2018 Senior Bowl South Practice Report Day 1

Quarterbacks:

Overall the South squad quarterbacks didn’t particularly stand out, and their play collectively was just average. There were some positives though overall from Kyle Lauletta and Mike White, who both showed some inconsistency, but flashed at times.

White showcased a pretty strong arm, and generally threw accurately throughout the day. He was better in earlier in practice and didn’t play as well in full team drills, but he flashed some development potential.

Lauletta was the most intriguing quarterback to me from the South squad as he was the most accurate QB on the squad, and excelled in some situations where he was moved off his spot and he had to make a throw on the run or reset his base. There were some consistency issues, but the Richmond QB showed why he got a Senior Bowl invite and why he could be an intriguing developmental QB at the next level.

Running backs:

Running backs weren’t my top priority in practice, but both Rashaad Penny and Ito Smith showed some nice things in drills. Rashaad Penny was the most impressive South team back, as he ran well throughout practice, showing a physical style with good speed and agility. His route running seemed fine, though still a work in progress. Smith showed more from a speed burst/agility stand point, and had a couple nice runs throughout practice.

Tight Ends:

Didn’t spend too much time on Tight ends, but the big news here is that both Dallas Goedert and Adam Breneman had to pull out of the Senior Bowl due to injury. Disappointing news for both, but Goedert especially could have used a week of practice vs top level competition in an effort to vault him into potentially 1st round conversation. Now he will need to hopefully have a big Combine/Pro Day to help his cause.

Wide Receivers:

While overall it was a good day for receivers, James Washington really stole the show for the South squad. The Oklahoma State product was impressive throughout practice in every situation. From the 1-on-1 sessions to the full team drills, Washington made his presence felt, catching just about everything thrown his way and showing the skill set to be an impact starter at the next level. Washington’s speed and route running were very evident from the start of practice and it allowed him to consistently get open. Even when defensive backs were able to keep up with Washington, he was able to win a fair share of contested catches.

Byron Pringle also had a strong day for the South squad, getting open on a number of intermediate and deep routes and making a couple tough catches. Pringle doesn’t look like the most physically imposing receiver, at 6’1”, 200 lbs, but he beat the press on a couple of routes I watched and fought for the ball on some contested catches.

Other receivers were up and down throughout practice, but two others who showed some intriguing flashes were J’Mon Moore and DJ Chark. Neither was consistent enough, but both made a couple really nice catches and showed some other abilities to get open.

Offensive Line:

Here are some quick notes on the South team OL:

Brandon Parker- Size is his greatest strength, also shows the ability to move in space. Was very inconsistent through throughout practice. The potential is high, but I wasn’t a fan of his footwork or punch throughout the day.

Alex Cappa- Nasty finisher, who showed he can play versus this level of competition. He had a few bad reps early, but seemed to improve throughout the day. Had more than a couple of “wow” blocks. Development is obviously needed, but big time upside.

Isaiah Wynn- Up-and-down day, lost a couple of battles where he was just overmatched, but he would recover well on his next rep. Fared much better as practice wore on and in particular excelled in team drills, which is a better indicator of his talent level.

Colby Gossett- Had a strong day overall, played better in the team portion, but held his own in a lot of 1-on-1’s. Not the most physical blocker, but played with good leverage and was quick out of his stance.

Austin Corbett- Pretty solid day for him, lined up across the line and was passable across the board, but performed better when at guard or center. Versatility though can be a rare trait, so the fact that he was able to move across the various positions is definitely a plus.

Bradley Bozeman- Was probably the most impressive offensive lineman on the South squad. He was consistent throughout the day and won almost all of his reps regardless of who he faced. He was physical at the point of attack and didn’t give much ground in pass protection, which would have given his QB plenty of room to step up in if needed. Played with a good base and showed quick strong hands. Only real knock I saw was seemed to rush a couple of snaps which might have led to a couple fumbles, but tough to know for sure without replay if that was the cause.

Defense:

Defensive Line:

Marcus Davenport- He was definitely one of the weigh-in winners, coming in at an impressive size. His play on the field was a bit more of a disappointment. He showed the speed and quickness you want to see from the position and for his guy with his measurables, but despite that he was a non-factor during too many reps. He would get washed out of the play too easily, and didn’t seem to have any sort of counter once the offensive lineman got his hands on him. The upside is real, but Davenport will need to bounce back in the next two practices.

Da’Shawn Hand- Hand was the best edge defender throughout the day. He had a number of impressive reps in 1-on-1’s where he absolutely embarrassed his opponent. His strong play carried on to the team drills as he continued to show quickness off the ball and upfield penetration.

Kylie Fitts- Showed some nice explosion and quickness in 1-on-1’s, winning a couple of big reps. Was less effective in team drills, but still showed the speed off the edge a couple of times.

Andrew Brown- Was probably the best primary interior player on the South squad. He wasn’t as consistent versus the run, but he showcased good pass rush ability and had multiple really good reps in that area. In 1-on-1’s he really shined, as he was too quick and powerful for most of the interior offensive linemen. In team drills he continued playing well vs the pass.

Linebackers:

Dorian O’Daniel- Had probably the best practice from this position group. O’Daniel is a smaller linebacker who has to show he can win in space, primarily as a coverage line-backer, but also in run support in shifting through traffic to make the play. O’Daniel made plays in both areas, and really excelled as a coverage linebacker. He won’t fit every scheme (at least not as an everydown player), but his speed and coverage ability make him an intriguing prospect.

Defensive backs:

Siran Neal- Neal had a nice day at practice particularly in the team drills. He was strong in coverage throughout the drills, and he showed quick reaction time that led him making a couple of big plays. For a smaller school guy, he didn’t have any major mistakes and showcased himself as a guy to watch for the rest of the week.

M.J. Stewart- He was the top defensive back of the day on the South squad, and was easily the toughest match-up in man coverage both in 1-on-1s and full team drills. Stewart has good size, speed and really limited the amount of separation receivers could get from him. He had just an all-around great first practice and if he keeps it up could be one of the biggest winners down here this week.