Blue
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- Mar 19, 2019
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SOUTH TEAM
» The South Team, which is being coached this week by the Cincinnati Bengals' staff, was first to hit the field for Day 1 of 2020 Senior Bowl practices on Tuesday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The very first observation: it was an unseasonably cold and breezy — altbeit sunny — day, with temperatures in the low-40s. Mobile isn't usually tropical at this time of year by any means, but it was a bit of a factor out there today.
» Another factor, for both teams: these NFL staffs are throwing as much as they can at the players and seeing what sticks. Tuesday was obviously the first opportunity to get out on the field and put a practice plan into action, and there were plenty of cobwebs being shaken out throughout the afternoon, whether in the form of multiple false start/offsides penalties or various communication issues. That's typically the norm for every first Senior Bowl practice, and then Wednesday's sessions tend to be much cleaner.
» The South team definitely has some size and strength up front on the defensive side of the ball, particularly with South Carolina's Javon Kinlaw (6-foot-6, 310 pounds) and Auburn's Marlon Davison, who looks much larger than his listed height and weight of 6-foot-3, 278 pounds. Kinlaw, in particular, shined during a few one-on-one drills, as he used his long arms and quickness to get by the offensive linemen in front of him with relative ease.
» Despite being the very first day of practice, the South team quarterbacks were able to find almost immediate connections with their wide receivers during early one-on-one drills against the defensive backs. Oklahoma's Jalen Hurts, Oregon's Justin Herbert and Colorado's Steven Montez all had some well-placed passes during this portion of practice.
» Pittsburgh cornerback Dane Jackson definitely showed off some top-notch technique and competitiveness during those aforementioned WR-DB drills. Jackson was aggressive without being too grabby, and forced multiple incompletions. He did get crossed up bad on one rep against Texas wide receiver Collin Johnson, but that'll happen from time to time when it's talent-on-talent.
» Speaking of Johnson: he's a big dude. Listed at 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, Johnson had several quality reps, whether it was the aforementioned shaking of Jackson, or getting separation later during 11-on-11s and hauling in a first down from Herbert.
» OK, let's get to the quarterback play. With Colts head coach Frank Reich watching from the sidelines, it was Herbert that seemed to win the day for the South QBs. Herbert's arm strength has never been in question, and he certainly showed that off on Tuesday, but he definitely seemed to be the most vocal and expressive of the three South quarterbacks. Herbert had indicated teams wanted to see more of his leadership ability, which was on full display on the first day of practices.
» Hurts and Montez, meanwhile, battled through bouts of inconsistency on Tuesday, meanwhile, as the accuracy just wasn't there; both seemed to struggle at times getting on the same page with their new receivers. It'll be interesting to see how both guys will respond after watching the film and getting back after it on Wednesday.
» Colts general manager Chris Ballard always touts the Senior Bowl's ability to provide an "apples-to-apples" evaluation for prospects, no matter where they come from. Case in point: Georgia Southern cornerback Kindle Vildor. Vildor had two interceptions on the day, Tuesday including one solid play where he tracked down a deep attempt by Montez; he also picked off a Hurts pass during 7-on-7s.
» Harrison Bryant was an absolute monster at the tight end position on Tuesday. The Florida Atlantic product simply couldn't be contained during 1-on-1 drills, and showed off his versatility by remaining productive wherever he was lined up. Stock up.