Over 100 of the top senior prospects and at least three Chargers personnel staffers are in Mobile, Alabama, this week for the Senior Bowl. Wednesday marked the second day of practice for both rosters leading up to the game on Saturday.
Here are my notes from both practices Wednesday.
Cincinnati linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. beat every single running back like a drum in pass protection drills. While he’s undersized, he hits violently, and the National team linebackers had no answers for him on Wednesday. Pace still struggles to move laterally or backwards, but when moving downhill he’s an intriguing player.
Cal safety Daniel Scott had a nice day as an all-around safety moved all over the field. He undercut an out route for an interception in one-on-ones, picking off Louisville QB Malik Cunningham while lined up in press man technique. Scott has experience and potential all over the field, and could be someone the Chargers look towards in the later rounds to add depth behind Derwin James.
I love Washington State linebacker Daiyan Henley. He looked like the best coverage linebacker on the field today, with one picture-perfect rep coming against Northwestern running back Evan Hull. Later in the period, Henley mirrored Illinois running back Chase Brown and deflected the pass in another awe-inducing display of coverage prowess. Henley is a touch underweight, and run support will need a bit of cleaning up. But the Chargers could be revamping the position if Drue Tranquill isn’t re-signed, which makes Henley someone to watch.
If you’re looking for linebackers who can fit a gap in the run game, Texas’ DeMarvion Overshown is for you. Overshown plays with a level of violence and aggressiveness beyond that of the typical linebacker, and you can tell he looks forward to hitting people all day long. My one hesitation with Overshown as a Chargers fit is draft capital: Overshown will likely be a top 75 pick and LA has been hesitant to pull the trigger that early on the position under Brandon Staley.
Maryland offensive tackle Jaelyn Duncan had an up and down day, but the majority of his positive reps came when he lined up at his college position on the left side. When flipped to the right side to experiment with his positional versatility, Duncan consistently found himself on the wrong end of pass rush moves. That’s to be expected, to a certain extent. Moving from the left to right side requires doing everything mirrored from what you’re used to, and that’s a hefty ask when also matched up against some of the draft’s top pass rushers.
Perhaps the best performer of the day on the National squad was Stanford cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly. He broke hard on four separate passes between one on ones and team period, coming away with two interceptions and two more near picks. All four came on plays where the National defense came out in Cover 2 shells, a sign that the coaches in Mobile have found Kelly’s best scheme fit. LA isn’t a particularly heavy Cover 2 team, so Kelly will probably be best suited elsewhere, but his performance today was too good to ignore.
Kelly’s teammate Michael Wilson also had a nice day, showcasing some fluidity as a route runner and plus skills as a downfield tracker. Wilson also flexed some variety in his release packages and looked smooth from the slot. He’s not going to threaten anyone downfield – I’d expect him to run somewhere in the 4.5 range – but his savvy and smoothness as a route runner will get him a spot on an NFL team. His profile fits the Chargers, but it remains to be seen if LA is going to move away from that archetype.
From the American side, the unquestioned best performer was Sacramento State LB Marte Mapu. A late addition called up from the NFLPA Bowl, Mapu was relatively anonymous at practice on Tuesday as he got his feet wet. On Wednesday, however, he looked fully comfortable. He flashed as a run defender and violent downhill hitter multiple times and showed some unreal closing speed in coverage. A former QB, WR, LB, CB, and S, Mapu clearly has the athleticism to play anywhere on the field, but I think his aggressive mindset to get after the ball endears him well to linebacker. He’s a bit underweight, coming in at 217 pounds, but LA could utilize him in the STAR role made famous by Derwin James.
Some quick hitters:
- Both teams had a number of players working at new positions along the offensive line, most notably Syracuse OT Matthew Bergeron at guard and Alabama G Emil Ekiyor Jr. at center for the American squad and North Dakota State OT Cody Mauch at guard and center on the National team.
- Cincinnati WR Tre Tucker had a tough day, struggling with press coverage and bobbling a few punt returns. Tennessee OT Darnell Wright held his own in individual drills but struggled in team period. Oregon State TE Luke Musgrave doesn’t look to be head and shoulders better than the other tight ends in Mobile, which is a disappointing result given his hype coming into the week.
- Mississippi State defensive tackle Cameron Young, Alabama OT Tyler Steen, and Oklahoma defensive tackle Jalen Redmond all showed flashes during one on ones. Young had some nice run defense reps, Steen held his own as a run blocker, and Redmond utilized a chop swim to win two different reps.
- Chargers national crosschecker James MacPherson was in attendance at practice on Wednesday, primarily watching the offensive and defensive lines.
