Seattle Showdown
Greg Biggins Director of Recruiting, ESPN RISE 06/28/11
First impressions from Washington
| The bigs made a big first, and lasting impression at the Seattle NFTC. | |
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Here are the first impressions of the camp from the ESPN RISE staff members that worked the event.
Greg Biggins (Director of Recruiting)
“The numbers were small overall but I thought the talent at the top of the board was still very good. I enjoyed watching the quarterback position as the three seniors, Matt Morin, Jeff Lindquist and Cyler Miles all looked very good, while junior Max Browne stole the show winning MVP honors.”
Eugene Jackson (lead defensive back coach)
“Taylor Taliulu from Hawaii looked good at the safety position and showed a lot of good upside in position drills. But I liked the competitiveness between Davonte Neal and Cedric Dozier during one-on-ones.”
Tyler McClaughry (Director of Combines)
“The two big offensive linemen, Josh Garnett and Zach Banner, came into camp with a lot of hype but both lived up to it. These are two big, strong and very competitive kids who just dominated the one-on-ones. They compete hard and play with a lot of emotion and it was fun to watch them.”
Michael White (Midwest Dir. of Player Personnel)
“Another great year of Nike Camps finished with a strong showing in Washington. It was good to see such a small group of football players compete and take advantage of every opportunity they got. Obviously the big guys Josh Garnett and Zach Banner can’t be overlooked, but the player that really made a big impression was quarterback Max Browne, he surely will be one of the top prospects from the West next year.”
The following is a quick rundown of each of the positional MVPs as selected by the NFTC coaching staff.
Quarterback
Max Browne, Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.) Just a junior, Browne beat out a strong field for MVP honors. The tall, lanky signal-caller has it all and should be among the top-five quarterbacks in the country when he’s a senior. He already has great arm strength, throws a tight ball and is advanced mechanically.
Running Back
KeiVarae Russell, Mariner (Everett, Wash.) Russell showed why he’s among the most heavily recruited backs in the nation and had a great camp. He’s very athletic, has a great burst and can stop and start on a dime. He showed very good hands out of the backfield and can embarrass a defender in the open field. He’s a tough, competitive kid and the top back in the Northwest region.
Wide Receiver
Davonte Neal, Chaparral (Scottsdale, Ariz.) This is the third NFTC Neal has attended and his second at receiver. It’s also his second MVP and he’s easily among the top pass catchers, not just locally but nationally as well. He’s a dynamic playmaker with speed and knows how to set up a defender and runs great routes. He also has strong hands and has the ability to be a deep threat or a possession guy as well.
Offensive Line
Josh Garnett, Puyalliup (Puyallup, Wash.) It’s an incredible year for offensive line talent out West and Garnett is right at the top of the list. He’s basically without a weakness on the field, as he has the frame to play guard or tackle. Garnett is strong, athletic and plays with great technique. He’s a competitive player who took a ton of reps and even did some damage working out with the defensive lineman as well.
Defensive Line
Sam McCaskill, Sheldon (Eugene, Ore.) McCaskill worked out with the linebackers at the NFTC in Oregon two weeks ago, but moved to the line on Sunday. He was very impressive coming off the edge, showing excellent quickness and strength. He can speed rush off the edge but also showed a nice counter move and has the size to play on the line at the next level.
Linebacker
Zach Walen, Lake Oswego (Lake Oswego., Ore.) Walen is a tall, rangy linebacker who needs to put on a lot of weight, but he made a ton of plays. He’s one of those athletes that is always around the football making things happen and is a high-motor player. He looked good in the pass rush drills but separated himself from the pack in the one-on-one cover drills with the running backs.
Defensive Back
Jayshaun Jordan, O’Dea (Seattle, Wash.) Jordan had a strong camp and beat out a solid field of corners for MVP. He’s very quick and made a ton of plays on the ball during the one-on-ones. He’s the not the tallest corner. but he’s strong and plays bigger than his size because of how well he positions himself.
