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Senior Bowl Notes: Receivers Stand Out


It's time for the third day of our Senior Bowl Practice Notes. Alex Smith, Fran Duffy and Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com are bringing you the latest updates from Mobile, Alabama. Here's a running list of who stood out during Wednesday's practice, which includes some small-school players coming up big ...

11:02 A.M.: After shipping some of our production equipment back to Philadelphia, we head in for an early lunch to Dreamland BBQ thanks to a recommendation from Eagles VP of Player Personnel Joe Douglas. This was an outstanding decision, you really can't beat the culinary options here in Mobile. -* Fran Duffy*

11:02 A.M.: Don't let Fran try to rationalize this by saying we ate at 11:02. We got to the restaurant around 10:53. Fran is well known for his early lunches, and I know we had to get to practice, but this was something else … I'm not complaining though. Our meal was excellent once again. - Alex Smith

11:45 A.M.: We arrive to a near-empty Ladd Peebles Stadium a bit early for the North practice but this is expected to be a bit thinner of a crowd as the media starts to thin out late in the week. We're excited to get our final live looks at all of these players in action.* - FD*

North Practice

12:25 P.M.: Practice starts with a bit of a walk through as the offense moves the ball up and down the field. Nate Peterman gets reps with the first team at quarterback, Iowa's CJ Beathard follows up at second string and Colorado's Sefo Liufao rounds out the drill with the third team. - FD

1:03 P.M.: During individual drills, Air Force wide receiver Jalen Robinette is off to a good start, showing good hands and plucking the ball out of the air. Robinette had a nice week in St. Pete at the Shrine Game, and while he was a late addition to the roster here in Mobile, he's had a decent couple of days. He's a bigger receiver at around 6-foot-4, and he's an intriguing prospect. –Alex Smith

1:05 P.M.:During one-on-one red zone drills, Zay Jones is shining. At nearly 6-2, the Eastern Carolina receiver has shown some explosiveness this week, and he's thriving here in the red zone, showing the ability to high-point the ball. West Virginia corner Rasul Douglas does a great job of staying with the play though, and he's able to knock the ball free from Jones at the last second.  -AS

1:07 P.M.: Watching the tight ends against the linebackers in coverage, and Tarrell Basham from Ohio gets a great pass breakup down the field against Jeremy Sprinkle on a corner route. Basham is an accomplished edge defender against both the run and the pass, but seeing him make a play in coverage is great for his versatility as well. - FD

1:09 P.M.: Zay Jones is at it again. He just ran a beautiful stop-and-go-route and the double move leaves Iowa corner Desmond King in his wake. -AS

1:10 P.M.:Eastern Washington receiver Cooper Kupp with a perfect spin move to beat Douglas on a red zone drill. Kupp has been talked about a lot by national media this week, and he's backed it up with his play. I don't know if I saw him drop a pass this week. Two minutes later, Kupp makes an excellent catch in the very back of the end zone, tapping his toes to score the touchdown. Kupp is fun to watch. –AS

1:10 P.M.:Virginia Tech fullback Sam Rogers does a great job on two consecutive reps in pass protection against Michigan linebacker Ben Gedeon. I think this is an area where Rogers is proven, as a pass blocker. He's also a very effective receiver out of the backfield. If he can find a team confident in his abilities as a lead blocker he could be drafted as a starter in the NFL. - FD

1:13 P.M.: The first play of offensive line / defensive line one-on-one drills pits Basham against USC's Zach Banner at left tackle for the first time and Basham wins. He bull rushes the much larger Banner and converts to a spin move to create pressure in the pocket. Nice rush by Basham there. - FD

1:15 P.M.: Kutztown guard Jordan Morgan does a great job in pass protection against Iowa's Jaleel Johnson. I thought Johnson started the week really strong and faded, while Morgan struggled early and improved every day. The Philadelphia native played tackle in college but projects best to guard in the NFL.* - FD*

1:16 P.M.: Western Michigan tackle Taylor Moton is lining up at guard today to further prove his versatility, and he completely dominates Notre Dame defender Isaac Rochell, throwing him to the ground in a pass rush drill. Moton has been the best offensive lineman all week long here in Mobile from start to finish and simply has not let up. - FD

1:22 P.M.: Our friend Josh Norris from NBC Sports stops by our spot on the bleachers, and I ask him who has surprised him most from the North squad this week based off his previous film study. Josh didn't want to give the chalk answer in Reddick, but said he's been really impressed with Houston linebacker Tyus Bowser. Bowser wasn't a big-time pass rusher with the Cougars but he has looked good here in Mobile. Josh cites his beating Antonio Garcia in a drill a few minutes ago, using his natural ability to bend while turning the corner to beat the athletic offensive tackle. - FD

