Here’s who stood out during the second day of Senior Bowl practice

As I prepared to write this story, it occurred to me that more headlines have been devoted to Wake Forest University alumni in the last 75 days than in the previous five years of this publication’s existence.

Two months ago, Kendall Hinton was the Broncos’ emergency quarterback. Tuesday, an actual full-time quarterback, Jamie Newman stole the show with a strong start to Senior Bowl week, although he backslid with two interceptions Tuesday, including one that was badly overthrown.

The Demon Deacon who dominated Wednesday’s was edge rusher Carlos Basham Jr., who could be available early in the second round.

Basham seized the moment with a strip-sack fumble during the team period of the American team practice Wednesday afternoon. What jumps out regarding Basham is the intensity with which he attacks each drill. During the individual period, Basham seems to burst at the tackling dummies with anger. He has a bend off the edge that belies his 281-pound frame.

Pressure was a constant for quarterbacks on both the National and American teams during Wednesday’s practices, and none handled it better than Alabama’s Mac Jones, who was steady and precise despite a consistent pass rush and north winds that gusted to 25 miles per hour.

Throws like this during an early-practice red-zone period were a reason why Jones won the day. He adeptly moved to his right and threaded the needle to LSU’s Racey McMath for the touchdown.

McMath and the receivers did not display the overall consistency that they had Tuesday. Drops were a common malady of the receivers Tuesday — particularly those on the American team, who seemed to struggle more to deal with the capricious flight of passes from Newman, Jones and Kellen Mond.

… Florida WR Kadarius Toney had some stellar catches, but he also endured two drops, including this one after running a flawless route to generate separation in this one-on-one repetition.

Defenders did make plays, as shown here:

… Tennessee WR Josh Palmer lost his grip on the ball because Central Florida safety Richie Grant stayed step for step with him and perfectly timed the contact with his left arm to reach in and knock the football away, forcing the incompletion.

… Georgia tight end Tre’ McKitty has made one-handed catches on each of the two days of practice so far.

… Tulane defensive end Cameron Sample had two rushes during the team period that would have resulted in sacks under game conditions.

… Clemson wide receiver Amarri Rodgers is adept at high-pointing the football after adjusting to its flight, leading to long receptions in each of the last two days. Rodgers has shown this week that he is not just a product of catching passes from likely No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence; he is a solid prospect in his own right.

… Wisconsin-Whitewater interior offensive lineman Quinn Meinerz went viral when he did a post-practice interview with his jersey rolled up and his gut protruding. But he should get notice because of his play for the National team — particularly in one-on-one work, where his ability to establish his base makes him difficult to dislodge with bull-rushes. He is also light enough on his feet to quickly adapt and adjust when opposing linemen attempt to work past him.

The last Division III lineman who looked this dominant in Mobile was Ali Marpet of Hobart College six years ago. Marpet became a second-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and eventually grew into a team captain who completed his sixth season as a starter this year. Meinerz has parallels in terms of how he has translated his D-III dominance to a higher level. But he also plays with a nastier edge than Marpet showed here in 2015.

… One would also be remiss to not mention the hustle of Oregon cornerback Thomas Graham, Jr., who popped the football out from North Carolina running back Michael Carter as the 5-foot-7 runner completed his run following a stellar cutback. Coaches exhort their receivers and runners to “finish” each repetition. The same holds true for defenders. Graham’s finish is the type of moment that reveals something about his football character. He did a good job in one-on-one drills, as well. But the persistence at the end of the run is something to remember.