MOBILE, Alabama – Day two of the Senior Bowl is in the books as both teams begin ramping up to the Saturday showcase of NFL Draft talent. Wednesday's practice was more intense than the first day as players have settled into their playbooks and knocked off a little rust entering the week.
Here are some of the top observations from the second day of practice:
One of the first players mentioned this week should be Shemar Stewart from Texas A&M. There have been very few things that have jumped off the tape better than the size and speed combo from the former Aggie. He disrupted the pocket on multiple reps through team drills, including an emphatic strip-sack of Memphis quarterback Seth Hennigan. Stewart's strength is the calling card, but his explosive first step has been the most impressive part of his game this week. (Kyle Youmans)
It was impossible to miss Tez Johnson (Oregon) in practice because of how quickly he wins at the line of scrimmage. He's got great footwork and mixes it with his speed to make defenders decide where to send their hips early, allowing him to take advantage of that leverage and get open with ease. I know there's some concern about whether he's big or strong enough to play against more physical defenders in the NFL, but it did not look like an issue today against some solid competition. (Tommy Yarrish)
One of the few players that had at least some success covering the uncoverable Tez Johnson was USC cornerback Jaylin Smith. On multiple reps in the slot, Smith was able to limit Johnson before Tez returned the favor. It was one of the more entertaining reps of practice, especially when Smith rotated the hips with ease and kept up with the elite change of direction from Johnson. Later in the session, Smith limited the other receivers by forcing at least two pass breakups in team drills. (Kyle Youmans)
Speaking of solid competition for receivers, Riley was just that. It's never easy to hang with a receiver in 1 on 1s but Quincy Riley (Louisville) made a couple of pass break ups and came down with an interception as well. He was playing physical and fast, and it was easy to feel the energy that he brought to the line of scrimmage with each snap. (Tommy Yarrish)
Iowa State has shown their two receivers are at the top of their game with Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel both playing at a high level. However, the best Big 12 receiving performance came from TCU's Jack Bech. On a week where he is wearing his brother's number 7 jersey to honor his memory, he's improved his draft stock by sharp route running and breakaway speed. He made a couple deep grabs in team drills that required physicality and great body control over the shoulder. (Kyle Youmans)
This EDGE group has been impressive, but Oluwafemi Oladejo (UCLA) stood out amongst his counterparts on the national team today. He measured in at 6'2, 261 pounds but looks much larger from afar, and played like it too. He's still raw and needs to sharpen his game, but there's a lot you can do with that frame, and he's a versatile piece in terms of where you can like him up in different schemes. (Tommy Yarrish)
One of the more memorable plays of the day came when Notre Dame linebacker Jack Kiser picked off a pass outside the numbers. After spending much of the day playing downhill and showing off his run fits, he dropped back in coverage and read the eyes of Jalen Milroe (Alabama) and made the easy interception. With blockers around, he could have made a nice return on the play. After practice, we spoke to Kiser about his strengths, he said his preparation and mindset were his best traits. That showed on this interception. (Kyle Youmans)
Grey Zabel (North Dakota State) was a guy who definitely could've made this list yesterday, and he followed it up with a strong performance today as well. He's been a brick wall for the last two practices and excelled in both the 1 on 1s and 11 on 11s as well. He's one of the biggest interior lineman at the Senior Bowl at 6'5, 316 pounds and plays very well in his frame, as one of the better athletes at the position. His hands were always in the right spot, and it allowed him to get the upper hand on his opponents right from the jump. (Tommy Yarrish)
