The 2022 Reese’s Senior Bowl kicked off with its first day of practices in Mobile, Ala. at Hancock Whitney Stadium, and a lot of eyes were trained under center at quarterback. The National Team led by the New York Jets staff took the field first this morning, followed by the American Team coached by the Detroit Lions in the afternoon. It’s my first year at the Senior Bowl, and a lot of today was spent simply soaking in the atmosphere and getting a handle on the tempo of practices.
Rosters were incredibly hard to come by with multiple standouts being late additions that weren’t listed; I largely relied on letting my eyes draw me to players. In a way, it was pleasantly absent of bias or preconceived notions that allowed me to seek out traits over coveted prospects and scheme fits. The American Team practice was blown up a bit by the class action lawsuit filed by Brian Flores suing the NFL over allegations of racial discrimination. It was something that felt infinitely more important than football and, admittedly, I paid less attention to the latter practice as a result.
That said, while sitting through the American Team practice, I chatted with Boston College tight end Trae Barry who was observing practice and teammates after returning from the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. I planned to focus on the trenches in Day 1 of practice, and he alerted me to the prowess of teammate and National Team practice standout Zion Johnson, a guard at Boston College whose versatility lends him well at tackle as well. He also took snaps at center during Senior Bowl practice. His bend and power were palpable in the small window of reps I caught during offensive line drills. Among other insights, Barry brought up a good point in the distinction from the Collegiate Bowl to Senior Bowl practices: they’re allowed to blitz in Mobile.
Hard to think today’s practice and subsequent evaluation at quarterback would hold much merit without the instances of pressure and responses by the player under center. Two players stood out in their pocket movement and subsequent composure: Kenny Pickett and Malik Willis. Neither had a standout day; great and bad throws emphasized coachability and potential. Pickett benefitted from confusing play by Desmond Ridder and Carson Strong more than anything else.
Ridder had a good throw to wide receiver Alec Pierce, his teammate in Cincinnati, but that showcased chemistry. He otherwise missed what seemed to be wildly easy throws. Carson Strong hurt his evaluation every time he attempted this fruitless deep ball that never seemed to drop anywhere close to the receiver in stride. After about the fourth try, I frankly stopped paying attention.
With the quarterbacks, it’s going to be impossible to take too much stock in the first day of practice with entirely new teammates. That includes every player on the offensive line, timing of the snap from the center, not having a sense of the pocket under said line, and throwing to essentially strangers.
With Kenny Pickett, it was more of the off-field traits that stood out to me. He actively sought out his group of receivers pre and post-play, talked with the coaches to a degree that reminded me of Ian Book over training camp, had poise in the huddle – taking notable command at times – and showed good anticipation in throws to unfamiliar receivers like Shakir Khalil at Boise State.
Speaking of which, quarterbacks need players who are making catches to put stake in their name as the top prospect. The aforementioned Alec Pierce was someone I remembered from the Cincinnati-Tulane game last season as the Green Wave sideline reporter – in which he had 5 catches for 113 receiving yards and a touchdown. He had some good cuts that allowed him to make catches and get into space for yards after catch on a few plays. Pierce stood out outside of plays when he set receivers on the line. My favorite play by Pierce might’ve been a block that he impressively stuck through and kept the lane open for the running back in drills.
Receiver Christian Watson from North Dakota State was another playmaker that caught my eye during National practice. He was extremely fluid and smooth for his size and displayed good ability to keep his chest low until cuts during route drills. Watson along with the next receiver caught my eye as they continuously sought out coaching tips. That second receiver was the electric late-addition Braylon Sanders from Ole Miss, who had 4 catches for 74 yards and a touchdown in their win against Tulane in the 2021 season. He stuck out – often.
The consistent seeking of coaching strengthened by clear responsiveness by Sanders to the acquired tips. Like Watson, he kept his chest low until cuts and was “very locked in” per my chicken scratch notes that need a revamp for Day 2. On a high throw by Ridder, Sanders made a great catch while displaying good situational awareness of the inaccurate placement in stride. Sanders made multiple plays that highlighted his strength in catching with his hands versus his body. He played through every snap and trained my eyes on him for a while. By far the standout receiver from the first practice session.
In the American Team practice, my notes fell to current events and conversations with fellow media members, but I took note of a few players to watch closely tomorrow. Malik Willis showed coachability more than anything else. Receivers Velus Jones Jr. of Tennessee and Danny Gray of SMU had good moments. Jones Jr. showed quickness in beating coverage off the line and mental toughness in competing for catches but lacked fluidity coming out of his breaks; the second practice overall felt sluggish and was noted audibly by those in the bleachers. In contrast, the speed of Jalen Tolbert out of South Alabama stuck out for his 6-foot-3 stature and his ability to make high catches over defensive backs.
It’s hard to say anything definitive from a few respective hours of non-familiar teammates and situational drills. Saints fans are curious about quarterbacks, so I spent a majority of my attention on those players and accordingly, the receivers those fans are coveting. Tomorrow, we’ll take on the trenches and build on these first impressions. It was a really cool day to be a sports writer, and hopefully this notebook serves as a foundation for in-depth scouting nearing the draft.
