After a long week of practice, the 2020 Reeses Senior Bowl is finally here. The week of practice is probably the most important piece to use from scouting, but you can get plenty out of a college All-Star setting. After watching the East-West Shrine Game and NFLPA Game, the Senior Bowl provides the best of the best around the country.
I should also point out that coaching does matter. Matt Patricia looked way more organized during the week of practice than Zac Taylor. The entire Bengals staff was a mess. Probably no surprise that the score was 34-17. There is no reason the South team should ever lose this game either.
Let’s get right down to it. Who stood out for the South team at the 2020 Reeses Senior Bowl? Here are the notes from the actual game.
Quarterbacks
I thought Justin Herbert definitely put on a good showing. Here is what I saw. Plus athleticism. Created a few first days with his legs. Can make some throws in the intermediate range but isn’t always accurate. His touchdown pass came on a screen which doesn’t tell much. My biggest knock on him is his inability to read coverages which you can’t see in a setting like this. I don’t think his ball placement is great either. I’m not a Herbert guy, but he didn’t do anything to really prove me wrong or right.
Herbert did win the MVP of the game for some reason despite his team losing. The Oregon quarterback finished the game 9-12 for 83 yards and a score. Justin Herbert only played in the first quarter.
Jalen Hurts holds on to the ball too long in the pocket. Shoutout to our guy, Caleb Shaffer for calling that out because it was very noticeable to me during the game. One example, Hurts had the Tennessee wide receiver open but just threw it way too late. He can’t process information fast enough. Which makes sense given how often he fleas from the pocket in college. During the game, Hurts made a bad decision and threw a total duck to Malik Harrison. He should have just ate the sack. He should probably be an undrafted gadget guy if we’re being honest. Hurts finished the game 6-13 for 58 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT.
Steven Montez just a whole lot of yuck. Saw a lot of what we did in practice. Bad pick, no pocket awareness, and all arm throws. Montez threw his pick to Troy Pride where nobody else was even in the area. Montez put together a statline of 3 for 8 with 22 yards and a pick.
I should mention the tackles were horrendous but the quarterbacks weren’t great either.
Running Backs
LaMical Perine is impressive. I thought he ran well between the tackles. In the first quarter, Perine scored on a screen pass where he had to work for the touchdown. Perine showed some power and an ability to break tackles. I thought his footwork was great and really finished his runs well. Nobody was better after contact than Perine from the Senior Bowl. He’s the only complete back down here. 7 carries for 42 yards with a 6 YPC pop is good with me. Not including the sexy run on the screen either.
I’m just not into the other running backs on this roster. Eno Benjamin looked lost running between the tackles. Pulling off spin moves that went nowhere. 7 carries for 20 yards and mostly ugly.
Wide Receivers:
The South tackles were so bad that it really hurt the wide receivers. Didn’t really give them time to find the open guy.
Van Jefferson continues to be a route running clinic. Just two catches but on two targets. I don’t care. I know he’s a stud now.
Devin Duvernay has some serious wheels on him but we already knew that. I think what was important is that he finally created some separation. I thought he did a nice job getting open. Just two grabs in this one but I saw what I needed to.
Jauan Jennings made a fantastic touchdown grab. He made some plays out there. For being a 6-foot-3 receiver, he actually really moves well. Really quick in an out of breaks for his size. He caught my eye today. Not sure he’s a star but had a good day.
Tight Ends:
Stephen Sullivan was the only one with a catch and it went for 6 yards. I starting to be totally out on Jared Pinkney. He just looks slow on the field.
Offensive Line:
The LSU guys were opening up huge holes in the run game for LaMical Perine. If you go back and watch the Perine touchdown, it was the LSU guys blocking down field. Both Damien Lewis and Lloyd Cushenberry were killing people all week and it continued.
Terence Steele from Texas Tech was bad again. Total turnstyle and worst player on the field. He couldn’t block a 5-year-old. Alton Robinson got by him for a sack. Bradley Anae got him for a sack on back to back plays. Looked overwhelmed and panicked with a false start on a key 4th down. Picking up holding calls left and right. It was horrendous.
The Mississippi State tackle, Tyre Phillips didn’t even react to the snap count on the sack he gave up.
Calvin Throckmorton was getting slaughtered too. He didn’t look much better than Steele. If Steele couldn’t block a 5-year-old, the Throckmorton couldn’t block an 8-year-old. He was almost equally horrendous. I can’t believe how bad he was. This man was bullied snap after snap. So bad that he has to drop several rounds from this performance.
Defensive Line:
I really don’t have a ton here. The guys I wanted to watch bowed out with Injuries. I saw Javon Kinlaw and Marlon Davidson do what they needed to do. I didn’t see anything special in the game. The North averaged 6.1 yards on the ground for a reason and didn’t create a ton of pass rush.
Linebackers:
I didn’t see a ton here either. The North ran the ball no problem and I didn’t notice any linebackers making great plays. Probably not a great sign for guys like Anfernee Jennings (who I consider more of an edge rusher anyway) or TJ Brunson.
Cornerbacks:
Kindle Vindor came up with an interception in this one.
Reggie Robinson struggled. Just really grabby. Credit to him for forcing a fumble though. Having a corner that can make plays on the ball is important.
Safeties:
Jared Maydon just missed a pick 6 that should have been thrown Shea Patterson that was broken up by the WR playing defense. Alabama safety that has been overlooked.
Kyle Dugger from Lenoir Rhyne didn’t do a ton in terms of production, but you can tell he can play just from his movement skills. If he’s wearing a different helmet, you wouldn’t be able to tell. He can play for sure. He looks physically imposing and fast. He made the tackles he should have. I thought he did a great job making plays in the run game.
If you want to read notes from each day of practice for the South, I will link them below!
