Coach Romeo Crennel has had four practices to assess his team, which now has
only one practice on Sunday left before the team breaks until the start of
training camp July 26.
Saturday, he gave a brief assessment of rookies that don't get the attention
of first-round pick Kamerion Wimbley.
D'Qwell Jackson, the inside linebacker from Maryland taken in the second
round: “D’Qwell is coming along pretty well. I think earlier on, the new system
wasn’t coming to him as fast as he wanted it to. Toward the latter part of the
OTAs and now the mini camp, his instincts are coming out and he’s making plays
on the ball. I think he feels more comfortable within the scheme and his ability
to play in the scheme.”
Leon Williams, the inside linebacker from Miami taken in the third round:
"Leon Williams is doing well. He has the size we like at that position and he
can run. He has the reputation of being a hitter. We have to put on the pads
though. We are encouraged by what we see.”
Isaac Sowells, the guard from Indiana taken in the fourth round: "Isaac
Sowells has the typical offensive guard body. He looks the part. He played
tackle in college and we're moving him to guard. I think he’s picking up on it
really well. He has some quickness in his set. He’s working on trying to be more
physical. It’s tough to do in this camp but, with time he’ll work out pretty
well."
Lawrence Vickers, the fullback from Colorado taken in the sixth round: "It
looks like he’s going to be competitive in this camp. He can catch the ball out
of the backfield pretty well and he’s made some nice cuts. If he’s tough enough,
he’ll have a chance.”
Babatunde Oshinowo, the nose tackle from Stanford taken in the sixth round: "Oshinowo
is learning the system. I think he has the strength to make the adaptation that
he has to make. He was a 'penetrate and get across the block' type of guy. We
are a more disciplined and technique type of team. He’s making progress with
that."
Crennel talked about running back Jerome Harrison, a fifth-round pick from
Washington State, and Chris Barclay, a rookie free agent running back Wake Forest. Barclay is 5-10, 180 pounds. Harrison is 5-9, 199 pounds.
“Chris and Harrison are similar types of players," Crennel said. "They are
both quick and explosive. You notice them when they have the ball under their
arms because they seem to be running away from people. We like that about them.
We are going to have to find a spot and get them on the team.”