The north squad went full pads for a full two hours today with a lot of extensive pit drills, one on ones with wide receivers going against defensive backs and runningbacks up against linebackers.

WR Cooper Kupp, Eastern Washington – Probably the player of the day if such an award is given out. Kupp put his ball skills on display today with some high pointed passes, he caught punts with multiple footballs already in his hands and was able to win his matchups consistently against a variety of defenders. He is a vertical threat with adequate height, great change of direction ability and the awareness offensively to find the football and make a play on it. I don’t remember that many people in the stands saying a player’s name that was not from Alabama or the area.

WR Zay Jones, East Carolina – Not be underscored, Zay Jones was very impressive with his movement skills and naturally soft hands. He has a real knack for catching the ball away from his body and just plucking the football from the air with ease as well as very little sound. Jones has adequate length, height and bulk for the position but what separates him is body control and those terrific hands. He went out today and proved that he’s not just a product of a system and much more than a great college player, he’s also going to be a solid pro level receiver.

DE Tarell Basham, Ohio – Basham had a solid practice, particularly in one on one drills where he put on a variety of moves. He executed a beautiful inside spin move on Zach Banner early in one on ones and he chased down running plays. The Mac defensive player of the year is more than likely making a position switch to a stand up pass rushing outside linebacker but his reps against tackles today showed off his ability to win in different ways. He’s helped himself at this event and could factor into the second day of the draft if his test numbers match his play.

OT Julien Davenport, Bucknell – Davenport has an impressive tackle body with long arms, great thickness and very good footwork to make up space against edge rushers. He has a smooth kick slide, terrific range to recover and his hands are strong to jolt rushers in their tracks. I must include that while he enjoyed a good day, he split reps that I saw against Vince Biegel with a win wielding him off edge and a loss on an inside spin move. The Bucknell product is another guy that flat out won some money at the weigh in and thus far the practices have gone well.

DE Derek Rivers, Youngstown State – Rivers has enjoyed an excellent couple of days. He’s a guy that adequate speed, he has a nice first step but he separates himself with how well he bends and runs that L. Youngstown State is full of ballers on defense but Rivers was the lightning rod and that’s exactly what he brings to practice. He’s not just a pass rushing specialist either, as he blew up a run play in scrimmage chasing the outside handoff and caught De’Veon SMith for a loss. He has the speed to be a stand up pass rusher but also the strength and length to plays as a base end.

OT Taylor Moton, Western Michigan – Moton is another player that has an ideal frame for the position with 33⅛” arms and size 10¾” hands. He showed out today with a lot of consistency, he could not be moved off his spot and he stood up Dawuane Smoot in one on ones twice. He could eventually develop into a starting right tackle for a team because he has the size to be a power blocker and he can run the arch well enough to keep pass rushers at bay. He may have improved his stock as much as a round with the performance he’s given thus far.

Thanks a ton for reading and please bang out some feedback or comments below. You can always e-mail me questions, comments and even complaints to joe@draftscouts.com