Florida State football fall practice: 'Disruptive' defensive line leads 6 things to know

Day three of Florida State football's fall camp ended Friday, and the Seminoles' defensive line put on a show.

Led by Darrell Jackson, Joshua Farmer and Patrick Payton , the dynamic defensive line ran through the first practice in pads with relative ease.

Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell was happy with the progress of the team and heaped praises on his defensive front.

"First day of pads, I thought today was a very competitive day," Norvell said. "The defensive line was disruptive and did a good job of getting off the ball. Every position had flashes of showcasing some physicality."

While the defensive line had the best showing, FSU's running backs seemed to be up to the challenge of the physicality, with a few players standing out.

Here are six things to know from day three of FSU football's third fall practice.

'Disruptive' defensive line shines in drills, scrimmages

Gadsden County High School products Farmer and Jackson showcased the same flashes of dominance they once had every Friday night in Havana.

Moving quickly through defensive line drills, both players looked strong and fast in their movements as they exploded around cones, tackle dummies and blockers during the start of practice.

Alongside the duo, Payton was impressive in working through contact, even getting his hand on a pass while working through contact during a drill and he was directing the defensive line during 7 vs. 7 and 11 vs. 11 drills. He had a sack in scrimmage work, also getting a few stops while creating havoc both in the backfield and openfield.

During 11 vs. 11 work, Farmer blew up a run by Jaylin Lucas, stopping him in the backfield. That drew a huge reaction from a handful of coaches, including Norvell. He also fist bumped Jackson following the tackle.

Both Farmer and Payton made All-ACC teams last season, with Farmer on second team and Payton on honorable mention. The duo and Jackson look primed to be on the all-conference awards lists once again this season.

Jackson, who missed last season after the NCAA denied his transfer waiver, has looked really strong. Bulldozing his way through contact and putting a lot of pressure on the quarterbacks and running backs during both 7 vs. 7 and 11 vs. 11 work, Jackson has high expectations for himself this season.

"I want to dominate, show everybody I'm back," Jackson said. "Taking over games, being disruptive, making tackles in the backfield, and helping my teammates."

Wide receiver Malik Benson's speed key in another strong practice

After a standout practice on day two, senior Alabama transfer Malik Benson had another strong showing on day three.

Working well in punt drills, Benson was able to show off his speed a couple of times when breaking through blockers. With speed not only a primary part of his game but the Seminoles' offense, Benson says he's the quickest on the team, including freshman state champion sprinter Micahi Danzy , Jalen Brown and Lucas.

"That freshman, he definitely got it," Benson said. "I'm definitely faster."

The speed that Benson has showed up during passing drills as he was able to release quickly and put the pressure on defensive backs with his quickness.

He was able to create separation in a couple of different ways, working through quick cuts and flat-out sprints to challgene the defense and test the arms of DJ Uiagalelei and Brock Glenn .

Caziah Holmes, Lawrance Toafili lead running backs

Both Caziah Homes and Lawrance Toafili have emerged as two standouts during the opening days of practice, with Holmes having back-to-back days of impressive displays.

Holmes worked in multiple situations during practice, helping out with punt returns, catching passes and rushing through tackles.

During 11 vs. 11 work, Holmes broke loose for a long touchdown run, slicing between tackles before emerging from the scrum like a speeding train out of a tunnel.

The redshirt senior looks to confident and in full flow during practice, working through drills efficiently and putting himself in position to make an impact this season alongside a player like Toafili.

Toafili was impressive in drills , but really took center stage with some strong runs and catches in scrimmage work. The redshirt senior was a reliable playmaker for the Seminoles last season , and he is set to step into the void left by Trey Benson.

His shiftiness in the open field and ability to work both as a pass catcher and runner has been key to his early success in fall camp.

Kyle Morlock, Azareye’h Thomas, Fentrell Cypress continue to shine

The trio of Kyle Morlock, Azareye'h Thomas and Fentrell Cypress have been the biggest standouts of camp so far.

Morlock's growth as a route runner and pass catcher has been on display, with the tight end creating problems for defenses both in short and long passing situations. During Friday's practice, Morlock caught a deep ball from quarterback Brock Glenn, securing the catch over the back of a defender before running toward the endzone.

Both Thomas and Cypress were nearly untouchable in drills and pass coverage, making impressive deflections and reading the ball well.

Thomas matched up with Morlock at one point, diving from behind the tight end to deflect Uiagalelei's pass before it could reach the target. Cypress was strong in scrimmage work, keeping the ball away from his side of the field and covering well when it did come his way.

Another solid day for quarterbacks DJ Uiagalelei, Brock Glenn

Both Uiagalelei and Glenn have been steady in the opening days of camp, and Friday's practice was no different.

Uiagalelei looked sharper in scrimmage work today, even connecting with Toafili on a long, looping pass over two defenders that the running back secured well on the sidelines. The ball left his hand quickly and while some slight timing mishaps happened early on, the Oregon State transfer worked a good practice and was connecting on time at the end of the day.

Glenn was able to showcase two aspects of his game that we haven;t seen much during the early days of practice, his deep ball and creativity when running with the football. In one moment in 11 vs. 11 work, Glenn identified a blitz and pulled the ball from the running back at the last second to beat the pressure and give him self a free run towards the endzone.

Both players look to be making steady gains during the opening week of practice.

Back-to-back days of heavy special teams work

There has been a heavy emphasis on special teams work this week, with punt returns and formations taking up a couple of sessions during Friday's practice.

The Seminoles cycled through a couple of returners, including Lucas, Toafili, Danzy and more.

Punter Alex Mastromanno seemingly hasn't lost a beat since last season, sending a couple of booming punts down the field with the precision that we have come to expect from the Australian.

In field goal work, both kicker's Ryan Fitzgerald and freshman Jake Weinberg connected on field goals from 30 yards out. Both of their 40-yarders were blocked, with Payton getting a hand on Fitzgerald's kick and redshirt sophomore defensive back Christian White getting a hand on Weinberg's.

Liam Rooney covers preps sports for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamroone y

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida State football fall practice: 'Disruptive' defensive line leads 6 things to know