Viva Las Vegas! Day two of Shrine Bowl practices are now finished and it was yet again another excellent opportunity for evaluators to get an up-close and personal look at some of the best players in the country. Yesterday, I wrote about five players who I thought stood out on the first day of practice and it was hard to choose just five as there were so many impressive performances. Rather than highlighting a group of players today, I wanted to focus on two players who I thought really helped themselves.
In an All-Star setting, it's far more common to hear about successful receivers who are lighting it up in one-on-ones and making plays all over the field. Rarely do you read or hear about corners who stand out because, in a one-on-one situation, they are at an inherent disadvantage as there is no pass rush to speed up the quarterback’s process. Corners who flash and win reps one-on-one usually possess excellent instincts, athleticism, and competitiveness and that’s exactly what both Chase Lucas and Kyler McMichael showed today.
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Chase Lucas is a four-year starter at Arizona State, and he has been very productive over that stretch. He is a bit undersized for the position, checking in at the Shrine Bowl right at 5-foot-11 and 181 pounds, but what he lacks in height he more than makes up for with his speed and quickness. He has excellent short-area burst and click-and-close ability in coverage and has flashed outstanding ball skills over the last two days of practice.
In one-on-one’s on Sunday, he showed excellent feet off the line and patience while the receiver attempted his release. He had the quickness to mirror underneath and speed to stay attached vertically. He did show a tendency to grab a bit, but that stems from him being overly competitive and can certainly be corrected.
Lastly, Lucas has been the spark plug for this secondary group and it’s impossible to ignore his energy and enthusiasm as he is always cheering on his teammates and getting them fired up before and after their rep. Based on what I saw Sunday, Lucas has made himself some money.
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North Carolina’s Kyler McMichael is a player I personally studied this cycle for TDN. Upon my first exposure, I liked him quite a bit, but I still may have been too low on him.
McMichael has very good size and length and moves extremely well in coverage. He won reps today in off coverage and when pressing at the line. To me, the most impressive thing about McMichael’s two days of practice is just how consistent he has been. He has yet to truly lose a rep, and even when they do complete a pass on him, he is in excellent position.
McMichael’s’ NFL outlook will likely be as an outside corner, but now after seeing him in person and seeing his body type, I’m not so sure he couldn’t play safety at a high level as well. A player with size, length, athleticism, and potential position versatility? Sign me up.
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