NFL Draft: Tropical Bowl National Team Day 2 Practice Recap

There was a thought coming into this week that the American team held more of an advantage in terms of rostered players.

Robert Gregson | Jan 15, 2022

Tropical Bowl National Team Day 2 Practice Recap

There was a thought coming into this week that the American Team held more of an advantage in terms of rostered players. The National Team may have caught wind of that narrative as they came out firing Friday. Not a single ball hit the ground in offensive drills, and the defense was moving fast and getting aligned quickly in their sub-packages. The attention to detail turned into a high-quality practice that produced the following standouts:

TJ Johnson, Defensive End, Marshall

Johnson was the best defensive end at Friday’s practice, as he was a constant burden for the offensive linemen. He possesses very long arms and uses a variety of pass-rush moves. Mainly a finesse rusher, he wins with his hand placement and quickness. When asked about his play over the past couple of practices, he said: “Man, I’m just grateful to be here, we balled out today, and I’m glad to be a part of that.”

Jarett Guarantano, Quarterback, Washington State

One of the bigger names in attendance, Guarantano turned it on and showed off his skillset in the team period. He dropped in a beautiful pass on a pylon route for a touchdown and had multiple scrambles that gained 8-10 yards before the whistle. When Guarantano was asked how he felt about his performance, he stated, “Yeah, I’ve been through a lot and just wanted to show what I can do when healthy. Today was one of the first times in the last few months I felt I could do that, and I look forward to doing it in the game.”

Tyler Witt, Offensive Lineman, Purdue

Witt had a strong day and was one of the outspoken leaders on offense. He kept players accountable and showed strong physical traits, including great athleticism in the run game and violent hands. When asked about the past two days, he said, “It felt more like a game today, the D-line came to show out, and we had to match that from the jump.”

Richard Dames, Defensive Back, Florida International

A scrappy player, Dames did a lot of talking, but his play always seemed to back that up. Dames plays physical at the line of scrimmage and shows loose hips out of breaks with good recovery speed in trail technique. Coaches loved his talk, and when asked about his enthusiastic nature, he said, “Man, I just felt great today and wanted everyone to know, it’s been fun to compete against these guys.”

Derek Schweiger, Offensive Lineman, Iowa State

Schweiger was one of the most complete players over both days of practice. He had multiple pancake blocks and was catching the eye of many in attendance and gaining favor with coaches. He was extremely competitive and has brute strength that comes from his sound fundamentals, His upper and lower half work in unison, creating supreme power and leg drive. When discussing his ability, he said, “This is such a great opportunity, I came here to show out, and that’s what I intended on doing and will do.”

Summary

The National Team came to play today head into game day firing on all cylinders both offensively and defensively. The work on the field was high quality, and the players bonded well after practice, even with all the chirping in between the lines. If both teams can bring the demeanor and energy they provided on Day 2 of practice, game day at the 2022 Tropical Bowl will be one to remember.

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