After the East-West Shrine Bowl was completed on Thursday, the Senior Bowl took place this past weekend, with the practices going on during the week. It is a great way for teams to get an up close look at some of the top draft prospects, not only in a practice/game setting, but also by conducting interviews. Based on past years, the Bengals seem to put a lot of stock into what they see at the Senior Bowl. Let’s take a look at some of the standouts, first from the three days of practices, and then from the game.
Practices:
G, Jackson Slater (Sacramento State)
Arguably the most impressive offensive lineman of the week, Slater was consistently winning his matchups, whether in the 1 on 1 drills or the team stuff. In some cases, he was just bullying his opponent. Slater also showed some versatility, lining up at G and C at various points throughout the week.
OT, Grey Zabel (North Dakota State)
Zabel was another standout offensive lineman. He did well in all phases, with his footwork and technique looking clean. Strength was great in all of my exposures, and he was able to set a firm anchor against some tough competition.
CB, Maxwell Hairston (Kentucky)
The defensive players are often at a bit of a disadvantage when it comes to some of the practice drills, but Hairston still did well to win many of his matchups. He impressed in both the 1 on 1’s and team drills, showing the speed to blanket receivers in coverage, and the awareness to get his head turned at the right time to make a play on the ball.
WR, Kyle Williams (Washington State)
Williams displayed one of the quickest releases of the receivers there at the Senior Bowl. It allowed him to create some early separation in his routes. Precise route running also helped him to maintain this throughout the route and into his break, before making the catch.
WR, Jaylin Noel (Iowa State)
Another speedy receiver, Noel had some great reps in the 1 on 1 drills. His speed and burst were on display, and he ran some good routes against high quality competition.
DE, Jah Joyner (Minnesota)
From the looks of it, the DL class is stacked, both in terms of interior guys and edge. Many of them stood out, and I can’t touch on all of them. But Joyner is one I do want to touch on. Not only are the traits there, but he also has some rush moves in his toolbox, including an effective inside move that allowed him to win some of his matchups.
DE, Mike Green (Marshall)
Green is a top prospect, and showed why all week. He possesses, really, all of the traits that are necessary to win off the edge. The speed, bend, twitch, and burst. The strength. He won in a variety of ways. And when it wasn’t his physical traits talking, it was a wicked spin move or a swim move etc. His toolbox is full, which is something you love to see in a draft prospect.
LB, Eugene Asante (Auburn)
Asante has the size to be effective at the position, but also showed some athleticism and ability in coverage. In the 1 on 1 drills, LB’s up against RB’s have it tough, but he was pretty sticky in some of those reps, and was even able to make a play or two on the ball.
RB, Trevor Etienne (Georgia)
I didn’t come out blown away by the RB goup at this year’s event, but Etienne seemed to be the moved explosive and fluid of the bunch. He made some quick cuts and showed the ability to get to another gear in the open field. The Georgia product also displayed some ability as a pass catcher.
Game:
DE, Landon Jackson (Arkansas)
One of the early standouts in the game, Jackson displayed great speed around the edge to get a sack. He was a disruptive player, and contributed to a rough outing for his opponents in the trenches.
DE, Sai’Vion Jones (LSU)
Jones had a solid week of practices, but turned it up a notch in the game. He had a nice fake inside before winning with a swim move to get behind for a sack. His agility and closing speed were also on display, allowing him to take a pressure and finish the play.
CB, Johnathan Edwards (Tulane)
Edwards was one of the best CB’s in coverage during the game. You love to see it when a rookie CB has the awareness to get his head turned to breakup the pass, rather than panicking when the ball is in the air. Edwards turned in a good showing.
WR, Arian Smith (Georgia)
Smith flashed some speed during the game on Saturday. He was targeted on some deep shots and was able to haul in a couple of them, showcasing his big play ability.
S, Sebastian Castro (Iowa)
Castro is a S, but also played in the slot, showing good awareness in zone coverage. On one play, he did well to break away from his coverage after reading the play, anticipating a QB scramble. It was 4th & short, and the QB was attempting to run for the first down, but Castro hunted him down and made a nice tackle, shopping him short of the line.
WR, Jack Bech (TCU)
Bech showed some nice ball skills and ability to make contested catches. He also caught the walk-off game winning TD with no time left on the clock. A storybook ending to his Senior Bowl experience, especially following the tragic death of his brother. It was great to see the group rally around him.
Featured Image Via: Maize & Blue Nation (CC)