Top 5 takes from Thursday at The Opening: Linemen show off in full-contact drills

Video: Isaac Nauta interview
IMG Academy tight end and Florida State commit discusses his strengths and time at The Opening.

Senior writer Mitch Stephens, is live on the scene at The Opening in Beaverton, Ore. Here are his thoughts on the major trends and noteworthy items from Thursday, July 9.

1. Defensive linemen reign

With seven of the top 17 overall recruits in the country, defensive linemen are kings of The Opening in 2015.

Though the nation's top recruit Rashan Gary, a remarkably quick 6-foot-4, 291-pound incoming Paramus Catholic (N.J.) senior, was the obvious standout, three more defensive linemen impressed.

On the first day of full contact drills for linemen, defensive tackles Antwuan Jackson (6-1, 305), of Cedar Grove (Ellenwood, Ga.), Westfield (Houston) defensive tackle Ed Oliver (6-2, 277) along with Serra (Gardena, Calif.) end Oluwole Betiku (6-3, 240) were outstanding. Oliver is a Houston commit, while Jackson and Betiku are uncommitted.

The defensive line was helped by Miami Dolphins standout Ndamukong Suh, who annually comes back to Nike Headquarters to help at The Opening.

2. Top three offensive linemen

The offensive linemen who improved their status were the nation's No. 2 overall recruit, Gregory Little, a 6-5, 305-pound tackle from Allen (Texas), Cass Tech (Detroit) tackle Michael Onwenu (6-3, 366) and Woodford County (Versailles, Ky.) center Drake Jackson (6-2, 302). Onwenu has committed to Michigan and Jackson to Kentucky.

3. The commitments

It was Pac-12 commitment day at The Opening. A pair of four-star defensive players committed to nearby Oregon — Central Catholic (Portland, Ore.) linebacker La'mar Winston Jr. (6-3, 205) and Sachse (Texas) cornerback Jared Mayden (6-1, 200). Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, Calif.) linebacker Camilo Eifler is headed to Washington and Serra defensive back C.J. Pollard pledged to USC.

4. Evander Holyfield sighting

Former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield was all smiles and freely posed for pictures with about anyone who asked on Thursday. His son Elijah Holyfield is a four-star running back at Woodward Academy (College Park, Ga.). He rushed for 1,735 yards and 25 touchdowns last season.

5. MitchMash

*Four-star defensive back Christian Wallace, a 6-3, 211-pound defensive back from Sealy (Texas), pulled off a switcheroo by interviewing journalists Thursday with tough, probing questions such as "What is your favorite TV show?" "Nike or adidas?" and "What is the one thing you would take on a deserted island?" The Ohio State-commit isn't planning a career in broadcasting yet, but rather plans to major in psychology.

*Four-star linebacker defensive end/outside linebacker Erick Fowler, from Manor (Texas), couldn't decide what was more breathtaking: Completing his first airplane flight or competing against the nation's best at The Opening. "I was clinching the seats pretty good," said Fowler, an LSU commit whose flight started in Austin (Texas) to Dallas to Portland (Ore). "But competing against all these guys gets your motor going pretty good too. I like it here. It's all a dream actually. It's amazing. I love it."

*Tyjon Lindsey said there's little to no separation from the Classes — 2016 and 2017. Lindsay, a five-star wide receiver from Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), said, "I think I'm doing pretty good. I'm the young cat here so I'm just trying to do my job, catch passes and get first downs." When he scored a touchdown for Hypercool in 7-on-7 play on Thursday, he did a nice little celebratory somersault. "I feel blessed to be selected to play here," he said. "But I'm also trying to have some fun too."

*Lindsey isn't the only incoming junior to make an impact. Antioch (Calif.) five-star running back and Alabama commit Najee Harris has looked superb catching the ball out of the backfield.

*Florida State-bound tight end Isaac Nauta, of IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), continued to catch everything and show why he's the top-ranked tight end in the country. The 6-4, 237-pound incoming senior is playing for Mach Speed in 7-on-7 competition, which concludes The Opening showcase on Friday.