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Early camp reviews on draft picks

cheeno

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Joined
Aug 4, 2011
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You can find the full list here: http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/133573/nfl-nation-first-pick-impressions

Some notable impressions of players we have at one time or another discussed on this board:

Eric Ebron It has not been a kind first week for Ebron. The No. 10 pick in the draft has a ton of physical gifts and is an elite athlete, but the drops that plagued him throughout his college career showed up during the first week of camp. The tight end has a few weeks to really work on it, and the drops could lessen as Ebron gains more comfort with the playbook and Matthew Stafford, but they are a concern. -- Michael Rothstein

Darqueze Dennard Whether it's been his special-teams play or covering receivers in man-press coverage, first-round pick Darqueze Dennard has been impressive at the start of Bengals camp. Coach Marvin Lewis said the same Wednesday, highlighting the cornerback's ability to track and play the ball on throws deep downfield. When I told Dennard about Lewis' comments, he said he felt honored. He should. So far, he's earned the compliments. -- Coley Harvey

Justin Gilbert Gilbert remains behind Buster Skrine on the depth chart, but he has improved during the first week of training camp. Gilbert becomes a bigger presence when he puts on the pads, and he plays a very active and aggressive corner. He's come up with interceptions the last few days as he seems to settle into the position a little more. How much are the Browns counting on Gilbert? He is an excellent kick returner, but coach Mike Pettine said he would only risk putting Gilbert on the return team as a last resort. Clearly, the Browns want Gilbert on the field a lot on defense. -- Pat McManamon

Kyle Fuller The Bears say they want players who transcend schemes, and that's precisely what they got in cornerback Kyle Fuller, who adds scheme flexibility and is NFL-ready right now. In one-on-one matchups at practice, he's been up and down against Pro Bowlers Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, but he's also held his own more often than not. Chicago certainly has found the future at cornerback. -- Michael C. Wright

Ha Ha Clinton-Dix It's not going to be easy for Clinton-Dix to win a starting job right away, and that's not necessarily a reflection on his early play. Safety is one of the most difficult positions to conquer in Dom Capers' defense because of all the calls and adjustments. Also, Micah Hyde has made the transition from cornerback to safety perhaps better than anyone could have expected. Still, there's no reason to be concerned that Clinton-Dix won't become an impact player at some point soon. -- Rob Demovsky

Anthony Barr Barr has started work with the first-team defense and has shown glimpses of the speed and athleticism Minnesota thought they were getting when they took him ninth overall. The Vikings have shown they'll rush him from the linebacker position, move him onto the defensive line as an edge rusher and drop him into coverage in their nickel package, where they feel like his speed and height will help him keep up and make it difficult for quarterbacks to throw over him. Barr still has plenty to learn, but it's clear the Vikings have big plans for him. -- Ben Goessling

Mike Evans Evans is off to an impressive start despite missing a big chunk of the offseason program with a hamstring injury. The wide receiver has shown good hands, which is not a surprise. What is surprising is his speed after dropping his weight to 230 pounds. Evans is going to be a starter immediately, and should have an instant impact because fellow receiver Vincent Jackson is going to take up most of the defensive attention. -- Pat Yasinskas

Sammy Watkins It's tough to find any faults in Watkins' game through the first two weeks of camp. He's already shown himself to be a deep threat, an effective receiver across the middle and an explosive runner after the catch. At 6-1, Watkins' length and catch radius stand out. He's bailed out quarterback EJ Manuel on several throws this summer, showing excellent concentration and catching ability on passes away from his body. -- Mike Rodak

Calvin Pryor Pryor participated in only two full practices before suffering a concussion. He'll be in catch-up mode when he returns, which should be soon, but the Jets are confident he'll be up to speed in short order. Before the injury, Pryor was rotating with Dawan Landry and Antonio Allen at the two safety spots, but the expectation is that Pryor will emerge as one of the starters for Week 1. He's a big-hitting "box" safety with enough range to do a credible job in man-to-man and zone coverage. The Jets desperately need a playmaker on the back end, and they believe he can be a Kam Chancellor-type enforcer. -- Rich Cimini

Bradley Roby With Chris Harris Jr. still recovering from Februrary ACL surgery -- he just returned to practice this week -- Roby has spent much of training camp working in the starting nickel package. The young cornerback has had some welcome-to-the-NFL moments against Peyton Manning and the lads on the other side of the ball, but he's learning on the job against the highest-scoring offense in league history. Roby also has shown the physicality when battling receivers the Broncos wanted, quality catch-up speed and the willingness to come back play after play -- even if the future Hall of Fame quarterback has snuck one by him. -- Jeff Legwold

Khalil Mack Mack has yet to deliver that WOW blow in padded practice, but that's OK for now. The Raiders don't want their prized strongside linebacker blowing up teammates in camp -- that's for their opponents. Mack, though, has shown an innate ability to swarm to the ball. He flies around the field and could have taken out running back Jeremy Stewart, but simply wrapped him up. -- Paul Gutierrez

C.J. Mosley Mosley has displayed great instincts and a high motor, which is why he's been getting time with the starting defense early in training camp. The inside linebacker's relentlessness has been evident since his first play in a full-contact team drill, when he stripped the ball from tight end Owen Daniels. Mosley, the 17th overall pick in the draft, should make the biggest impact of any Ravens defensive rookie since Haloti Ngata (2006). -- Jamison Hensley

Ryan Shazier Shazier didn't slow down once the pads started popping. Running back LeGarrette Blount found that out the hard way when Shazier twice blew past him in the backs-on-'backers drill that highlighted the Steelers' first padded practice of camp. Shazier's speed and athleticism has allowed him to strengthen his grip on the starting job at weakside inside linebacker. Look for the 6-1, 237-pounder to be on a short list of candidates for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year by the end of his first season. -- Scott Brown

Taylor Lewan Lewan is an offensive tackle. But he's worked as the first-team left guard so far as the spot came open when Andy Levitre had his appendix removed on July 24. He's relished the opportunity and looks at it broadly. Working next to Michael Roos gives Lewan perspective on the position he ultimately will play. Working as a guard informs him about the job of the guy who will be next to him when he's back at tackle. He looks solid and confident and he's clearly pleased to be involved with the first unit. -- Paul Kuharsky
 
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