in the area.

RELATED: East Team takeaways from Day 1 | West Team takeaways from Day 1

There continues to be some question as to whether five-star Jackson Carman is an offensive tackle or if he’d be better suited long term as an offensive guard. He played exclusively on the outside during the first day of practice and looked good and for someone well over 300 pounds Carman moved surprisingly well and had agile feet. However, the Clemson signee who picked the Tigers over Ohio State just has the look of interior lineman, he’s slightly blocky and so some still wonder where he’ll end up playing on the offensive line. Carman is tough and mean so moving inside would work. If he trims up, the five-star has the length to be special outside, too.

A lot of the hype coming into Army Bowl week was about the outstanding group of defensive backs from Texas led by five-star Anthony Cook and high four-stars Jalen Green and Caden Sterns. But it was receiver Jaylen Waddle from Houston (Texas) Episcopal who burned some of those guys and many others during one-on-one drills all day. Waddle has a lot of shake in his game and he is an excellent route runner who doesn’t slow down when making his move. The uncommitted four-star was fantastic and was arguably the most dynamic receiver on the West squad.

Tyreke Johnson was having a solid day, nice practice, looked great. And then the five-star defensive back and Ohio State signee had the viral moment of Day 1 practice by lighting up fellow Buckeyes’ signee tight end Jeremy Ruckert on a pass across the middle. Shortly before, Johnson came across the middle and headhunted but the shot on Ruckert was one of the standouts of the early session and continued to prove the five-star is one of the best - and most dangerous - safeties in the class. His length and physical play set him apart.

The East team is filled with small, speedy receivers and the two best on Day 1 were five-star Miami signee Mark Pope and high four-star Clemson signee Derion Kendrick. Both flashed throughout the entire workout and both are dangerous in space and with the ball in their hands. Pope was completely unstoppable in 1-on-1 settings and he shook some talented cornerbacks trying to keep up. He probably had slightly more suddenness than Kendrick but that’s hardly a criticism since Kendrick was fantastic in space and was productive all day. On short passes, Kendrick was tough to slow down as both he and Pope showed the ability to make something flash at any time.

This is no secret but five-star offensive guard Jamaree Salyer is an absolute monster and he dominated Day 1 of practice by smashing players into the turf and completely taking over on the interior. A close second was four-star offensive guard Trey Hill, who is built like a redwood tree trunk and simply cannot be moved by many defensive linemen. Hill is utterly massive. Both are committed to Georgia and both virtually guarantee massive holes will be opened for Bulldogs' running backs in the coming years. Five-star running back signees Zamir White and James Cook must be thrilled.