The 2021 Reeses Senior Bowl is in the final day of practice. The American team took the field for the final time before the actual game on Saturday. As always, I provide notes from what I see from the practices.
I don’t necessarily always care about the results. I’m not trying to put the best grammar out there either. They’re scouting notes to remember moving forward. With that being said, who made a great or bad last impression for the American Team at the 2021 Reeses Senior Bowl?
Quarterbacks:
Mac Jones continues to shine. He’s a quick decision maker and gets the ball to where it needs to be. A lot of the same from yesterday. You can tell he’s really smart and picks things up quickly. Mac has such great timing and touch. Threw perfect goal line fades.
I need to know how Todd McShay has Kellen Mond as a third round pick? I’ve seen everything I need to. Guy stinks.
Jamie Newman is breaking my heart. He’s showing nothing. First snap of the team drill he took a snap and dropped the ball. The next snap Newman goes out there and sails another ball high for a pick. The accuracy is just piss poor. He has zero touch on anything. If he doesn’t hit someone deep showing off the arm strength, then he’s got nothing.
Nobody had more to prove this week than Newman. The only thing he’s proved is he’s not a viable franchise quarterback. There was even a play on a bootleg where Newman just threw it straight into the ground. Newman couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn. This week has been nothing short of a disaster.
I don’t have any other words. Does the guy have the flu? WTF is going on? I’m serious. I’m not sure the guy did one thing right.
Running Backs:
Larry Roundtree looked a little better today but it was still a bunch of meh. I really didn’t see much to really stick my neck out for any of these guys.
Kylin Hill would still be my favorite. He’s just more talented than the others in the group.
Wide Receivers:
Call me crazy but are we sure Cornell Powell isn’t better than Amari Rodgers? Yes, Rodgers is a more pure receiver but the explosion from Powell is jarring. Rodgers is going to be great in the slot for someone.
Shi Smith is fine but he was getting way too much hype during the broadcast. He’s not close to Deebo in turns of change of direction. His knee bend are a step slower than they should be. Check the video. This is not quick. Deebo wins this route.
Marquez Stevenson doesn’t impress me either. Just looks like a raw fast guy that doesn’t know what he’s doing. Fast but stuck in the mud when he makes actual receiver moves. I’m not sure what you do with him.
The Tennessee wide out actually looks smooth but I’m not quite buying it yet. Something is missing.
Kadarius Toney really hasn’t done much. He’s fast but really hasn’t converted any splash plays. It’s hard not to be concerned. Tyreek Hill is a small landing strip. Right now he’s projected to go to high then I’m willing to take him. Richie Grant was able to come away with an interception against Toney too.
Tight Ends:
Tre McKitty continues to look like a real NFL tight end from an athletic standpoint. He’s shown he can catch the ball and pick up those important YAC yards. I’m starting to think there’s something here.
Noah Gray pulled down a bad throw from Kellen Mond with one hand. Gray was a productive player at Duke and by far the Blue Devils best player.
Offensive Line:
Trey Smith buried Carlos Basham on a rep taking him right to the ground. Smith is a big dude that has star potential at guard. Basham then got him right after. Those two battled.
Smith beat the USC defensive tackle in the rep. Smith looks like a better athlete than he should be for his size. Even when lined up at tackle, Smith aced his test.
Alex Leatherwood put together a clinic. That’s natural left tackle all day. Great knee bend and controls people with his hands. Yesterday, Leatherwood got beat by Roche. Today? Oh, it was pay back time. He’s looked fantastic.
The Ole Miss tackle seems to be missing a punch. Would love to see his bench number because he’s lost the power battle.
Defensive Line:
Quincy Roche is dominating the early portion of the team drill. You can’t miss him. He wins his rep routinely. Blows right by everyone. Roche looks like someone that can play in any scheme.
I would just repeat the fact that your eyes go towards Roche in the team drills. Built different. He held up very well in the run game as well.
Keep an eye on the Tulane guy Cameron Sample. Looks like a bowling ball trying to knock pins over. Big ball of energy that gets downhill and works.
Carlos Basham mostly had a good day. I wouldn’t say he blew the doors off but looks versatile. Basham in a team drill did chase down Mond which was really impressive.
USC defensive tackle Marlon Tuipulotu hasn’t gotten a ton going. The motor looks good but no twitch.
Linebackers:
In individual drills, Jabril Cox showed great knee bend and change of direction. Caught the ball well too. He’s going to be a natural going backward and dropping in zone.
Paddy Fisher moved well too. Dropped a ball in a drill but moves very well.
Our guy Jordan Smith who we interviewed got some air time today. It’s easy to notice how big and long he is. I think his natural bend around the edge gives him a chance to really pop in the league. That was on full display today.
Cornerbacks:
Ritchie Grant picked off Jamie Newman and took it to the house. He’s been a bit overshadowed by the other UCF corner. Grant later beat up Shi Smith in the red area. A few reps later, Grant flipped his hips no problem and mirrored Powell the whole way. All in all, Grant has played very well. To cap off a fantastic day, Grant came away with a gorgeous pick.
Richie Grant is a black hole. Everything thrown his way, bad things happen for the offense.
DJ Daniel got hit with a flag holding Cornell Powell.
