Jacob Eason – Noteworthy
Jacob Eason is not an addition to the program so much as to the active roster, having sat out last year following the transfer. Eason steps into a situation primed for success, with a veteran line, experienced receivers and nice pieces in the backfield. But he hasn’t played competitively since early in the 2017 season, which came after he lost his job to a freshman (Jake Fromm), which came after a knee injury. In other words, there are questions as 2019 approaches: What’s the rust level? What the comfort level with the playbook? How’s the dynamic with OC Bush Hamdan? Drawing conclusions from intra-squad scrimmages could be tricky due to the significant number of first-time starters on defense.Spring game: April 27 (12 p.m.) – San Francisco Chronicle
Myles Gaskin – Noteworthy
Gaskin, listed at 5 feet 10 and 193 pounds as a senior last fall, said he was up to 201 pounds last week, and he hopes to weigh in right around 200 in Indianapolis. He ought to be one of the faster running backs at the combine, and he hopes to show he’s stronger than some expect. He recently completed 24 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press, a good amount for a running back of any size.Many analysts have Gaskin projected as a fourth- or fifth-round selection in Aprils’ NFL draft. “People can say what they want to say. People have their estimates and ranges of where they think I’m going to go,” he said. “I don’t agree with all of them – I probably don’t agree with any of them – but I feel like I’ve got something to prove every time I step on the field.”
Ben Burr-Kirven, UW’s All-American senior linebacker last fall, has been training with Gaskin over the past six weeks. Burr-Kirven was a standout running back in high school, and he came to UW with Gaskin as part of the 2015 recruiting class. What separates Gaskin? “His patience is elite,” Burr-Kirven said. “He’s obviously a great athlete; he’s fast; he’s explosive; he checks all the boxes, in my opinion. We’ve kind of got the same knocks: ‘He’s a little too short,’ and all that stuff. But he’s the best running back I’ve played against, except maybe (Saquon) Barkley. – Seattle Times