More Senior Bowl Talk

Posted: February 2nd, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 1 Comment »

Players from medium and small schools come to Mobile hoping to show they are just as good or even better than stars from the SEC, Big Ten or whatever other conference still exists. This doesn’t guarantee NFL success, but it sure helps their draft status. CB Quinyon Mitchell from Toledo did a great job of taking advantage of the Senior Bowl. He showed he can cover anyone. Take the logos off his helmet and uniform and you’d think he was an All American from Alabama.

Mitchell is showing great coverage ability. He can press and run with the receiver. He’s got the body control to mirror and stay right with them. Mitchell has the speed and size to handle NFL receivers. Mitchell made an impressive INT down the field on Wednesday. He doesn’t just cover well, he has terrific ball skills and can make plays. Mitchell will be a first round pick. Does he crack the Top 20?

If you want to read more about Mitchell, check out this story from EJ Smith of the Inquirer. He sat with Jimmy and I down in Mobile and is a good guy.

CB Willie Drew is another small school prospect who is helping himself. He won’t go early in the draft, but is showing that he’s got legitimate NFL potential. Drew isn’t the biggest guy (6-0, 191), but he is aggressive and phsyical.

https://twitter.com/rff_football/status/1752725141115613195

You wish he made the catch on that play, but he was in good position to break it up.

OT Kingsley Suamataia is impressive, but I felt like he got pushed back or gave up too much ground in pass pro on multiple reps.

You want to engage the rusher and control him. By giving ground, you’re shrinking the pocket and making the QB uncomfortable. This is certainly fixable, but it is an issue.

Devontez Walker has an outstanding combination of size, athleticism and ability. He was 41-699-7 in less than a full season at UNC. Walker, 6-2, 197, had an up and down showing in Mobile. He struggled with physical coverage at times, but had some success.

Walker is at his best down the field, as you can see in this clip.

Baylor DT Gabe Hall flashed all week. He showed the ability to win with quickness off the snap. He showed good agility. He hustled on plays going away from him. Hall is also strong enough to take on blockers and hold his ground. Every time I got to see one of his reps, he was getting the best of someone.

Hall helped himself a lot in Mobile. The NFL covets DL who are versatile and can make plays. Hall is both. He is 6-6, 290 and can add bulk to that frame if needed. Really fun player to watch.

By the way…give Devin Jackson a follow on Twitter. I got to meet him in Mobile and talk some football. I’ve followed his draft coverage for a while and he’s really good.

I was impressed by WR Ricky Pearsall‘s route running ability. I don’t remember watching him during the CFB season so I was curious to see him in action. He showed the ability to create separation and get open on a consistent basis. He is 6-1, 193 so he’s big enough to play in the slot or outside.

Consider me a fan of CB Max Melton. He had the fastest time of a DB on Tuesday. I saw him cover Roman Wilson tightly on Wednesday. On Thursday Melton stood out in red zone coverage. He won’t go early, but Melton is an NFL corner. I love his competitiveness and could see him being someone Nick Sirianni really likes.

LB Payton Wilson had another good practice on Wednesday. He plays so smart and does so many little things well. He has really stood out in coverage. He covered well vs RBs in the 1-on-1 drills. Some of those were short throws and others down the field. Check out this rep from a team drill.

That is impressive. I would love this dude in the middle of the Eagles defense. As I mentioned on Tuesday, the big question is his medical evaluations. His injury history will bother some teams. But man, Wilson is a heckuva player and is the kind of young LB the Eagles could use.

RB Kimani Vidal had a great year for Troy. I personally watched him light up Appalachian State (must have been on steroids, right?). He can block, catch and run. He’s shown good ability in Mobile. We saw him run up the middle and make plays in space. He doesn’t have great size at 5-8, 215, but he is talented and physical. Could be a fun Day 3 pick. Vidal would make an interesting replacement for Boston Scott.

There are some good safeties in Mobile. Evan Williams from Oregon is a quick, athletic player. He closes to the ball quickly. He flashed in man coverage. Williams could potentially play in the slot.

Edge Javon Solomon caught my eye multiple times. I watched him run over an OT on a couple of plays. Then he used his speed to run by one. Then Solomon decided to mix in pass rush moves.

https://twitter.com/bgrisakTST/status/1752894126406656336

Wow. That is one impressive player. He’s only 6-1, 247 and that makes him a tough evaluation for some teams. The Eagles might consider him a Haason Reddick type of player.

Penn State Edge Adisa Isaac had a good week. He beat multiple blockers. He showed the ability to play the run. His speed was tough for OTs to handle.

