Senior Bowl practice notes.

[sec101row23]

These notes are from Pro Football Network staff.  
 

South Team Notes:  
 

Collin Johnson WR Texas

I’m not sure a receiver really stunned people more today than Johnson. A lot of people were skeptical of Johnson’s ability as a route-runner, but he wowed in drills with his routes and separation ability. I wrote about him as a potential riser as a prototypical H/W/S receiver, and he certainly showed off today. He had a rep against Pitt CB Dane Jackson that had the stadium wowed. A phenomenal start for him.

Juan Jennings WR Tennessee:

Jennings was physical all day. He wasn’t particularly great in drills but flashed impressive physicality throughout his routes. He was overall up and down, but didn’t really showcase a skill set outside of what he already has on tape.

 

Devin Duvernay WR Texas:

Duvernay came in as one of my favorite players in this class, but really struggled today. He’s a speedy target and after the catch plays like a running back. However, his stiffness showed up in drills today, and he really struggled catching the ball today, which surprised me because his hands were not an issue at all on his tape

 

Lloyd Cushenberry IOL LSU:

Cushenberry was the best overall offensive lineman I watched today. He was the only person who could manage a stop against Javon Kinlaw in 1on1s. He was dominant from the get go and his stock is rising.

 

Justin Herbert QB Oregon:

Herbert looked phenomenal on Tuesday displaying all the physical tools and leadership skills necessary for the next level.  He was right on the money with many of his throws and his pass placement was off the charts.  He made plays in and out of the pocket, displayed a next level arm and great athleticism.  His incomplete passes were more about drops by receivers rather than missed throws on his part.  And when his receivers dropped a pass Herbert was there to take charge.  Terrific day by the Oregon quarterback.

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North Team notes:

Chase Claypool WR Notre Dame:

Claypool had a standout day today, pleasantly surprising me. He isn’t the fastest guy but he knows how to use his 6’4 frame well and looked more fluid in drills than his Notre Dame tape suggested. A strong opening day for him. Claypool said the Steelers were looking to meet with him.

 

Antonio Gandy-Golden WR Liberty:

Gandy-Golden was about what we expected coming into this week. I’ve seen a few people say he had a great day, but to me he was just average and didn’t up his stock in any way. We knew he could separate physically and could use his size to his advantage, which he did today. He didn’t show signs of improvement in any other areas that were bigger concerns, such as long speed or beating press. He did show up well in the run blocking drills the North ran in practice, however. Just felt like he didn’t really elevate his stock in a positive direction on opening day

KJ Hill WR OSU:

Hill was one of the biggest winners of the day, in my opinion. His tape didn’t suggest a great athletic profile nor an ability to really play outside but he looked surprisingly fluid and showed off that he could take reps outside. Albeit, in a limited sample size. He sent numerous DBs to the dirt and skyrocketed his stock.

 

Denzel Mims WR Baylor:

Mims came in as my highest-ranked receiver in the Senior Bowl and did not disappoint. He dominated 1 on 1s all day long and showed off in the 7 on 7s. I thought he was the most impressive finisher and showed off his explosiveness in the drills. Separated against almost every DB he went off against. He had his issues with drops during the regular season but he caught every pass I saw go his way in the drills, which is encouraging for that problem being fixed at the next level.

Michael Pittman WR USC:

Pittman had a good day to open the practice session. He dusted Nebraska’s Lamar Jackson to kick things off, and then made Wake Forest’s CB Essang Bassey fall to the dirt after he toasted him off of the line of scrimmage. There were plenty of concerns about Pittman’s agility and speed, but he answered those concerns well today. He only caught about half of his targets however, which is more drops than he had on the season.

Nick Harris C Washington:

Harris was smaller than I had realized, but he was able to his own very well today. His technique was excellent and he showed an anchor you wouldn’t expect from someone his size. Harris is a top 50 player, and played like it.

 

Charlie Heck OT North Carolina:

Heck was the winner of the weigh in. His length was evident and his frame is ideal. He was strong in individual drills and competed well in the 1 on 1s. Heck has legit starting tackle upside, and could be a steal on Day 3.

