2018 Senior Bowl South Team Day 2

Quarterbacks:

Kyle Lauletta- Lauletta was the best QB on the North squad and had a pretty strong all-around practice. He has a nice combo of accuracy/ball placement and arm strength, that allowed him to throw into a couple really tight windows throughout practice, including a nice TD at the end of practice in full team drills. Lauletta also has done a nice job in reps when he has to throw on the move, as he’s still able to deliver a pretty accurate pass. Lauletta really shined in the full team drills and 7 on 7, where he made quick decisions and read the coverage correctly.

Kurt Benkert- Benkert had a much better day two practice as he looked to be the 2nd best QB on the roster. He had a few notable misses, but by in large he showcased a good arm and made some tough throws. He had a couple really nice deep ball passes, where he threw it to a spot where his receiver could make a play. In team drills he did force a pass or two, so he will need to clean that up, but otherwise it was a nice day for him to build on.

Running backs:

Ito Smith- Smith is a small compact back with nice speed and wiggle. He has run well when given opportunities and had some nice plays as a receiver out of the backfield. Given his size, he will be used more as a 3rd down back at the next level so receiving ability will be key. He was tough to guard for LBs and he caught the ball cleanly on the reps that I watched.

Tight ends:

Jordan Atkins- Atkins had a really strong day catching the football, both from a fundamental and a highlight perspective. Atkins was getting pretty easy separation through much of practice, due to some nice route running and his natural speed. He made some quick transitions to get open in the short area and was rewarded with a number of targets. The couple highlight catches also showcased his soft hands and in one case his leaping ability. Really good all-around day.

Wide Receivers:

James Washington– Washington had another really strong day and showcased that he is a legitimate top 50 prospect. He wins in every area due to a combination of speed, route running and leaping ability. He might only be a shade under 5’11”, but he plays bigger than that, and if you get him the ball in space he’s going to do some damage after the catch. He was easily the toughest guy to cover on the South squad for opposing DBs.

J’Mon Moore- Moore I though had a pretty good day of practice showcasing his height and catch radius. He’s not the smoothest receiver running routes, but he does make up for it some with his physical presence. He had a really strong day catching the football including some nice contested catches.

Other receivers of note: I thought Byron Pringle had another strong practice, he continues to run routes well and make tough catches look easy. Marcell Ateman had a better day two practice, showcasing his size more. D.J. Chark was inconsistent, but he shows some deep ball ability that teams covet.

Offensive line:

Isaiah Wynn- Wynn had just a fantastic day of practice from start to finish. He wasn’t just winning reps, but flat out dominating them. Wynn played with such a sound base and leverage that DL just couldn’t move him off his spot. Even if Wynn did lose the initial battle he was able to recover and limit the amount of penetration. In the running game Wynn did a nice job opening holes and finishing blocks. Just a great all-around day for him, and he looks like he could be a day one NFL starter at guard.

Brandon Parker- It’s still a mixed bag for Parker, but I thought his technique and not surprisingly his results were better in day two of practice. He’s still raw and wins too much because he’s big and long, but his footwork was better in this practice.

Alex Cappa- Cappa continues to be a physical presence on the offensive line as he makes opponents pay with his blocking intensity. He still needs to refine some things and get more consistent, but this has been an excellent showing versus a clear jump in talent level of the competition.

Bradley Bozeman- Bozeman had another really good day of practice as he was probably the 2nd best offensive lineman on the squad behind Wynn. He was tough for opposing DL to push back, playing with an excellent base and strong hands that would keep guys in check. One or two times he did hold a little in team drills that likely would be called at the next level, but overall it was a very good showing.

Colby Gossett- Gossett had another good showing and won most of his reps. He’s got solid technique and really makes defenders work for every inch they might get. He could probably use some more strength to hold up versus some of the more physical opponents, but the upside is there to eventually be a starter at the NFL level.

Defense:

Defensive Line:

Andrew Brown- Brown had a great all-around practice and he’s been a human wrecking ball when he’s given the chance to 1 gap and use his quickness off the snap. On a number of team drill reps, Brown was the quickest lineman off the ball and he had various offensive linemen on skates at times. Brown was getting frustrated by the lack of holding calls in full team drills, but they likely would have been called at the NFL level, and defensive coordinators had to take notice of how disruptive he was.

Da’Shawn Hand- Hand was probably the 2nd most disruptive interior rusher, and he too caused fits for opposing offensive linemen. He’s a great combination of speed and power and few offensive linemen were able to slow him down with any sort of consistency.

Poona Ford- Ford is an undersized DL, but he also is a tough guy for bigger offensive linemen to win the leverage battle against. Ford shows himself to be very disruptive and had some excellent reps in both 1-on-1s and in team drills. The one knock on him is I don’t see as great of a counter move if he doesn’t win initially and he can get blocked out of the play. Still he could be a valuable rotational defensive tackle at the next level.

Marcus Davenport- Davenport came in with a lot of hype and through two days the results have been pretty disappointing. It’s not that there haven’t been flashes of his potential, but there is just no consistency which is troubling for someone many consider a top 40 pick. While his calling card will be his pass rush ability, it has been troubling that he seems to be wholly ineffective versus the run. There is still plenty of time to boost his stock back-up, but hopefully those “flashes” become the norm.

Shaquem Griffin- Honestly you could put Griffin in any position group because he’s now getting reps off the edge, at LB and at S. Griffin is a great story as he’s played college football at a very high level despite just having one hand, but the question was could he still be an asset at the NFL level given his disability. After two days of practice I think the answer has to be a resounding “yes”. There are still questions of just how much you can utilize him at the next level beyond special teams, but he’s got so much natural speed and athleticism that he can help a defense rushing off the edge and in coverage. His pass rush reps have been pretty strong over two days, and he has been one of the most consistent guys in coverage vs backs and tight ends.

Defensive backs:

Siran Neal- Neal continues to show well in practice displaying good coverage skills and excellent reaction time. He broke up a couple passes in zone coverage that looked open, but he broke on the ball and knocked it away. Neal is also quick to come up in run support.

MJ Stewart- The best corner on the field for either team was once again Stewart. He has been excellent in coverage in both practices and allows just minimal separation. If not for wearing a different color jersey than the offense you would think that Stewart was running the receivers route when he’s in man coverage. Stewart has definitely helped himself at the Senior Bowl and he could be forcing his way into the 2nd round discussion.

Quin Blanding- Blanding has been okay through two days of practice. He looks to be a jack of all trades, but master of none type of player. His coverage, instincts, run support and speed all seem to be at least solid, but he’s not spectacular in any area. Still it’s been a decent week for him.

Tray Matthews- Matthews has probably been the top safety on the South squad. Matthews moves well for his size and was able to run with TEs throughout the day and limit their ability to get open and make plays. Matthews showed good instincts in both zone coverage and coming up in run support.