Isaac is 6-5, 250, the kind of size all NFL teams want. He has definitely helped himself in Mobile.

*****

WR Xavier Legette struggled on Tuesday. He bounced back on Wednesday with a strong showing. He had several catches that made my notes. He impressed me with his ability to make contested catches and go up for the ball. Legette ran better routes and just looked more comfortable. He has a thick build at 6-1, 223. Might remind you a bit of AJ Brown.

https://twitter.com/scoutdnfl/status/1753275594136002632

Andru Phillips is a safety, but has nickelback size at 5-11, 191. Luckily for  him, he has good man cover skills. Jimmy and I couldn’t remember his name while watching practice so we just kept talking about the Kentucky DB. And Phillips kept making plays. The NFL loves versatile DBs and Phillips coverage ability will help overcome his size limitations.

Jha’Quan Jackson is a small receiver at 5-9, 190, but he came up big on Wednesday. I had notes on him catching multiple long TDs. He’s got the speed to run by DBs. Jackson tracks the ball well and is comfortable catching it at full speed down the field. Impressive vertical threat.

Another Kentucky player who impressed Jimmy and I…RB Ray Davis. I thought he was good on Tuesday. He took things up a notch on Wednesday. He had some notable runs up the middle. You expect that from a RB who is 5-9, 220. What you don’t expect are catches like this.

Wow. That is one heck of a play. Davis has certainly helped himself in Mobile.

One player who clearly didn’t help himself is Georgia safety Javon Bullard. He got beaten in the coverage drills over and over. One rep might be a shifty receiver. The next one a big TE. He struggled with all of them. That doesn’t erase the good season that Bullard had, but teams will go back and study his tape more closely to try and understand the difference between the guy at Georgia and the one in Mobile.

One of the players who gave Bullard fits was his teammate Ladd McConkey. To be fair, McConkey gave a lot of DBs fits. He ran great routes and showed the ability to create separation. He’s 6-0, 187, which isn’t ideal size for a WR, but I think he’s big enough and fast enough to play outside. McConkey could be a 2nd round pick.

The Eagles will need to take a WR in this draft. They can’t keep counting on finding one-year vets in free agency. McConkey will probably go too early for them, but he would be a fun addition if he fell to them in the 3rd round.

Edge Chris Braswell caught my eye a few times. He has solid size at 6-3, 257. He’s not just a speed rusher, as you can see from this rep.

Sometimes the best plan of attack vs a big guy is to go right at him. Braswell did and walked the blocker right back to the QB spot.

One player I didn’t know a lot about, but who stood out is Darius Robinson from Missouri. He is 6-5, 286. He’s talented and versatile. Watch this rep where he beats future first rounder Tyler Guyton.

Go watch a run block drill and you see Robinson just knocking the OL backward. He lined up at edge, 1T and 3T. He can shoot gaps or beat blocks. Robinson put on a show in Mobile and really helped himself.

The Eagles love DL and I’m sure they love Robinson’s talent and versatility. Fun player to watch.

Charles Turner is an OL who caught my eye. He’s 6-4, 300 and projects as a G/C. The Eagles need depth on the OL and someone with Turner’s ability and versatility would make good sense.

The most impressive throws by a QB came from Carter Bradley, the son of Gus Bradley.

He had several quality throws and shows a live arm. I liked the fact he was aggressive. Jimmy and I were watching 7-on-7’s and I was pleading with another QB not to check it down. Snap…check down to the flat. Ugh. Jimmy would burst out laughing. Bradley said the heck with that and threw the ball into tight windows. He was there to show something and did just that. Good for him.

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One Comment on “More Senior Bowl Talk”

  1. 1 Eagles News: Philadelphia’s most improved player in 2023 – Consolidated Financial said at 12:27 PM on February 2nd, 2024:

    […] More Senior Bowl Talk – Iggles BlitzPlayers from medium and small schools come to Mobile hoping to show they are just as good or even better than stars from the SEC, Big Ten or whatever other conference still exists. This doesn’t guarantee NFL success, but it sure helps their draft status. CB Quinyon Mitchell from Toledo did a great job of taking advantage of the Senior Bowl. He showed he can cover anyone. Take the logos off his helmet and uniform and you’d think he was an All American from Alabama. Mitchell is showing great coverage ability. He can press and run with the receiver. He’s got the body control to mirror and stay right with them. Mitchell has the speed and size to handle NFL receivers. Mitchell made an impressive INT down the field on Wednesday. He doesn’t just cover well, he has terrific ball skills and can make plays. Mitchell will be a first round pick. Does he crack the Top 20? […]