MOBILE, Alabama — The second day of the Senior Bowl practices are in the books and we have our Senior Bowl notes to share. First thing in the morning, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin came walking down the stairs onto the field with former Steelers pro scouting coordinator Brandon Hunt as well as defensive coordinator Teryl Austin. Tomlin and Austin went straight over to the defensive linemen group of the National Team to observe. He has been gravitating towards that group a lot, for what it’s worth.
It was also media day, so there will be plenty of interviews to write up over the coming days. Keep your eyes out for a Senior Bowl meeting tracker as we asked several players whether they had met with the team, and we will compile those all in one place.
ROSS MCCORKLE’S REPORT
SENIOR BOWL NATIONAL TEAM
I focused mostly on the wide receivers, cornerbacks, and quarterbacks today. Here are my notes:
-UNC WR Tez Walker is big and fast and will occasionally blow right by defensive backs to get wide open. He also had some drops in relatively routine situations today. His route running will need work, and his current route tree, at least from what he has shown in Mobile, is limited.
-Notre Dame CB Cam Hart really stood out today. He is really good at reading receivers’ hips and didn’t fall for a couple of double-move attempts today. He is smooth when he turns and runs with a receiver. It almost looks like he is running the route for them at times.
-The quarterbacks were pretty hyped up prior to this week. The pedigree is much higher than last year’s Senior Bowl at the position, but the performance has been so-so. Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. was probably the best on the National Team today, but he still had some frustrating misses on routine throws.
-Michigan WR Roman Wilson might be the most electric player in Mobile this week. He creates a lot of separation at the top of his routes and has deceptive speed. He also catches just about everything thrown his way. At the end of practice, they had Wilson go up against Quinyon Mitchell, and he made quick work of him while making an acrobatic catch along the sideline.
-Toledo CB Quinyon Mitchell, besides getting beat by Wilson in that end of practice one-on-one, has been one of the best defensive players in Mobile. He showed good work in both press and off coverage and runs with receivers really well on their routes. He intercepted at least one pass today from what I saw. A lot of buzz around Mitchell.
-Rutgers CB Max Melton showed good work out wide and in the slot today. He is physical and comes downhill in run support as well. He has fluid hips and transitions in and out of his backpedal well.
-WSU CB Chau Smith-Wade had a phenomenal interception in the end zone covering up WR Jacob Cowing today. He stayed right in the receiver’s pocket throughout the route and then caught the pass over his shoulder while tapping his toes in bounds.
SENIOR BOWL AMERICAN TEAM
-Fresno State CB Carlton Johnson showed off some impressive recovery speed today. A receiver blew by him on a go route, but while the ball was in the air, he kicked it into high gear and caught back up to the receiver to break up a would-be touchdown pass.
-Auburn CB D.J. James has a (very) small frame, but he can cover really well. He breaks down his feet well at the top of receivers’ routes and has impressive change of direction and short-area quickness. He nearly picked off a pass today, but it bounced off his hands. He did some pushups after dropping the interception.
-Tulane WR Jha’Quan Jackson has impressive speed and subtlety in his route running. He had at least two deep slot fades today, where he blew right past the DB for an easy touchdown catch. He varies his speed really well within his routes to catch DBs breaking their feet down before he kicks it into high gear.
-Louisville CB Jarvis Brownlee Jr. was one of the better defensive players on the American Team today. He sticks to receivers and stays in phase really well, and has a great burst and change of direction. He also has at least one great rep in press coverage where he jammed a receiver right into the ground at the line of scrimmage.
-South Carolina WR Xavier Legette made a couple of great grabs today. He adjusts to the ball in the air well and has soft hands to catch anything thrown his way.
-Tennessee QB Joe Milton III has a cannon arm. His accuracy can be sporadic, but he has an amazingly strong arm. They have some advanced analytics tracking technology here in Mobile, and he has the furthest throw, the highest velocity, and the highest spin rate of anybody here.
JONATHAN HEITRITTER’S REPORT
SENIOR BOWL NATIONAL TEAM
-Oregon C Jackson Powers-Johnson starting out Day 2 strong yet again. Showing pop in his hands and quick feet when engaged on blocks. Powers-Johnson didn’t log a single team snap, likely meaning his day (and time participating in Mobile) may be done after a stellar performance thus far.
-Clemson DL Tyler Davis wins on second effort against Powers-Johnson in 1-on-1s, getting into his chest and winning with a push/pull. Davis is undersized but is an energizer bunny as a pass rusher, overwhelming blockers at the point of attack.
