Ford Field Open Practice: Defense, Special Teams

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28Mar 2016
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Ford Field Open Practice: Defense, Special Teams

Noah Furbush 793x

Noah Furbush

Yesterday, I posted my thoughts on Saturday’s practice regarding injuries, offense, and a few walk-ons to watch (LINK). Today I’ll address what I saw from the defense.

DEFENSIVE END
Depth: Chris Wormley, Taco Charlton, Chase Winovich, Lawrence Marshall, Reuben Jones, Carlo Kemp
Scoop: Wormley spent some time both outside and inside, and we already know what to expect from him. In fact, a lot of the starters seemed to be going about 90%, because going 100% would just be unfair. The defensive line was handling the offensive front pretty well. Charlton is a physical freak, and it looked like he spent some time at both Anchor (strongside end) and weakside end. Winovich was my surprise of the day, because he definitely looked like he belonged on the field. In fact, he was working so hard coming off the edge that a bit of a brawl started when Kyle Kalis chucked him to the ground after a play. Winovich uses good leverage and can bend well, and I think he’s going to see some time. Marshall didn’t do anything special, and I think he needs to add weight and become a strongside end; he just doesn’t have the quickness or instincts to be an edge rusher, in my opinion. Jones looked decent and competitive, but I think he’s probably another year or two away. Kemp has moved from linebacker – where he was a poor fit, in my opinion – to defensive end. In fact, both Jones and Kemp were working at linebacker in Florida, but neither one worked with the linebackers on Saturday. Shelton Johnson is nursing an injury and did not practice. Maurice Hurst, Jr. had an ankle injury that was making him gimpy, and he was playing some Anchor at times but was ineffective (more due to injury than a lack of ability).

Hit the jump for the rest of the defense.

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27Mar 2016
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Ford Field Open Practice: Offense, Injuries, Walk-ons

Wilton Speight 792x

Wilton Speight

Happy Easter Sunday, everybody! Along with a few thousand other fans, I made my way to Ford Field on Saturday. I sat in the stands, ate a hot dog, and watched Captain Khaki run practice. I chose not to live tweet it because, well, it was nice to sit back, relax, and watch a well run practice. Below are my thoughts on some roster news and the various positions:

ROSTER NEWS

  • WR/CB Freddy Canteen is not on the roster and his status is unclear.
  • WR Jehu Chesson was doing work on the sideline and on the bike, wearing a brace on his knee.
  • RB Kingston Davis was in shorts without a helmet and running steps. Lots and lots of steps.
  • OG David Dawson was wearing a sling on his left arm and did not participate.
  • CB Reon Dawson and WR Jaron Dukes have left the football program and are exploring medical scholarships.
  • DT Ryan Glasgow was in shorts and a helmet going through some non-contact drills, but then ran steps with Davis for a big chunk of practice.
  • RB Karan Higdon was in street clothes. No injury was apparent.
  • DE Shelton Johnson was not visible to me. I looked for him extensively and never saw him. Sam Webb tweeted that he was on the sideline in street clothes.

Hit the jump for a position-by-position breakdown of the offense.

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25Mar 2016
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Visitors: March 25-27, 2016

Wyatt Davis 787x

Bellevue (CA) St. John Bosco OT Wyatt Davis (image via Maxpreps)

2017
Henry Bainivalu – OT – Seattle (WA) Skyline: Bainivalu is a 6’6″, 290 lb. prospect with offers from Michigan, Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #19 offensive tackle, and #110 overall. He quietly has Michigan as one of his top few schools, although Washington is probably out front. Bainivalu said he he may visit Michigan this weekend, so it’s not 100% set in stone. UPDATE: Bainivalu will visit during the week of April 11th instead.

Naytron Culpepper – CB – Miami (FL) Carol City: Culpepper is a 5’11”, 160 lb. prospect with offers from Arkansas, Louisville, LSU, and South Carolina, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 3-star, the #39 safety, and #520 overall. He’s a teammate of 2017 linebacker De’Andre Wilder (see below).

Wyatt Davis – OT – Bellevue (CA) St. John Bosco: Davis is a 6’5″, 310 lb. prospect with offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, USC, and Washington, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 5-star, the #7 offensive tackle, and #24 overall. He’s the son of actor Duane Davis (who was the Very Dumb Football Player in Beetlejuice and Alvin Mack in The Program), as well as the grandson of former Grambling State, Green Bay Packers, and Cleveland Browns defensive end Willie Davis, an NFL Hall of Famer. Much like Bainivalu, Davis is high on Michigan.

A.J. Dillon – RB – Groton (MA) Lawrence Academy: Dillon is a 6’1″, 230 lb. prospect with offers from Florida State, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Wisconsin, among others. He’s a 247 Composite 4-star, the #19 running back, and #249 overall. He claims a 4.59 forty and a 4.39 shuttle. As a junior in 2015, he ran 187 times for 1,887 yards and 26 TDs. He is coming to Ann Arbor on March 22 and recently named the Wolverines to his top five. He’s the grandson of Notre Dame star Tom Gatewood, a College Football Hall of Fame wide receiver in the 1970s.

Hit the jump for more 2017 and 2018 visitors.

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