The first day of practice leading up to the 2017 Reeseās Senior Bowl on Saturday is in the books. Here are the big takeaways from the first day in Mobile.
The 2017 Reeseās Senior Bowl has seen its first day of practice at Ladd Peebles Stadium in Mobile come to an end. Hue Jacksonās Cleveland Browns staff and the South team took to the field at 2:00 p.m. ET. John Foxās Chicago Bears staff and the North team would begin practice at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Overall, the South got more out of their practice than did the North. Jacksonās staff looked far more organized than Foxās in the first day of Senior Bowl practice. However, that could have more to do with getting an extra hour of practice than Foxās team. Here are the big takeaways from the first day of practice in Mobile broken down by position group.
Quarterbacks
With so much install and so many new faces, Tuesday was not a great day for quarterbacks. None of the six signal callers really lit it up with either great arm strength or precision. The two best quarterbacks on Tuesday were easily Calās Davis Webb for the South and Coloradoās Sefo Liufau for the North.
Webb had the best passing mechanics and was completing short-to-medium throws with confidence. Despite playing in a spread offense with questionable arm strength, Liufau seemed to have the best footwork under center of all the passers. He may not have NFL arm strength, but playing under center isnāt going to be an issue for him.
Tennesseeās Joshua Dobbs for the South had the best command of the huddle, but accuracy in the intermediate range was troubling. Tiffinās Antonio Pipkin struggled mightily with play calling, frequently having to go back in the huddle for Jackson on the South.
Iowaās C.J. Beathard for the North was kind of bland for the most part, but did showcase a quick flick of the wrist in the short passing game. Pittsburghās Nathan Peterman for the North didnāt live up to the hype as the best passer of the six heading into Tuesdayās practice. He looked like the Tennessee version of himself.
Running Backs
Jackson didnāt do much with the running backs on the South team. Though relentless, San Diego State running back Donnel Pumphrey looked very small for the South.
Fox did more with the running backs with his North team. Wisconsinās Corey Clement was by far the best running back on Tuesday and heās ready to take big-time carries at the next level. Toledoās Kareem Hunt looks to be promising running off-tackle.
While most Michigan players looked utterly lethargic, running back DeāVeon Smith made the most of his second all-star game opportunity, as he did not impress in last weekās East-West Shrine Game in St. Petersburg.
Tight Ends
The best player on the field Tuesday played tight. Not even the least bit shocking, Alabamaās O.J. Howard tore it up for the South. Heās a first-round talent. Given that the Browns do Browns thing, what if he went No. 12 to Cleveland? Howard looks to be the next Greg Olsen at tight end.
Ole Missā Evan Engram and South Alabamaās Gerald Everett project as strong receiving threats at the next level. They looked good right away under Jacksonās tutelage.
For the North, Arkansasā Jeremy Sprinkle showed he can accelerate post-catch in man-to-man coverage. Toledoās MikeĀ Roberts showed flashes in the East-West Shrine Game last week. His invite this week is a sign that scouts really like this kid. Roberts seems to rise to the occasion against better-than-MAC competition.
Wide Receivers
There were four wide receivers that stood out in a good way on Tuesday: North Carolinaās Ryan Switzer and LSUās Travis Dural for the South, and East Carolinaās Zay Jones and Louisiana Techās Trent Taylor for the North.
Switzer wants the ball more than anybody else. Heās small (5 feet 8 inches), but Switzer is an NFL player. Dural looked the most confident as a runner post-catch. Not really a shocker, as he played his college ball at LSU, a school that sends so many great wideouts to the pros.
Jones showed that he is fearless going vertical against the solid defensive backs on the North. Taylor, like Switzer, has a knack for finding the football. He can stop on a dime and possession receive.
Overall, it was a solid day for wide receivers. The only two negative comments are about Texas A&Mās Josh Reynolds and Grambling Stateās Chad Williams for the South. Reynolds was consistently inconsistent, dropping catchable balls. He made plays too, but played like he did for years in College Station. Williams was pressing in this practice. He played tight. If he loosens up a bit, heāll have a better Senior Bowl experience.
Offensive Linemen
We learned more about players in the trenches than anything on Tuesday. For the South, the two best offensive linemen were Western Kentuckyās Forrest Lamp and Miamiās Danny Isidora. Lamp shined as expected, as he has excellent hand placement and fears nobody as a competitor. Isidora surprised many with his great use of leverage. Along with Howard at tight end, he had the best day of anybody on the South.
It wasnāt all great up front for the South. LSU center Ethan Pocic looks to be too big play center at 6 feet 6 inches. He played alright, but didnāt use his length to his advantage. Thatās not great for the tape Kentucky center Jon Toth struggled with the bull rush up front on one-on-one drills. UCLA tackle Conor McDermott looked rusty and was a tremendous liability at left tackle.
While the North didnāt get nearly the same amount of reps as the South did, three players stood out for Foxās team. USCās Zach Banner held the blind side well, using his massive 6-foot-8 inch frame to his advantage. However, he played a little too loose to be a serious first-round prospect. Heāll have to tighten it up in the next two days to reach for first-round status.
Bucknellās Julien Davenport turned heads with his strong afternoon. Despite being an FCS player, he looks to be very coachable and will positively impact an NFL teamās offensive line. The most startling takeaway from the first day of practice was how bad Indianaās Dan Feeney looked. He was an All-American, but spent the whole practice on the ground. He looked like Jonathan Cooper in the worst way possible. Caveat emptor.
Defensive Linemen
The South had a good day on the defensive line. UCLAās Eddie Vanderdoes is full of energy, albeit a bit reckless. He could be something for some NFL team. Villanovaās Tanoh Kpassagnon isnāt as raw as Jacksonās staff expected. He was a pleasant surprise.
Texas A&Mās Daeshon Hall and Kansas Stateās Jordan Willis are technicians in the pass rush. They could make immediate impacts at the NFL level. Auburnās Montravius Adams had more fun than anybody on the field. Heās sloppy at times, but easily the most talented pass rusher on the South. Clemsonās Carlos Watkins struggled to get penetration and TCUās Josh Carraway failed to impress.
Michiganās Ryan Glasnow was probably the best of a bunch of mediocre Wolverines on Tuesday. He was the best pass rusher for Foxās North team. His teammate Chris Wormley had no clue what position he played. Charlotteās Larry Ogunjobi held his own.
Linebackers
The linebackersĀ didnāt give us a lot to talk about after day one of Senior Bowl practice. Standouts for the South were Clemsonās Ben Boulware, Alabamaās Ryan Anderson and Utahās Isaac Asiata. For the North, the standouts were Wisconsinās Vince Biegel and Lindenwoodās Connor Harris.
Defensive Backs
The defensive backs in this Senior Bowl are outstanding. The three that were great for the South were LSUās TreāDavious White, Florida Stateās Marquez White and San Diego Stateās Damontae Kazee. LSUās White was just toying with South wideouts and heās too good to be at the Senior Bowl. Florida Stateās White was very impressive. He would bait receivers to run compromised routes with his great footwork. Kazee projects as a strong vertical route cover corner.
Miamiās Corn Elder got burnt to a crisp a few times. Tennesseeās Cameron Sutton underwhelmed. He didnāt really have any interest in playing tight coverage on wide receivers. It was not a good day for his draft stock.
The two big standouts from the North secondary were Iowaās Desmond King and West Virginiaās Rasul Douglas. King is a defensive back machine and his footwork is impeccable. This guy is going to be a star in the NFL. Whomever drafts hims in the back-end of the first round probably wins the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Zero bust potential with this playmaker, barring injury of course. Douglas has good ball skills, but is your stereotypical undisciplined perimeter player from West Virginia. He can be good with the right team.
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Special Teams
Like with the linebackers and running backs, there wasnāt a lot to take in from the special teams on Tuesday. The exception was Arizona State kicker Zane Gonzalez for the North. He has the potential to be a Pro Bowl kicker coming out of college. He really makes the Tampa Bay Buccaneers look stupid for trading up to draft Roberto Aguayo in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft out of Florida State.