**UPDATE--Reports out of Mobile are saying the Broncos are talking to Oregon linebacker Casey Matthews. Read into it what you will, but we can add him to the "official" target list as of now**
**UPDATE II--Broncos are also sitting down with TCU QB Andy Dalton. Can never have too many good, inexpensive QB's, and Dalton fits our character mold**
Watching the North team practice in shells today, there are definitely some notable players playing today such as Jake Locker, the quarterback from Washington, Cameron Jordan, defensive end from California, and Ryan Kerrigan, a defensive end from Purdue.
Since the players are going with shells and not doing a lot of 11-on-11 work, it's going to be hard to get a real look at some of the prospective defensive linemen the Broncos will be looking at, so that will be updated through the week.
The Broncos are still going to be in the market potentially for a skill position guy on the offensive or defensive side of the ball in the late rounds. In terms of checkout out physically, one guy who has really impressed is Oklahoma safety Quinton Carter, who measures a hair over six feet and a very solid 211 pounds. For a potential strong safety prospect, that is about the ideal size, and Carter showed good hip flexibility in one-on-one coverage drills.
In one on one drills between linebackers/tight ends and receivers/defensive backs, I'd have to say that the most impressive performances came on the offensive side of the ball. I saw a lot of tightness in the hips of linebackers and safeties, not to my surprise, and there are really not a lot of premiere cornerbacks on the North squad.
One guy who really jumped out was Titus Young, a wide receiver from Boise State. Young is known for his outstanding speed and quickness, and that was certainly on display Monday afternoon. Mike Mayock compared him to a "poor man's DeSean Jackson" and then went on to say that maybe he's not such a "poor man's" DeSean Jackson.
Young is a bit undersized at 5'11" 175, but he more than makes up for it with his superb quickness and breakaway speed. He made nice adjustments on deep passes, ran very crisp short routes, and showed off his great speed.
When the offensive and defensive linemen went one on one, I was impressed by a guy I've gotten to watch over the last couple of years and that was Purdue defensive end Ryan Kerrigan. Kerrigan had more than 33 sacks and a Big Ten record 14 forced fumbles for the Boilermakers, and showed great quickness off the edge against some of the draft's best offensive tackles.
If you're looking for the best and most consistent pass rusher in the draft, there might be none better than Kerrigan throughout the draft. He is a very underrated prospect.
Again, this was not a good day really to evaluate the big men, and guys are just getting into the flow of things. Quarterbacks were not overly accurate, and it was clearly the first time these guys had practiced together, but there were still some individual standouts.
As for who did not perform well or show up in top shape, you have to look at a guy in Mark Herzlich who was very stiff and didn't show me much today, and then the overall play of the safeties, especially in one on one drills. I saw a lot of slow feet and bad hips.
One player to keep an eye on in the future practices is Texas DE Sam Acho, who will be playing for the South team. His arms measured out at over 35 inches, which is considered fantastic for a 6'6" offensive lineman. For a 6'3" defensive end, that is a great number, and will be a great help to him at the next level (see Dumervil, Elvis).