MOBILE, Alabama — The 2025 Senior Bowl is underway, with the first day of practice in the books. Several notable players ended up dropping out of the event for various unknown reasons, but there were still plenty of impressive performances to open up the week.
Despite the record-breaking snow in Mobile just a week ago, it was a beautiful, sunny day with a strong turnout of media folks to cover the event. Like always, there was a strong turnout from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ decision-makers, too.
Johnathan Heitritter and Efram Geller joined me on this year’s trip to provide you with daily updates, player interviews, and live observations on X.
ROSS MCCORKLE’S REPORT
Our team of three split the position groups up, and we will rotate throughout the three days of practice. As I normally like to do, I spent the first day getting a good look at the big guys in the trenches. As it turns out, that is exactly what Mike Tomlin and DC Teryl Austin were doing, too.
Tomlin went right over to the defensive line and stuck around there for a good chunk of practice, and Austin did pretty much the same. The defensive line group is widely regarded as one of the strongest position groups in this draft.
Here, Tomlin is just about as close as possible to the defensive line drills.
Along with Tomlin and Austin, OC Arthur Smith and GM Omar Khan were present. For what it’s worth, I did not spot assistant GM Andy Weidl. He may join later in the week.
NATIONAL TEAM
– Oregon DL Jamaree Caldwell may not have a ton of polished pass rush moves or counters, but his bull rush is almost unfair. He was looking great in individuals, one-on-one, and team today.
– FSU DL Joshua Farmer gave offensive linemen all kinds of issues in team sessions and one-on-ones. He is very quick for a guy his size and showed violence in his hands with extremely long arms. He was walking offensive linemen right back into the pocket. His motor runs red hot.
– UCLA EDGE Olu Oladejo has a very solid frame and immediately stood out as the biggest winner of one-on-ones. His movements are explosive, and his pass-rush arsenal seems to be pretty polished. He didn’t have much buzz coming into Mobile, but he certainly will walking out.
– Oregon OT Josh Conerly Jr. stood out among the National Team tackles. He was able to shut down power moves and speed rushes. I didn’t see any weaknesses during the one-on-one session.
– Arkansas EDGE Landon Jackson had the height to be a 5-tech, maybe, but his weight basically disqualifies him from consideration there. He will be an EDGE or a 4-3 DE, and he had a particularly rough day one of the Senior Bowl. He was getting tossed around and lost his feet multiple times in one-on-ones.
– Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel might have been the best-looking quarterback of the day on either team. I didn’t focus much on this group, but he was accurate, threw with anticipation, and pushed the ball down the field nicely. He would have had the play of the day, but it was dropped deep (I believe by WR Jayden Higgins).
– Iowa DL Yahya Black has an enormous frame and very long arms, but he was a little hot and cold today. When his initial moves got shut down, he didn’t look very good in one-on-ones with no counters. On the flipside, he actually looked pretty good in team session. At one point, he dropped anchor against a double team from two offensive linemen and didn’t budge an inch.
– Nebraska DL Ty Robinson showed off a nice long-arm bull rush a few times in one-on-ones and definitely has the frame to hold up at 5-tech DE. He is surprisingly quick for a man of his size, but he had at least one offsides penalty in the team session and he got shut down a few times in one-on-one reps.
– Louisville QB Tyler Shough was impressive for the limited time I watched him. He had mobility to escape the pocket and delivered accurate passes on the run. He also had a variety of arm angles he could use to avoid arms in his throwing lanes.
AMERICAN TEAM
– Texas A&M DE Shemar Stewart was explosive on day one. His feet looked great during some individual drills, and his one-on-ones were mostly excellent. He showed the ability to convert speed to power and had a nice rip move with good bend. He appeared to be aligning as an EDGE player mostly, but he has potential to be a 5-tech for the Steelers if he adds a bit of weight.
– Ole Miss DE Jared Ivey was a little sloppy in the individual drills trying to show off his quickness, but he cleaned things up for the one-on-ones and the team session. He has very quick and active hands, enabling him to win both against the run and the pass.
– Kentucky DL Deone Walker is as big as they come. He is over 6-7 and 340 pounds. At that size, he doesn’t have a sloppy body type at all. He appeared to have some issues with his leverage and pad level, but he also showed a lot of power that will be very difficult for offensive linemen to deal with. He was consistently in the backfield during the team session.
– South Carolina DL T.J. Sanders helped himself out today. He can flat out move as an interior pass rusher and showed that he is capable of converting that speed into power. He knocked multiple offensive linemen on their butts today during one-on-ones.
– Tennessee DL Omarr Norman-Lott is quick off the snap. During the team session, there were reps where he was already in the backfield before the offensive linemen were out of their stance.
– Alabama QB Jalen Milroe struggled pretty heavily on day one. I wasn’t focusing on this position, but there were accuracy issues in the team sessions and he had a hard time getting through his reads.
– Sacramento State OG Jackson Slater showed off an anchor, the ability to move out in space and mirror in one-on-ones. He was very impressive for the American Team OL.
