Ten impressions from Day 2 North practice

MOBILE, Ala. -- News, notes and observations from day two at the Senior Bowl:

1. It was an ugly day for Utah OL Zane Beadles, who struggled outside at tackle and inside at guard. He’s a good athlete in space and has the initial get-off speed to reach the edge, but he was unable to stay on blocks through contact and is consistently overpowered at the point inside. To make matters worse, he struggles with his hand placement and is going to need time to develop in the weight room and from a technical standpoint.

2. One defensive lineman who has kind of gone under the radar so far but is showing very well for himself is Arkansas State DE Alex Carrington. Carrington is a big, well-built kid who not only looked impressive at the weight-in Monday, but he’s displayed a good first step for his size and impressive power on his bull-rush. He’s an effective push/pull player who knows how to disengage from blocks and can consistently collapse his side of the pocket.

3. I got a chance to talk with Arizona State offensive lineman Shawn Lauvao after practice today and asked him about making the transition inside to guard from left tackle. “The biggest thing is just getting comfortable, and I feel I’m starting to get there,” Lauvao told me. “Whatever I can do to help the team. There’s a big difference in the level of competition here as you’re dealing with some really good players.”

As for his performance today, Lauvao displayed good body control and lateral quickness through contact and seems to be playing a lot longer than his frame indicates. He may not have had the type of senior season many envisioned him having playing left tackle at ASU, but in the long term, it may have helped him improve as an overall prospect.

4. Massachusetts offensive lineman Vladimir Ducasse is a good-looking prospect with a lot of upside, but he’s about as raw as they come. He’s a guy who consistently gets overextend out of his stance and will easily lose balance with his footwork. There’s no doubt he has the physical skill set to play in the league, but he’s going to need a good bit of time to develop.

5. The more I watch Purdue defensive tackle Mike Neal, the less impressed I am with his game. When he has the opportunity to line up over weaker offensive linemen, Neal is consistently able to collapse the pocket on his bull-rush and get into the backfield. However, when he’s asked to face a bigger, more physical-type athlete, he struggles using his hands well enough to disengage and routinely gets stonewalled inside.

6. Another guy who has failed to impress is Wake Forest cornerback Brandon Ghee. Ghee is a good-looking defensive back, but he isn’t flexible in his drop, struggles to keep his pad level down in coverage and has a tendency to open up prematurely. He has not faired well in man coverage this week.

7. Boise State cornerback Kyle Wilson continues to shine, showcasing impressive physicality off the line in press while maintaining his balance and quickly closing on the football. Looks like the nation’s top senior corner.

8. Virginia CB Chris Cook is without a doubt one of the most impressive-looking physical specimens down here. However, he has a tendency to get overextended in his drop, is stiff when asked to turn and run and looks more like a free safety prospect to me.

9. The running back who has really jumped out at me this week is Wayne State standout Joique Bell. Bell showcases a good feel between the tackles with the lateral quickness and power to create for himself inside and accelerate into the second level. He’s shown extremely well for himself and looks like one of the nation’s top senior running backs.

10. It was painful to watch Notre Dame safety Kyle McCarthy try to turn and run with Oregon tight end Ed Dickson down the field this morning. He looks like another Golden Domer who simply shouldn’t be at this year’s Senior Bowl.

Follow me on Twitter: @WesBunting

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