After seeing the South practice yesterday, and now the North again today, there is a clear-cut "favorite" among the two teams for most of the coaches, scouts, media etc. The South team is a much more energetic, entertaining practice. The Jaguars coaching staff has been incredible, led by Gus Bradley the amount of physicality and competitiveness is fun to watch, but also very informative. We learn a lot seeing players up close, especially when it is tough, physical, fast-paced practice.
In addition, the South team seems to have the best quarterback in the game in Fresno State's Derek Carr, which always creates its own buzz. Nevertheless, the North still has a wealth of talent, and future NFL starters without question.
One of the players who stood out at the North practice today was Zach Martin, offensive lineman from Notre Dame. He consistently went against two of the better players in Mobile in Ra'Shede Hageman and Aaron Donald, and held his own in a big way. Being able to hold his own in one-on-ones against those two will go a long way in proving he is one of the better offensive linemen in this class.
Another was Wisconsin wide receiver Jared Abbrederis. Despite having three new quarterbacks, none of whom playing well, Abbrederis had a very good practice. He ran crisp routes to gain separation, and had incredibly consistent hands and focus. One play that sticks out was a dig route he ran, and Logan Thomas threw the ball slightly low. Abbrederis quickly adjusted, went to the ground and caught the ball away from his chest, yet still managed to keep the ball off the ground. A technically sound play that turned the heads of a few NFL personnel on the sidelines.
One more player who stood out today was Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald. He was one of the stars yesterday, after repeatedly ending plays in the backfield, and did the same thing today.
Donald is incredibly quick, and his first step is tough to match. There have been doubts about his size, but in all honesty, he is strong enough, and certainly quick enough to negate the “disadvantage”.
In addition, having a low pad level benefits him at times, because as an offensive lineman, it is tough to block someone on their shoulder pads, and it is twice as hard to get low enough to control the rush.
The North’s quarterbacks had another bad day, Tajh Boyd, Stephen Morris and Logan Thomas all made some good throws at times, but there was no consistency, and the only way to describe the three of them as a whole, is underwhelming.
Hopefully each of them can pick up their games and perform at a higher rate, but should they play like the practice, the South will undoubtedly control the game this weekend.