The City by the Bay was the place to be on Saturday as the Scout.com Combine
took place in San Francisco in Rams Stadium at City College of San Francisco.Nearly 110 of the top players in Central and Northern California as well as
the Pacific Northwest hit the field for what turned out to be a clear, sunny and
breezy day.
Quarterbacks
Ebahn Feathers was flying under the radar going in to Saturday's combine.
On Saturday, he was just flying. The athletic quarterback from Washington Union
in Fresno ran a 4.38 forty, the fastest time of the day and then had a solid
showing in the drills and 1-on-1's en route to earning San Francisco Combine MVP
honors. Feathers showed that despite his speed and smaller size (6-1) he
can throw the ball.
Sean Renfree from Notre Dame Prep in Scottsdale had a strong day as well,
showing off a strong arm and good footwork. Renfree also picked up his
first offer a day later from Oregon State.
Cody Vaz, a 2009 prospect from St. Mary's in Stockton has had to bide his
time behind Pete Murdaca for the Rams, but with Murdaca gone to college next
year, Vaz showed why there shouldn't be a huge dropoff, earning rave reviews for
his arm, touch and consistency.
Blake Tillis and Jordan Lusk were a couple more 2009 prospects who had a good
say on Saturday as well as Tommy Stewart and Kramer Hagan, 2008 prospects from
Eugene and Sacramento respectively.
Running Backs
John Tate was no stranger to the Scout Combine, having attended it as a
sophomore a year ago in Los Angeles. This year, like many of the Edison
prospects who joined him, he was one of the standouts. Tate ran a 4.5
forty and had a good showing in the 1-on-1's, catching the ball well and showing
good moves on the linebackers.
Kennith Jackson made the trek up the 101 with a host of other Archbishop Mitty
teammates and had a good performance on Saturday as well. Fullback could
be his best spot in college, as he's got tremendous size and strength.
Another fullback we liked was Casey Cotta from Los Banos. In a setting
like this, a fullback can't show his true strengths, but Cotta has good hands
and moves well. He also plays linebacker, but we feel like fullback is
where his future is.
Robert Virgil from Capital Christian in Sacramento had a solid showing throughout
the day. Steven Christian, a commit to Stanford, worked out only sparingly in the drills and didn't test, after battling an illness all week.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Always known for their defensive backs, Edison had a
couple of receivers who stood out, the main one being
Jermiah Carter. A track star for the Tigers,
Carter had confidence, a swagger and the ability to get open and make
the tough catch plus the speed you want. His teammate, Rashad Schaefer
also had a nice day catching the ball.Deon Hicks, from Edison's rival Fresno, is a nice, big and physical receiver
himself and was making a slew of acrobatic catches. Consistency was his
one battle, but when the tough ball was thrown, Hicks came down with it.
Isiah Crunk was not going to be outdone by his teammate Feathers too much,
and the two showed their chemistry when running routes together. James Lake from Fairfield has good size and physically was stronger than each corner
he went up against.
There were not many tight ends who came, but one who stood out was Sean Brown
from Oakland Tech and a transfer from Albany. Brown is well put-together
and has good feet and physically overmatched linebackers in traffic. He
also used his hands well to catch the ball.
Offensive & Defensive Line
In the trenches, John Tupou from Elk Grove and Jacob Feagai from Piedmont
Hills were the standouts. Tupou measured at 6-5 and 325 and moved very
well. The cousin of USC signee Christian Tupou, John showed the footwork
and athleticism to play tackle at the collegiate level and he said he's working
on his academics to ensure he'll be getting the attention he deserves.
Feagai, who measured in at 6-3, 303, physically may have looked the best of any
lineman in attendance and though he worked with the offensive lineman (and did
very well), he looks like a defensive tackle at the next level, where his size,
speed (he clocked a 5.03 forty) and strength would be a huge boon.
Gabriel Hampton from Hercules moved well and used his hands well in the
1-on-1s and despite being a quieter sort, played with a mean and nasty streak.
Tim Hodgdon from Tesoro has performed well throughout the spring and had another
good day. He is physical and polished in his blocking.
Joseph Williams from Elk Grove, despite a shorter stature, was quick off the
ball and technically sound. Nat Harrison from Edison probably will end up
at tight end our outside linebacker in college, since he isn't very big, but he
was the quickest of the defensive lineman.
Chad Davis from Palma earned strong reviews from the coaches on Saturday
after shining in the drills and 1-on-1s. Davis, an all-state selection in 2006, reads the plays well, has
quick hands and looked very fluid in space. His best spot may be at strong
safety but WLB could be a destination for him.
Rob Andrews has been on California's most consistent performers and he too was an
all-state selection as a junior. On Saturday, he had an excellent day
throughout the combine, both in the testing (he ran a 4.4) and the drills.
Andrews has only one offer, from San Diego State, but after showing off
excellent speed and the ability to play in space, we expect that to offer total
to increase in the months ahead.
Kiko Alonso from Los Gatos was another of the top performers on Saturday and
he too looks good physically and like an ideal Sam or Mike backer in college.
Jeff Sloan has played in his brother Steve (who signed with UCLA) shadow but
he's ready to make his mark and Saturday was a good time for him to do so.
A name to remember for the class of 2009 is John Michael Davis from Santa
Margarita. Davis earned honors at the Underclassmen Combine in early April
but on a stage with upperclassmen, he more than held his own. Davis comes
from one of the strongest programs in the state and was an anchor on their
defense as sophomore and is just scratching the surface of his potential.
He could be one of the top recruits in the state next year.
Another linebacker to watch in the class of 2009 is Daniel Cox from Christian Brothers in Sacramento, who looked good.
The secondary may have been the deepest and most talented position at the
combine. Quinn Evans will play his senior year at Basha High in Chandler
but he's no stranger to the big stage, having played at Hamilton, the Arizona
state champs, as a junior. Evans was the standout of the defensive backs,
technically sounds, great instincts and physical.
Daniel Cannon didn't have to go far to attend on Saturday, his high school,
Riordan, is across the street from CCSF and he looked plenty comfortable playing
in his hometown. Cannon was one of the state leaders in interceptions as a
junior and at the combine, he showed why with good hands, reads and ability to
come out of his breaks.
Kevin Frank plays quarterback and defensive back, but the secondary is where
he'll play in college and where his offers are at. Frank is quick,
physical and confident. A couple of other Sacramento natives also
performed admirably including Jalen Hamilton-Haywood from Valley and Isaiah Frey
from Jesuit.
Austin Day from Foothill would have loved to have the pads on, as he is a
physical specimen himself and knocked a few guys down as they attempted to reel
in the ball. In one sequence, he had a deflection, a strip and a pick.
Jeff Marks from Montgomery, Myles Crawford-Harris from Oakland Tech, Blake Zamudio from Mitty and Jordan Wood from Riordan all turned in good days.
Javon Sears, the younger brother of Michigan corner Johnny Sears, showed the
skill was in the bloodlines. He struggled a bit with a leg injury but kept
wanting to get reps.
The official results of the combine will be available at ScoutCombines.com on Wednesday.