College All-Star Game 2020 standouts to watch for in the NFL Draft

Marlon Davidson

Marlon Davidson, EDGE, Auburn

Davidson is another one of those guys who couldn’t finish the week in Mobile, but made such an impact that he deserves a spot on the list. The 280-pound defensive end had a dominant day one of practice with quick swipes and the long arm to win pretty much all of his one-on-one matchups. He also loves to make offensive linemen stop their feet with some hesitation steps off the snap and then either go around or mostly through them. He absolutely bullied a couple of tackles who tried to sit back on him and he just took them for a ride. Davidson had one of my favorite pass-rush reps of the week, where he tried to stab inside, but then spun back out as the offensive lineman leaned too far that way, showing the ability to quickly counter off his initial move. At his size, he also does a great job setting the edge against the run. As I mentioned already, unfortunately Davidson missed the last day of practice and the actual game, but he did enough for me to bump him up my rankings.

Joshua Uche & Mike Danna, EDGE, Michigan

And my final duo of former teammates comes from the Wolverines. Once again, one of them (Uche) got to go to Mobile, while the other one (Danna) went to East-West Shrine practices. Danna is coming off a rather disappointing 2019 season, recording just three sacks after being a first-team All-MAC selection at Central Michigan and leading all returning FBS players in total pressures, before deciding to transfer. When he got the opportunity to show out at East-West Shrine practices, he did. Danna has heavy hands that he doesn’t just use against the run, but he also loves the push-pull move, where he does a great job grabbing cloth and pulling blockers to the side on his way to the quarterback. If an offensive lineman presents his chest, the former Wolverine won’t hesitate to attack it and drive that guy backwards either. In the actual game, Danna was borderline unblockable once again, flashing continually with quick disruption and pressure around the QB.

Uche on the other hand led the Wolverines with 10.5 sacks last season. He measured in at 6’2”, 250 pounds in Mobile and therefore was asked to perform in linebacker drills as well. Despite not doing so throughout his collegiate career, he hung with backs and tight-ends in coverage drills standing up, really improving his value thanks to the versatility he showcased. He continually set a hard edge during inside run drills and beat up RBs in blitz pick-up. However, Uche also continued to flash getting around the corner against offensive tackles. He does a nice job reading the depth of the OT’s kick-slide and then countering back inside, but he is best at giving a little hesitation and then dipping underneath the opposing tackle.

Jason Strowbridge, EDGE, North Carolina

Looking at a true hand-in-the-dirt defensive linemen who performed for a full week, Strowbridge was the guy down in Mobile who continued to show up. His get-off and quickness off the ball really stood out – and it didn’t take long for him to make an impact. The former Tarheel put Wake Wake Forest tackle Justin Herron flat on his ass during his first rep of one-on-ones with the old Reggie White hump move. He got several other guys with the quick arm-over move and was the only one I saw get an instant win over Washington center Nick Harris. Strowbridge does a nice job overall at stringing his hands and feet together to defeat blocks, although I think he needs to be more ready for a secondary move and not raise his pads if he gets caught off balance, like Houston’s Josh Jones did twice on day three. I’m excited to watch more of his tape as a 4-3 defensive end or possibly 3-tech if he just bulks up a little more.