Didn’t bring my notebook to practice but here are some observations:
-Chapman has nothing to worry about, but Ryan Agnew has really settled in over the past few practices and is now beginning to solidify his role as a backup while Jimmy Walker is heading in the other direction. He threw one of the worst passes I’ve seen in camp so far (a 30-yarder down the middle of the field, into double coverage, and well underthrown) that was easily picked off by Parchment, and he continues to make simple throws difficult for receivers to catch. He’s not terrible, but he hasn’t been able to find guys in stride and often makes those receivers adjust (by reaching low or behind their body) to otherwise easy grabs.
-QB Mason Hall is on the fall roster now.
-On the OL, Ryan Krum is making a case to be the backup center instead of Derrick Achayo.
-Dixon was once again taking first team reps over Rosales. It looks like they will continue to move back and forth all fall at this point.
-Achayo was actually taking some reps at right tackle. That was a new development to keep track of, but I’m guessing the coaches are just trying to get creative because of the recent injuries.
-I hope Mikah Holder gets the respect he deserves this season because he’s been incredible in camp. He’ll need another receiver to step up if he want to make plays in the open field and make guys miss instead of facing double coverage every pass, and he’ll need to see more targets this year, but I truly believes he’s a future NFL talent. He’s elusive and snatches the ball out of the air and has even made some diving catches look easy in camp. He’s overlooked because of Pumphrey but it’s pretty clear to me he’s one of the most talented players in the conference.
-I hate going back and forth on my practice reports but Eric Judge is back on the field and had another good practice. He was loose and moving well (hamstring) and even showed a little physicality in the run game. I honestly think it’s going to be a week-to-week thing between him and Favreau all year long because of how things have looked with them in camp. I would not be surprised if Coach Cooper will just play the hot hand based off who did well in practice during every game week. I know that’s probably not what a coach would prefer to do, but I doubt we’ll see one consistent No. 2 starter opposite of Mikah. It’s also makes for solid competition between the two.
-Christian Cumberlander is back with the team but he can’t wear full pads until later this week. We’ll see if he can crack into the rotation or even compete with the top three guys.
-NT Noble Hall took reps with the first team today and continues to make a case that he should stay there. That said, Phillips has been really consistent throughout camp and I think Coach Lawson has player consistency up high on his demand list.
Here’s how I see the rotation playing out:
1st team - Kelly, Phillips, Barrett
2nd team - Chibu, Hall, Henderson
3rd team - Rochelin, Gardner, Melifonwu
-LB Ronley Lakalaka has been taking more and more reps with the first-team unit and I’m really liking how the linebacker lineups shake out because of it (Ricks, Lakalaka, Munson and Dunn, Thayer and Tezino). These groups both compliment each other very well and I can see this being the go to move by midseason. Having Lakalaka and Munson together will really make it difficult against pass-first teams (ex. Cal) because of their dropback ability and we all know Ricks will be able to get QB pressure on his own.
-At CB, I’ve continued to be impressed with Ron Smith’s improvement against the run. The corners in the 3-3-5 or so important because the defense tries to force runs to go laterally, specifically against triple option teams, and the corners have to come up to make a stop or at least for the running back out of bounds. (This is why Kazee’s ability to break from his backpedal and accelerate toward the ball as fast as he does so important, and it’s one of the big reasons why he racks up so many tackles). Smith, who’s a great athlete with speed, was probably the skinniest freshman on the team when he arrived last year but he’s gotten stronger and has developed into a solid open field tackler. I’ve really liked his progress.
-Also at DB - while Trent Thompson and Dwayne Johnson have made great initial impressions, Dwayne Parchment and Jeff Clay haven’t improved all that much with their consistency since the spring. I’ve already talked about Clay and his pass coverage issues enough but Parchment has been the opposite. He’s a very good cover guy who will do great against slot receivers, but he’s missed a lot of tackles up in the box so far in camp. If both can improve on their primary cons, I can see either of them easily playing with the first team next year. But if they don’t, the true freshmen could sneak up from behind. (I think all four of these guys will make for great special teams players by the way).
Anyway, I think SDSU’s safety unit featuring Lomax, Baldwin and Kelly will be fine next year. The depth, though, will be dependent on the development of those four I mentioned.
-I should also mention that RB Tyler Wormhoudt had another good practice. He’s taken advantage of the amount of reps he’s been receiving and it will probably continue up until the first game once SDSU starts limiting Pump, Penny and Washington more.
