Biggest winners from the Senior Bowl South Practice on Day 2 were Alabama’s Reggie Ragland, Arkansas’s Sebastian Tretola, Baylor’s Jay Lee, Louisville’s Sheldon Rankins and Oklahoma State’s Kevin Peterson.
Eric Galko covered the OL/DL, Charles McDonald (@SundayFiasco) covered the QB/WR/DB and Christian Page (@Cpage2911) covered the RB/LBs
Quarterbacks
–Jacob Coker and Jacoby Brissett both struggled throwing the ball down the field today. Brissett had an underthrown deep ball that was intercepted easily by Kevin Byard.
–Brandon Allen scrambled in passing drills, which was weird. He looked ok throwing the ball, but the lack of awareness in the drills was concerning.
Running Backs
–DeAndre Washington had an up and down. He showed patience and burst with the ball in his hands when working on plays in the 11 on 11 drills. His low to the ground build helped him battle through upper body contact to reach the second level, though it was just a wrap up drill. When it came to the blocking drills with the linebackers, Washington fell victim to both Alabama’s Reggie Ragland and Florida’s Antonio Morrison getting essentially run through at the point of attack and forced on the ground.
-Alabama’s Kenyan Drake looks the part to be used as an effective all-purpose back at the next level and his receiving skills were put to test today. He had at least three drops today on manageable passes questioning some concentration. He worked as the first team kick returner in which he will most likely start there Saturday encoring from his touchdown in the national championship game.
Receivers/Tight Ends
–Jay Lee made two great contested catches along the sideline. He’s shown a nice ability to win vertically and at the catch point.
–Malcolm Mitchell struggled in practice. He slipped a few times coming out of his routes and didn’t separate well from coverage.
-Clemson wide receiver Charone Peake was smooth catching the ball. He ran solid routes and appeared to have decent timing with the quarterbacks.
–Nick Bamett has a natural ability to get open against soft zones underneath. He thrived against Cover 2 consistently finding the open hole in the middle of the field.
Offensive Linemen
–Le’Raven Clark of Texas Tech entered the week with some second-round grades from NFL teams, but he’s struggled this week as a tackle. He’s adequate, but his slow hand rise to punch and limited use of his length has been frustrating. I don’t know if his issues are coachable, or if he’s coachable as a prospect (didn’t get that vibe from interviewing him), but the unique length and talent level is there to work with. Not many guys in the world with his tools to work with.
-While Cody Whitehair and Vadal Alexander were the top two offensive linemen on the South squad both days, but Arkansas’s Sebastian Tretola might be close on their heels. He sinks his hips in zone blocks better than I thought he would in isolation, and really impressed as refined zone blocker. He fires his hands well too, even against low rushing interior linemen.
-I wasn’t expecting much from Baylor’s Spencer Drango, but he’s been really effective with his hands, bending better than I thought he would, and playing the perimeter with NFL adequacy. I think he’s still better at OG or even OC, but he’s certainly more versatile and capable than I anticipated.
Defensive Linemen
–Noah Spence of Eastern Kentucky and formerly of Ohio State could be the first Buckeye drafted in round one. He’s shown rare power and pop in his hand engagement in both drills and in one-on-ones. His upper half explosiveness coupled with bend on the perimeter and a low yet strong center of gravity when attacking inside is tough to not be impressed with.
-Louisville’s Sheldon Rankins has been the best interior pass-rusher during the week, and it hasn’t been particularly close. He’s able to stay and explode low off the snap almost every time, and extend with power at first contact. He’s only been slowed a few times so far, and he could be an instant contributor in the NFL.
-I’ve been preaching that Shawn Oakman will go in the top-64 picks almost no matter what, but at this point and after a lackluster first few days, it’s getting to the point that his issues on the field won’t be overcome by his unique body type. Toughness, tenacity and desire to improve are all major question marks.
Linebackers
–Reggie Ragland may finish the week as one of the top rated prospects after a couple of solid first practices. Ragland has embraced a leadership role in Mobile among a linebacker group filled with SEC talent. He has worked as both an inside and outside linebacker wanting to show versatility to the present scouts. He looked good in both roles moving fluidly and showing his natural ability to track and locate the football.
–Kentrell Brothers showed more lateral quickness than expected and stood out in some drills in a great group of SEC linebackers. Josh Forrest is a name to keep an eye on as he possesses a massive frame but still has some raw ability at the position. His massive frame can be viewed as a teaser as he needs to establish more functional strength.
Defensive Backs
–Cyrus Jones looked impressive in the drills before having some troubles in the one on one session.
–Kevin Peterson played man coverage very well. He has a ferocious jam and mirrored well on shorter routes.
-This isn’t an environment that a guy like Jeremy Cash is going to thrive in. He doesn’t move that well in space and is stiff coming in and out of his cuts.
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