QB: Kaaya is THE MAN. He's an NFL QB, great arm, great mind, puts everything on target, great touch on deep ball. Also LOVE the progress of Rosier, he could start for several ACC teams this year. Kid's got major wheels and much quicker release/better mechanics than a year ago. Kudos to James Coley on him. Forget Testaverde, if not for his name he wouldn't be in conversation. Had a rough spring.
RB: Gus seems to be the coaches' No. 1 favorite, but not quite sure why (he got the most early 1 reps all spring). I loved what I saw from Yearby with his flat out speed and ability to catch the ball and make moves. If he puts on a bit more muscle this offseason to help him break tackles/run in between the tackles he'll be a force that shouldn't leave the field too much. Now I also do like Gus, but I see him more as a three-five yard at a time guy whereas Yearby can break things open. Trayone really struggled, not sure if RB is right position for him.
WR: Rashawn Scott is the real deal if he keeps his head on straight and avoids injury. I think he can have a 1,000-yard season. Braxton looks similar to last year, didn't notice a lot different but looks fine. I wanted Stacy Coley to really emerge this spring but he didn't. Hopefully he gets it together because they need him to have a huge season. Waters had some great moments but also disappeared a lot of practices, similar to his career to this point in some regard. Needs to get consistent. Brady and Langham will be bit players based on what I saw.
OL: I was really disappointed by what I saw here. Fact that Isidora was demoted to second team this past week says it all. This group needs to show more heart. If Odogwu is starting in Game 1 this season will be a disaster IMO. This team needs KC McDermott to step up and a freshman or two to contribute. I liked what I saw from Linder a lot. And Darling is fine even if he didn't look good in those 1 on 1 tapes. Gall/Wells are okay, nothing special, and there really is no depth. Kehoe needs to work some major magic because if the OL can get its act together this offense can be special. And as Gary has posted don't rely too much on Taylor Gadbois being on the field to start the season. Answers need to come here in a hurry in August.
TE: I really like this group. Dobard is ready to step up and he's complemented well by Herndon, who I think will be on the field a lot this fall. He's a nice looking athletic player. O'Donnell has hands of stone but can block, and Njoku needs some seasoning. Jerome Washington is huge and can move but was third team almost all spring.
DL: I have a man crush on Muhammad. This guy's a monster and will have a huge year IMO. Chad Thomas still isn't dominating practices like he should, and I'm not sure why. He has all the tools, just has to relax and play. Patchan needs to put on a lot of muscle. Aside from Muhammad none of the ends really stood out. I was not impressed by Harris despite him adding some weight. He just never seems to get penetration in the backfield, gets caught up in the wash. Hamilton also had some nice moments, I should add. At DT I like Kamalu, who can also play end against run heavy teams. But I wasn't wowed by anyone else. Jenkins made some strides but isn't dominant, and Wyche continues to struggle even after dropping weight. Earl Moore? Didn't see him make much of a difference. This team needs another DE and another DT (not Heurtelou if given a choice) to really step up in the fall to make this a formidable unit. The potential is certainly there with some hard offseason work.
LB: I actually was pleasantly surprised here. I thought without Denzel this group would struggle but Kirby runs the middle fine and actually I thought looked better there than outside. I love Grace, put him up there with Muhammad as the top players on defense IMO (and maybe Bush belongs in that conversation too). Grace is so fast and covers TE's/backs amazingly well which is something this team really has lacked. Owens is just okay at the other OLB spot, but with Tyriq McCord also working in outside I'm sure this will get solidified. Very optimistic about the LB play off this spring.
DB: The CB depth is scary thin, to the point that Deon Bush played more there than at safety in recent practices. By the way he did okay at CB, and he could be the nickel corner all year unless Ryan Mayes (who struggled this spring) or a newcomer steps up. If Bush does have to come down it's not the end of the world because Dallas Crawford looks like a different player - faster, knows what he's doing. Rayshawn Jenkins will be back in the fall and is a playmaker, and I also was very impressed with Jaquan Johnson's instincts. He's not the biggest or fastest but knows his position. Jamal Carter still hasn't impressed me.
ST's: No returns worked on this spring, and no punting. Just kicks, and Badgley badly missed a couple of 42 yarders last scrimmage. He needs to get it together because my guess is this team will have several close games that will come down to his leg.