1:24 P.M.: West Virginia cornerback Rasul Douglas breaks up a pass in team drills. The large corner has been physical and competitive all week long. - FD

1:37 P.M.:There's a great catch from ECU's Zay Jones down the sideline in one-on-one drills. The productive receiver showed the ability to gain some separation and he used his bigger frame to box out the defender down the field, hauling in a pass over his shoulder. On the very next rep, he hauls in a very similar pass for a long gain. Jones has been impressive all week long; I believe he's helped himself here in Mobile. - FD

1:54 P.M.: Towards the end of practice, Temple's Haason Reddick lines up as a pass rusher and completely blows by the tackle, Zach Banner, getting into the backfield and swatting the arm of quarterback Nate Peterman instinctively, forcing a fumble. You saw the burst and flexibility from Reddick on that play, and the undersized linebacker has looked good in coverage, against the run and as a pass rusher this week. - FD

1:56 P.M.: Temple offensive lineman Dion Dawkins, playing tackle today instead of guard, completely engulfs Wisconsin linebacker Vincent Biegel on two straight plays at the end of practice in team drills. Dawkins and Reddick end practice on a high note for the Temple Owls. - FD

South Practice

3:08 P.M.: Miami safety Rayshawn Jenkins ends the first period of South practice with an interception downfield of Tennessee quarterback Josh Dobbs. Jenkins is an accomplished run defender and needs to prove himself in coverage, so an interception in team drills is a good look for the veteran safety. -* FD*

3:40 P.M.: Grambling State receiver Chad Williams makes a great catch on a vertical route. This kid has been so impressive and I have to say I probably haven't talked about him enough. He's made plays every day in practice. -* FD*

3:45 P.M.: Texas A&M receiver Josh Reynolds makes an outstanding grab away from his frame on a comeback route. This is called 'maximizing your catch radius' as he fully extends his arms to reel in this throw for a completion along the near sideline. - FD

3:47 P.M.: Another impressive play from an SEC standout as Tennessee cornerback Cam Sutton gets a pass breakup. The ball was thrown out in front of receiver Travin Dural and it appeared to be a catch along the sideline, but Sutton shot his hands through the catch point to force an incompletion. Sutton made plays like that throughout his career; I'm a really big fan of his because of his ballskills. - FD

3:55 P.M.Tennessee's Cameron Sutton has been lining up everywhere this week. We've seen him play outside corner, safety, and today is lined up as the nickel almost exclusively. It's clear that scouts want to see him play a plethora of positions and he's been very good at all of them. I knew Sutton was a player to watch here, and he's lived up to the hype. –AS

4:00 P.M.: Villanova defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon has been consistent throughout the week, and he just made a great effort play, showing hustle by running side-to-side on a reverse handoff to LSU's Travin Dural. He's a big-bodied player, but he's also proven to be very athletic. -AS

4:04 P.M.: Alex and I move down to the field level because I am one of about four people in the building wearing short sleeves on the coldest day of the week and I want to get away from the wind. Up close, Cal quarterback Davis Webb clearly spins the ball better than any of the quarterbacks on the South team. The ball comes out of his hands differently than his teammates here in Mobile. - FD

4:22 P.M.: The final drill of the week is a red zone team period, and Duke Riley from LSU makes the first big play, outleveraging a perimeter run from Jamaal Williams and bringing the back down in the backfield outside the numbers. Riley is smaller but he's explosive and physical. He's had a good week this week. - FD

4:25 P.M.: Evan Engram makes a really nice 'pin' block inside on Kansas State's Jordan Willis in the run game, blocking him down towards the center to help open up a hole for Williams on an inside run. Engram is undersized and didn't see many reps as an in-line player in his career, so plays like this will help evaluators through the draft process as they project him to the league. - FD

4:30 P.M.: Josh Reynolds hauls in a touchdown from Davis Webb in the back of the end zone. It was a good route from Reynolds which seemed like a double move live on the field, but he finished well at the catch point in traffic in the back of the end zone on a throw that had some fire on the back end of it from Webb. - FD

4:31 P.M.:* Practice unofficially ends on a 'drill-winning' touchdown from Mississippi State receiver Fred Ross on a fade in the back corner of the end zone over cornerback Ezra Thompson. Ross is a physical receiver with reliable hands. He's not an explosive athlete but I think he'll find a role in an NFL receiving corps. *- FD

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