MOBILE, Alabama — The second day of 2025 Senior Bowl practices are in the books. It was a blazing hot day under the sun at the end of January, which always catches me off guard.
Mike Tomlin was once again present and highly visible on the practice field, and several players I spoke with during the media lunch later in the day spoke about their interactions with him. Just like yesterday, he primarily followed around the defensive line group with the National and American teams.
You can view the notes from the first day of practice here.
ROSS MCCORKLE’S REPORT
I spent the day focused on the quarterbacks, defensive backs, and wide receivers. The quarterback play has been a little rough at times in Mobile, making it more difficult to evaluate the receivers and defensive backs, but I still have plenty of notes to pass along.
NATIONAL TEAM
– USC CB Jaylin Smith is a twitchy athlete with quick feet and hips. He played a lot in the slot today at practice. He managed to win in press coverage against Tez Johnson, who has been toasting most DBs this week.
– Virginia Tech CB Dorian Strong is sticky in coverage and stays in phase well. He allowed a deep completion to WR Pat Bryant, but it was a great throw and catch. He was in a perfect position but failed to finish.
– Oklahoma State S Trey Rucker has a rocked-up frame that he showed off today with his jersey rolled up. He has a smooth backpedal but stiff hips when he needs to turn and run. He got badly beaten by Tez Johnson in a one-on-one.
– Illinois State S Keondre Jackson had a nice deep pass breakup. The pass was intended for a back shoulder grab near the sideline, but Jackson played it perfectly and timed his punch well.
– WSU WR Kyle Williams is quick as all get out. He wins off the line with a diverse release package. I have heard a lot of chatter about Williams, and it seems he is a riser from this week.
– Laurier QB Taylor Elgersma threw a bad pick over the middle. Didn’t see the linebacker in zone coverage. He seems to struggle under center a little.
– Iowa State WR Jaylin Noel made the catch of the day with great concentration and soft hands in tight coverage. He continues to stand out as perhaps the most impressive receiver in Mobile.
– Louisville QB Tyler Shough placed a lot of balls at or behind his target, limiting YAC opportunity. He had a better first day of practice.
– Iowa State WR Jayden Higgins showed some vertical separation on a couple of one-on-one reps. He might test better than expected, and his long speed was the main concern.
– Iowa State CB Darien Porter uses his length well to jam at the line of scrimmage. He is sticky in coverage, and his long speed shows across the field and carries receivers deep. He is going to end up testing very well at the combine. He was the top defensive standout of the day for me.
– Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel struggled today after a solid first practice. His accuracy continues to be good, and he places the ball very well to give his receivers room to run, but he gets through his progressions slowly. Even in a seven-on-seven session, it sometimes took him four or five seconds to get the ball out.
AMERICAN TEAM
– Alabama QB Jalen Milroe started out rough after a poor showing on day one, but he finished the second practice strong. He had two deep completions that looked really nice. One was back-shoulder and the other he dropped in the bucket in the end zone on a go route.
– TCU WR Jack Bech caught one of those deep balls from Milroe with two DBs covering him. He adjusted back-shoulder and made a great grab.
– Georgia WR Arian Smith made a fantastic grab in the back corner of the end zone. It’s probably the catch of the day. He fought WKU CB Upton Stout’s hands away as they ran down the field, and he flashed great late hands to high-point the ball. It was tight coverage by Stout, too.
– WKU CB Upton Stout continued to impress me. He stays in phase really well when carrying receivers deep and stays tight, making it hard for receivers to run unimpeded. He also does a nice job getting his head around, which helps to avoid penalties.
– Kentucky CB Maxwell Hairston wins with physicality. He jams really well in press coverage, which sets him up to win reps right from the beginning. He can be a little grabby if his jam doesn’t work as expected.
– Oklahoma S Billy Bowman Jr. has great recovery speed. He gave up some separation at the top of a route but recovered and undercut for an interception at one point today.
– Ole Miss CB Trey Amos had to be helped off the field at one point. I didn’t get a great look at him otherwise. He did show up at the media session later without a brace or cast.
– Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart looked smooth in his footwork drills during indy sessions. He had a couple of nice tight-window throws today in practice and probably had the best of any American team QB overall, but it was still a rough day for the QBs.
– Arkansas WR Isaac TeSlaa had at least one impressive rep in one-on-ones. His release was a bit slow, but he was good at hand-fighting down the field and tracking the ball with late hands to secure the touchdown. It was a good throw by Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard, too.
JONATHAN HEITRITTER’S REPORT
NATIONAL TEAM
– West Virginia OL Wyatt Milum is seeing most of his reps at guard in his second straight practice. He mentioned yesterday that he has had teams ask him to play at guard this week, possibly pointing to how several teams see his projection at the next level.
– NC State OT Anthony Belton is a thick, big blocker who seems high-hipped, posing some questions about his speed/consistency at setting the depth of the pocket. Could be another potential convert to guard.
– Toledo DL Darius Alexander looks good going through drills, standing 6-4, 310 pounds, but moves really well for that size. Day 3 guy that has a lot of the measurables the Steelers like in their defensive linemen.
– Oregon DL Jamaree Caldwell has some heavy hands going through the bag drills, possessing a more notable pop than the rest of the group. Als shows active hands through the team portion as well, which is encouraging for the interior defender.
– Toledo DL Darius Alexander and Florida State DL Joshua Farmer looked the best of the interior defensive line in the hoop drill, showing good quickness and urgency as well as bend to get the corner and pick up the towels without any wasted movement.
-A general observation, but Washington State WR Kyle Williams has had a strong first two days. He has done a good job getting open on short and intermediate routes and making tough catches in the air/along the sideline.
– Nebraska DL Ty Robinson has been disruptive through the team portion of practice, quickly penetrating the backfield against the run and pass.
