Senior Bowl – Day 1

National Team – Day 1

Let’s talk about the QBs. Kenny Pickett is coming off an amazing senior season. I was curious to see how he would look in an all star game setting. Pickett got off to a solid start. He threw the ball well, showing good velocity and accuracy. There is no “wow” factor with him. He’s just a solid QB.

Pickett looked comfortable running an NFL offense, which isn’t true for all prospects. Pickett did the little things well and that won’t go unnoticed by NFL coaches.

Pickett’s crazy senior year reminds me a bit of Joe Burrow and the way he went from so-so prospect to superstar. Burrow is more naturally gifted and did more amazing things in his final season, but there are definite similarities.

Cincinnati QB Desmond Ridder also made big strides from 2020 to 2021. He did not have a strong showing today, though. His passes were all over the place. Some of that is getting used to a new offense and new receivers, but even with that in mind, he was too erratic. Ridder is talented to be sure, but he didn’t get anyone excited on Day 1.

Carson Strong was about what I expected. He’s got a strong arm, but he doesn’t move very well. Team doctors are going to be crucial when it comes to putting a grade on him.

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Boston College OL Zion Johnson impressed me. He began his career at Davidson, where he played OT and was dominant. At BC, Johnson played OG. Today I saw him at G and C. That versatility adds to the value of an outstanding prospect. Johnson, who is 6-2, 314, looked great on Tuesday. He anchors well. Big DTs can get some initial push on him, but Johnson will recover and re-set. He has good feet. Johnson has strong hands. He’s good athletically and moves well. Johnson has a legit chance to be a first round player.

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Christian Watson from North Dakota State measured in at 6-4, 211. He’s not a big stiff receiver, though. Watson is a fluid, athletic player. I think the most important trait for WRs is body control and Watson is good in that area. He’s able to start and stop well and adjust to the ball. He made multiple impressive catches on Day 1, showing good hands as well as body control.

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I thought Wyoming LB Chad Muma flashed at times. You can see his speed and athleticism. I love the way he trusts his eyes. When he sees the ball, he attacks. Some players hesitate as they read. Muma sees it and takes off. This isn’t undisciplined. This is about the ability to read plays and diagnose them quickly.

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Cincinnati WR Alec Pierce measured in at 6-3, 208. He’s got a muscular build. Like Watson, I was impressed with his body control. He looked fluid and made a couple of tough grabs. Good prospect.

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A couple of big NT types enjoyed the chance to rush the passer today. Otito Ogbonnia of UCLA was able to get good push in the 1-on-1 drills. He goes about 320 pounds and is powerful. He spent most of the year eating up blocks so I’m sure it was fun to attack.

Travis Jones of UConn can be incredibly impressive at times. He had a few of those moments on Tuesday. He destroyed OG Andrew Steuber and C Cole Strange in 1-on-1 drills. Just rag-dolled them. So impressive to watch a big dude throw around other big dudes. Jones got the best of Zion Johnson in a team drill.

The big question with Jones is consistency. He didn’t magically wake up in Mobile this big, strong and talented. He’s been that way. Jones just doesn’t always play to that level.

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Minnesota DE Boye Mafe looked good. He was able to beat OT Abraham Lucas, a good prospect, with speed off the edge on one rep and then with a good inside move on the next rep. Mafe has a long frame and is a good athlete. Teams looking for pass rushers will be interested in him.

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Penn State CB Tariq Castro-Fields was up and down. He was physical and showed the ability to cover tightly underneath. There were a couple of plays that made me wonder about his speed. He was cleanly beaten deep on one, but a poor throw allowed Castro-Fields to recover and break up the pass. Great effort, if not idea speed.

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Nittany Lion (and former Temple) pass rusher Arnold Ebikete showed an excellent burst. He’s small at 6-3, 250, but his ability to fly off the edge and get to the QB makes him valuable.

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DT Haskell Garrett was disruptive on multiple plays. Just like at Ohio State, he was quick off the ball and blew things up with penetration. 1-gap teams will love Garrett.

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Baylor has a pair of stud safeties here. Jalen Pitre played a hybrid LB/S role for the Bears. He had 18.5 TFLs last year. That’s crazy for a hybrid DB. I was curious how he would function as a pure safety. Pitre had a good showing. He looked better in coverage than I anticipated. He had multiple PBUs and showed good anticipation. Pitre did get too handsy at times. NFL officials will get him for that. Still, I was impressed with him.

JT Woods is the traditional centerfielder type. He had 5 INTs this year and you could see those skills today. Woods showed good range on downfield throws. He covers a lot of ground.

