Alexander has ‘sneaky athleticism for a big man’
A lot of attention has been placed on the rookie class in the first week of training camp. However, the spotlight has seemingly been put on guys such as Abdul Carter, Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo. One draft pick that has almost slipped through the cracks is defensive lineman Darius Alexander, the team’s third-round pick.
With the team now two days into padded practices, Alexander has gotten the opportunity to showcase his skillset a bit more. The 24-year-old lineman has had some strong reps during 1-on-1 drills, giving spectators a sneak peak into his potential. The coaching staff is undoubtedly encouraged by the rookie’s size and athletic ability, but just like all of the other first-year players, Alexander still has a long road ahead of him.
“He is a lot like these other guys,” said Daboll. “There’s some flashes out there. He’s got length and athleticism and he’s rushed from different areas in the pass-rush portion of things. He’s rushed inside, we’ve put him on the edge outside. (He’s a) big body guy who’s got sneaky athleticism for a big man. I know everybody sees the interception return that he had, but he’s got quick feet, he’s got long arms, he’s got good get off, he’s got a natural ability to rush, particularly on the interior side of the pocket, but then there’s double teams and down blocks and a bunch of things that you’re coaching off of that we have to work on.”
Tracy: Skattebo is great addition to RB room
Tracy is coming off a strong rookie campaign. After playing in a reserve role through the first four games, Tracy got his first expanded opportunity in Week 5 and never looked back. Throughout his first NFL season, Tracy showed off his ability to both run and catch the ball, attributes his new teammate in the running back room shares.
Cam Skattebo had a highly decorated senior season at Arizona State, finishing with 2,316 total yards from scrimmage, 605 of which came through the air, along with 24 total touchdowns. Being able to do a little bit of everything is clearly something the front office prioritized with their running backs. Tracy emphasized that significance of being a complete back to the media on Tuesday.
“Cam here is nothing but adding to what we got,” Tracy said. “I think that it’s a great addition to the room. If you look around our room, there’s really nothing anyone can’t do. We didn’t add Cam, just to do one thing. We added him because he’s a good running back. You know what I’m saying? They didn’t bring me here just to do one thing. They added me because I’m a good running back.
“So, at the end of the day, whoever’s in there on third down, second down, first down, it doesn’t matter what it is. You’re going to produce, and that’s the standard that we have in a running back room. When we go on the field and we get them opportunities, whether it’s pass or run or even pass protection, man, make the play. There is no third down back. There is no, you’re passing down back, whatever. There’s not that in our room. It’s more so can you play, and then when you do get the opportunities, take care of it. You know what I’m saying? And make the most of it.”
Skattebo’s collegiate highlight reel is filled with plays of him running defenders over on a consistent basis. While Tracy has plenty of skills in his toolbox, he knows the rookie’s physicality complements his own speed and ability to make people miss.
“The man’s strong and powerful,” the second-year back said about Skattebo. “I’m more slippery and elusive, you know. But at the same time, we both can catch out the backfield, we both can pass protect. So, it’s not like when Cam comes in, ‘Oh we’re running the ball downhill.’ No, he can do really anything, just like I can do really anything. So, it’s a really good addition to our running back room because when you add a player like that, that can give that power element, not necessarily saying we didn’t have it last year, but when you watch his film, you can obviously see it on film what he’s bringing to the table. So, when you add that, it definitely puts emphasis on it in our room.”
Source link