Overall impressions: I still don't think this is a 10-win team given such a tough schedule, but it may not be as bad as some think despite so many personnel losses from a year ago. The offense should be able to put up points in bunches if the OL gets a couple of spots solidified, and the defense is honestly just a real good lineman or two away from being just fine. It will all come down to working this offseason and seeing what newcomers can help out right away in August.
RB: Gus seems to be the coaches' No. 1 favorite, but not quite sure why (he got the most early 1 reps all spring). I loved what I saw from Yearby with his flat out speed and ability to catch the ball and make moves. If he puts on a bit more muscle this offseason to help him break tackles/run in between the tackles he'll be a force that shouldn't leave the field too much. Now I also do like Gus, but I see him more as a three-five yard at a time guy whereas Yearby can break things open. Trayone really struggled, not sure if RB is right position for him.
WR: Rashawn Scott is the real deal if he keeps his head on straight and avoids injury. I think he can have a 1,000-yard season. Braxton looks similar to last year, didn't notice a lot different but looks fine. I wanted Stacy Coley to really emerge this spring but he didn't. Hopefully he gets it together because they need him to have a huge season. Waters had some great moments but also disappeared a lot of practices, similar to his career to this point in some regard. Needs to get consistent. Brady and Langham will be bit players based on what I saw.
OL: I was really disappointed by what I saw here. Fact that Isidora was demoted to second team this past week says it all. This group needs to show more heart. If Odogwu is starting in Game 1 this season will be a disaster IMO. This team needs KC McDermott to step up and a freshman or two to contribute. I liked what I saw from Linder a lot. And Darling is fine even if he didn't look good in those 1 on 1 tapes. Gall/Wells are okay, nothing special, and there really is no depth. Kehoe needs to work some major magic because if the OL can get its act together this offense can be special. And as Gary has posted don't rely too much on Taylor Gadbois being on the field to start the season. Answers need to come here in a hurry in August.
TE: I really like this group. Dobard is ready to step up and he's complemented well by Herndon, who I think will be on the field a lot this fall. He's a nice looking athletic player. O'Donnell has hands of stone but can block, and Njoku needs some seasoning. Jerome Washington is huge and can move but was third team almost all spring.
DL: I have a man crush on Muhammad. This guy's a monster and will have a huge year IMO. Chad Thomas still isn't dominating practices like he should, and I'm not sure why. He has all the tools, just has to relax and play. Patchan needs to put on a lot of muscle. Aside from Muhammad none of the ends really stood out. I was not impressed by Harris despite him adding some weight. He just never seems to get penetration in the backfield, gets caught up in the wash. Hamilton also had some nice moments, I should add. At DT I like Kamalu, who can also play end against run heavy teams. But I wasn't wowed by anyone else. Jenkins made some strides but isn't dominant, and Wyche continues to struggle even after dropping weight. Earl Moore? Didn't see him make much of a difference. This team needs another DE and another DT (not Heurtelou if given a choice) to really step up in the fall to make this a formidable unit. The potential is certainly there with some hard offseason work.
LB: I actually was pleasantly surprised here. I thought without Denzel this group would struggle but Kirby runs the middle fine and actually I thought looked better there than outside. I love Grace, put him up there with Muhammad as the top players on defense IMO (and maybe Bush belongs in that conversation too). Grace is so fast and covers TE's/backs amazingly well which is something this team really has lacked. Owens is just okay at the other OLB spot, but with Tyriq McCord also working in outside I'm sure this will get solidified. Very optimistic about the LB play off this spring.
DB: The CB depth is scary thin, to the point that Deon Bush played more there than at safety in recent practices. By the way he did okay at CB, and he could be the nickel corner all year unless Ryan Mayes (who struggled this spring) or a newcomer steps up. If Bush does have to come down it's not the end of the world because Dallas Crawford looks like a different player - faster, knows what he's doing. Rayshawn Jenkins will be back in the fall and is a playmaker, and I also was very impressed with Jaquan Johnson's instincts. He's not the biggest or fastest but knows his position. Jamal Carter still hasn't impressed me.
ST's: No returns worked on this spring, and no punting. Just kicks, and Badgley badly missed a couple of 42 yarders last scrimmage. He needs to get it together because my guess is this team will have several close games that will come down to his leg.
Overall impressions: I still don't think this is a 10-win team given such a tough schedule, but it may not be as bad as some think despite so many personnel losses from a year ago. The offense should be able to put up points in bunches if the OL gets a couple of spots solidified, and the defense is honestly just a real good lineman or two away from being just fine. It will all come down to working this offseason and seeing what newcomers can help out right away in August.
