MOBILE, Ala. — After Wednesday’s final practice, here’s who stood out and helped their stock the most with some very intriguing names to know for Denver Broncos fans, and one notable offensive tackle who made major strides from day one to the final practice.
SEC, head and shoulders above the rest
Sometimes living up to expectations is all you need to do to confirm you belong at the Senior Bowl and make a whole lot of money. That’s exactly what Mississippi State’s Montez Sweat, one of the best edge rushers in the draft, and South Carolina receiver Deebo Samuel did.
Samuel confirmed that no one in Mobile could cover him and proved his natural hands once again. In a wide receiver class that has little separation at the top, Samuel has put his name firmly in the mix and should be one of the first wideouts taken if his speed and quickness can test at the levels he showed on the field in Mobile.
Sweat has also made himself tons of money this week and lived in the backfield on Wednesday. He might not have great bend off the edge, but he wins with length and power. He’s a primetime player who Broncos fans should hope doesn’t end up in the AFC West.
Lonnie Johnson Jr., CB, Kentucky
No. 1 from Kentucky really stood out for his physicality against both the run and pass, flying downhill to make the tackle of the day when closing down on a screen. The long a 6-foot-2 corner packs a punch at 210 pounds and really looked the part.
Keep an eye on him after round one, he’s as intriguing a cornerback as you can find in this class and put his name firmly at the top of the second tier at the position, looking better than bigger names in Mobile, Kris Boyd and Amani Oruwariye.
BC=nasty
Defensive lineman Zach Allen came in as a round-one hopeful and played up to his lofty potential in day three of Senior Bowl practices, showing strength against the run and pass rusher ability in one-on-ones. He played with an edge and won with his disruptive power.
He even got in a fist fight with Dalton Risner, one of the other bad dudes here at the Senior Bowl. Allen’s blend of pass rush skills, versatility, and power would make him an ideal fit in a three-man front like Denver’s, as he could potentially fill that need for an interior penetrator to take the defense to the next level.
Allen’s teammate, Chris Lindstrom who plays on the interior offensive line showed a nasty disposition as well. He’s a true road grader, and while he’s not perfect in pass protection, he stood out for his ability to throw his weight around and held his own on the day in one-on-ones as well.
Terry McLaurin, WR, Ohio State
McLaurin stood out again with his speed, hands and route running ability. He was really impressive in his ability to make tough grabs, whether he was having to stretch out to haul in the catch away from his frame or fall to the ground to make tough receptions on low throws, he was catching everything.
More than those soft hands, the team captain—which the Broncos clearly value in a prospect—is simply electric. He had the play of the day putting Kris Boyd, one of the best cornerbacks down in Mobile, in a blender, getting him turned around with a double move and hauling in a 30-yard touchdown.
McLaurin is a big-play machine with great hands, quickness and deceptive route-running ability. He’s also one of the most insightful and well-spoken players out here. He also mentioned how he met with the Broncos this week—expect more on that in the coming days.
He has been truly special this week.
Small-school standout
This is a great week for small-school players to make a real name for themselves and prove that they belong. Charleston defensive lineman John Cominsky looks sculpted out of granite and plays incredibly hard. He moves well, but his power is his calling card.
Coming from Division-II, you’d expect Cominsky to have to go through some growing pains, but he actually played assignment-sound football. When he had a chance to penetrate and get into the backfield he was disruptive.
With a few more pass-rushing moves added to his arsenal, he can be a disruptive force as a big defensive end who’d fit nicely in the Broncos three-man front.
Dax Raymond, TE, Utah State
The long tight end from Provo, Utah is used to running routes when spread out wide, and it showed when the San Francisco 49ers had the South team run an up-tempo, seven-on-seven drill. Raymond was gaining separation with ease and stretching out his 6-foot-5 frame to go up and sky for high throws.
His mobility in and out of breaks was really impressive, showing that he can be a valuable weapon in the passing game.
Andre Dillard, LT, Washington State
Last year, Marcus Davenport came into the week with lots of hype and disappointed a bit in early practices only to come along later in the week and be one of the game’s MVPs. Dillard is following in his path, showing similar steady improvement and could go in the middle of the first round as well given his lofty upside.
The raw and extremely talented left tackle looked like he gained some confidence as a run blocker and played a lot better in pass pro, handling guys like Jaylon Ferguson—who led the country in sacks this past year—like it was nothing.
Dillard’s feet are so smooth, and he’s always balanced. He showed his athleticism getting downhill and blocking out in space on a screen, as well, showing great pad level to deliver a terrific block.
After being a loser on day one, Dillard looked very smooth, potentially making himself lots of money.
Dexter Williams, RB, Notre Dame
Williams got going on 11-on-11 drills, regularly gashing the North defense. He’s a straight-line runner who has great power and runs with nice pad level.
Fullbacks don’t get much love, but Wisconsin’s Alec Ingold deserves a mention here. He held his ground going against some of the more powerful linemen in Mobile and was super efficient laying down the law when blocking for the run game.
Late addition Darrin Hall, a RB out of Pittsburgh, was also impressive showing great burst and vision as he was impossible to tackle in stretches on the third and final day of practice.