Josh Jones OT Houston:

Josh Jones is the best lineman in Mobile this week. His physical abilities are off the charts, and he was a winner of the weigh-ins this morning. He did not seem to carry any bad weight. Jones wasn’t as dominant as I wanted him to be today, but he did nothing to damage his draft stock.

 

 

 

 

 

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Day 2 South.  
OFFENSIVE LINE

Best player: Lloyd Cushenberry, LSU

No interior offensive lineman has helped their draft stock more this week than LSU center Lloyd Cushenberry III. In a center class that lacks a consensus top prospect, Cushenberry has made a strong case to be that player with back-to-back strong performances in Mobile. He is the only interior offensive lineman so far to have defeated South Carolina’s Javon Kinlaw in a one-on-one rep. When you add what he’s done throughout practice this week with his balance and play strength as a blocker to his terrific 2019 tape, don’t be surprised if his name starts populating at the end of first-round mock drafts.

 

PASS CATCHERS

Best player: Collin Johnson, Texas

We knew coming into this game that Collin Johnson was a Herculean-sized wide receiver prospect, but after watching the first two South team practices, I realized I did not give him enough credit for his fluidity and nuanced route-running skills. His combination of play strength and technically-advanced release package at the line of scrimmage made it difficult for cornerbacks to stay attached to his hip pocket in press man coverage Wednesday. Johnson has done exactly what he’s needed to do this week, and that’s to show he could separate consistently against man coverage.

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Day 2 North 
PASS CATCHERS

Best player: Denzel Mims, Baylor

There were a lot of wins on the sheet for Mims including the rep above. But we already knew that about Mims. He's a dominant catch point receiver despite the smaller hands and regularly makes acrobatic, concentration catches through contact that most receivers only dream about.

What he has shown is separation ability over the last few days, and it’s been better than many experienced after viewing his tape. Mims wins on downfield routes because he has a clean release at the line of scrimmage, explosive first steps to generate a downfield stack and an inherent knack for ball-tracking early maintaining leverage. He knows just the right speed to finish his route so that he can stay between the corner and the football.

 

OFFENSIVE LINE

Best player: Jonah Jackson, Ohio State

Jonah Jackson is a tank and a half. One of the most fun players to watch in the one-on-one and drill sessions, Jackson regularly wrenched open gaps for his running backs across the course of the day; utilizing some excellent phone booth power and intentional footwork to generate and finish his angles. The biggest concern with Jackson at this stage is mobility as the Rutgers transfer doesn't work too well on the hoof. But today, his angles climbing into the second level were true, and he created rushing lanes on multiple combo blocks.

Jackson projects like a scheme-specific guy for sure, but Day 2 isn't out of the range of possibilities.

 

[Lith]

Interesting that he has both Tee and Thomas on his list.

[jetstream23]

1 hour ago, Lith said:

Interesting that he has both Tee and Thomas on his list.

I'm not surprised about Thomas TBH.  There have been lots of rumblings about him possibly not even being on one of the Top 2 OTs.  Higgins is a little bit of a surprise but in the limited times I've seen him he was somewhat pedestrian.  

[RobR]

1 hour ago, Lith said:

Interesting that he has both Tee and Thomas on his list.

I wouldn't put any weight into what Matt Miller says. He's the same idiot that said Ryan Nassib was going to be the first overall pick in the draft.

[section314]

12 hours ago, RobR said:

I wouldn't put any weight into what Matt Miller says. He's the same idiot that said Ryan Nassib was going to be the first overall pick in the draft.

OMG, remember that? Wasn't that the Geno year also?

[RobR]

3 hours ago, section314 said:

OMG, remember that? Wasn't that the Geno year also?

Yep. Miller said Nassib first overall and he went in the fourth round to no ones surprise. He's one of the biggest hacks out there.

[Guilhermezmc]

19 hours ago, Lith said:

Interesting that he has both Tee and Thomas on his list.

Ill take both thank you

[bitonti]

RB Antonio Gibson - Memphis - big, elusive, good hands, avg 6 yards a carry in the Senior Bowl game, seems like someone the Jets can target as a mid round replacement for Bilal (who was once a senior bowl participant)