Receivers: Leonard Hankerson, Miami/Ronald Johnson, USC -- Hankerson was the star among all the receivers to many analysts - people like his smooth stride and ability to run routes very well. While I echo those sentiments, and also liked his toughness when going low in traffic on comebacks, I'm a little concerned that Hankerson's lack of speed will affect his NFL prospects. He doesn't make a hard cut in stride - it takes him a second to get back up to speed - and I don't know that you can get away with that against faster and more complex NFL defenses. Johnson consistently impressed me as a slot receiver; he is quick enough to get open in short spaces and helped Hankerson and other bigger receivers by taking the inside route on combo routes very quickly.
Honorable mention to West Virginia's Jock Sanders, who came to Mobile as a late add and blew me away with his speed on quick stutter-go routes from the slot. Size concerns will dog him, but that kid is ridiculously fast.
Tight Ends: DJ Williams(notes), Arkansas/Luke Stocker, Tennessee -- Not much to talk about at the tight end
position on the North team, but the South had two standouts. I liked Williams' turn-and-go when getting open downfield, and he has great hands - one hand naturally follows the other when he's bringing the ball in and he's quick to grab the pass in the end zone. Stocker was one of the most physically impressive players through practice week because he caught everything thrown his way, and he also held on early in the week when Alabama's Greg McElroy throw him right into a huge hit in the secondary. He's that big, Jason Witten(notes)-type tight end who can do just about everything - a skill set that will never go out of style.
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