-Oregon DL Brandon Dorlus threw Florida IOL Kingsley Eguakun like a rag doll in 1-on-1s, tossing him to the side for the easy win with his strength at the point of attack.
-BYU OT Kingsley Suamataia stopped the inside rush of Penn State EDGE Adissa Issac, latching his inside arm and pushing to the side for the win. He’s been locking dudes down with a strong punch and base in pass protection 1-on-1s. Suamatia was also steady in pass protection in the team portion of practice, lacking that violent kick step but staying in phase and keeping pass rushers from getting the corner. Has played both tackle spots and represented himself well. Looking like a late first/early second-round pick thus far in Mobile.
-Oregon State OT Taliese Fuaga makes Issac run the arc and plants him on the turf in 1-on-1s, using his arm to create distance between himself and the defender before taking him to the turf.
-Washington OT Roger Rosengarten looked good for a second straight day in 1-on-1s, showing good hand placement inside and the ability to dig his heels into the turf to stall the rush. However, Rosengarten played with a bad knee and hip bend in the team session, getting whipped by the Kansas EDGE Austin Booker on a speed rush around the corner.
-Wisconsin IOL Tanor Bortolini and Fuaga did a great job picking up the twist in 2-on-2s, passing off defenders, and anchoring in to stall the rush. Bortolini took snaps at center and both guard spots in today’s practice. Has been pretty steady as a lower ceiling, yet high floor option in the middle rounds of the draft.
-Baylor DL Gabe Hall is impressive coming off the bus in terms of size, strength, and power, but needs to play more to his size, using better leverage and his arm length to knock back blockers. He’s an intriguing mid-round developmental prospect that fits plenty of the measurables Pittsburgh looks for in their defensive linemen.
-Duke DL DeWayne Carter is reminding me a lot of Kobie Turner of the Rams coming out of Wake Forest. Undersized defensive lineman, but is super disruptive and anchors well against the run. Similar body type and could be an underrated name in this draft process.
SENIOR BOWL AMERICAN TEAM
-Missouri DL Darius Robinson stood up former teammate OT Javon Foster in the run game 1 on 1s, setting the edge effectively with a string punch and good knee/hip bend. However, Foster looked good in the majority of the run-blocking portion of practice, showing great leg drive and nastiness. Robinson beat Oklahoma OT Tyler Guyton around the edge in 1-on-1s with a nice push/pull, getting around his shoulder into the pocket.
-Texas A&M G Layden Robinson had a good rep against FSU DL Braden Fiske, knocking him back for a nice win in the run game portion of practice.
-Texas OT Christian Jones took shadow reps in the individual session while other tackles were going. Other guys stood to the side when not in the rep. Jones is taking every opportunity to get better and work on his stance and footwork.
-Houston OT Patrick Paul looks impressive in individual work using independent hands with his condor-like wingspan. Has active feet in a 6-7, 333-pound frame, making him an enticing prospect. Paul looked solid in the team session, having one rep where he overset and let the pass rusher back in, but has displayed good hand placement, independent hands, and footwork. He’s had a great day of practice.
-Oklahoma OT Tyler Guyton looked clean in pass protection in 1-on-1s, making pass rushers run the arc with his long arms and good footwork.
-Texas DL T’Vondre Sweat bulldozed Oklahoma IOL Andrew Raym with a bull rush, throwing him to the side with ease in 1-on-1s. Sweat played much better today in 1-on-1s, showing quickness off the ball and better leverage to win blocks right at the snap.
-LSU DL Mekhi Wingo looked solid in 1 on 1s rushing with power and explosiveness. He came to play with an edge today on a rep against UCONN G Christian Haynes with some shoving after the play, where he ripped off Haynes’s helmet and chucked it back at him.
-Texas Tech Edge Myles Cole looked clean around the edge with a club/rip in 1-on-1s, winning easily. A not-often-mentioned name that has held his own well down here in Mobile.
-Texas A&M DL McKinley Jackson is a leverage machine, being short to the ground and having the strength and power to get underneath blocks in his path to the QB in 1-on-1s.
-Alabama EDGE Chris Braswell with a good win inside on Christian Jones, getting the arm over to cross his face in 1 on 1s.
-TCU OT Brandon Coleman had a couple of nice reps in 1-on-1s in pass protection, showing good footwork to mirror pass rushers and the ability to recover when initially beat to stay in front of his man.
-Arkansas C Beaux Limmer had a great rep on Fiske in the team session, washing him down the line of scrimmage to clear a big run on the first play of the period. Still, Fiske’s motor doesn’t stop. He shot the gap to get in the backfield right after the snap in the team session, making the play before the runner could get back to the line of scrimmage.
