MOBILE, Ala. — On a long, rainy day, where players were put through weigh-ins, media prodding, and their first practice with new coaches and teammates, a crop of Senior Bowl attendees certainly did rise above the rest, while others didn’t live up to the big expectations coming into the week.
Of course, it’s important not to overreact after just one practice, as things can easily change throughout the week. That said, after day one, here are the biggest winners and losers.
Winners
Terrill Hanks, OLB, New Mexico State
Hanks is a rarity. A kid with a sculpted frame, great athleticism, and a vicious disposition from one of the hotbeds of recruiting in Miami, Florida who didn’t go to the ACC or SEC. As he told BSN after a breakout first day of practice, he enjoyed balling out on a field with a few other Miami kids.
To start things off, Hanks looked like a yoked up corner in one-on-one drills in coverage, locking up backs coming out of the backfield. Soon afterward in the same drills, he was flattening running backs two yards into their routes before they could even shake him loose.
He was a heat-seeking missile in non-coverage drills, flying downhill and delivering eye-popping tackles. It was impossible to miss No. 2 from the South team on the day.
A backer like Hanks would fit nicely in Denver, where Vic Fangio could do big things with his raw tools.
Deebo Samuel, WR, South Carolina
Samuel came into Mobile as one of the more accomplished players in the game and didn’t disappoint in this one, owning every DB he went up against.
Samuel’s quickness, which pops on tape, really stood out, but so did his natural hands, catching the ball with ease away from his body despite gusty winds and rain throughout the first practice. He then confirmed his reliable hands on punt return drills.
Samuel is a superb athlete with electric feet and measured in at 216 pounds which he packs into his 5-foot-11 frame with big hands and long arms. His playmaking skills as a potential slot receiver who can play outside and also return kicks would fit perfectly in Denver.
Terry McLaurin, WR, Ohio State
McLaurin was buried on the Buckeyes talented offensive roster and came into the week with little fanfare. That’ll change quickly if he keeps performing the way he did in Mobile. McLaurin was absurdly impressive with his speed, clocking in as the fastest player recorded on the day, peaking at 22.2 MPH.
Separating deep for Drew Lock or towards the sideline on an out-route for Daniel Jones, the speed demon was a nightmare to cover for North DBs.
McLaurin averaged an absurd 20 yards per catch in his senior season and caught 11 TDs on only 35 receptions in college, so his day of practice shouldn’t come as a surprise.
The one knock was that he double-caught a few throws, but he was impressive none the less.
Jaylon Ferguson, EDGE, Louisiana Tech
College football’s sack leader dominated with his length and a great arsenal of pass rushing moves, winning one-on-one’s with ease despite facing a step up in competition against a large group of power five tackles.
He started things off by disposing of Andre Dillard—read below—and got into the backfield to affect the run in 11-on-11 drills.
Ferguson came in as one of the headliner prospects and lived up to expectations on day one, proving that his 17.5 sacks against Conference USA competition were no fluke.
Montez Sweat, EDGE, Mississippi State
Sweat was a big name coming in and impressed before we even hit the field with pterodactyl-type length, measuring in at 6-foot-6 with 35 and 5/8-inch arms. He was hard to miss as he took care of business in one-on-ones and was easily one of the most impressive defenders on the day.
Nothing too surprising, but in a class loaded at edge rusher, creating separation among his peers who are also receiving first-round grades is huge, and could be the difference between going in the top-15 or falling to the 20s. Teams in need of more outside pass rush, like the two coaching staffs in Mobile, are sure to have taken notice.
Daylon Mack, DT, Texas A&M
The former Texas high school legend and five-star recruit never lived up to expectations with the Aggies but has really come along in the early part of draft season. After impressing in the East-West Shrine game, Mack got a late invite to the Senior Bowl and impressed in one-on-one drills, at one point absolutely flattening Alabama center Ross Pierschbacher.
For a 320-pound man, he’s devastating off the snap and has some sneaky penetration skills. Keep an eye on him, he’d be an ideal nose tackle in Denver.
Long arms and small hands
Before we even hit the field some guys really had some freakish measurements, none more than Charles Omenihu the standout Texas defensive end who has 36 and 1/2 inch arms.
Colorado native Dalton Risner, who played right tackle the last three years at Kansas State, is being pegged to move inside but showed plenty of length to stick at tackle with 34 and 1/4 inch arms.
Stanford linebacker Bobby Okereke, who’d look really nice in the Broncos’ new defensive scheme, also measured in with 34 and 3/4 inch arms and big hands, which makes up for his 6-foot-1 frame. He was a great interview and has impressive tape, we’ll keep an eye on him the next two days.
Finally, small-school tight end Donald Parham was the freakiest of all measuring in at 6-foot-8 with over 36-inch arms.
On the other side of things, Missouri quarterback Drew Lock had the smallest hands of the group, which in adverse weather conditions is a bit concerning. We’ll see how he handles rainy Mobile going forward, it didn’t seem to give him issues on day one, where it rained on and off the entire time, an encouraging sign.
Losers
Will Grier, QB, West Virginia
Grier came in off a great season with the Mountaineers, leading their dynamic passing attack, but was the worst-looking quarterback on the day.
His throws lacked zip and were woefully inaccurate. He didn’t look at ease under center and just lacked anything special. In a setting like this, his arm just didn’t look the part. We’ll see if by developing chemistry with his receivers he can pick things up as the week goes on but day one was a clear disappointment.
Andre Dillard, LT, Washington State
Dillard entered the week with the most to gain of any non-quarterback and had an underwhelming performance in day one, getting beat by Ferguson off the edge in one-on-ones and put on skates by Sweat in seven-on-seven drills.
He openly admitted he needs to work on run blocking—something he really didn’t have to do at all in Wazu’s air raid offense—so his struggles in pass protection were that much more concerning.
Dillard did have some glimpses and was impressive getting out in space to block for a screen. He’s still extremely raw and has obvious talent, but he’ll have to pick things up if he’s going to maximize the opportunity he has here in Mobile to potentially become the top tackle taken in 2019.
