2017 Senior Bowl Day 1- South Team Practice Notes

Quarterbacks:

The top quarterback of the day for the South team was Davis Webb from Cal. He showed off a cannon for an arm, throwing clean tight spirals with a lot of velocity throughout practice. He excelled at intermediate and deeper throws where he could show off his big arm, but he did have some struggles with timing throws in the short yardage area, being either off target or lacking the ability to take a little off his throw. Webb definitely needs to get a better feel for touch and accuracy to make some of the easier throws more routine. Overall it was a good first day for Webb who is considered one of the better quarterbacks down here this week.

Outside of Webb there was a drop off in QB play, but both Tennessee’s Josh Dobbs and Tiffin’s Antonio Pipkin showed some pluses throughout practice. Dobbs looked pretty good on some deep throws with nice ball placement. The big concern for Dobbs is he struggled to consistently throw tight clean throws and at times his passes fluttered. Pipkin is an interesting prospect coming from a small school, but he showed he belongs here with a pretty decent overall practice. He looked good throwing in the 1-on-1’s with good ball placement that allowed his receivers to get clean catches. His arm strength was fine, and a plus for him. One area where he needs to improve on is his decision making as during 7-on-7 and team drills he was late delivering some passes as he took to long to find who he wanted to go to.

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Running backs:

Running backs weren’t my focus today, but BYU’s Jamaal Williams really shined in team drills. He showed impressive quickness and decision making in his runs, and when he got in the open field he had speed to pick up big chunks of yards. For a bigger running back that speed and quickness was nice to see and should really help move up his draft stock. Williams also caught the ball well the few times I saw him be targeted.

Wide Receivers:

Taywan Taylor from Western Kentucky was probably the best overall receiver of the day. He caught nearly everything thrown his way and he created easy separation with his speed and route running. Taylor was aggressive in 1-on-1’s, coming away with some contested catches and earning some praise from coaches. Later in team drills he displayed his impressive ability to pick up big chunks of yards after the catch by making multiple defenders miss on a couple of catches.

Josh Reynolds from Texas A&M started out with a couple easy drops, but he rebounded quickly making a high number of difficult catches throughout the rest of practice. During 1-on-1 drills he made three straight high-light reel catches (mainly due to some poor throws), showing his impressive catch radius snagging some overthrown balls. Reynolds is more than just a big receiver who can go up and get the ball, he showed good speed and the ability to get in and out of breaks with little wasted movement.

Chad Williams from Grambling had a pretty nice day as well. He came down with a couple contested catches in 1-on-1’s and at other times created separation with his speed and quickness. For a smaller school guy this was a nice first performance and he played with a lot of fire and passion.

Ryan Switzer might be the smallest receiver on the South team roster, but that didn’t stop him from having one of the better practices at any position. Switzer is so quick and sudden when he changes direction that it leaves him open versus almost anyone. His route running was so smooth and it’s easy to see how he can succeed at the next level. Switzer showed nice hands as well catching just about everything thrown near him.

Tight ends:

O.J. Howard had just a fantastic practice in every phase of the game. His blocking was fine, and he showed that he can be physical with defenders and not concede space. What makes him special though is his passing game work. Howard had a fantastic day in this area, and was open on almost every route. When he was targeted Howard displayed an impressive catch radius making some highlight reel one handed catches. There wasn’t any flaw in Howard’s game on display at practice and he created a lot of buzz throughout the day.

Evan Engram has the unfortunate situation of being on the field with Howard, as despite Engram having a really strong day he was clearly the 2nd tight end on the field. That being said, Engram should be quite happy with his first day of practice as he really showcased his abilities as a pass catcher and a route runner. Engram was a nightmare coverage assignment for linebackers and was able to convert a couple really big gains due to his ability to threaten down the field. Engram did double catch a couple of shorter throws that might have been defended at the next level, but overall it was a really good day for Engram.

Not to be lost in the mix was the South team’s third TE Gerald Everett. Everett came in under sized which was pretty evident in blocking drills as he struggled to anchor in pass blocking and wasn’t too effective as a run blocker. The positive for Everett is he showed he was a natural hand catcher, making a number of smooth easy receptions (despite some off target throws). This was key for Everett after his hand size at the morning weigh in came in just over 8″, well below what teams typically like for their receivers and TEs.

