hawkeyegamefilm
Well-Known Member
I spent a good portion of the scrimmage portion watching from the end zone angles and focusing on DB's alignment and technique. Nico Law was not suited up today, but was at practice in sweats. Whatever was keeping him out didn't look serious. Scheme wise, Iowa looked mostly the same as they have in recent years(lot of Cover 6,4, & 2), but like the last couple of open practices they've shown more aggressive looks(more blitzing, some man-press, 2-man). They did work in their nickel package pretty consistently and that is one change that hopefully stays from '12. During the open practice they stuck to the posted 2 deep most of the time for the DBs:
CB: Lomax, Draper
SS: Lowdermilk, Lile
FS: Miller, Gair
CB: Lowery, Fleming
CB
Lowery still shows very good footwork in coverage and ate up a lot of the shorter routes. For his size he's very effective jamming WRs and disrupted their routes with consistency. He does still struggle to transition smoothly at times when forced to turn and run with verts. He also tends to keep his back turned when playing verts which has drawn him some PI flags in the past. It's not a physical issue, he's got the foot-speed to get into good position; he really just needs to trust his technique, head off WRs, and turn back and find the football. Easier said than done though.
Jordan Lomax looks healthy after missing '12 with shoulder surgery. He's got quick feet and has loose hips. Doesn't appear to have great make-up speed, but isn't a slouch either. Didn't get a good read on his ability to jam; too few opportunities to judge there. He stepped up hard in run support a few times and didn't' look timid there. Lomax did a good job keeping his hips down and maintaining a solid cushion on WRs in his back-pedal most times. Lomax also closed very well on throws in front of him, he gave up some completions on slants and hitches but was in good position and made quick stops. I didn't see any major issues with Lomax's ability to play quality man coverage which should allow Iowa to continue to evolve in that department.
Sean Draper worked as the 3rd CB and replaced Hitchens in the nickel package during practice. Draper played outside and Lowery stepped down inside over the slot. Draper is a longer CB who looks to be a legit 6'0 with long arms. Draper saw significant action in '12 as a sub package CB and should grow into a bigger role over time as he earns the coaching staff's trust.
SS
With Law out Lowdermilk got the reps with the 1s. Lowdermilk isn't going to wow you with athleticism but he showed up in the right place more often than not. Overall I'd describe him as a pretty good football player, does a lot of the little things well. He wasn't an overly physical tackler but he was sound. He tackled low and wrapped up. He brought down Canzeri in the open field a couple of times which is no easy feat. Behind him was Rueben Lile who's got a very big frame 6'3 210 and moves very well for his size. Lile doesn't look like he's even close to filing up his frame either; could probably add additional size. Lile's size makes him a better match up for taller TEs and he may grow into a LB before he's done at Iowa. Lile did have some issues getting lined up properly at times but it's hardly a concern at this point. I don't think either guy will be able to take the spot away from Law if he plays up to potential. If Law doesn't or has injury issues, it looks like there's some depth behind him for '13. At the very least Iowa is likely to get some good special teams play from their depth at SS.
FS
Miller is entering his 3rd year at the top of the depth chart at FS and had a rough finish to '12; to be fair Iowa's entire back seven looked lost down the stretch in '12. Miller will need to be a leader for this group in '13 and eliminate the mental mistakes. Miller's backup looks to be Anthony Gair who's coming off a RS year. Gair looks smooth in his back-pedal and wasn't biting on play action. Gair wasn't challenged deep in 1/2 field and I didn't get much of a look at his ball skills either. It wasn't a big sample size, but what was there was positive for Gair and it's important Iowa develop some depth behind Miller.
CB: Lomax, Draper
SS: Lowdermilk, Lile
FS: Miller, Gair
CB: Lowery, Fleming
CB
Lowery still shows very good footwork in coverage and ate up a lot of the shorter routes. For his size he's very effective jamming WRs and disrupted their routes with consistency. He does still struggle to transition smoothly at times when forced to turn and run with verts. He also tends to keep his back turned when playing verts which has drawn him some PI flags in the past. It's not a physical issue, he's got the foot-speed to get into good position; he really just needs to trust his technique, head off WRs, and turn back and find the football. Easier said than done though.
Jordan Lomax looks healthy after missing '12 with shoulder surgery. He's got quick feet and has loose hips. Doesn't appear to have great make-up speed, but isn't a slouch either. Didn't get a good read on his ability to jam; too few opportunities to judge there. He stepped up hard in run support a few times and didn't' look timid there. Lomax did a good job keeping his hips down and maintaining a solid cushion on WRs in his back-pedal most times. Lomax also closed very well on throws in front of him, he gave up some completions on slants and hitches but was in good position and made quick stops. I didn't see any major issues with Lomax's ability to play quality man coverage which should allow Iowa to continue to evolve in that department.
Sean Draper worked as the 3rd CB and replaced Hitchens in the nickel package during practice. Draper played outside and Lowery stepped down inside over the slot. Draper is a longer CB who looks to be a legit 6'0 with long arms. Draper saw significant action in '12 as a sub package CB and should grow into a bigger role over time as he earns the coaching staff's trust.
SS
With Law out Lowdermilk got the reps with the 1s. Lowdermilk isn't going to wow you with athleticism but he showed up in the right place more often than not. Overall I'd describe him as a pretty good football player, does a lot of the little things well. He wasn't an overly physical tackler but he was sound. He tackled low and wrapped up. He brought down Canzeri in the open field a couple of times which is no easy feat. Behind him was Rueben Lile who's got a very big frame 6'3 210 and moves very well for his size. Lile doesn't look like he's even close to filing up his frame either; could probably add additional size. Lile's size makes him a better match up for taller TEs and he may grow into a LB before he's done at Iowa. Lile did have some issues getting lined up properly at times but it's hardly a concern at this point. I don't think either guy will be able to take the spot away from Law if he plays up to potential. If Law doesn't or has injury issues, it looks like there's some depth behind him for '13. At the very least Iowa is likely to get some good special teams play from their depth at SS.
FS
Miller is entering his 3rd year at the top of the depth chart at FS and had a rough finish to '12; to be fair Iowa's entire back seven looked lost down the stretch in '12. Miller will need to be a leader for this group in '13 and eliminate the mental mistakes. Miller's backup looks to be Anthony Gair who's coming off a RS year. Gair looks smooth in his back-pedal and wasn't biting on play action. Gair wasn't challenged deep in 1/2 field and I didn't get much of a look at his ball skills either. It wasn't a big sample size, but what was there was positive for Gair and it's important Iowa develop some depth behind Miller.
