MOBILE, Ala. – One practice is in the books.
On a gorgeous day at Hancock Whitney Stadium at South Alabama, the Senior Bowl once again got underway with players from the American and National teams having a chance to square off against each other.
Here are some notes from Tuesday's practices:
- The offensive line trio of Trevor Penning (Northern Iowa), Andrew Stueber (Michigan), Daniel Faalele (Minnesota) stole the show in the first practice. Surprisingly, out of the three, Stueber arguably had the most consistent and impressive practice while playing at right guard. He had 20 career starts at right tackle and only two at guard, where he practiced Tuesday.
- Defensive tackles Perrion Winfrey (Oklahoma) and Otito Ogbonnia (UCLA) each dominated the line of scrimmage during their one-on-one reps. It was very familiar territory as the Cowboys have taken a defensive tackle from the Senior Bowl in each of the last two drafts. One out of Oklahoma (Neville Gallimore), the other out of UCLA (Osa Odighizuwa).
- Rachaad White (Arizona State) seemingly had a long gain every time he carried the ball in team drills. He showcased good vision and the ability to make the right cuts all day. But keep in mind, the offensive line gave him some great holes to run though up front as well.
- One of the best battles of the Senior Bowl so far must be between offensive tackle Daniel Faalele (Minnesota) and edge rusher Myjai Sanders (Cincinnati). Both guys are quick off the snap and have traded blows throughout practice. Full-on collisions and both very competitive.
- The most fun aspect of these practices is watching guys from smaller schools get their chance against top-notch competition. Joshua Williams (Fayetteville State) got to Mobile from Division II and looked like he belonged on Day 1. At 6'2, 193, he's got impressive size, and he used it to his advantage. Granted, he did give up a long touchdown, but he used his physicality to lock down several short routes.
- Dominique Robinson (Miami-Ohio) was another smaller school prospect who jumped out on Tuesday. Granted, Miami-Ohio is still a Division I school, so it's not quite as small as others. But Robinson had a chance to show off his edge rushing skills, and he delivered with two would-be sacks of Kenny Pickett (Pittsburgh). He got to the quarterback once with pure speed and good bend, and again with a bull rush that pushed his tackle back into the pocket.
- Roger McCreary (Auburn) had a good day at the cornerback spot. He showed great coverage skills in both the one-on-ones and in team drills, as well. Add that to the physicality at the line of scrimmage, and his versatility in the slot and outside.
- Quarterback Malik Willis (Liberty) probably made the throw of the day on the back shoulder to receiver Danny Gray (SMU) at the pylon for a touchdown. Coverage was great, the throw was better.
- During the same drill, cornerback Tariq Woolen (UTSA) had a strong rep and out-muscled receiver Venus Jones Jr. (Tennessee) on their first rep against each other. Then, just one rep later, Jones got him back by burning him deep for a touchdown down the right sideline.
- The best battle of the second practice came when Darian Kinnard (Kentucky) took snaps at right tackle and battled against edge rusher Jermaine Johnson II (Florida State). The two traded blows throughout the practice and at the end were put to the test against each other with the whole stadium watching. In the first rep, Johnson flattened Kinnard to the eruption of the defense. However, Kinnard won the next two reps resulting in the defense having to do push-ups to end practice.
