Biggest Winners and Losers from Day 1 of the Senior Bowl

Today we dive into the biggest winners and losers from the first day of practice at the Senior Bowl.

You know draft season is in full swing when the NFL world heads to Mobile, Alabama to take part in the Senior Bowl. Coaches, scouts, general managers, everybody makes their way to Mobile to get an early and up close look at some of the best draft eligible players the nation has to offer, while it also allows lesser known prospects to put themselves on the map.

I’ve split up the “Winners” and “Losers” from the first day of practices between both the National and American teams. Keep in mind that just because a player was a “Loser” today, doesn’t mean he can’t improve in the next practice, and vice versa. Let’s get into it starting with the National Team.

National Team

Winners:

Mike Green, EDGE, Marshall

Green was the player I was most excited to watch entering the Senior Bowl and boy he delivered on day one. To start with a win outside of his performance, he measured in at 6-foot-3, 251-pounds, about 15 pounds heavier than scouts had him previously listed. The best part is it looks completely natural, still very fluid, and doesn’t look like he lost any speed. His playing weight has been the biggest concern about him, but with that worry aging like milk he should start flying up draft boards, especially after the day one he just had. He was dominant in the 1-on-1’s, showcasing his elite quickness and bend, winning not only around the edge but also with a counter move inside along with a bull rush victory. The concerns about his arm length seem to hold some weight, but his explosiveness and craftiness make up for it.

Josh Conerly Jr., OT, Oregon

Conerly was making rounds as one of the best offensive tackles among draft circles, and his performance on day one did not disappoint. Outside of one rep against Michigan’s Josaiah Stewart, Conerly was fantastic in pass protection, showing off his refined footwork and hand placement that we’ve grown accustomed to at Oregon. The athleticism also jumped off the screen, was very explosive out of his stance, agile enough to keep up with speed around the outside while also showing that he’s able to anchor down when faced with power. I had some concerns about Conerly’s length and size coming into Mobile, but many of those concerns have been alleviated after his performance. I do still think there’s a world where a team views him as an IOL, but I’m definitely on board with him playing tackle.

Grey Zabel, IOL, North Dakota State

Zabel had, in my opinion, the best day of any player on the National Team. Zabel played left tackle at North Dakota State and while he has the size to play the position, his 32-inch arms are not going to cut it as an outside protector at the next level. So Zabel decided to take the majority of his snaps on the interior of the offensive line, which proved to be the right decision as he dominated every player in front of him during 1-on-1’s. He took snaps at nearly every position along the line, but I was most impressed with his reps at center. Not at all a stretch to say he is the top center in an overall week center class, but he’s a day one starter across the IOL.

Anthony Belton, OT, NC State

I am slowly beginning to fall in love with Belton as a prospect. He measured in at a hulking 6-foot-5, 345-pounds, and more importantly has nearly 36-inch arms. For context, 34-inch arms is the threshold offensive tackles typically need to reach. However, it wasn’t just his measurements that impressed people, as he was one of the standouts in the lineman 1-on-1’s. His quick feet and ridiculously strong anchor were on full display as he did not lose a single rep, even putting Arkansas EDGE Landon Jackson on the ground. Film still shows that he is extremely raw and will need development at the next level, but these are traits that any team would love to work with.

Elijah Arroyo, TE, Miami

Arroyo just had a silly day in 1-on-1’s, and will be the only pass catcher to make my winners list for the National Team on day one. Not to say others didn’t have their wins and flashes, but Arroyo was head and shoulders the best receiver on the field. He is a much more refined route runner than I originally thought him to be, a very fluid mover that understands how to use his size and athleticism to get open and box out opposing defensive backs. Had a great rep on a slot fade where he subtly used his arms to create separation at the top of the route and tracked the ball perfectly over his shoulder for what would have been a touchdown. Arroyo also showed an understanding of how to take advantage of defenders blind spots in coverage. He won all but one of his 1-on-1 reps and let NFL front offices know that he’s one of the better pass catching tight ends in one of the best tight end classes in recent memory.

Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE, Boston College

Ezeiruaku is a draft crush of mine that I was extremely excited to watch, and lived up to my expectations. There were some concerns about his arm length entering today, but after measuring in with 34-inch arms those concerns were put to rest. He had a fantastic day in 1-on-1’s, showing off a variety of pass rush moves and explosiveness around the edge. His best win of the day came on a two hand swipe against Wyatt Millum, an immediate win against a tackle many had high expectations for. One of the most refined pass rushers in this entire draft, if he can continue to have a good week I could see him sneaking into the end of the first round.

Aireontae Ersery, OT, Minnesota

If you wanted to say Ersery had the best day of any lineman, I may disagree but I wouldn’t argue. Ersery is a massive individual, and this size is paired with immense strength that showed up in the team drills where he dominated in the run game. He also had some great wins against both Mike Green and Donovan Ezeiruaku in 1-on-1's, stymying both of them by anchoring down. He showed patient hands, quickness out of his stance, and again that phenomenal anchor that a team is going to fall in love with. I do think there’s a world where he is a better guard than tackle at the next level, but regardless it was a great day for the young man.

Losers:

Azareye'h Thomas, CB, Florida State

It wasn’t an awful day from Thomas, but many people including myself were expecting dominance from one of the top corners in this class, and we didn’t get that. He didn’t seem to have the explosiveness I saw on film, while also looking a bit stiff in the hips which lead to him getting beat a couple of times in 1-on-1’s. He also had his share of nice reps, but I came away overall pretty unimpressed. I wonder if he’s dealing with some sort of injury, hoping to see him improve in the next practice.

Landon Jackson, EDGE, Arkansas

It was a rough day for Jackson, one of the worst days for any player at the Senior Bowl. Jackson had three reps in lineman 1-on-1’s, and he ended up on the ground for all three reps. He didn’t show much flashes during team drills either.

Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Bowling Green

I was fully expecting Fannin to dominate the second he touched the practice field, but I came away overall disappointed by his performance. He didn’t look as fluid as I thought he looked on tape and also dropped his only target during team drills. I still believe in him as a prospect, he’s got three more days to right the ship and I’m going to trust the film I’ve watched, but in a tight end class like this one he needs to have better performances going forward.

Wyatt Millum, OT, West Virginia

Many people were concerned with Millum’s length and doubted his ability to play tackle at the next level, and his performance did nothing to alleviate those concerns. He measured in with 32-inch arms, well below the threshold needed for tackles, and that lack of length showed in his limited reps at tackle during 1-on-1’s. He also had reps at guard where he looked significantly better, so not an awful overall day for Millum, but it’s pretty clear that a switch to IOL is going to need to happen.

American Team

Winners:

Walter Nolan, DT, Ole Miss

This is a loaded interior defensive line class with a clear top player in Michigan’s Mason Graham, but the pecking order behind him is muddy. Walter Nolan has been making a case for the next guy behind Graham, and this first day of practice surely helped his case. Nolan weighed in at a solid 6-foot-3, 293-pounds, and showed a ludicrous amount of explosiveness at that size. He looked like he was shot out of a cannon coming out of his stance on every rep, he had a quick win against fellow stand out Clay Webb by converting speed to power in 1-on-1’s, and was dominant against the run during team drills. I expect to continue to see dominance from Nolan as the week goes on.

Tai Felton, WR, Maryland

Felton had the best day of any receiver on either team by a comfortable margin, He is a natural at generating space, quick feet and fluid route running lead to him dominating during the practice. He came down with the best catch of the day, where he beat his defender on a go route down the field, but the ball was late and underthrown so Felton had to work his way back to the ball where he made a catch through contact, keeping his feet inbounds against the back line of the end zone. Every time he appeared on screen it seemed like he was winning, a great day for the receiver out of Maryland.

Mason Taylor, TE, LSU

Mason Taylor, son of NFL Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, had one of the better receiving days from anybody at this first practice. He measured in a hair off of 6-foot-5, and hit the 250-pound mark. His strong frame was noticed not only in team run drills but also as a route runner, where he was able to use his size to create leverage and generate separation for himself. Also is clearly a very natural athlete, good footwork and an understanding of how to run routes contributed to his good day. He also showed off his hands with a nasty one handed catch on a high throw by Jalen Milroe.

