Army Bowl: Gorney's takeaways from Day 2

SAN ANTONIO - The second day of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl practices have wrapped up inside the Alamodome. Here are five takeaways.

MORE ARMY BOWL: McKee in no hurry to commit | Best of 7-on-7 on Day 2

Amon-Ra St. Brown is already the top-ranked receiver in the 2018 class. It is no surprise to see him doing well at the Army Bowl because there has not been an event in at least the last year that he has not dominated. But even at this level, the best of the best, St. Brown completely took over the early session, beating numerous top-rated cornerbacks time and again especially on the deep ball. With USC, Notre Dame and Stanford as his three favorites, the Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei standout will make his decision this weekend. Wherever he goes, St. Brown will have an opportunity to be an immediate star. He’s that good and he’s proving it on the biggest stage this week.

There could be a lot of heated debate and discussion about the top players in Texas when it comes time to rework the rankings because Jaylen Waddle is having a time here at the Army Bowl, Brennan Eagles was excellent on Day 2 and five-star cornerback Anthony Cook struggled in the morning. Waddle is standing out the most as the undersized receiver from Houston Episcopal has proven to be nearly unguardable in space. The uncommitted four-star gets open against everybody and he’s such a dynamic playmaker. Eagles made some big-time catches and showed off excellent speed as one of the best outside receivers in this game. Cook had a tough time defending the elite West receivers - namely St. Brown - and his ability to turn and run seemed a step behind at least on this day.

Five-star Micah Parsons did not practice on Day 1 and was limited in the afternoon session but the Penn State signee made his presence felt during the morning session. He was completely unblockable off the edge and slammed one of the East quarterbacks to the ground during one drill - a precursor to his plans once he gets to Happy Valley. Ranked as the best weakside defensive end in the class, Parsons has such fantastic athletic ability that there’s talk he could play linebacker in college. It wouldn’t be surprising. He moves so well and is so active, the Harrisburg, Pa., star could be an immediate contributor for the Nittany Lions in more ways than one.

On Day 1, the storyline with five-star defensive back Tyreke Johnson was just how physical he was and how he was headhunting - especially when it came to future Ohio State teammate Jeremy Ruckert, as Johnson took him out across the middle. The Jacksonville (Fla.) Trinity International standout kept his streak going of knocking people around when he and Miami running back signee Lorenzo Lingard “met” near the sideline. Usually, all-star game practices are light contact but apparently Johnson has not gotten the memo. He’s looking to rattle some helmets and so far he’s been doing it.

Aidan Hutchinson has the mean streak and toughness that should fit in perfectly on Michigan’s defensive line. The four-star signee from Dearborn (Mich.) Divine Child was particularly active all day Tuesday, beat some respected offensive tackles with outside moves and was not afraid to mix it up. He and Georgia signee Jamaree Salyer mixed it up pretty good and Hutchinson showed a scrappiness that wasn’t there as much on Day 1. The defensive end is surprisingly quick to the edge or he can muscle through offensive tackles and get to the inside. He beat Oklahoma signee Brey Walker among others during the practice session.