Mase: Which players stood out at Tuesday's Senior Bowl practice?

MOBILE, Ala. — “The Pit” was the place to be Tuesday afternoon as Senior Bowl practice got under way.

At the south end of Ladd-Peebles Stadium, the offensive and defensive linemen grappled during the North and South team practices. For two periods in each session, they dueled, primarily in pass-rush one-on-ones, but also in run-blocking scenarios.

A few feet from where the linemen congregated you could find familiar faces. Oakland general manager Mike Mayock, known primarily from his years as NFL Network’s primary draft pundit, watched intently with a flat cap atop his head. Newly hired Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule, a former offensive-line assistant with the New York Giants, also scrutinized the work. They were joined by representatives from most teams for an up-close look at the linemen.

A few players jumped out:

SOUTH TEAM

SOUTH CAROLINA DT JAVON KINLAW

A one-man wrecking crew, Kinlaw uses his 315-pound frame and 84-inch wingspan — the largest of any defensive player here in Mobile — to devastating effect. 

One thing he does well is win whether the offensive lineman goes high or low. If the blocker gets below him, Kinlaw has so much power in his upper body that he is able to get his hands around the shoulders of an opposing lineman to force him out of the way. 

But he didn’t always win, which leads me to …

LSU C LLOYD CUSHENBERRY III

While Cushenberry got the better of most of his duels, it was a stalemate with Kinlaw that jumped out. With Kinlaw repeatedly reaching the spot in approximately two seconds, Cushenberry was able to hold his own despite being forced back on his heels by Kinlaw, all because he successfully got his hands on Kinlaw’s chest and kept the powerful D-lineman in front of him. He keeps his pad level low on a consistent basis. Cushenberry was a cut above all of the other centers here; based on his work Tuesday, he could be a plug-and-play, Day 1 starter.

SOUTH CAROLINA STATE OT ALEX TAYLOR

At 6-foot-8-and-a-half, Taylor, a former basketball player at Appalachian State, is the tallest player at the Senior Bowl. His 88-inch wingspan is also the largest of any player here. The key for Taylor is learning how to use this to his advantage. When he encountered success in pass-rush drills, it came when he was able to drop and position himself to where the opposing edge rusher didn’t feel he had a path around him because he covered so much space. His height and length makes him vulnerable to losing leverage, and he mentioned Tuesday how a point of emphasis for him is learning to play lower. He also drew praise from Bengals coaches for his work on a pair of running plays in the team period.

NORTH TEAM

NORTH CAROLINA DL JASON STROWBRIDGE

Strowbridge was the defensive star of one-on-one pass-rush drills during North team practice. He punctuated his day by sending Wake Forest guard Justin Herron flailing backwards during one repetition, using a vicious one-two punch by driving with his left forearm before shoving Herron with his right.

The other aspect of Stowbridge that shone was his ability to rebound and adapt. Early in practice, Strowbridge lost a one-on-one repetition when he was working from the defensive end spot. West Virginia’s Colton McKivitz read Strowbridge’s charge to the outside shoulder and responded by attacking his inside shoulder, knocking him off-balance. After this, Strowbridge locked in and his missteps were rare.

OHIO STATE DL DAVON HAMILTON

I liked what Hamilton did in the 7-on-7 period working against Temple center Matt Hennessy. As Michigan QB Shea Patterson prepared to hand the football to TCU RB Darius Anderson, Hamilton used Hennessy’s pull to the left against him, driving him three and a half yards back of the line of scrimmage and into Anderson’s path.

CONNECTICUT RT MATT PEART

Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy compared Peart to former Jets offensive tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson. Part of this is tied to his frame — he’s 6-foot-6-1/2 with 35-1/8-inch arms. But another aspect to Peart that was impressive was his balance in pass protection; he showed proficiency at being able to maintain his base while moving back to ward off an outside-shoulder rush. He also did well at quickly getting his hands inside when the pass rusher attacked.

WISCONSIN LB ZACK BAUN

Baun’s versatility makes him a fascinating prospect. His pass-rushing ability makes him a viable edge rusher, and he showed flashes in the one-on-one period, most notably in a repetition against McKivitz, who was working at right tackle. Baun made it to the spot in 2.0 seconds, and did so in spite of losing his balance toward the end. His left hand grazed the turf, but he maintained his momentum and didn’t hit the ground.

But Baun is also proficient in coverage, and during the team period the North utilized him at inside linebacker. His combination of skills and potential to be used all over the second level of the defense should cement him as a Day 2 pick.

TEXAS A&M P BRADEN MANN

Yeah, I’m watching the punters. If you follow me on Twitter, this comes as no surprise.

The 2018 Ray Guy Award winner showed why he earned the Senior Bowl invitation during the punt period of North team practice, averaging 48.5 yards on 11 punts. None of his punts failed to cover at least 41 yards, although two of them were low line drives that saw hang times of under 3.7 seconds. Mann finished the period with an average hang time of 4.35 seconds, with seven of his 11 punts staying in the air for at least 4.5 seconds.