The weather could not have been nicer for Tuesday’s Senior Bowl practice sessions here in Mobile, Alabama. It was a picture-perfect day to fire up the practices for the 2023 edition of the prestigious all-star game and unofficial NFL draft mecca.
My focus on the first day was on the periphery of the formation, the offensive skill position players and the secondary and linebackers on defense.
Here are a few of the takeaways from the practices of the American and National teams out at the University of South Alabama stadium.
Top QBs
Evaluating the quarterbacks in the first day of practices requires some patience. They’re working in a largely unfamiliar offense with coaches and players they just met two days ago; misfires are not unexpected.
What I’m looking for is delivery, throwing motion, consistency and movement, as well as leadership. The biggest standout in those facets from Tuesday was Houston’s Clayton Tune.
Tune showed an above-average arm on shorter and intermediate throws. He can rifle the ball into small windows, though at times he’s too willing to make those riskier throws. That was true and Houston and it was true a couple of times on Tuesday as well. Tune did throw on the move relatively well and read the field long-to-short nicely. His compact release when pressured was impressive.
Jaren Hall was the better QB on the other squad, which only had two throwing QBs with Louisville’s Malik Cunningham not yet firing balls. Hall, from BYU, throws the prettiest deep ball here. His ability to reset his feet after avoiding pressure stood out too. Jake Haener from Fresno State really struggled in comparison to Hall in that aspect, and his arm strength wasn’t up to Hall’s either.
Running free
The Lions could very well be in the market for a running back in the draft. There are quite a few in Mobile that should merit deeper attention.
The biggest standout was Tulane’s Tyjae Spears. A lightning-quick, aggressive runner, Spears electrifies in space with the ball in his hands. His acceleration and sharp cut at full speed on a screen pass brought back memories of Reggie Bush at his Lions best.
Bijon Robinson from Texas, a likely first-rounder, is not here. Teammate Roschon Johnson is, however, and he made his presence known too. Johnson is 6 feet tall and looks every bit of his 225 pounds, with thick ankles and well-developed leg muscles. Tackling wasn’t permitted on Tuesday, so his strength as a runner wasn’t really tested. Johnson looked good in pass protection and receiving drills.
You could make a nice thunder-and-lightning backfield combination with Spears and Johnson. Throw in Evan Hull from Northwestern as a versatile third back and you’ve got yourself some really solid options just from this Senior Bowl. Hull had the fastest time recorded of any RB on the National team at just over 18 MPH and he fared well in passing drills too.
JL Skinner
It’s very easy to notice Boise State safety JL Skinner. He’s huge at 6-foot-4 and 211 pounds. Other than having skinnier legs, he looked very much like he belonged with the National team linebackers.
Skinner showed very good footwork and balance while moving for a taller DB. He stays low in his stance and didn’t have the wide turn radius that often plagues guy at his length. There was no tackling so it’s difficult to judge the run defense other than making the right read and quickly reacting. Skinner checked those boxes. He looks like a guy who could elevate himself into first-round consideration. Right now Skinner is generally projected in the 40-75 overall range.
Guys who need better days ahead
Not everyone thrived on the first day. Here are a few prospects who need to turn in better days the rest of the week:
Ronnie Bell, WR, Michigan–Bell got open down the field nicely, using his speed and a nice change-up step to create separation. Finishing the catch was a problem for Bell; seemingly every throw got into his pads or was double-clutched. Needs to show cleaner hands and the ability to extend them away from his body.
Rejzohn Wright, CB, Oregon State--Wright really struggled in a 1-on-1 press coverage drill. He looked awkward and raw. During passing drills, he was flagged multiple times for holding or pass interference, and it wasn’t just one flag but all three flying every time.
Tyson Bagent, QB, Shepherd--the D-II standout wasn’t afraid of the big jump in competition. In fact, he might have been overconfident in his arm. Bagent can absolutely sling it but he showed very little touch on shorter throws. Again, I’m not going to harp on accuracy too much on the first day, but some of his misses were very rough to witness. As a random note, Bagent might have the loudest voice in calling out the cadence of any Senior Bowl QB I’ve seen, and this is my 14th time here.
Chase Brown, RB, Illinois–Brown had a day to forget in the pass protection drills. He lost two reps to LBs where he might not have even laid a finger on the defender as a blocker. Impatient and off-balance are a very bad combination. Brown also dropped a pass in the receiving portion of those drills, a throw from Haener that hit him in both hands.
