Mind of Mike: Thoughts from Day 1 of UA All-America Game
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The Mind of Mike is a scary place. Here are the thoughts of Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell after the first day of Under Armour practice.
UNDER ARMOUR GAME WEEK: Day 1 awards | Which DL impressed the most on Sunday? | Five players who could earn a fifth star | Players predict where uncommitted will land | Darnell Washington | Sedrick Van Pran | Avantae Williams | Jayson Jones
RANKING THE QUARTERBACKS
Let’s start with the quarterbacks because everyone loves that. Here’s how I would rank them after one day and it wasn’t an impressive day for any of them...
1. Drew Pyne — The Notre Dame signee still isn’t the biggest quarterback and doesn’t have a cannon but he has a quick release and is accurate. He had one bad interception but aside from that he was solid most of the night. This wasn’t a stellar group, so this wasn't anything like a five-star performance, but Pyne was the best.
2. Haynes King — The Texas A&M signee was up and down on the day but had his moments and showed the most zip on the ball of any of the quarterbacks. His game is about moving around and extending the play but he was solid from the pocket overall.
3. Hudson Card — The Texas signee isn’t the biggest quarterback either, like Pyne and King, but he’s accurate and gets the ball out quickly. He had a couple passes tipped or batted down which could be an issue but overall his delivery was good and he was the most consistent quarterback on his team.
4. Jeff Sims — This is where there is a big gap in my opinion between the top three and the rest. Sims looks the part for sure and is bigger and taller than any of the quarterbacks but his accuracy is an issue and he’s still very raw. The Georgia Tech signee has a high ceiling but there’s a lot of boom or bust in there.
5. Robby Ashford — Ashford doesn’t zip the ball and tried to do too much with his touch, which can allow balls to float. It led to a few bad long throws that were picked. We never really saw the Oregon signee really sling it.
6. Chandler Morris — Morris is the smallest off the quarterbacks on hand and his arm strength isn’t great. The ball wobbled a lot out of his hand and he didn’t have a great first day. He’s a cerebral quarterback but the physical skills are lacking.
DARNELL WASHINGTON COULD BE SPECIAL
Five-star tight end Darnell Washington is the tallest and biggest tight end I’ve ever seen. It was almost comical to see Washington working out with the other receivers because he looked like a man among boys. If he’s utilized correctly and keeps his head on his shoulders he could be unstoppable. He replaces O.J. Howard as the most athletic tight end I’ve ever scouted.
BRODERICK JONES SURPRISED
Five-star offensive tackle Broderick Jones looked small at first glance and that was surprising. Well, small compared to last year at this time when he was at Future 50. But let’s not confuse small with weak or associate it as a bad thing just yet. Jones has a really good frame to build on and his footwork is outstanding. The problem? I don’t know if he has the frame to carry 320 pounds or so as most offensive tackles do. That could hinder his long term future as an NFL prospect. Walker Parks, the Clemson signee, is about the same size but has slightly broader shoulders. I like both as college offensive tackles and both have high ceilings I was just a bit astonished that Jones had gotten smaller and not bigger.
RECEIVER GROUP IS GOOD, NOT GREAT
This is a good receiver class but not a great one. Why do I say that? Because the No. 1 receiver in the country, Julian Fleming, is very good but not as elite as other wide receivers in years past. Fleming has solid size but he’s not huge and he is a very good route runner with good hands but I don’t see the freak factor right away as I have in the past with guys like Julio Jones, Jerry Jeudy or Stefon Diggs to name a few. But the good news is that’s it’s hard to see Fields failing at Ohio State. He has a very low bust factor. This is a deep wide receiver class, but it's not particularly special.
DEFENSIVE LINE SHOULD BE FUN TO WATCH
I like this defensive line group a lot and it should be the most fun group to watch all week and in the game. There are so many talented players from Jordan Burch to Chris Braswell to Gervon Dexter to Vernon Broughton to Demonte Capeheart and so on. I think the offensive linemen, as talented as they are, could be in trouble when the pads are on.
TRENTON SIMPSON STANDS OUT EARLY
Trenton Simpson was the best looking linebacker I saw on the first day of practice because he is so long and has so much room to fill out. He’s a quick twitch kid who reminds me a bit of Brandon Smith from last year although he’s a bit quicker.
JAYLON JONES LEADS DB GROUP
The best defensive back to me was Texas A&M corner Jaylon Jones who has good size, long arms and excellent technique. Michigan signee Andre Seldon was very good as well and plays so much bigger than he is.
NEXT GREAT LSU AND CLEMSON RECEIVERS
LSU is getting a good one in wide receiver Kayshon Boutte who is smooth and does everything with ease. EJ Williams is going to be the next great wide receiver at Clemson, mark it down. I really like this kid.