The second day of training for the 2021 Reese’s Senior Bowl started on Wednesday and proved to be just as exciting as the opening day.
Although there was a slightly heavier focus on training special teams than the day before, the format of the practice was still quite similar. There proved to be countless opportunities for players in all positions to show their stuff.
Some familiar highlights from Day 1 appeared and stood out on Wednesday, as well as some new faces. Here are some of the main findings from Day 2 of Senior Bowl training.
Senior Bowl Notes of Day 2
Mac Jones stumbled out of the gate with a performance around Day 1, but he certainly recovered from his performance on Wednesday.
Jones generally seemed more accurate when throwing the ball and showed more posture when moving around in his pocket. His specific limitations were evident, as always when he steps on the field. He is a talented player, however, and showed a much more comfortable playing style with a day of practice behind him.
The quarterback game was generally quite pedestrian, as it was on Day 1. Jamie Newman stood out among a rather discouraging group, showing arm strength and solid intermediate precision once again. He had some cases of forced reading that resulted in turnovers, but he was one of the best quarterbacks out there. However, no other defender has achieved truly remarkable performances.
I made it a priority to watch more offensive and defensive line-ups on Wednesday, and doing so was definitely a smart decision. The training showed a class of blockers who can enter the starting lineup and contribute very quickly.
It also marked a strong showing for several small school offensive line attackers. North Dakota State Dillon Radunz looked powerful at the point of attack and showed good agility in space. Quinn Meinerz of Wisconsin-Whitewater shone again, doing repetitions both as a guard and as a center while displaying an unpleasant side and a polished form. D’Ante Smith, from East Carolina, was another major beneficiary of today’s practice, as he dominated on an instant basis with power, a high engine and good pads. The same applies to David Moore of Grambling State, who was incredibly strong in contact. James Hudson, from Cincinnati, also displayed first-rate physical tools in his tackle practice.
It wasn’t just a small school day, though: some potential Power 5 customers also started playing in style. Creed Humphrey of Oklahoma was a motionless object at the center point of attack, as was Drake Jackson of Kentucky. Alabama’s Deonte Brown also proved to be powerful when he faced defenders in the guard position.
A handful of defensive attackers were able to make a big impact as well. Among them was Cameron Sample de Tulane, who used speed both in the first step and in the hands to beat the line’s attackers in one-on-one exercises. A little interpolated as an indoor hybrid, Sample was able to enter the field regardless of where he was aligned.
Quincy Roche, from Miami (FL), was another notable talent that did justice to the initial revenue. His speed at the snap and his flexibility in changing direction and turning the corner made it a difficult obstacle to stop, especially for Alex Leatherwood, from Alabama, who had a difficult day. Carlos Basham Jr. of Wake Forest was also very consistent in beating blockers hard.
Other top defenders who looked good on Wednesday included Jordan Smith of UAB and Shaka Toney of Penn State. The indoor defensive line class saw UCLA’s Osa Odighizuwa show another quality performance, but the indoor offensive line seemed to outperform overall.
I didn’t spend a lot of time watching the wide receivers and the defenders attack again this time, but I took enough heads-up to see which players generally stood out.
On the defensive side of the ball, Aaron Robinson from UCF stood out to me. He looked like a paralyzed cornerback and was able to stay physical through his opponents’ rods and get them out of his route. Tre Brown from Oklahoma was consistently able to end the opposition on the cover of man, which was a welcome sign for a player whose game tape had only a decent physique.
The receivers seemed to win, however. Amari Rodgers of Clemson was fantastic, showing sudden speed in his cuts and big explosion outside the line of scrimmage. Josh Palmer, from Tennessee, was another receiver who managed to open regularly with a skillful arsenal of throws, which is encouraging for a 6-foot-1, 210-pound wide-out.
Since the first half of the practice, Tylan Wallace of Oklahoma and Cade Johnson of South Dakota have excelled in one-on-one exercises. Wallace showed why he is highly praised as a Day 2 candidate, while Johnson showed why many recruiting circles are sleeping on him.
The remaining positions proved to be more difficult to assess due to their circumstances, as many safety devices were placed in an unfavorable against wide receivers, running backs generally do not have much chance of standing out in non-game configurations, and the latter case rings true for linebackers.
In those positions, however, I liked what I saw from Florida safety Shawn Davis, running back Larry Rountree III from Missouri and linebacker Grant Stuard from Houston. The two defenders looked nimble on the cover, while Rountree built a solid Day 1 with another full day.
With training now in the middle of the week, some of the best performances of the week started to show up. However, there are two more days of fun to play before the Senior Bowl game itself is played on Saturday, so it can serve as an opportunity for multiple players to make up for lost ground.