TALES FROM THE SENIOR BOWL
I always love being in Mobile for the Senior Bowl. But this year was different. Veet’s and the barroom at the Battle House were hollowed-out shells of what have been in Januarys past. The great restaurants downtown, places like Noja and Dumbwaiter, were walk-up-and-get-a-table empty during what normally is a busy week. Which, of course, is due to the situation we’re all in as Americans.
But from a scouting perspective, and for the reasons we laid out
in this week’s GamePlan, the week was as important as Senior Bowl week has ever been. There’ll be no combine in 2021. Pro days will be managed and limited. Teams won’t be able to fly players in. All of which made this week the only chance coaches and scouts are guaranteed to have to watch the players move around in person and talk to them face-to-face.
So what was learned? Here are a few things …
• This is another bumper crop of receivers. Even with LSU’s Ja'Marr Chase, Alabama’s Jaylen Waddle, Minnesota’s Rashod Bateman and Purdue’s Rondale Moore absent (and Bama Heisman winner DeVonta Smith there but only for interviews), the receivers were clearly the most talked about position group. A number of them helped themselves.
D’Wayne Eskridge, Western Michigan: I had one exec tell me Eskridge won every one-on-one he saw him in this week. He’s a little small, but he’s got lightning short-area quickness, sticky hands, and always seems to be open. Literally everyone I talked to loved him.
Amari Rodgers, Clemson: He showed burst, savvy and play strength that, combined with his collegiate production, evoked some Sterling Shepard comparisons.
Kadarius Toney, Florida: He had accountability and maturity flags, but word is Toney really turned the off-field stuff around in 2020, and he’s a stick of dynamite as a player. He had a couple drops and a fumble in practices, but his movement skills are undeniable, and he got comps to fellow ex-Gator Percy Harvin from multiple scouts I talked to.
Tylan Wallace, Oklahoma State: He’s built like a running back, and is a really good route-runner, which had him winning in drills consistently.
South Carolina’s Shi Smith and South Dakota State’s Cade Johnson elicited mention too, and you get the picture.
• The quarterback group didn’t generate very much excitement, and that includes Alabama star Mac Jones. That’s not to say Jones didn’t practice well. He did. It just wasn’t enough to change many people’s minds on him, good or bad. One scout I talked to said, “I think he’s just a guy,” while another called him “O.K.” I’m not positive Jones will go in the first round. We’ll see. He might. I just don’t have conviction on it after this week. Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond showed enough that one evaluator called him, “an intriguing developmental guy.”
• While top guys like Alabama’s Patrick Surtain and Virginia Tech’s Caleb Farley weren’t in Mobile, and that’s part of the reason here, play at corner had NFL types believing that it’ll be a down year at the position. UCF CB Aaron Robinson and S Richie Grant were two guys who did stand out in the secondary. Robinson showed ball skills and an ability to play man-to-man, and both he and Grant showed polished technique and smarts for their positions. Washington’s Keith Taylor is another who had a good week—and played well in the game.
• A couple of defensive linemen helped themselves, and UCLA’s Osa Odighizuwa’s name was one that came up consistently, as a disruptive, long-armed, upfield/inside type of pass rusher. Notre Dame’s Daelin Hayes was another who showed good versatility. And Washington’s Levi Onwuzurike, more of a pure defensive tackle, was among the best players on the field—one 2020 opt-out who didn’t show much rust.
• The running back group had a couple stars in it too. North Carolina’s Michael Carter showed quickness, burst and vision all week. Virginia Tech’s Khalil Herbert also impressed with his quickness. And Demetric Felton, primarily a tailback at UCLA, played a bunch in the slot and looked really good.
• Wisconsin-Whitewater interior OL Quinn Meinerz came in as a dice-roll pick by the Senior Bowl staff, and he really changed some people’s minds on him. Showing good strength and an ability to handle a power rush answers what’s always going to be a question for a Div. III lineman trying to make it to the NFL. Western Michigan’s Jaylon Moore was another lineman who stood out, with his ability to play four positions. Conversely, Bama’s Alex Leatherwood wanted to prove this week he could play left tackle in the pros and showed the athleticism to pull it off.
• A couple safeties who elicited mention and were interesting to me: Virginia Tech’s Divine Deablo and Florida State’s Hamsah Nasirildeen. Why? They’re both
gigantic. So fire up your Kam Chancellor comps.
And so begins draft season. Big shout out to Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy and his staff. What they pulled off this week, under these conditions, was pretty mind-blowing.
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