1. I can’t stress the following enough: Monday’s practice was not a padded practice. Anyone making sweeping assertions based on a non-padded practice _ football aficionado or no _ is asking to look foolish in a few months (or days).
2. That said, one of the first things that stood out to me on Monday was the tight end position. Evan Engram, at this point, is advertised. However, the rest of that position group used to be lacking. On Monday, Octavious Cooley, Jacob Mathis and Gabe Angel, to differing extents, all looked the part. Cooley has a big body and Mathis looks like a younger Engram. There’s certainly the potential to replace Engram’s productivity in that room after his eligibility expires.
3. Armani Linton has added some quality weight to his frame. So have a lot of others. I could repeat that dozens of times (DaMarkus Lodge, Myles Hartsfield and Cam Ordway are all examples), but it’s obvious Paul Jackson is good at what he does and players have bought into his system. Linton just stood out to me right off the bat as someone who had gone from looking rail thin a year ago to looking like an SEC safety this summer.
4. Speaking of, Deontay Anderson looks the part. Make fun of Rivals.com’s rankings all you wish, but Mike Farrell and Co. probably got Anderson right (if not a little under-ranked). He’s listed at 6-foot-1 and 217 pounds and he looks every bit of it.
5. Losing weight and changing your body is hard whether you have a guy like Jackson helping you or not. Jordan Sims’ makeover is amazing. I’d guess he weighed close to 400 pounds when he finished high school, and that’s probably only slightly hyperbolic. Sims is listed at 334 on Ole Miss’ current roster, and the transformation is amazing. That was the gamble teams had to decide whether to take on Sims as a prep standout in Homewood, Ala. Auburn and Alabama both reluctantly passed, fearing Sims’ weight would always be an issue. Ole Miss’ gamble appears to be paying off as Sims seems poised to be an integral part of the Rebels’ interior offensive line for the next three years.
6. On the flip side, Michael Howard appears to be struggling to find the weight Sims lost. Howard is definitely athletic, but he’s listed at 250 pounds and it’s a lean 250. He’s got great feet, but it’s hard to see someone with his frame excelling at the SEC level.
7. It was easy to focus on freshman left tackle Greg Little on Monday, and while he’s not as freakishly athletic as Laremy Tunsil was a true freshman, the sky is the limit for the former five-star recruit. Little isn’t alone among young offensive linemen with high ceilings. Again, there were no pads on, so sweeping assertions are ridiculous at this point. However, Bryce Mathews looks college-ready already, Royce Newman has the frame and feet to emerge as an SEC standout (I see why Bret Bielema was so disappointed he couldn’t pull him from Ole Miss late) and Chandler Tuitt has that SEC look as well.
8. Alex Givens was working with the starting offense at left tackle Monday and Matt Luke was coaching him hard. Rod Taylor was backing up Givens, but it’s difficult to believe Taylor will hold Little out of the two-deep. Sean Rawlings was working at right tackle. Robert Conyers appears cemented as the Rebels’ starting center. Depth could be an issue early, but there’s talent in Ole Miss’ offensive line corps. Jeremy Liggins is not in camp at this point due to a violation of team/program rules.
9. Looking for a sleeper in your SEC fantasy league? Take a flyer on wide receiver Van Jefferson. He appeared to be ahead of some older players in the receiver rotation Monday, and at 6-2, 187, he’s a force in the slot. Again, no pads, but he wowed in the spring and picked right up where he left off on Monday. Hugh Freeze said in space, Jefferson is the best route-runner Ole Miss has had in his time in Oxford.
10. D.K. Metcalf was working on one edge Monday while A.J. Brown was working on the other. Again, as I said about Anderson, make fun of recruiting rankings all you wish, but those two high four-stars have college stardom written all over them. Brown really stands out in skeleton drills due to his combination of strength and gracefulness. Hugh Freeze made a big statement Monday, saying Brown is a little further along at this point than Laquon Treadwell was at this point in his Ole Miss career. Heady stuff there, for Treadwell was awesome from Day 1. Another freshman, Tre Nixon, appears to have elite speed. He was working primarily in the slot on Monday. He’ll be a matchup issue for safeties.
11. Again, no pads, so one can’t judge the running game. Period. That said, Eric Swinney has a physical presence about him _ 5-foot-9, 210 pounds _ that Ole Miss hasn’t had in its backfield since I’ve been on the beat.
12. Chad Kelly has added weight since last season. It’s obvious in his lower body. Arm strength is not an issue for Kelly. He can really spin it. I’d imagine NFL scouts are watching him awfully closely this season. He’s listed at 6-2 and 224 pounds and was making all the throws on Monday. Freeze said Kelly is "hungry" and "sharp" right now, adding that Kelly was 12-for-12 in skeleton drills Monday. Jason Pellerin looks the part, but he doesn’t appear to have the accuracy or velocity that Shea Patterson has. Again, that was a small period to observe, and judging based on net drills is likely an error. Patterson’s release just stands out. Freeze also continues to compliment Patterson's "mental capacity," adding that Patterson is rarely rattled, a rarity for a true freshman quarterback. The benefit he receives from likely having a season to develop is priceless for both him and Ole Miss.
13. Ole Miss lists Issac Gross at 263 pounds. I’m a bit skeptical, but he looks every bit of 255 pounds. He’s certainly bigger than he’s been since I have seen him.
14. Near the end of the access period Monday, Fadol Brown walked out onto the practice field without a boot. I think Brown’s health and presence is a major key for the Rebels’ defense. He appeared to be walking without a limp, but I won’t begin to guess how far away he is from playing. Freeze said he got a thumbs up from Brown Monday, so there's optimism.