-Chapman has nothing to worry about, but Ryan Agnew has really settled in over the past few practices and is now beginning to solidify his role as a backup while Jimmy Walker is heading in the other direction. He threw one of the worst passes I’ve seen in camp so far (a 30-yarder down the middle of the field, into double coverage, and well underthrown) that was easily picked off by Parchment, and he continues to make simple throws difficult for receivers to catch. He’s not terrible, but he hasn’t been able to find guys in stride and often makes those receivers adjust (by reaching low or behind their body) to otherwise easy grabs.
-QB Mason Hall is on the fall roster now.
-On the OL, Ryan Krum is making a case to be the backup center instead of Derrick Achayo.
-Dixon was once again taking first team reps over Rosales. It looks like they will continue to move back and forth all fall at this point.
-Achayo was actually taking some reps at right tackle. That was a new development to keep track of, but I’m guessing the coaches are just trying to get creative because of the recent injuries.
-I hope Mikah Holder gets the respect he deserves this season because he’s been incredible in camp. He’ll need another receiver to step up if he want to make plays in the open field and make guys miss instead of facing double coverage every pass, and he’ll need to see more targets this year, but I truly believes he’s a future NFL talent. He’s elusive and snatches the ball out of the air and has even made some diving catches look easy in camp. He’s overlooked because of Pumphrey but it’s pretty clear to me he’s one of the most talented players in the conference.
-I hate going back and forth on my practice reports but Eric Judge is back on the field and had another good practice. He was loose and moving well (hamstring) and even showed a little physicality in the run game. I honestly think it’s going to be a week-to-week thing between him and Favreau all year long because of how things have looked with them in camp. I would not be surprised if Coach Cooper will just play the hot hand based off who did well in practice during every game week. I know that’s probably not what a coach would prefer to do, but I doubt we’ll see one consistent No. 2 starter opposite of Mikah. It’s also makes for solid competition between the two.
-Christian Cumberlander is back with the team but he can’t wear full pads until later this week. We’ll see if he can crack into the rotation or even compete with the top three guys.
-NT Noble Hall took reps with the first team today and continues to make a case that he should stay there. That said, Phillips has been really consistent throughout camp and I think Coach Lawson has player consistency up high on his demand list.
Here’s how I see the rotation playing out:
1st team - Kelly, Phillips, Barrett
2nd team - Chibu, Hall, Henderson
3rd team - Rochelin, Gardner, Melifonwu
-LB Ronley Lakalaka has been taking more and more reps with the first-team unit and I’m really liking how the linebacker lineups shake out because of it (Ricks, Lakalaka, Munson and Dunn, Thayer and Tezino). These groups both compliment each other very well and I can see this being the go to move by midseason. Having Lakalaka and Munson together will really make it difficult against pass-first teams (ex. Cal) because of their dropback ability and we all know Ricks will be able to get QB pressure on his own.
-At CB, I’ve continued to be impressed with Ron Smith’s improvement against the run. The corners in the 3-3-5 or so important because the defense tries to force runs to go laterally, specifically against triple option teams, and the corners have to come up to make a stop or at least for the running back out of bounds. (This is why Kazee’s ability to break from his backpedal and accelerate toward the ball as fast as he does so important, and it’s one of the big reasons why he racks up so many tackles). Smith, who’s a great athlete with speed, was probably the skinniest freshman on the team when he arrived last year but he’s gotten stronger and has developed into a solid open field tackler. I’ve really liked his progress.
-Also at DB - while Trent Thompson and Dwayne Johnson have made great initial impressions, Dwayne Parchment and Jeff Clay haven’t improved all that much with their consistency since the spring. I’ve already talked about Clay and his pass coverage issues enough but Parchment has been the opposite. He’s a very good cover guy who will do great against slot receivers, but he’s missed a lot of tackles up in the box so far in camp. If both can improve on their primary cons, I can see either of them easily playing with the first team next year. But if they don’t, the true freshmen could sneak up from behind. (I think all four of these guys will make for great special teams players by the way).
Anyway, I think SDSU’s safety unit featuring Lomax, Baldwin and Kelly will be fine next year. The depth, though, will be dependent on the development of those four I mentioned.
-I should also mention that RB Tyler Wormhoudt had another good practice. He’s taken advantage of the amount of reps he’s been receiving and it will probably continue up until the first game once SDSU starts limiting Pump, Penny and Washington more.
