The 2018 Reese’s Senior Bowl kicks up a notch on the second day of practices. After an acclimation period, the pads come on with some serious hitting today. The teams watching want to see how quickly players can pick up the terminology and if they can make the adjustments to improve each day.
The North team seems to have the edge personnel-wise at this point. The practices are also a lot more fluid because they have better quarterbacks. Who stood out on day two for the North Team?
Quarterbacks:
There’s no doubt Baker Mayfield has looked better than anticipated. He has a quick release and nice touch on his throws. He also probably has the best pure accuracy of any of the quarterbacks at the Senior Bowl. Mechanically, at times he has a little hitch in his throwing motion I’m concerned about. He didn’t get touched too often at Oklahoma. Can he throw without the hitch in his wind up? It’s a bit of a jagged hand movement at times in the pocket. He seems to be speaking well in the interviews and seems to love football. He’s grown on me but there’s still no shot I would take him in the first round.
Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen has the highest ceiling of anyone in the draft at quarterback. He made a throw on the run that will take your breath away. In fact, he probably evens throws better on the run and doesn’t lose any velocity. That isn’t too surprising since he still has trouble lining up his feet when he throws. There are still times where he misses open targets and struggles with his accuracy but it seems to stream for inconsistency in his drop back. Allen needs to be stuck with the right coach but his progress is encouraging. He dropped a beautiful throw right in the bucket on the corner route to Michael Gallup.
Luek Falk from Washington State is an interesting backup prospect. He has no buzz on his throws but showed some accuracy. I keep seeing him as a Matt Hasselbeck. Falk is the all-time leading passer in the Pac-12.
Nebraska quarterback Tanner Lee stinks. In fact, I feel robbed of my time even typing the sentence. He stinks; throw in whatever adjective you want. He got picked off twice, he constantly missed high, and just flat out stinks.
Running Backs:
Kalen Ballage looks awesome. There’s no other word to describe it. He runs well. His cuts are crisp and smooth. He even has a little thump to him when making contact with a defender. His production doesn’t show it in college but he’s absolutely worth a look on draft day.
Jaylen Samuels is another guy I really like. I said yesterday he can do everything. I think a creative offensive coach can use him as a matchup guy in the passing game. Samuels can also be a short yardage back when you need to pick up a yard. Not that he’s slow either because he looks like a 4.6 guy to me which is perfectly fine.
Akrum Wadley (Iowa) is only 180 pounds so I’m not interested, keep it moving.
Wide Receivers:
I spent a lot of time watching receivers today because it is such a weak class. You could make the argument that one shouldn’t be picked in the first three rounds, it’s that bad. Two stood out on the North squad: Michael Gallup and DaeSean Hamilton. Michael Gallup has good speed and route running but is just 6-foot. He could be a nice slot guy.
Hamilton is just an inch taller but he was a lightning rod and is really boasting his value. We saw Hamilton at the East-West game but has really taken off. Watch how he gets Michael Joseph LEANING after I just bragged him up yesterday. I’m sorry but you have to be damn good to get someone spinning like that. I mean this guy is constantly open.
Tight Ends:
I’m still not thrilled with this tight end class. Mike Gesicki got open on a ball thrown from Allen. He’s a big body guy but with all of these tight ends, they struggle to separate. Durham Smythe dropped a wide open pass and might just be a guy who chips a defensive end at the line.
Offensive Line:
Tyrell Crosby and Will Hernandez continue to stick out. Crosby is the best pure tackle I’ve seen on the North team and stuffed Wisconsin linebacker Garret Dooley to the ground. He just looks like a left tackle, there’s no question this guy can play. Hernandez is just a flat out thumper and stonewalls people. He got a little grabby today and may not be built for a zone type of scheme but can really block.
Jamil Demby had a really nice day as a later round prospect. Demby is 6-foot-4, 320, and was a stalwart left tackle at Maine. He threw the Wisconsin linebacker like a doll. He also beat up on Okoronkwo who was a stud for Oklahoma. Brett Toth from Army also had his moments but still is too high in his stance.
The Michigan center Mason Cole took a bit of a step back today after an excellent day one but still remains an interesting prospect. Scott Quessenberry of UCLA is off my board after a really bad day. Sean Welsh of Iowa might have been the worst offensive lineman I’ve ever seen at this event. Cross him off your board’s folks. Brian O’Neill might as well join him on dumpsville. The Wisconsin guy lost all day but found a way to beat the Pitt tackle. Rutgers edge rusher Kemoko Turray literally ran right by him in the drills. O’Neill was thought of as a 1st rounder but he’s trash.
Defensive Line:
Ogbonnia Okoronkwo still is struggling but did improve slightly today. I’m starting to get worried about his NFL success if he doesn’t stand up at linebacker. Also, you can basically pick out any NC State defensive lineman, they can all play. Justin Jones and B.J. Hill are both nightmares at the defensive tackle spot. Both players both consistently push the pocket with ease. I couldn’t believe the spin move Hill pull out for a 320-pound nose tackle.
The Ohio State guys are a different conversation. Tyquan Lewis is a straight killer. He drove the UCLA center back 20 yards and has some nice hand fighting to him. Jalyn Holmes couldn’t have been any less impressive. Pass on him.
Linebackers:
I thought the North Dakota State linebacker Nick DeLuca had a nice day. Is he fast? Absolutely not but he has good instincts and even showed off some ball skills intercepting Tanner Lee.
Defensive Backs:
I bragged up Michael Joseph yesterday and he had another nice day. He has nice instincts and can spot the ball in coverage. He can play and in zone. The question is how fast is this guy? I think we’re starting to get an answer to that. He’s not very fast. We’re going to find out that 40 number eventually but it’s probably why this guy played D3. Don’t sleep on him though, he can play. Watch him rip the ball from DaeSean Hamilton in one rep. He’s the only guy who had mild success against him in two days.
Christian Campbell also had a nice day reeling in an interception. You can tell he is much better in press with those long arms and gets lost in off coverage. Campbell isn’t super quick but he can get his hands on you and jar the ball loose. Isaac Yiadom of Boston College also had a nice day with a quick set of wheels on him.
The other Penn State guy Marcus Allen is going to be a player in the NFL. You can just tell this dude is going to be a football player. Great range and isn’t afraid to go and hit someone.
Also, let’s cross someone off the board. DeMarcus King looks like he has to break his leg every time he has to cover someone. You can see him above in the clips with the South Carolina helmet. What is he doing with his legs when he bends his knees! Disgusting! No Thanks!
