As the Florida State football team wrapped its second practice after spring break -- and sixth practice of 2022 -- on Thursday, many in attendance could do nothing but shake their heads. The quarterbacks stole the show.

But as we get set to hear how the Seminoles performed in their first scrimmage of the year, it’s time to take our second look at the trenches.

Today’s breakdown will go player by player on the offensive line, followed by some observations about the defensive side of the ball.

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For this feature, I’ll offer some brief thoughts on each player based upon what we've seen thus far in camp. We hope you enjoy, but please keep in mind that these features are not meant to define what a player is or isn’t.

The major focus during spring is establishing fundamentals, and some days are about being mechanical and developing more than simply “playing football.” With that said, we’ll go in no particular order.

Dillan Gibbons

In *much* better shape than when he entered fall camp last year. Gibbons is kind of a forgotten man in daily assessments because it’s safely assumed he’ll be one of the key cogs in the fall. The redshirt senior is frequently the first to cheer on teammates when it’s not his turn and is always around the coaches. Leaner, strong and steady.

Darius Washington

As head coach Mike Norvell and position coach Alex Atkins stated at the outset of camp, Washington is the offensive line’s “swingman.” They like him to be able to help at all positions, and so far Washington has been getting extended looks at guard. The returns so far have been mixed, but at the end of fall camp, it’s hard to envision a starting five without Washington -- either at guard or tackle. And that’s not a negative thing.

Kanaya Charlton

Charlton is listed at 6-foot-5 and 346 pounds; he is a massive human being. He has to shed some weight, and the coaches know that. But this week, Charlton has flashed in his ability to run-block, while pass-blocking has been another story. The 2022 signee has the footwork to pull (as is often asked in this offensive scheme), so it’s easy to see why he was brought in to Tallahassee. Trade some bad weight for good weight, and things could get interesting for Charlton in 2023.

Zane Herring

Flashed some, but had some rough moments too. Has a huge frame (6-foot-5, 314 pounds) but still some bad weight. Has battled injuries during time in Tallahassee, which undoubtedly has limited his ability to gain strength.

Bryson Estes

Estes is certainly strong enough and looks to be in good shape, but still in development in terms of technique. Of the younger interior players, I think he’s got a shot to be a help in a pinch this if he continues to improve.

Rod Orr

Absolutely huge base to work with, but still a little slight up top in terms of weight. More development needed before sniffing important reps.

Lloyd Willis

Willis is a player that, behind the scenes, the coaches are *really* pushing for in 2022. The natural strength is there in droves. But he’s got to put the technical side of things in order. Atkins has spent a lot of time with Willis to refine his footwork, and I noticed Willis take a lesson from individual work and implement it well in team drills on Thursday. But it’s clear that some things aren’t quite second nature yet. The lows have been low. If Willis figures it out and plays with confidence, he is a starting tackle. But right now that’s a large “if.”

Thomas Shrader

Hard to evaluate for now, as Shrader has been set back by injuries in past camps and is still getting to full speed. There are times you see what the coaches rave about, but it’s not fair to label anything he’s doing until later in the spring.

Daughtry Richardson

Intriguing player. Another tackle that Atkins and assistants are spending a ton of time with in terms of molding his technique. There are times when the college game seems overwhelming (to be expected for a true freshman early enrollee), and then there are some reps where you see Richardson put it all together. Both Charlton and Richardson have their moments and look like solid gets for the ’22 class.

Maurice Smith

Kind of unfair to watch him after seeing Kayden Lyles’ sheer mass. Florida State’s official roster lists the weight difference between Smith and Lyles at 50 (!!) pounds, and I buy that. But Smith’s snapping accuracy has been better this fall, and he has held his own against FSU's best defensive tackles. Part of me wonders if a Smith at center/Lyles at guard pairing might be worth exploring at some point.

Kayden Lyles

Beefy. One fun thing that happened on Thursday in individual drills (a drill in which the offensive and defensive lines are in full formation like a normal play, but then the rep continues for just two players after the snap) is Lyles displaced a defensive tackle so strongly that the right guard had to engage in the rep. This happened twice. Lyles also has smarts and efficient footwork for his size. Right now it’s simply about understanding the scheme.

Bless Harris

Easily my favorite player to watch in the spring. We’ll see if the Lamar transfer can hold up in the long term, but he has been solid. He learns quickly and knows how to use leverage. Where Willis is strong, Harris is smart. He has been fooled by some twist games and beaten in individual drills at times, but Derrick McLendon’s hot start to camp was cooled quickly when Harris got some time against McLendon in some position drills. Right now, I think of Harris as a “Cadillac” insurance policy at right tackle. He could turn into something more than that if development continues.

Robert Scott, Jr.

I’ll be honest, I was underwhelmed after the first week of camp. But after the break (and notably on Thursday), Scott has responded. Another player who is quick to encourage and help the other tackles in drills. As camp wears on and the unknowns on the roster settle in, we’ll keep a closer eye on Scott’s work against the top pass-rushers. Of late, I haven’t noticed him, which is a good thing because it means there aren’t a lot of bad reps.

Here are some additional thoughts on several of the defensive linemen I've watched thus far. I'll plan on providing a detailed breakdown of this group after this coming week of practices.

* Interior lineman Jarrett Jackson has flashed since the break. One trench rep on Thursday featured Jackson quite literally tossing a guard aside with one hand before making a play in the backfield. Jackson hasn’t been a consistent force, but when he makes his presence felt, it’s usually in a big way.

* Can’t say enough about the potential of defensive tackle Daniel Lyons. He is so darn quick and has been eerily consistent through six practices. The freshman wall has to hit soon, right?

* Jared Verse has gotten better in every practice, and he was pretty good in the first one of his FSU career. It’s not time to over-hype the young man, but if he keeps going at this pace, the writeup in two weeks could be interesting.

* Sometimes being a really good player means you’re not noticed by a media type in practice because it’s just an expected thing. But defensive tackle Fabien Lovett snapped me out of that complacency this week on more than one occasion. Huge for him to come back in 2022.

* I wasn’t keen on Leonard Warner III to start camp in terms of being a down-in, down-out contributor off the edge, but I think I was wrong. Warner plays his position with excellent understanding of leverage and has a really strong punch move if he’s getting after the passer. He's not going to rack up tons of sacks, but that's not what is being asked of him.

* While he’s not as consistently good as Lyons (a tough ask), freshman defensive tackle Bishop Thomas flashes in each practice. He’s quick in his own right. Good get.

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