– LSU OL Emery Jones is scrappy as all get out and played at both guard and tackle today. He has the nasty disposition to play guard at the next level.
JONATHAN HEITRITTER’S REPORT
Jonathan Focused primarily on the running backs, inside linebackers, and tight ends today.
NATIONAL TEAM
– Oklahoma State RB Ollie Gordon II, Oregon LB Jeffrey Bassa, and Miami TE Elijah Arroyo look the part coming off the bus.
– Miami RB Damien Martinez looks quick going through the bag drills, having quick feet for weighing in over 230 pounds.
– Miami TE Elijah Arroyo doing a good job building up to full speed in individual drills, having those long strides as he finishes in the end zone every rep.
– Michigan RB Donovan Edwards put his foot in the ground to hit the cutback to the left in team, getting to the corner and used his burst up the sideline to get in for the score.
– Bowling Green TE Harold Fannin Jr. had a bad drop on a curl route in 7 on 7, having the ball hit him in the hands, but he couldn’t get his fingers on the ball, leading to the dropped pass.
– Virginia Tech RB Bhayshul Tuten showed some good burst in team, building up speed as he hit the line of scrimmage and ran through some arm tackles into the second and third levels of the defense on his first run of the session.
– Donovan Edwards did a good job evading pressure in the backfield in team, shuffling to his left to avoid the diving tackler as he accelerated up into the second level of the defense.
– Saw Miami WR Xavier Restrepo do a good job blocking for his quarterback on a designed draw in team, matching the effort he shows as a blocker on tape.
– Virginia Tech RB Bhayshul Tuten had a nice sideline grab in team, catching the ball with hands outstretched over his head while in tight coverage with the linebacker, getting both feet down into bounds.
AMERICAN TEAM
– Notre Dame LB Jack Kiser looks smooth going through individual drills, not taking any wasted steps as he transitions well in a lateral shuffle and dropping into coverage.
– Kansas RB Devin Neal and SMU RB Brashard Smith look smooth going through bag drills in individual, showing no wasted steps rounding the obstacles.
– UCF RB RJ Harvey has impressive quickness in individual drills, taking some missteps, but his ability to change direction and spin is the top of this group.
– SMU RB Brashard Smith is unfair in 1-on-1s with the linebackers, having that wide receiver background to get on his opponents’ toes and break out into his route, generating separation with ease.
– Notre Dame LB Jack Kiser isn’t a freak athlete, but he’s heady and has great instincts, sticking out in coverage in 1-on-1s to stay with his man while forcing a key pass breakup.
– Georgia RB Trevor Etienne consistently is winning in 1-on-1s, using his speed and burst to break away from defenders and pull away after the catch.
– American team defensive line is dominating the offensive line, leaving little to no running room for the backs. Still, RJ Harvey probably looks the best of the bunch with his burst and contact balance.
– SMU RB Brashard Smith really is showing his burst and speed in team, taking one of his carries up the left sideline for a big game. He’s a real weapon with the ball in his hands and will make for a good scat back in the league.
– LSU TE Miles Taylor had a nice one-hand grab in the team session, tipping the ball back to himself while managing to get both feet inbounds before falling out of bounds.
EFRAM GELLER’S REPORT
Efram focused on quarterbacks, wide receivers, and defensive backs.
NATIONAL TEAM
– Laurier QB Taylor Elgersma is still adjusting; fumbled a few snaps under center. The ball flies out his arm, but his accuracy has been inconsistent.
– Louisville QB Tyler Shough plays with poise, hitting outlet passes. Smooth fundamentals. Played the best of anyone today.
– Oregon WR Tez Johnson separated easily in 1V1’s. Burst and acceleration are showing.
– Virginia Tech WR Da’Quan Felton having issues with drops
– Iowa State WR Jayden Higgins flashed some nice releases. The release package looks similar to Michael Wilson at the Senior Bowl a few years back.
– Iowa State WR Jaylin Noel showed great hands. He was a real winner of day one.
– Miami WR Xavier Restrepo was winning in the slot. Looks like the best WR so far. Winning on out routes and comebacks.
– FSU CB Azareye’h Thomas had a disappointing first practice. He was beaten deep three reps in a row.
AMERICAN TEAM
– Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard looks really comfortable in the pocket and is fast on the move.
– Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart was super consistent. Footwork, release, and ball placement are all on point. He did everything asked of him in reps.
– Alabama QB Jalen Milroe’s accuracy was all over the place. Lots of zip. Noticeably stronger arm than the other QBs.
– Florida WR Chimere Dike looked fluid in his routes. He showed off great hands with a difficult catch.
– TCU WR Jack Bech had an up-and-down day but secured the best catch of day one on a leaping catch while crossing over the middle.
– Kentucky CB Maxwell Hairston is super physical. Handsy and got called for a penalty, but mirroring well in 1v1’s. Super sticky in coverage.
– Oklahoma S Billy Bowman had a nice interception.
