The second practice of the East team in the East-West Shrine was held in St. Petersburg, Florida inside Tropicana Field. The players practicing in full pads.
Georgia wide receiver Terry Godwin continued to make money at the East-West Shrine with another excellent practice. He ate up the cornerbacks in the one-on-ones, as they were incapable of running with him. Godwin is a dangerous route-runner; he explodes out of his breaks and that generates separation. After gaining a step, his speed is too much to handle, as he would pull away from corners. Godwin was able to beat Kentucky cornerback Derrick Baity on a dig, Miami cornerback Michael Jackson on a dig, and James Madison’s Jimmy Moreland on an in-and-out cut. Moreland had one win against Godwin as he ran with Godwin running a straight go route down the field. That was a nice play from Moreland, who had a good practice overall.
In the team scrimmage, Godwin produced a big play running a crossing route to get open in zone coverage. After making the catch Godwin darted past a safety to break downfield. It was an impressive play, showing how Godwin can be used in the NFL. He could be a good slot receiver using speed and route-running to get quick separation. With his strong performance through these practices, Godwin could be on his way to turning himself into a mid-round prospect in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Elon offensive lineman Olisaemeka Udoh had a strong debut on Monday, but he had some struggles on Tuesday. In the pass rushing one-on-ones, Udoh lost multiple reps by getting bull rushed into the quarterback marker. The 6-foot-5, 330-pound Udoh is too big to allow that, and it comes from poor technique, as he is not getting his hands and lower body in position to anchor against these smaller defensive tackles. In the one-on-ones and in the team scrimmage, Udoh was playing right guard, and that should be his position in the NFL, as he could have problems with pro speed rushers at tackle. Udoh is a true developmental prospect who will probably be a late-rounder, but he could develop into a starter with good coaching.
Virginia Tech defensive tackle Ricky Walker was one of the players who had success bull rushing Udoh. Walker showed some strength on those plays, but his best trait is his ability to use speed to penetrate behind the line of scrimmage. Walker needs to improve his lateral anchor, as he gets knocked to the ground too often. He has to get better at defending runs coming downhill straight at him. To start out his NFL career, Walker would probably be best as a backup three-technique tackle in a 4-3 defense.
Kentucky tight end C.J. Conrad is a sleeper player who could be a quality backup tight end in the NFL. Through two practices, Conrad has shown that he is a very good blocker and that was not in question considering the success that teammate Benny Snell had running behind Conrad. As a receiver, Conrad has good hands and runs quality routes. If he were faster and more athletic, he would be an early-round prospect. But he is a solid, polished player who should be a quality backup tight end in the NFL. He could be a mid-rounder who contributes at a higher level than where he is drafted.
Syracuse defensive tackle Chris Slayton also had a nice session on Tuesday and earned the praise of defensive line coaches. Slayton used his speed to win some one-on-ones and had two wins over N.C. State’s Tyler Jones with active hands to slap down the back and then speed to dart by Jones.
Georgia center Lamont Gaillard had a quality practice on Tuesday. He showed some nice technique to tangle up defensive tackles and held his ground on some bull rushes. Gaillard has some size limitations for the NFL, so he may not be able to play an offensive line position other than center.
WalterFootball.com has spotted a number of top team executives at the East-West Shrine practices. Some of the general managers include Pittsburgh’s Kevin Colbert, Tampa Bay’s Jason Licht, Tennessee’s Jon Robinson and Oakland’s Mike Mayock. Washington Redskins senior vice president of player personnel Doug Williams is his team’s top talent evaluator, and he is in attendance as well at the East-West Shrine. Cleveland Browns vice president of football operations Alonzo Highsmith is also in St. Petersburg.
WalterFootball.com will have more recaps from the East-West Shrine practices on Tuesday and Wednesday along with a run-down of the post-practice team interviews. Follow @walterfootball for updates.
