CB Jarrick Bernard-Converse’s interception is the best play so far at the midway point of OTAs.
John Schmeelk: Fiction – I’m going to go with the field here. There are a lot of really good options. Malachi Fields and Isaiah Likely have both had outstanding one-handed catches. Jaxson Dart and Jameis Winston have both made passes that have threaded the needle between multiple defenders. Bernard-Converse’s interception, a leaping one-handed grab, was spectacular, but I wouldn’t necessarily put it ahead of all the other plays I have seen.
Dan Salomone: Fact – It was part of a four-interception day for the defense at OTA No. 4, and they all had a high degree of difficulty. But none topped his. Bernard-Converse did his best impersonation of a Gold Glove outfielder on the play, backhanding a deep pass as he swung his head around and tipped it to himself.
Matt Citak: Fiction – Bernard-Converse’s interception was easily the best play on the defensive side of the ball at the midway point of OTAs. But as eye-opening as it was, I have to go with the leaping, one-handed grab by Malachi Fields all the way back on Day 1 of OTAs. The rookie wide receiver went airborne, extended his left arm as far as possible and somehow plucked the football out of the air about 30+ yards down field. The fact that it came in his very first practice with the veterans on the team made it even more impressive. For those trying to picture this play, it looked eerily similar to his crazy, one-handed catch for Notre Dame against Pittsburgh last year.
The secondary has been the most impressive position group this spring.
John Schmeelk: Fact – What has made this group so impressive has been the reaction time. When the ball is in the air, they are flying to the football. That has been especially true for the safeties. When they are in zone with their eyes on the quarterback, the defensive backs have been able to make plays on the ball and quickly close on short passes in front of them to prevent run-after-catch situations. What makes the defensive backfield even more impressive is that they are doing this without being able to be physical in press coverage due to the non-contact nature of OTAs. Receivers have rarely gotten behind them, even though they have completed a number of back-shoulder catches.
Dan Salomone: Fiction – It’s tough to take your eyes off the duo of Tremaine Edmunds and Arvell Reese. They are matching 6-foot-4, 240-pound inside linebackers who can cover sideline to sideline. Having them at the heart of every play will make the entire defense and team better. Jack Kelly, a sixth-round pick from BYU and a BMX rider from Utah, is also another name to watch as things progress this spring and into summer.
“He can pass rush – that’s one thing that he’s really good at – but I think it overshadows a lot of the stuff that he does well in his zone drops and in his man-to-man coverage, how he plays the run,” BYU head coach Kalani Sitake said on the “Giants Huddle” podcast. “He runs sideline to sideline. He can play any position. He’s capable enough. He has a great football IQ and he can play any of the linebacker positions where it’s outside or inside.”
Matt Citak: Fiction – The secondary has looked good this spring, but going back to my previous answer involving Arvell Reese, I’m going with the linebackers. I already went into how the rookie has looked over the last few weeks, but he isn’t the only one impressing. Tremaine Edmunds has also looked good through the first half of OTAs as he has gotten his hands on the ball to break up a few passes, in addition to sniffing out a couple of screen passes behind the line of scrimmage. If the defense is going to take a big step in the right direction this season, those two in the middle are going to play massive roles. Micah McFadden is also looking like he did before his injury last year, while Darius Muasau and Cam Jones have shown some flashes. Add in Jack Kelly beginning to find his way and it’s easy to see this position group being the most improved from last year by a wide margin.