Offensive Line:

Forrest Lamp was the most buzzed about name heading into the Senior Bowl week among the OL and he showed why with a good strong overall practice. He had a few notable bad reps, but those were at the LT role, which is not where he’s likely to line-up at the next level. Lamp was a monster when he kicked inside to guard stonewalling pretty much every pass rusher he faced. This is where he really projects at the next level, and it’s easy to see why as he plays with excellent leverage and a strong base. Lamp does a nice job redirecting pass rushers and using defenders momentum against them.

Outside of Lamp it was a pretty poor day for the South offensive linemen. Center Ethan Pocic from LSU did okay, but he was expected to be one of the top OL here in Mobile and he lost his fair share of battles. Antonio Garcia from Troy had some buzz about him coming into to today and it’s easy to see the pluses in his game. Garcia is a long athletic tackle, who plays with great technique and quickness. What Garcia does lack though is natural power, and that became a problem today as some of the bigger edge rushers were able to bull rush him or force him to move inside where he wasn’t set. Garcia had an up and down practice, but looks to be more of a developmental option than an early starter at the next level.

Defensive Line:

One area that was really impressive was the DL and EDGE rushers. On the interior Montravius Adams, Eddie Vanderdoes, Tanzel Smart, Carlos Watkins and Dalvin Tomlinson all looked good throughout practice with Adams probably having the best overall day as he was the most consistent player. Vanderdoes was really impressive early in practice, but wasn’t as consistent later in team drills. Tomlinson, was the best run defender of the group and showcased top notch power throughout the day. He does a nice job when rushing the passer to push the pocket and not give the QB a place to step up to. He won’t ever put up gaudy sack numbers, but that is the type of play that can help others get to the QB. Overall this was just a really good performance from the interior players who routinely beat every interior OL with the notable exception of when Lamp was playing inside.

From the EDGE there were a number of good performances with the most notable ones from DEs Daeshon Hall and Kieonta Davis. Hall showed that he did more than just clean up from Myles Garrett’s leftovers in college as he was the most consistent EDGE player on the South team winning a number of his match-ups in both 1-and-1s and team drills. He displayed an impressive combination of length, quickness and power. He was a force on just about every rep and it was a fantastic first day for him. Davis is a smaller school guy from Chattanooga, but he quickly showed why he belongs. He had a really strong practice and plays with a nice bend and leverage for a 270+ edge rusher. He won with speed and power, and just had a fantastic all-around practice. One other guy who deserves a mention is Villanova’s Tanoh Kpassagnon who started the day with a lot of buzz due to his 6’6″ 280 lbs weigh-in. He flashed excellent power and speed for that frame and at one time he tossed aside Forrest Lamp like he wasn’t even there. Overall though Kpassagnon was inconsistent throughout practice and looks to be more of a developmental guy.

Linebackers:

I didn’t get to watch the linebackers as much as I wanted to today, but one guy who did stand out some was Duke Riley from LSU. He is a little on the smaller size, but his role is a coverage backer and he showed well throughout practice in this role. His speed and play recognition was both impressive and it was a good first day for him, despite having tough assignments covering some elite TE prospects.

Defensive Backs:

The three defensive backs that really stood out to me today were Tre’Davious White from LSU, Cameron Sutton from Tennessee and Justin Evans from Texas A&M as all three had strong days of practice.

White was the top corner for me today as he was the best coverage option against most receivers, and displayed easy speed, quickness and ball skills. He intercepted at least one pass and defended a number of others because he was rarely beaten. Even when he gave up catches he was always in position to limit any run after catch opportunities.

Sutton really had a strong day as well as he defended multiple contested balls and showed nice anticipation. He was also used some in safety drills which could signal that NFL teams are looking at him as an option for either a FS or corner role. He tracked the ball really well in safety drills and drew some praise from the coaches.

Evans was definitely the best true safety on the field and he had a number of nice plays in both coverage and run support. Though he’s viewed mainly as an in the box option at the next level, Evans held his own when playing deep, showing that he can be at least adequate in this area and won’t be a coverage liability.