Notes from the final day of practice in Mobile, Alabama. Like yesterday, we’ll break this down into National and American squads. These are our notes from the National’s two team sessions.
National Team (Coached By Dolphins)
– Notre Dame’s Aaron Banks is a big man at 6’5, 338 but he has quick feet. Can get to the second level. Free release here but worked to LB Tony Fields and totally drove him out of his gap. Heck of a rep.
– Small schooler boosting his stock. NDSU’s Dillon Radunz anchors against power rushes, plays with a sound base and good knee bend, and even saw some reps at LG after working at LT in college and the first two days of the Senior Bowl. Showed the ability to pull, though all their linemen are asked to skip pull whereas the Steelers use a square pull. So the technique is a little different. I like Radunz as a possible Day Two candidate in this tackle-heavy class.
– Mentioned him at the top of the week but WMU’s Jaylon Moore should be on the Steelers’ radar. He looks even bigger than listed and his power’s able to create a ton of movement on his down blocks. Something missing from the Steelers’ run game last year. Watch him as the RT here.
Getting movement up front so linemen could work to the second level or so a guard could pull around tight behind and the back follow through. It wouldn’t shock me if the Steelers took a long look at Moore in the pre-draft process and looked at him in Round 3/4, just as they did with Chukwuma Okorafor, especially if they don’t snag a tackle at #24.
– Same issues with OT Spencer Brown. Waist-bender who struggles laterally and is soft to inside rushes. Beat multiple times that way Thursday, including a great swipe by Oregon State’s Hamilcar Rashed, who won clean inside for the pressure and would-be sack.
– FB Ben Mason showed off his hands with a pair of receptions during one team session. Both in the flat for little gain but he plucked away from his frame and showed some versatility. Best fullback in this class. Old-school type but not a total liability in the pass game as a checkdown/bootleg option.
– And Boise State’s John Bates might be the best blocking TE down there. 6’5, 259 pound frame helps and he’s able to win the point of attack in the run game.
– UCLA DL Osa Odighizuwa is versatile along the interior who fires off the ball and has impressive hip/ankle flexion for his 280 pound frame. I’m not sure if he’s a fit for the Steelers but I like him as a prospect.
Some of the top players I saw from the National Team over the three days of practice. In no order:
– D’Wayne Eskridge/WR Western Michigan
– Camryn Bynum/CB California
– Tony Fields/LB West Virginia
– Ben Mason/FB Michigan
– Quinn Meinerz/OC Wisconsin-Whitewater
– Aaron Banks/OG Notre Dame
– Jaylon Moore/OT Western Michigan
– Dillion Radunz/OT North Dakota State
– Osa Odighizuwa/DT UCLA
