The South team’s practice just didn’t feature a lot of action but it did have a lot of stretching and a ton of special teams.

I’m sure the terrible weather contributed to that but either way, there were a few things to note here…

IMPRESSIVE

OT Le’Raven Clark, Texas Tech – I don’t know if there was an outright winner of the weigh in this year but Le’Raven Clark is the first name that comes to mind when I’m calling roll. He was flat out dominant today and had the sidelines buzzing with his praise but also his teammates appeared to get jacked with his performance. He had two pancake blocks, he redirected people in the running game and just dominated from beginning to start today. No matter where teams want to play him (guard or tackle), he will be player that should hit the ground running and contribute from day one. If there’s a player that stands to make a lot of money from this week, it is undoubtedly Clark after day two.

WR Sterling Shepard, Oklahoma – It’s safe to say that Shepard is the real deal after watching him these two days. He had a rough start in day one with a slip up on the sick Fairhope Stadium field and he dropped two passes that normally would be routine but he did rebound to have a solid day and made a big catch down seam over the shoulder which was trademark sweetness from the All-Big 12 receiver. Shepard has great change of direction, one of his best assets is his start and stop ability and he has terrific top end speed but on top of that he’s a ball player that is a hands catcher. He has the makings of a pro already and while there may be a bit of a Oklahoma stigma (Jalen Saunders, Ryan Broyles, Kenny Stills), Shepard has the chance to buck the trend and find his way as a slot matchup problem from defenses at the next level.

I LIKE WHAT I SEE

CB Harlan Miller, Southeastern Louisiana – The Senior Bowl saw a cover corner out of Southeastern in Robert Alford just three years ago and I’ve been told by a scout that he is better than Alford. He certainly is longer and he has the same kind of speed with smooth hips to react and read. He had a few plays on day one but showcased his anticipation and ability to mirror receivers today. Miller has the chance to be a steal in this draft class.

PLAY OF THE PRACTICE

FS Kevin Byard Middle Tennessee – While there wasn’t a clear cut play of the day, I’d vote for Kevin Byard who made a leaping interception on an under thrown Jacoby Brissett pass that he lollipopped short of Jay Lee, who unfortunately had a nice five yard cushion at the time. Either way Byard was able to flash of some major athleticism with what appeared to be a 40+ inch vertical and he came down with it cleanly with great balance. This kid is certainly some kind of athlete.

NOT SOLD

QB Jake Coker, Alabama – There’s just a lot of inconsistency here and perhaps I’ll be proven dead wrong at game time but Coker’s accuracy is beyond suspect. He continuously threw behind his receivers and I have to admit that I lost count of how many times he threw checkdowns today. I’m pretty sure that the NFL people in attendance would have preferred to see more variety but the weather has to be given some part of the blame with a biting wind. I just don’t see it.

QB Brandon Allen, Arkansas – No only was Allen another member of the Checkdown Fellowship but in seven on sevens and especially in the full portion, Allen tucked and scrambled… yes, scrambled in a passing drill. The fact that he bailed four consecutive times today shows that he was either terrified of the wind or just ill advised coming into the week. Either way, it hasn’t been a good week for the Razorback.
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