Oregon held its second practice of spring camp on Monday with a session inside the Moshofsky Center in helmets. Nichole Brown and A.J. Jacobson were on hand to bring you our thoughts in this edition of Take Two.
A.J. Jacobson
Today I spent most my time watching the defense, more specifically the cornerbacks. I will focus my comments mainly on them.
Cornerbacks
I am going to go ahead and call it now. The Ducks are going to be good at CB this year. This is certainly not based solely on watching two practices of spring, but it is that combined with the progression we saw out of the young corners last year.
Today I thought a few guys stood out for different reasons. Thomas Graham has always been a confident guy for good reason. But this spring I think I’m seeing a new twist on it. Graham is starting to act like a boss. And I definitely mean that in a good way. Things such as being the first in line for drills, interacting with the coaches; just taking charge in general.
Something I noticed today for the first time was the acceleration Deommodore Lenoir has got. He is becoming quite powerful in the lower body and really gets up to speed quickly now.
Haki Woods absolutely looks the part of a college defender. Great physique and length. I would love to see him get himself in the mix for more playing time this year. Not that he’s healthy he has that chance.
And then there is Verone McKinley III. If the CB group was not so stacked up right now we would all be talking about him. Football aside I love his personality. The coaches were having the players rotate through stations during period two and at one point McKinley became the first CB to show up at Coach Donte Williams’ station. Already there were a few DL that were just finishing up. Verone looked at me laughed and said “I was worried for a second” that he was in the wrong place.
Football-wise it’s just a matter of getting some reps out there during games for him. He has all the skills and athleticism so what he needs is opportunity. When it does come up for him, I am confident he will be more than ready.
Defensive Line
I only got a chance to watch them for a minute but I did like what I saw from Gus Cumberlander. He was starting to come on last year and this spring he looks like he has taken another step forward physically. I expect big things from him this year.
General thoughts
I think this coaching staff has the energy level dialed in just right for this point in spring. Not too crazy, but still hyped up. You can’t have the energy maxed all the time or you burn everybody out. So, I would say right now they have the knob set at eight which is about right. Auburn week is when Cristobal will crank it to 11.
Nichole Brown
Today I again focused on the quarterbacks, running backs, receivers and tight ends.
Observations from each group were brief as it is obviously hard to glean a whole lot from watching drills. Nonetheless I did have a better view of the receivers and tight ends today which was good.
Quarterbacks
Herbert and Shough continue to show solid confidence. Herbert is obviously in command and Shough seems more comfortable, which is to be expected. I noted yesterday that Cale Millen’s footwork looked a little squirrely, which was definitely not a knock on him given it was his first day of official practice with the Ducks. I anticipated he would calm down and he appears to have done just that. He looked just fine out there today and definitely held his own. By the way, to yesterday’s readers, I am sorry I misspelled his last name. Miller is close enough to Millen, right? Don’t worry, I’m kidding. Millen, Millen, Millen.
Running Backs
I continue to like what I see from Cyrus Habibi-Likio and CJ Verdell. I also failed to mention yesterday that Travis Dye is also a clear favorite in that group. He is confident and showing good leadership in that group. I noticed him clapping and encouraging his teammates and he was the first to grab equipment to set up drills.
Receivers
Fans should be happy to know this is a HUGE group and there is some solid talent in there. Obviously veterans Johnny Johnson III and Brenden Schooler are making good strides and look comfortable. I’m really impressed so far with Bryan Addison. I know I mentioned him in our first report but it’s worth noting how much he seems to stand out. I never noticed (until today) how tall he is. For whatever reason, he reminds me a bit of Lavasier Tuinei (hopefully he sees that as a compliment. I would).
I also got a chance to check out newcomer, Josh Delgado. I didn’t see him out there on Saturday, but got a good look today. I was only able to see him catch a couple of passes, but he seems comfortable and confident. He also caught both passes, so that’s always a plus.
Tight Ends
From what I saw today, Jake Breeland and Ryan Bay continue to be solid options at that position. In all fairness though, I didn’t get to see that entire group up close today but will keep an eye on their progress. Still hoping to see Matt Mariota rise to the top and see some solid time on the field. I’m sure I’m not alone in that.
Stay tuned and please, send us any questions or comments. What are you most curious about this Spring?