15. Freeze said he's told coaches to make sure Tony Conner gets to the bus, meaning he will be managed differently in fall camp. Conner certainly looked healthy running around on Monday.
2. That said, one of the first things that stood out to me on Monday was the tight end position. Evan Engram, at this point, is advertised. However, the rest of that position group used to be lacking. On Monday, Octavious Cooley, Jacob Mathis and Gabe Angel, to differing extents, all looked the part. Cooley has a big body and Mathis looks like a younger Engram. There’s certainly the potential to replace Engram’s productivity in that room after his eligibility expires.
3. Armani Linton has added some quality weight to his frame. So have a lot of others. I could repeat that dozens of times (DaMarkus Lodge, Myles Hartsfield and Cam Ordway are all examples), but it’s obvious Paul Jackson is good at what he does and players have bought into his system. Linton just stood out to me right off the bat as someone who had gone from looking rail thin a year ago to looking like an SEC safety this summer.
4. Speaking of, Deontay Anderson looks the part. Make fun of Rivals.com’s rankings all you wish, but Mike Farrell and Co. probably got Anderson right (if not a little under-ranked). He’s listed at 6-foot-1 and 217 pounds and he looks every bit of it.
5. Losing weight and changing your body is hard whether you have a guy like Jackson helping you or not. Jordan Sims’ makeover is amazing. I’d guess he weighed close to 400 pounds when he finished high school, and that’s probably only slightly hyperbolic. Sims is listed at 334 on Ole Miss’ current roster, and the transformation is amazing. That was the gamble teams had to decide whether to take on Sims as a prep standout in Homewood, Ala. Auburn and Alabama both reluctantly passed, fearing Sims’ weight would always be an issue. Ole Miss’ gamble appears to be paying off as Sims seems poised to be an integral part of the Rebels’ interior offensive line for the next three years.
6. On the flip side, Michael Howard appears to be struggling to find the weight Sims lost. Howard is definitely athletic, but he’s listed at 250 pounds and it’s a lean 250. He’s got great feet, but it’s hard to see someone with his frame excelling at the SEC level.
7. It was easy to focus on freshman left tackle Greg Little on Monday, and while he’s not as freakishly athletic as Laremy Tunsil was a true freshman, the sky is the limit for the former five-star recruit. Little isn’t alone among young offensive linemen with high ceilings. Again, there were no pads on, so sweeping assertions are ridiculous at this point. However, Bryce Mathews looks college-ready already, Royce Newman has the frame and feet to emerge as an SEC standout (I see why Bret Bielema was so disappointed he couldn’t pull him from Ole Miss late) and Chandler Tuitt has that SEC look as well.
8. Alex Givens was working with the starting offense at left tackle Monday and Matt Luke was coaching him hard. Rod Taylor was backing up Givens, but it’s difficult to believe Taylor will hold Little out of the two-deep. Sean Rawlings was working at right tackle. Robert Conyers appears cemented as the Rebels’ starting center. Depth could be an issue early, but there’s talent in Ole Miss’ offensive line corps. Jeremy Liggins is not in camp at this point due to a violation of team/program rules.
9. Looking for a sleeper in your SEC fantasy league? Take a flyer on wide receiver Van Jefferson. He appeared to be ahead of some older players in the receiver rotation Monday, and at 6-2, 187, he’s a force in the slot. Again, no pads, but he wowed in the spring and picked right up where he left off on Monday. Hugh Freeze said in space, Jefferson is the best route-runner Ole Miss has had in his time in Oxford.
10. D.K. Metcalf was working on one edge Monday while A.J. Brown was working on the other. Again, as I said about Anderson, make fun of recruiting rankings all you wish, but those two high four-stars have college stardom written all over them. Brown really stands out in skeleton drills due to his combination of strength and gracefulness. Hugh Freeze made a big statement Monday, saying Brown is a little further along at this point than Laquon Treadwell was at this point in his Ole Miss career. Heady stuff there, for Treadwell was awesome from Day 1. Another freshman, Tre Nixon, appears to have elite speed. He was working primarily in the slot on Monday. He’ll be a matchup issue for safeties.
11. Again, no pads, so one can’t judge the running game. Period. That said, Eric Swinney has a physical presence about him _ 5-foot-9, 210 pounds _ that Ole Miss hasn’t had in its backfield since I’ve been on the beat.
12. Chad Kelly has added weight since last season. It’s obvious in his lower body. Arm strength is not an issue for Kelly. He can really spin it. I’d imagine NFL scouts are watching him awfully closely this season. He’s listed at 6-2 and 224 pounds and was making all the throws on Monday. Freeze said Kelly is "hungry" and "sharp" right now, adding that Kelly was 12-for-12 in skeleton drills Monday. Jason Pellerin looks the part, but he doesn’t appear to have the accuracy or velocity that Shea Patterson has. Again, that was a small period to observe, and judging based on net drills is likely an error. Patterson’s release just stands out. Freeze also continues to compliment Patterson's "mental capacity," adding that Patterson is rarely rattled, a rarity for a true freshman quarterback. The benefit he receives from likely having a season to develop is priceless for both him and Ole Miss.
13. Ole Miss lists Issac Gross at 263 pounds. I’m a bit skeptical, but he looks every bit of 255 pounds. He’s certainly bigger than he’s been since I have seen him.
14. Near the end of the access period Monday, Fadol Brown walked out onto the practice field without a boot. I think Brown’s health and presence is a major key for the Rebels’ defense. He appeared to be walking without a limp, but I won’t begin to guess how far away he is from playing. Freeze said he got a thumbs up from Brown Monday, so there's optimism.
15. Freeze said he's told coaches to make sure Tony Conner gets to the bus, meaning he will be managed differently in fall camp. Conner certainly looked healthy running around on Monday.