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DT Logan Hall is one of the players I was most excited to see. Houston had him listed at 6-6, 260. Hall measured in at 6-6, 278, giving him enough size to play DT in the NFL. Hall didn’t impress in the 1-on-1 drills. Michigan OG Andrew Steuber shut him down. Hall was better in team drills, showing the ability to penetrate and be disruptive. I’m excited to see how he practices the next couple of days. Hall has a lot of potential.

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AMERICAN TEAM – DAY 1

Once again, we’ll start with the QBs. Malik Willis had a lot of buzz coming into the season, but he didn’t have a great year. I’ve been lukewarm on him. There is no denying his natural gifts, but he was too erratic in games.

Willis was easily the best of the American Team QBs. Right away you could see the ball come off his hand and appreciate the difference in him vs Howell and Zappe. Willis had good velocity on his throws and was accurate. He made good throws short, intermediate and deep. Willis also was the most dynamic on the move. He is a really talented QB.

His seam passes were on the money. They didn’t have extra arc (which lets defenders close on the ball). Willis’ deep balls did have arc so the receivers could adjust to them. He was very impressive.

It wasn’t all good. There were times in the team drills when Willis was off target and made some questionable throws. He might have been forcing things to try to impress scouts. Still, there is a lot more to like than to not like.

I do not have a great feel for UNC star Sam Howell. His numbers got worse each year in college, generally not a good trend. This year his OL struggled and he had new receivers to break in so Howell became more of a runner. I give him credit for being tough, competitive and athletic. I was curious how he would look.

Howell had a solid day. He’s got a good arm. His underneath throws were on the money. Howell hit at least one deep ball. He moved well when pressured. Howell didn’t blow me away, but he certainly helped himself. I thought his best play came when he escaped initial pressure, kept his eyes downfield and hit his TE for a nice catch & run. Howell can make plays.

Bailey Zappe from Western Kentucky wasn’t impressive. He was slow as he went from snap to throw. He was a bit too mechanical. He had the weakest arm of QB in Mobile. Zappe is adjusting to a higher level of competition and struggled at times. He did make some good throws. I’ll be interested to see if he improves as he adjusts to the speed of the players around him.

For those not familiar with Zappe, he set the FBS record with 62 TD passes this year. He had one of the greatest years in college QB history. Can he play in the NFL, though?

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Nebraska DB Cam Taylor-Britt is a fun player to watch. Unless he’s covering a WR 1-on-1. Calvin Austin ran right by him for a long TD. Taylor-Britt had a great career for the Huskers and he’s a good athlete, but he is lacking CB speed. The coaches had him working at safety in the team drills, a spot he played some in college. That is probably his best bet for the future.

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He wasn’t alone. Georgia corner Derion Kendrick also looked slow at times. Jalen Tolbert beat him for a long TD. There is no shame in getting beat deep, but when the WR just runs right by you, that is a bad sign.

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Auburn CB Roger McCreary just smothered receivers at times. He blanketed Tre Turner so bad the QB basically threw the ball away. McCreary is a talented, aggressive cover corner. Good start for him.

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WR Jalen Tolbert was a star for South Alabama and he’s off to a good start in the Senior Bowl. He’s adjusted nicely to the level of competition. Tolbert has shown the speed to get deep and the ability to get open on underneath routes. He could be a Day 2 prospect.

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Florida State edge rusher Jermaine Johnson was outstanding. He is quick off the ball, but also strong and has a good motor. Johnson beat multiple blockers. He looked good in 1-on-1 drills and team drills. Johnson could be a first round pick.

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DeAngelo Malone is going to be a LB in the NFL. He could be a 4-3 SAM or a 3-4 OLB. Malone looked good at rushing the passer on Tuesday. He is a fluid, athletic rusher. He also showed promise when playing more of a LB role. Interesting prospect.

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Appalachian State star D’Marco Jackson is an unusual off-ball LB. He blitzes. A lot. Jackson had 11.5 sacks this year. The Senior Bowl doesn’t let LBs blitz. Jackson didn’t seem to care and attacked upfield a lot. He was disruptive. When he did drop back into coverage, it wasn’t ideal. That’s something he’s going to have to work on. Teams that like to blitz will have real interest in Jackson.

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RB D’Vonte Price had a nice sequence. On the first play, he stoned a blitzer. On the next, he took a hand-off and showed good burst through the line. Price turned that into a big gain down the field. Price is an interesting RB prospect. He doesn’t have great production, but he’s definitely talented. And physical.

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