Senior Bowl Notebook

Although the Senior Bowl game is Saturday (1 p.m., ET, NFL Network), the practices were the main focus in the ongoing process to evaluate these players. So the workouts were also televised through Thursday, .

NFLDraftScout.com is tracking highlights of workouts.

Here is a story on Quarterbacks in the spotlight at this event,

Senior Bowl Practice Notes -- Thursday

After impressive early workouts, Michigan WR Roman Wilson (NFLDraftScout No. 93 overall, No. 18 WR), Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson (NDS No. 17 overall, No. 1 C) and Florida receiver Ricky Pearsall (NDS No. 55 overall, No. 11 WR) did not practice Thursday and may have left Mobile with undisclosed injuries. 

UCLA defensive end Laiatu Latu (NDS NO. 13 overall, No. 1 DE) dropped out of the event due to a sore leg after Wednesday's workout. 

Senior Bowl Practice Notes -- Wednesday

QBs not impressing

After Wednesday's workouts, scouts and coaches were still waiting for a quarterback to rise above the rest.

Bo Nix (Oregon, NFLDraftScout.com No. 16 overall. No. 4 QB) and Michael Penix Jr. (Washington, NDS No. 52 overall, No. 6 QB)) were inconsistent in the morning and not much better in the afternoon. Forced to pick one, Penix has been better in individual and team drills, but needs to show more in team drills, especially when under pressure.

South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler  (NDS No. 236 overall, No. 11 QB) looked pretty good ednesday but was inconsistent in terms of ball placement and too many passes got away from him, sailing beyond their target.

American Secondary bounces back

The American team' defensive backs rebounded Wednesday by getting into the mix more consistently, causing turnovers and shrinking the size of passing windows. Standing out were Louisville corner Jarvis Brownlee Jr (NDS No. 289 overall, No.37 CB), who will definitely move up our list,  and Kentucky's  5-10 1/2, 197-pound Andru Phillips (NDS No. 211 overall, No. 27 CB) who played both in the slot and outside. A couple of safeties were menacing, notably Georgia's 5-10 1/2, 197 -pound Javon Bullard (No. 65 overall, No. 3 free safety) .

WR Legett shows some go-get

South Carolina’s 6-1, 223-pound WR Xavier Legette (NDS No. 77 overall, No. 15 WR) mishandled passes Tuesday and was still struggling Wednesday until making a spectacular grab running at top end up the sideline, complete with a maxed out vertical stretch for the high pass and somehow getting both feed inbounds. This looked more like the Legette who was compared to 49ers Deebo Samuel last season whil catching 71 passes for 1,255 yards and seven TDs.

Tulane WR Jha'Quan Jackson (NDS No. 219 overall, No. 35 WR) improved his rating by consistently showing quickness to separate and hands to get the job done. Jackson caught 26 passes for 439 yards and four scores in 2023. 

Offensive line standouts

For the second straight day, Oklahoma's 6-7, 328 OT Tyler Guyton (NDS No. 36 overall, No. 6 OT) was dominant, this time showing his brawn as a run blocker. Guyton played right and left OT Wednesday and looked comfortable on both sides. Perhaps the most consistent offensive lineman Wednesday was UConn's 6-2 1/2, 318-pound Christian Haynes (NDS No. 135 overall, No. 7 OG), who played on the right side in college, did well on the left side as well Wednesday.

The National team's front wall was impressive, including Oregon's 6-3 1/4, 334-pound center Jackson Powers-Johnson (NDS No. 29 overall, No. 1 center) who seemed to get extra attention from Pittsburgh Steelers HC Mike Tomlin after Tuesday's workout. Powers-Johnson left the field early Wednesday with an undisclosed injuryu. Oregon State's 6-6, 332-pound OT Taliese Fuaga (NDS No. 21 overall, No. 4 OT) is a consistent highlight whose combination of size and power  allows him to manhandle defenders. 

Kansas' 6-4,  323-pound OG Dominick Puni (NDS 85 overall, No. 5 OG) showed that a move inside from OLT will benefit him in the NFL.  He lined up at guard and center Wednesday, getting extra snaps in the middle with Jackson P owers-Johnson was sidelined with an injury. 

Standout Wideout

Michigan receiver Roman Wilson (NDS No. 93 overall, No. 18 WR) looked outstanding for the second day . The 5-10, 186 pounder drew comparison's to Tank Dell the diminutive receiver who made his mark in last year's Senior Bowl and was a standout catcher for Houston Texans' rookie QB  CJ Stroud until being sidelined with an injury in 2013.

Senior Bowl Practice Notes — Tuesday

Offensive tackles draw attention

The 2024 draft is rich with high-quality offensive tackles with NFLDraftScout.com listing three among the first 12 overall and up 10 who could be selected in the first two rounds.

