Wideouts Matt Hazel, Zach Pascal, and TE Jeremy Sprinkle flashed among the younger offensive players

July 31, 2017

Outside of the bigger names of Terrelle Pryor Sr., Josh Doctson, and Semaje Perine, there are a few younger guys on the roster currently that have been making plays in camp.

Matt Hazel is a 2nd year player out of Coastal Carolina, who to date hasn’t played much as a professional. Early on in camp though, he has stood out with his route running and his ability to attack the football. He had a good rep in 1 on 1’s against Josh Norman, where Norman was turned around multiple times prior to getting beat for what would’ve been a touchdown. In full team scrimmages, Hazel showed a fearless mentality by converting on a 3rd down situation, catching the ball in traffic that got tight end Niles Paul hyped up. Also in 7 on 7, Kirk Cousins gave him an opportunity on a 50/50 pass, where Breeland had a sure fire interception, but Hazel snatched the ball away from him to come down with a 20 yard reception. His potential has been on display early in camp, and I will definitely be tracking his progress.

Zach Pascal has been a pleasant surprise too. Pascal’s name has continued to grow on the fans, as the ODU product even got Gruden to think he’s capable of making the 53-man roster. This obviously bodes well for the undrafted free agent. Throughout camp this far, Pascal has shown his physicality as a receiver, and as player who’s made some plays in 1 on 1’s and full team drills to stand out early on. Pascal’s work ethic is top tier, so watching him come pre-season is a must.

Jeremy Sprinkle is another guy who popped up on my radar while at camp. When I spoke to Rich Tandler, he mentioned that Sprinkle had looked lost on the field earlier in rookie minicamp and OTA’s. That wasn’t the case over the first three days in my eyes. Sprinkle’s size has been a problem for majority of the guys lined up against him in pass coverage, and has made himself a difficult cover off of that alone. His route running has been decent and hands have been solid. I did not see him drop one pass during my time down camp. It’s hard to say how he looked as a blocker with just one day in the books with pads on, but so far, he’s shown to be a valuable weapon to this offense.

 

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