Omar Norman-Lott, DT, Tennesee

You could put a lot of defensive lineman from the American Team on this list, but Norman-Lott continually flashed throughout today’s practice. He was the definition of a disruptor during team drills, having multiple plays where he ended up in the backfield as soon as the ball was snapped. That explosive get-off was also seen during the lineman 1-on-1’s where he netted himself a couple wins off of his get-off alone. After measuring in at a smaller 6-foot-1, 295 pounds, it was good for Norman-Lott to put together this performance on day one.

Trey Amos, CB, Ole Miss

The thing that stood out about Amos the most today was his speed, he just seemed to move at a different pace than everyone else. Even when he got beat initially, he was able to recover with that speed to get into positions to cause incompletions. This was seen against one of the better receivers from today’s practice, TCU’s Jack Bech, as he initially beat Amos on a crosser but Amos quickly recovered and exploded into position for the incompletion (although it was an overthrow regardless). He showed excellent footwork and physicality throughout the day, he was already a fringe first round guy in my opinion, and he continues to stack performances like this I think that could be a reality.

Upton Stout, CB, Western Kentucky

Upton Stout was the big surprise from day one for me, and had by far the best day of any defensive back on both teams in my eyes. “Sticky” is the way I would describe him, he was constantly in receivers hip pockets and had multiple pass break ups against standouts like Tai Felton and Jack Bech. The footwork looked excellent, he was physical but disciplined as to not commit any penalties. He showed plenty of speed as he was a lockdown player on the boundary. I also was impressed with his physicality in the run game, not the biggest corner but was a more than willing run defender during team drills.

Clay Webb, IOL, Jacksonville State

Outside of a bad loss to Walter Nolan, Webb’s day was fantastic. It was highlighted by him stone walling Kentucky defensive lineman Deone Walker during the teams group 1-on-1 drills, anchoring down on someone who has 4-inches and nearly 40-pounds on Webb. Outside of that rep he showed patient hands and good technique in pass protection during lineman 1-on-1’s while also having an impressive performance run blocking during team period. Coming from a smaller school you’ve got to earn your keep, I’d say shutting down multiple SEC defensive lineman will do just that.

Losers:

Deone Walker, DT, Kentucky

As usual with Walker, he had a handful of splashy plays, specifically against the run, but overall I came away very unimpressed. Walker may just be the best overall athlete not only at the Senior Bowl, but in this draft. Being as explosive as he is at a whopping 6-foot-7, 340-pounds, he should be dominating the competition in front of him, but because he’s so raw he’s just not. His pad level continues to be too high, he often stood straight up out of his stance. His only pass rush move was to run right at the lineman in front of him, did not utilize his hands or length at all, and this led to him being one of the worst performers during lineman 1-on-1’s. The thing is I’m surprised, if you’ve watched his film you know this is standard for him. Walker will be picked relatively high based on those insane physical traits, but he’s probably the biggest “work in progress” player in this whole draft.

Emery Jones, OT, LSU

There was talk about Jones being a first round pick at the end of last year's college football season, but unexpectedly, he regressed quite a bit this year, completely taking himself out of those talks. He did nothing to help his draft stock today either, and he had one of the more unimpressive days of any offensive lineman. He was beaten numerous times in 1-on-1’s, not only at tackle but at guard as well. He struggled with speed around the outside, he was walked back into the quarterback by Texas A&M’s Shemar Stewart, and was on the ground numerous times.

Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama

I was hoping Milroe would come out on day one and stand out in a big way among the quarterbacks in attendance. Instead, we saw a lot of the same struggles he dealt with during the season. His ball placement throughout the practice was shotty at best, in fact he threw an interception during the receiver-defensive back 1-on-1’s, which is a rare occurrence. At one point Milroe apparently missed 8 consecutive throws, not something you want to see from a QB prospect that already has major accuracy concerns. His arm did look much more live than the other QB’s in attendance, so he has that going for him, but he needs a better performance throughout these next couple days.