Yancey on verge of gaining separation — in more ways than one; Day 5 notes

Link: Day 5 analysis ($)

DeAngelo Yancey has been watching film.

Not just of himself, which, obviously, he does in an effort to better critique his weaknesses and master his craft. But, to that end, he's been loading up tape on Steelers receiver Antonio Brown of late.

It may seem odd, considering Brown is a 5-foot-10, 181-pound receiver while Yancey is a physical specimen at 6-2, 214.

But it's not: Because it's the next step in Yancey's development to become an elite-level receiver for Purdue.

"Running after the catch — that’s my key area I need to improve in," senior Yancey said after the team's fifth spring practice Thursday. "There’s a lot that goes into it. A lot of practice. For me, it’s balance.

"Right now I’m watching Antonio Brown and people will be like, ‘Why?’ His body type is nothing like mine. But he’s one of the best in the league running after the catch. (So I'm) watching him, getting some moves from him. The only way you get better at it is practicing, so I think it’s good that we’re doing that."

Gone is the too-good-to-work Yancey.

That mental transformation last summer — from entitled to wounded to fighter — was imperative for his progress. And it helped produce his best season, a 700-yard, five-TD effort. But now, he's focused on how he can be not only the best playmaker for the Boilermakers but also the best worker, the best leader, the guy for fellow receivers to look up to. So he's role-modeling the motto of receiving corps has for the spring: Embrace the grind.

He's been a crucial piece in gathering the receivers with the QBs twice a week early in the morning to get extra routes and balls in during the spring. He was an essential cog in the offseason of making sure the group got catches in with the JUGs machine on their own time, too.

Over the five practices this spring, he's been by far the most reliable, consistent receiver in terms of pass-catching but also in effort, seemingly hardly ever wasting a rep.

He's doing it while also having the right approach off the field, in the weight room and in the meeting room, too. Though he says he didn't change his body much since the season ended — even if he looks different, thicker in the chest, shoulders and arms — he did get stronger, especially in his legs, and he hopes to be more physical and explosive.

"Mentally, I’m there. I’m beyond it mentally. It’s a physical thing right now, me staying in shape, keeping my body right, keep doing the things I did that helped me get to this point and doing more," he said.

The "more" in is a new role, too.

With captain Danny Anthrop gone, it's Yancey's room now. He needs to set a standard, and he's looking to do it in a variety of ways.

"Being a leader ... Always making the makeable play and making the unbelievable plays over 50 percent of the time. That’s what’s expected," he said.

On Tuesday, Purdue's receivers collectively had their worst practice of the spring, dropping too many passes and not delivering the kind of effort that's expected by coach Gerad Parker.

So Parker let the group have it afterward, keeping them on the field later than any other position group, and being frank about what he expects and what they need to deliver. He did no sugar-coating.

"It was needed, too. After that, as a receiver corps, we understood that we dropped the ball (figuratively) and that’s not what we’re about," said senior Domonique Young, who had an especially rough day earlier this week. "We want to be one of the premier positions on the field and show that we can be important, that we can turn games around. That’s not what a receiving corps of that status should look like."

On Thursday, the group generally was better, Parker said, though there still were a handful of drops that need to be cleaned up.

Still, Parker liked how the players responded when challenged, including the way the first and second units finished the first fully-padded practice of the spring with big plays in the two-minute drill.

"It is what it is. I’ve got a temper, but it’s a fair temper. In order for us to be who we need to be, we can’t perform the way we did on Tuesday. They responded great. Effort was better. Execution was better," Parker said. "There’s still too many balls on the ground. Those guys know it. We’ve got to get to a point where we make plays we’re expected to make and kind of perform the way we did in two-minute the whole practice as opposed to it’s good to see that finish, but it’s got to be from start to finish.

"There are a lot expectations, and there should be. We’re not at that expectation yet. But I’m not going home panicking. We’ve got work to do like everybody else does in this country and the conference and on our team, but we’ll get there. We haven’t got there yet. There has just not been enough consistent catching of the football and making plays like we have to do. We’ll keep pushing."

• Myles Norwood missed practice with a mid-foot sprain, forcing him to wear a boot on his right foot. Norwood had worked with the No. 1 nickel defense on Tuesday. Mike Little moved into that role Thursday in Norwood's absence.

• Andy Chelf attended practice for the first time this spring, though he only worked in the pit, riding a bike and also doing some agility drills. Darrell Hazell said at the beginning of the spring that Chelf was “taking care of academic stuff” while also recovering from ACL surgery.

• Markell Jones, D.J. Knox, Jack Wegher and Tario Fuller worked as kick returners this week in early-practice drills. The team has yet to fully do kickoffs in practice.

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