Oregon State’s 6-6, 332 offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga (NDS No. 21 overall, No. 4 OT) dominated in the first Tuesday practice. In fact, it was as good of a first practice as I can recall seeing at the Senior Bowl. He was especially impressive in dealing with the quickness and speed of UCLA’s 6-5, 261-pound defensive end Laiatu Latu (NDS No. 13 overall, No. 1 DE). 

Houston OT Patrick Paul (NDS No. 39 overall, No. 9 OT) was the most conspicuous player in early practice with the American team. His measurements of 6-7, 333 pounds with an elite 36 1/4-inch arm length are ideal for an NFL left tackle. He used it to his advantage against shifty Alabama OLB Chris Braswell (6-3, 257, NDS No. 41 overall, No. 4 OLB) and Missouri DT Darius Robinson (6-5. 286, NDS No. 47 overall, No. 4 DT) in drills that simulated running. Paul more than held is ground and used length and strength for leverage and control.

Oklahoma OT Tyler Guyton (NDS No. 32 overall, No. 6 OT) was one of the top-ranked players in Mobile and stood out as the best player on the field during the American practice. He showed impressive agility at 6-7 and 328 pounds. His 34 1/4-inch arms fend off rushers and he has great balance and control while kicking out. Guyton didn't allow a single sack in 2023 and looked every bit a Day-1 NFL starter, although possibly at right tackle.

Texas offensive tackle Christian Jones arrived in Mobile considered a Round 6 or 7 prospect (NDS No. 231 overall, No. 17 OT). He helped himself Tuesday by outmuscling defensive linemen in one-on-one sessions. Jones was able to eliminate pass rushers quickly. In 2023 Jones allowed six pressures and one sack over 482 pass-blocking snaps. He measured 6-5, 318 pounds with 34 7/8-inch arms. By the end of the day, his stock was up and should move up draft boards.

NDS top offensive tackles:

Another center of attention

Oregon’s 6-3, 334-pound center Jackson Powers-Johnson (NDS No. 29 overall, No. 1 C) showed why he is atop our list of centers. He bullied his way on running plays with the strength to pancake defenders at the line of scrimmage and hustle to take on players at the second level.

Kansas’ Dominick Puni and Florida’s Kingsley Eguakun also impressed and were the biggest takeaways from the first two hours of Senior Bowl.

Wide receivers grab spotlight

Michigan receiver Roman Wilson (NDS No. 93 overall, No. 18 WR) could not be covered in the Tuesday morning session and was even more impressive in 11-on-11 team play. He flew past everybody to snatch a deep pass from Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman (NDS No. 179 overall, No. 9 QB). Because Wilson wasn’t featured in Michigan's run-heavy offense, scouts wanted to see him in Mobile, and he showed out. Wilson caught a dozen TD passes in 2023, and his performance Tuesday probably moved him up some boards.

Louisville’s undersized (5-11, 185) WR Jamari Thrash (NDS No. 106 overall, No. 19 WR) was another Tuesday standout. A Georgia State transfer, he caught passes and attention quickly in the Cardinals' offense, with 62 receptions for 858 yards and six touchdowns in 2023. In Mobile, Tuesday, he exploded off the line, showed the physicality to cope with contact and ran excellent routes.

Georgia's 6-1, 205-pound WR Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint (NDS No. 242 overall, No. 35 WR) outperformed his late-round projections the first day of practice. He dropped only two passes in four college seasons and his sticky hands were obvious. Rosemy-Jacksaint was fluid yet fast-twitched his way in and out of route breaks and created impressive separation. All that and reliable hands will definitely move him up draft boards.

Georgia’s 5-11 ½, 187-pound WR Ladd McConkey (NDS No. 57 overall, No. 12 WR) is considered one of the best route-runners in the draft. So it was no surprise that he impressed as a route-runner in practice, to the point where the All-Star DBs present were unable to cover him. In one-on-one drills against cornerbacks, his clever, blink-quick footwork often left corners off balance and might ultimately push him into the first round.

NDS top wide receivers:

CB Mitchel impresses

Toledo’s 6-0, 195-pound cornerback Quinyon Mitchell (NDS 26 overall, No. 5 CB) was already a first-rounder on our list, and he surely gained more believers Tuesday. He  glides when backpedaling and shadowing receivers then explodes when reacting to the ball. Against the National quarterbacks in team drills, he batted away passes from Bo Nix, Michael Penix Jr. and Hartman.

Mitchell used his quickness and length to blanket receivers, showing how he compiled five pass breakups in 2023. He is locked into NDS’s first round.

NDS top cornerbacks: