Day 2 of practice for the 2017 Reese’s Senior Bowl is in the books. Here are the biggest takeaways from the second day of field work in Mobile.
The second day of practice for the North and South teams at the 2017 Reese’s Senior Bowl at Ladd Peebles Stadium in Mobile was certainly better than the first. Both John Fox’s and Hue Jackson’s teams practiced more efficiently. Many of the players that looked lost on Tuesday improved on Wednesday.
Fox’s Chicago Bears staff took the field with the North team at 1:00 p.m. ET and got a solid two hours of work in. Jackson’s Cleveland Browns staff would get on the field at 4:00 p.m. ET and did what they needed to do until 6:00 p.m. ET. Here are the biggest takeaways from Wednesday, broken down by position group.
Quarterbacks
Frankly, no quarterback has separated himself from the pack just yet. For the North, Iowa’s C.J. Beathard is clearly the most comfortable player under center of the six. It helps that he played in a pro-style offense for Kirk Ferentz at Iowa. Colorado’s Sefo Liufau has the best foot work, but the worst arm of the six. Pittsburgh’s Nate Peterman hasn’t taken control of Senior Bowl practices, but looked a cut above the rest in red zone execution. It’s not everything, but that matters to NFL scouts.
For the South, Cal’s Davis Webb might be front-runner at this point. The ball looks better coming out of his hands than anybody else. However, accuracy and plays under center have not been his strong suit. Tennessee’s Joshua Dobbs has a better arm than we thought, however, he does not have great accuracy in the short-game, which is problematic. Tiffin’s Antonio Pipkin may have actually had the bes day. He looked poised in his second day of practice, executing better than the rest in seven-on-seven — Pipkin looks to be a gamer.
Running Backs
Running backs got more involved in day two. The biggest standout for the North was Toledo’s Kareem Hunt. He looks to be extremely versatile as an NFL back, as he plays with both power and speed. He has good hands and will be a productive player at the next level.
For the South, two of the running backs had strong days. North Carolina State’s Matt Dayes gets to the second level of a defense very quickly and he’s got a great one-cut-and-go running philosophy. BYU’s Jamaal Williams never stopped moving his feet and looks to be a runner that will fight for every inch the defense gives him.
Tight Ends
Day two wasn’t a great day to pick up on a lot from the tight end group. For the North, Florida International’s Jonnu Smith seems to be ahead of the curve with his blocking. Arkansas’ Jeremy Sprinkle is a bit loose with his play, but seems to run well for the position.
On the South, Ole Miss’ Evan Engram was the best player of the position group. He showed a great ability to go vertical, as well as factor in run blocking. Alabama’s O.J. Howard dropped a few balls and wasn’t as sharp as he was yesterday.
Wide Receivers
The wide receivers group had a little bit of everything on Wednesday. For the North, Louisiana Tech’s Trent Taylor had another great day. Size doesn’t matter, as this guy is going to be a stud slot receiver. He has great hands, quickness and physicality. It’s starting to be obvious that Louisville’s Jamari Staples isn’t a great practice player. The competition wavers with him, but that might be because he gives his best on game day.
For the South, LSU’s Travin Dural has been the best wideout on that team this week. He can compete for playing time in the NFL day one. North Carolina’s Ryan Switzer had a miserable day, as he dropped a lot of balls and could not create separation in press man. That’s so problematic for a likely slot receiver. Texas A&M’s Josh Reynolds may be the most talented, yet inconsistent player in the wide receivers group. Grambling State’s Chad Williams got into a fight at the end of practice with Miami safety Rayshawn Jenkins, which the whole world saw.
Offensive Linemen
These practices tell us more about guys in the trenches than anything. The most compelling storyline heading into day two of practice was that Western Kentucky’s Forrest Lamp suffered a high ankle sprain in yesterday’s practice for the South. He won’t practice the rest of the week and may not play in the Senior Bowl on Saturday.
The best player up front for the North was easily Western Michigan’s Taylor Moton. He is a technician at right tackle. Moton is so mechanically sound, he might even start in the NFL Week 1. Bucknell’s Julie’n Davenport is great at the edge, but can be thwarted with a bull rush. USC’s Zach Banner uses his size to his advantage, but his lack of motor is troubling. Indiana’s Dan Feeney was miserable again and his stock is definitely plummeting this week. Feeney spends just about every play on the ground.
The South was overall sound as a team up front. Kentucky center Jon Toth rose to the occasion. Tennessee State’s Jessamen Dunker looks to be very coachable. LSU’s Ethan Pocic is better served as a guard than at center, as he didn’t look bad during reps at that position. That being said, Miami guard Danny Isidora was the best guy on the South team today. His feet got wide in pass protection, but he rarely got beat by the pass rush.
Defensive Linemen
Because the offensive lines for both teams looked vastly improved, there wasn’t as much to draw from either defensive line in day two. For the North, Ohio’s Tarell Basham is a relentless competitor. Michigan’s Chris Wormley still hasn’t found his footing in Mobile.
With the South, we could extract a bit more from the defensive line. Villanova’s Tanoh Kpassagnon continues to thrive against higher levels of competition. UCLA’s Eddie Vanderdoes is so reckless, but is a delight to watch when he does get everything going. Auburn’s Montravius Adams wasn’t as good as he was yesterday. Alabama’s Dalvin Tomlinson creates great pressure on the interior, while Clemson’s Carlos Watkins does not.
Linebackers
We saw some great things out of some linebackers in day two. The MVP of Senior Bowl practice day two was Temple’s outside linebacker Haason Reddick. He was so explosive off the edge and nobody could stop him one-on-one. Michigan’s Ben Gedeon was flying around in run stuffing for the North. Illinois’ Carroll Phillips and Youngstown State’s Derek Rivers had their moments in the pass rush.
For the South, Alabama outside linebacker Ryan Anderson continues to put together impressive tape in the Senior Bowl. It’ll be hard to not see him off the board before the 50s in the second round. Florida inside linebacker Alex Anzalone improved his stock considerably. Health is always an issue for him, but the guy thrives in 11-on-11.
Defensive Backs
There’s been a lot of great stuff to see in the defensive backfield. However, it’s almost all with the corners. For the North, Missouri’s Aarion Penton was outstanding in goal line defense, as was UConn’s Obi Melifonwu. Michigan’s Jourdan Lewis was close to perfect, while Iowa’s Desmond King had a few noticeable lapses. West Virginia’s Rasul Douglas is a fierce competitor. Lamar’s Brendan Langley does not look coachable.
However, the best defensive backs played for the South today. Tennessee’s Cameron Sutton just toyed with guys today. He’s has first-round talent, but is a mediocre player when having to compete hurt. The Tennessee tape will tell you that.
San Diego State’s Damontae Kazee could be something very special. He’s like a rawer version of Jason Verrett for the Los Angeles Chargers. Kazee may have gotten some flags, but the guy has good hands and recovers well. Miami’s Corn Elder and Jenkins have been outclassed all week.
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Special Teams
Not a lot to take away from the special teams. Memphis kicker Jake Elliott will get drafted, but isn’t the same kicker as Arizona State’s Zane Gonzalez. Gonzalez might even be a mid-round pick. He’s a sure thing at kicker. Clemson’s Artavis Scott might be a big special teams contributor right away. Look for him to compete for touches in the return game.