Memphis doesn’t have a logo on a helmet in Mobile this week, but it has fingerprints all over the line of scrimmage. Keyron Crawford and Bryson Eason brought that city’s particular brand of edge — heavy hands, short patience, and long memories — to the first day of work. Today is about proving that what we saw yesterday wasn’t just adrenaline, but who they actually are as players.
For Crawford, the first impression was exactly what you want from an Auburn edge with Memphis roots: up on the arrow, up in the tempo, and up in the backfield more often than not. He showed that first step that makes tackles kick just a little quicker than they’d like. He brought real pop at contact, the kind that jars a set and forces offensive linemen to reset their plans. That’s how you get into the conversation. The way you stay there is with answers. Day Two is less about whether he can still win with speed and power — he can — and more about what happens when the offensive tackles across from him have spent a night rewinding those wins over and over again.
Tackles at this level rarely let you beat them the same way twice. If Crawford got home with a clean speed rush yesterday, he should expect jump sets, independent hands, and deeper sets designed to widen him past the pocket. If he dents a chest with a long arm, he’ll see quicker punches and better help calls. The question now is simple: does he have the next pitch? Can he threaten upfield, then snap back underneath? Can he feel the overset and come inside clean without losing containment? Can he chain a swipe into a rip, or a bull into a late arm‑over, instead of living on one‑and‑done moves? If the answer is yes, and he does it with the same motor he showed on Tuesday, he’ll start to move from “interesting sub‑package rusher” into “problem you have to plan for.”
For Eason, Day One was about announcing his presence. He did that. Interior rushers don’t always pop in this setting, but a violent club and real first‑step quickness tend to travel. He showed enough twitch to stress guards and centers who came out of their stance even a fraction late. He got into chests. He moved people. That is not easy to ignore when you’re watching from field level. Today, though, is when the counterpunch arrives. Line coaches have now seen the club on tape. They’ll preach patience. They’ll emphasize staying inside‑out, bringing help, and leaning on him with bodies and weight.
Eason’s job, then, is to show he’s more than a one‑move disruptor. Can he transition when the guard sits on that club? Does he have a spin back inside when his first shot stalls? Can he feel how the pocket is forming and work to the quarterback’s depth rather than just chasing color? If he starts to layer secondary rushes on top of that initial violence, he’ll quickly answer one of the big questions that always hangs over guys in his role: is the production sustainable, or is it just explosive when it hits?
The other piece for both Memphis products is stamina and temperament. Mobile practices are long and segmented. There are individual drills, one‑on‑ones, inside runs, team periods, and special‑situations segments that can drag if you let them. What stood out on Day One was how little their effort dropped between the opening horn and the final whistle. That has to hold again. Scouts pay close attention late in practice, when hips are tight, and hands are a half‑second slower. If Crawford is still coming off the ball with the same urgency in the last team period, and if Eason is still straining to split doubles instead of accepting stalemates, it tells evaluators something about who they’ll be on a Wednesday in November when nobody’s watching.
From a story standpoint, Day Two sets up perfectly. You’ve already got the hook: two Memphis kids in different SEC uniforms, trying to prove that their energy and violence weren’t just a one‑day spike. This morning is about their breadth. You’re looking for the second and third moves from Crawford, the new answers when tackles sit on his speed. You’re looking for Eason to show that the club is part of a package, not the whole act. You’re looking for body language after a lost rep, communication with position coaches between periods, and whether they’re still coaching themselves through technique on the sideline.
If both of them answer those questions the right way, your talking points for tonight are obvious. You can say Day One showed who they are at their best; Day Two started to prove who they are every day. For prospects living on the line of scrimmage, that’s the difference between a good practice story and a draft‑weekend phone call.
The question hanging over both of them is the one hanging over the entire week: will they stack days, or will we remember Tuesday as their high‑water mark? Memphis prides itself on being built for the long haul. Today, in Mobile, Crawford and Eason get their chance to prove it.
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