The Ohio State NIKE Camp was lacking some of the Midwest's big names, but a few
did make the trip. With Dionte Allen (track meet) not attending and Ronald Johnson
on hand only to watch, this was a good chance for some sleeper prospects to shine.
First up were the timings and the bench press. The fastest forty yard dash of
the day was turned in by Skylar Jones from Middletown, OH. A track star, Jones
plays quarterback for Middletown but could play a number of different positions
at the next level. The top bench press results today went to Chad Snodgrass, an
offensive lineman from Nitro, WV, as he lifted the bar (185 lbs) 41 times. But
the top overall Sparq rating of the day went to Iowa DB/Ath Jordan Bernstein.
He also had an excellent performance earlier at the Iowa City combine and proved
it wasn't a fluke here. He turned in 16 reps on the bench, a 4.38 forty yard dash
and a 41.9 inch vertical. At this point though, he is very raw as a CB and needs
technical work there, but has the raw tools.
In one on one drills, we got a good chance to see some kids from Michigan perform.
TE Cameron Joplin from Ann Arbor Pioneer certainly passed the eye test. He was
tall and well put together. He has soft hands and caught the ball well other
than one pass he dropped where he had to adjust and reach behind him. However,
he played too upright and isn't a burner, even for a tight end. He is a raw
prospect who did not do some of the little things like come back to the ball
or attack the ball aggressively at its highest point. He seems to be the type
of nice kid who will need a fire lit under him.
Mark Dell had some coaches on him about some route running, and that is an
area he needs to improve on. Some of the troubles were due to the QBs and WRs
not working together before today though. Dell does have the raw tools to become
a very good receiver and a good route runner though. He is very quick and bursts
out of his breaks allowing him to create separation. One thing he needs to improve
is his release. He releases with his head down and also had some trouble against
press coverage.
As for the out-of-staters, Martez Wilson was one of the more physically impressive
players there. He is tall and well built and showed good athleticism on the
field. He has played some wide receiver, but will almost certainly be a tight
end if he plays on offense in college. He has good hands and though he showed
some rawness as a route runner, he did a lot of things well. He has good quicks
for a guy his size and was able to separate himself and get open a few times
against smaller, quicker DBs.
Jordan Mabin was probably the best cover man out there. He not only has great
speed, but he is very fluid and has the hips to change direction and turn and
run without losing speed. Even though he is undersized, he showed he could play
up on receivers and be physical. Another plus is his intelligence. He shows
good awareness on the field and read routes as well as you could in this type
of situation.
A few other kids who stood out: Ezra Millington, a big wide receiver from Huron
Heights all the way up in Canada. He isn't a burner, but he ran good routes
and looked to be a solid possession guy. Will he be a Michigan recruit? Unlikely,
but he's a name to remember. Chris Givens from Chillicothe, OH looked good in
one on ones. He is a very solid prospect who already has a college build. He
does have interest in Michigan, but does not have an offer as of now. DiMarcus
Wilson, a relatively unknown player from St. Louis, MO impressed with his coverage
and instincts during one on ones as well.