Will Mallory- After a dominant spring and fall camp, most people inside the program expected a huge season from Mallory. It didn’t happen, and he disappointed with his hands and lack of physicality. But there were signs of promise. In the four games Brevin Jordan missed to end the season, Mallory averaged 55.75 receiving yards per game. That’s 725 over the course of a season, which would have put him 4th in the country among TEs. The key will be cleaning up the drops and get getting tougher. Greg Olsen got off to a rocky start as a Cane and recovered. We will see how Mallory adapts.
Nesta Silvera- An injury put Silvera behind the curve as a sophomore and he never fully caught up. He struggled using his hands and moving laterally, which is essential at his size. It can’t be all bullrush at this level. The good news is that DTs usually develop later and Nesta was dominant in the first week of spring. Time will tell if that is real improvement or victimizing overmatched interior OL.
Kai-Leon Herbert- Injuries and illness have stunted Herbert’s development. He’s lost valuable practice time, and it showed when he hit the field against Duke. The physical tools are there- his high school testing numbers are comparable to Ezra Cleveland (one of the best OL athletes in the upcoming draft). Herbert rotated with Zion Nelson at RT in spring and the early returns are promising under his third OL coach.
Zach McCloud- My two biggest concerns on defense are replacing Shaq Quarterman and an overall lack of physicality. McCloud can address both. He is a thumper and a physically developed fifth-year player. His instincts and IQ will determine his success. Too often he was late to pull the trigger, which caused his athleticism to play down. He is relatively new to MLB and that position suits him better than striker.
Gurvan Hall- Last year was supposed to the breakout after an outstanding fall camp. While he wasn’t bad (55 tackles, 2 sacks and an INT), he didn’t take the next step. Sheldrick Redwine, Jaquan Johnson and Rayshawn Jenkins didn’t make the leap until their third years or later, which bodes well for Hall if he keeps studying the game under Coach Banda and Ed Reed.
Which players do you want to see make the next step in 2020?
