2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl: National Team Day 2 Winners, Losers
For the second year in a row, Vendetta Sports Media has boots on the ground in Mobile, Ala., at the Reese’s Senior Bowl. It is a one-man operation here in Mobile, and I will do my best to bring you as much information as I can from the sidelines of Hancock Whitney Stadium. Trey will be releasing his notes immediately following each practice, which you can find today’s National team notes here.
Totally different vibe at today’s practice compared to yesterday. On day one, there were a lot of warm-up drills, and not too much competition until the end. Not the case on Wednesday. The guys warmed up for maybe 10-15 minutes then got right into it. Very competitive practice.
Winner: *Most* of the receiving group:
There was a lot to like from a lot of the receivers on the National side today at the Senior Bowl. I had six of the eight guys with positive days today, one neutral, and one negative day (who gets his own spot shortly). Let’s talk about it.
Michigan’s Roman Wilson might be winning me over. I’ll say it. There is a lot of talk around USC’s Brendan Rice as the “best receiver” this week, but anyone with two (or in my case, four) eyes can see that Wilson is stealing the show. He displayed sharp footwork today, also highlighting some really nice speed and high-pointing the ball. He also got called out for 1-on-1’s at the end of practice and won.
I’ll try to trim it down by talking about the rest of the guys.
Florida’s Ricky Pearsall and Western Kentucky’s Malachi Corley really caught my eye today. Both did a very nice job against the press; Pearsall made a nice contested catch early in practice and Corley showing off top-end speed on an end around. Both have the route tree you want and can build off of. Rice’s Luke McCaffrey and USC’s Brendan Rice also had flashes today. I believe Rice might be getting a little too much hype from what I have seen, but the kid has talent. Javon Baker is going to be alright, you can tell watching him move. Another solid day today as well.
Loser: Devontez Walker
I mentioned Walker as a winner on Day 1, and he gets filed as a loser today. The drops are becoming concerning. It’s one thing to maybe drop a contested catch or two, but I saw at least two passes today where he was open and simply let it hit him and fall. Those concentration catches are going to be pivotal in the NFL. The speed is there, but he has to work on his hands.
Winner: Michael Hall
I had a few pluses on Ohio State’s Michael Hall yesterday, today his name was littered with them. Hall really stood out among the DL today for his ferocious play at the line. In the 1-on-1’s, it felt like he was always pushing his guy back, even putting Michigan’s Trevor Keegan in a nasty spin cycle to win the rep. Violent hands, showed surprising agility and what appears as a high motor. Count me in.
Loser: Kalen King
Being on the loser list two days in a row at the Senior Bowl is never a recipe for success. Penn State’s Kalen King is not having a good week so far in Mobile. It feels like these receivers are simply being too physical off the line, and he doesn’t have the quick acceleration to catch up. King was top-five in MPH tracked yesterday, but the breakout of a cut is lacking. He got cooked a few times today, notably from UCF’s Javon Baker.
Winner: Jackson Powers-Johnson
The Senior Bowl this year has not been exceptionally kind to all, as I have a handful of guys who have not met expectations. However, the same cannot be said about Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson. I really tried to find another clear-cut winner, but it is hard to argue that JPJ has not been one of the best players on the field the last two days.
I am getting a man crush, I’ll admit it. I mentioned it yesterday don’t be surprised when you hear his name in the first round. Today, he was dominant against a fellow winner in Hall. He kept a defender at a distance with one hand for goodness sake. He’s got great footwork, that nastiness you want to see from an OL, and is relatively quick as well.
Loser: The Quarterbacks
I have said a few times that I started to eat the cheese on Oregon’s Bo Nix this year as it went on. I also started the year very high on Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. Well, it’s safe to say that I do not feel that way anymore.
Maybe that’s harsh on Nix at least. I’ve been out on Penix for a little bit now but I still had some hope for Nix. Neither guy has looked very good at all through two days of practice here at the Senior Bowl. Inconsistent, accuracy issues, dirting balls, you name it. Nix had Roman Wilson on a go route … well, I’ll just share the video below. Watch for yourself.
I heard you say yikes. I know that because when I watched this live, I had the same reaction.
Penix, on the other hand, is just way too up and down. When he’s on, man is he fun to watch. Seeing him live over the last two days and some of the throws he has made have made me understand the hype. However, when it’s not clicking it’s a rough watch. The throwing motion is just as slow as it looks in person. The feet are everywhere. When he has pressure in his face he crumbles. Linked below is his reps in team drills.
Honorable Mentions:
I get a win for actually remembering sunscreen today. My ear specifically is burnt to a crisp but thanks to an unhealthy amount of aloe yesterday, my hand and forearm should make it.
In all seriousness, the media dinner event tonight also felt so uncoordinated. There are five podiums with mics and speakers, I believe only two worked. No one seemed to care to fix them either, even with a certain someone on the floor the entire evening. Do with that as you will.
Senior Bowl quick hitters, then we’ll get out of here:
- BYU Tackle will be very good. Another solid day
- Florida has another potentially great guard at the Senior Bowl in Kingsley Eguakun
- Dominick Puni from Kansas had one of the better OL days today
- Brandon Dorlus with some nice pressures today
- Evan Williams from Oregon stood out after Payton Wilson today at LB
- Quinyon Mitchell should go home. Nothing more to prove. We now know he can play
