South Practice Notes:


Tennessee State defensive back Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was nothing short of excellent, both in drills and coverage. Smooth athlete with quick hip flip, playing both free safety and cornerback.

Michigan's Chad Henne was sensational Monday and stands to benefit greatly because of his overall passing efficiency. Kentucky's Andre Woodson showcased his rifle of an arm but understandably struggled with his timing during the first day of practice. Otherwise, there wasn't much positive to say about the performances turned in by Colt Brennan (Hawaii), John David Booty (USC), Joe Flacco (Delaware) and Erik Ainge (Tennessee). Brennan had toughest first day. His erratic passing performance in practice was preceded by him tipping the scale at a measly 185 pounds during the morning's weigh-in.

• Sweed and LSU's Early Doucet stand out as the top two receivers on the South roster. We still have questions regarding Doucet's top-end speed and toughness, both of which will be put to the test in full-pad practices the next two days. Doucet was dominant in one-on-one and seven-on-seven sessions, though. He displayed the quickness and fluid hips to consistently separate from man-coverage and looked extremely smooth when catching the ball away from his frame and/or on the run.

• Speaking of which, Troy CB Leodis McKelvin's draft stock has experienced a meteoric rise the past few months. While his quick feet and explosive burst were easily distinguished during drills, McKelvin's ball skills left much to be desired. In addition to dropping two potential interceptions, he muffed as punt during special teams drills. It will be interesting to see if McKelvin can shake off the rust and finish the week strong.

• LSU OLB Ali Highsmith turned in a solid day's work and appears to be one of the most complete linebackers here. He started strong, showing quick feet running through bags during individual drills and never looked back. During nine-on-seven drills, Highsmith located the ball quickly and took sound pursuit angles. Highsmith was just as impressive dropping into coverage. He showed great awareness and got good depth when asked to drop into zone coverage while showing he's also quick enough to match up with most backs. However, one of Highsmith's biggest weakness is he doesn't control blockers as well as scouts would like and it showed up one play in particular today. Arkansas FB Peyton Hillis sealed Highsmith inside paving the way for the back to turn the corner and break a long run.

• Georgia Tech ILB Philip Wheeler had his ups and downs Monday. Wheeler is a tough and relentless run stopper who can shed blockers quickly, so it came as little surprise that he was in on multiple tackles during nine-on-seven drills. The problem is he looked lost and struggled in coverage. He got caught out of position at times and looked stiff trying to match up with backs in man coverage.

• Tulane RB Matt Forte's blend of versatility and size opened some eyes at practice. The 222-pound back read his blocks well and is tough to bring down, making him an effective between-the-tackles runner, but he's showing he's fast enough to turn the corner as well. In addition, Forte looks like he can make an impact in the passing game. The crispness of his cuts and the separation he created working against the linebackers during one-on-one drills was impressive. Forte also showed the ability to turn on the jets and track the ball downfield when he beat South Florida ILB Ben Moffitt deep for a reception.

• Michigan State TE Kellen Davis has some serious potential. He has a great build and is a very fluid with his movements. He has the chance to develop into a feared target. However, Davis still has a long way to go. He doesn't find and snatch the ball consistently and his ball skills and ability to adjust to the football is questionable at this point. If he dedicates himself to working on the nuances of playing tight end, Davis could make a real impact at the next level. But it will not come overnight.

• In a shocking contrast, P Mike Dragosavich is nearly a foot taller than his special teams counterpart, K Alexis Serna. Obviously these two spent a lot of time together during the bulk of practice and they look like the stars of "Twins" sequel. When they got their time to shine, Serna came through on his several field goal attempts, while Dragosavich's performance left much to be desired. Dragosavich has very long kicking levers and is too deliberate in getting his punts away. He also didn't demonstrate very good control with his punts.

Someone help me here. How can WEIGHING IN help your stock? Oh I see, so you don't show up like a slob, so therefore you helped yourself! I really don't care how ripped you are or how long your arm span is. CAN YOU PLAY! That is ultimately the question. Josh Bullocks has ALL the measurables and has the instincts of a blind man on crack! Hollis Thomas is not going to win any body contests, but his insticts have transformed him from an undrafted FA to probably, our most consistant DT. The only thing I would say really HURTS a certain player in todays game would be height in certain positions. Not QB because Brees is no Shaq. CB is a position where I think you need decent height nowadays. Especially a starting corner.