– North Dakota State OL Grey Zabel and Boston College OT Ozzy Trapito did a great job getting out in front on a screen pass in team, showing the athleticism to move in space as well as the effort to both lock up on a defender to spring the runner into the secondary.
– Marshall Edge Mike Green may have had the rep of the day against Oregon OT Josh Conerly Jr. in 1 on 1s, jacking him up and causing Conerly to lose his balance and fall onto the ground in a strong display of converting speed to power.
– Boston College OT Ozzy Trapito has looked solid in 1-on-1s, showing steady movements and patience in pass protection to stall the rush of multiple defenders in the session.
– Virginia Tech DL Aeneas Peebles and Florida State DL Joshua Farmer’s lack of length stood out in 1 on 1s, doing a good job to get into their blocker, but were unable to get through the block, having plenty of their rushes stalled.
– Darius Alexander looked solid in 1-on-1s, having the combination of length and explosiveness to clear blocks quickly on his path to the quarterback.
– Josh Conerly Jr. seemed to struggle in the 1-on-1 portion of practice, getting overwhelmed by size and strength at the point of attack while failing to sync up his hands and feet, opening his shoulder to the ball on a couple of occasions.
AMERICAN TEAM
– Ole Miss DL Jared Ivey and Kentucky DL Deone Walker look impressive moving through the bag drill, showing impressive movement skills for their size.
– Ole Miss EDGE Princely Umanmielen looks smooth going through the bag drill, showing impressive bend and burst around the corner, flattening to the target.
– LSU OT Emery Jones had a great rep on Texas A&M DL Shemar Stewart in 1-on-1s, getting his hands on him and hitting and replacing to stall his rush with hands inside. He had another strong rep right after that, planting the edge rusher into the turf for the pancake block.
– Florida DL Cam Jackson is showing a strong long arm/bull rush in 1-on-1s, using his size and strength to push blockers back in the pocket.
– North Carolina C Willie Lampkin had a stellar rep in 1-on-1s, getting hands inside the defender’s chest and snatch, trapping him down to the ground, and doing the Iverson step-over afterward.
– Jared Ivey dominated LSU TE Mason Taylor in team, using an inside swim to clear the block for the sack. He’s having a great practice, getting in the backfield against the run while quickly winning his matchups as a pass rusher.
– When Deone Walker plays low with leverage, he’s tough to stop. Quickly shed the block on a team rep and got the tackle for loss in the backfield. He has been inconsistent with his pad level and getting off on the snap, leading a hot and cold practice.
– OT Emery Jones Jr. needs to do a better job keeping his head up and seeing what he’s blocking. He whiffed on two blocks in a row in a team session due to ducking his head and the defender evading the block.
– OT Emery Jones had another instance where he whiffed on a block against Shemar Stewart in team session. He responded in the next rep, locked up Stewart, and planted him into the ground, standing over him afterward. He kicked to guard his next two reps and did well, knocking his man out of the play. His reps at guard were arguably better than his reps at tackle today.
–Kansas OL Logan Brown had a strong day at practice. Was steady in pass protection in team and handled himself well in 1 on 1s. Been winning a majority of his matchups and has kept his quarterback clean.
–Sacramento State OL Jackson Slater had himself a strong practice anchoring against the pass rush and generating a push upfront as a run blocker. Definitely showed that he belonged.
EFRAM GELLER’S REPORT
NATIONAL TEAM
– OKST RB Ollie Gordon was clamped in coverage today. He struggled to separate in 1v1s with LBs guarding him with physicality.
– Michigan RB Donovan Edwards had the best day of any running back. He tested linebackers with deep routes in the 1v1’s, winning over the top. He beat two LBs on a deep route before dropping another on an out route. His footwork and route movements were on full display.
– Miami RB Damien Martinez had some nice runs up the middle. He ran with patience in between the tackles and broke off a long run to the outside. He got beat as a blocker, but his rushes so far have made him a Senior Bowl riser.
– Oregon TE Terrance Ferguson made a fantastic one-handed catch through pressure. He’s an extremely impressive athlete with pro-ready receiving skills. He beat lbs and CBs with speed and route quickness. Ferguson may have solidified himself as a top-100 pick today.
– Bowling Green TE Harold Fannin Jr practiced with the WRs today. He’s been moving between positions with teams rumored to like Fannin at fullback.
– Oregon LB Jeffrey Bassa has the best man coverage skills of his linebacker group. He’s super fluid and triggered well to break up passes. He smothered Ollie Gordon and nearly intercepted the ball.
– Utah LB Karene Reid was a surprise today. He broke up passes and fit the mold of a weak-side linebacker. Got dropped by Donovan Edwards at the end but otherwise performed well in coverage.
– Minn LB Cody Lindenberg recorded a big interception in 7s, eliciting a massive reaction from the National Team’s sideline
AMERICAN TEAM
– Kansas RB Devin Neal: Incredibly shifty on the outside. He highlighted his ability to break open field runs with excellent vision. He dropped a pass early on but was extremely consistent with the ball in his hands.
– Clemson TE Jake Briningstool had a good day. Secured a diving catch on the sidelines. A combination of blocking and 1v1 receiving wins made him an early Senior Bowl riser. Fluid in his route breaks.
– LSU TE Mason Taylor has been the best Tight End at Mobile so far. He pancaked a linebacker in the blocking drills. Taylor separated in receiving drills and dropped Oklahoma’s Billy Bowman as well. Taylor’s route fluidity allows him to throw in double moves to separate.
– Georgia Tech TE Jackson Hawes really impressed me today. He came into the Senior Bowl as a pure blocker. He won most of his blocking reps with ease but was a surprising winner in 1v1s. He is a stiff route runner but used his size to box out linebackers at the catch point.
