Answering Some Leftover Spring Ball Questions (Part 2)
Part 2, let's roll...
Q: What is the latest on Krajnovic? I did not see him in uniform on the sideline.
A: Not going to lie, completely forgot about him and now I can't even remember if I saw him once during camp. I'll do some asking around, but if he didn't stand out in any of the 15 practices I can't imagine he makes a giant leap in August, at least not right away.
Q: Did any freshman participate in spring practice?
A: Jadon Lafontant, Pape Sy and that's really it. Even then, neither guy really got any significant snaps, although in Sy's case, literally any time he's around American football IN America it's valuable. He was in a yellow non-contact early and then progressed. He's definitely an absolute house and very raw, but you can see why Hafley and that staff went after him, if this staff can mold him there's a chance to be special. As far as the redshirt freshmen, I'll keep banging the drum for Reed Harris. Josiah Griffin should have a role (I said that last year too), as should Datrell Jones. DB Carter Davis had a few flashes here and there. I also thought tight end Holden Symonds showed he can play a bit.
Q: What does the second string OL look like? Saw a bit of Crouse and Funke, wondering how the depth looks...
A: So, admittedly, I rarely focused on the two-O line when James was in because I was more focused on the connection he had with certain guys on the outside (Dino and Harris particularly). I will say I think the Kendall, Trapilo, Bowry, Taylor and Conley unit is going to be very good. Funke will rotate in and Hess should have time too. Applebaum has often made it clear that the more guys you have that can keep the starters fresh the better, so I'd expect a couple other guys to emerge in training camp and I'll definitely try to lock in on it more.
Q: Is Batson still penciled in as a starter?
A: He was doing mostly conditioning towards the last few days of camp and I honestly can't remember if he was even out there during the spring game or not (that's the problem working for 3 sites at once). But, I do think he's one of the more talented guys on that side of the ball. The secondary is pretty deep. if he's 100% then yes I think he starts, but there's guys who can take his place and not miss a beat in my opinion.
Q: I was impressed with the depth at RB. After Kye and Broome, who is next up?
A: I've said it since Day 2 of camp, it's the second deepest room on the team behind the receivers. Ward and Robichaux are 1a and 1 b. Broome looked outstanding until he was injured, he had some real home run-runs the first few days of practice and was running extremely hard dragging guys with him. Jordan McDonald from UCF was impressive both as a runner and pass catcher. I'm a huge fan of Anthony Ferrucci and his Danny Woodhead/Darren Sproles-like game. I think he could be a serious weapon in the pass game. Local guy Datrell Jones also had some really good days when given more opportunity. Jayden McGowan from Vandy is a receiver but can be used as a RB too. That position group should be just fine even if Broome's injury is long term. There's a lot of versatility there.
If you guys keep sending these I'll do them all the way until the draft next week. Hoping Christian, Klye or Elijah (ideally all three) end up in Foxborough...