After an exciting week of practice, interviews and meetings, the Reese’s Senior Bowl of 2021 has come to an end.
The national team, coached by the Miami Dolphins, came away with a 27-24 victory over the American team, coached by the Carolina Panthers. Both NFL teams looked first-hand at some of the top prospects for 2021 in the NFL draft, and after seeing what many of them could do all week, both teams played quality.
This week was a fun one from both a football perspective and a personal perspective. As I sit on the last night of my stay in my hotel in Mobile and eager to explore some Bears concept coverage over the coming weeks and months, these are my takeaways from this year’s Senior Bowl action.
Senior Bowl notes
Altogether, the group of Senior Bowl backs of this year did not do much to increase their draft inventory.
The only exception is Kellen Mond of Texas A&M, who was named the MVP of the game. He finished 13-for-25 with 173 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions for the U.S. team. Although his completion percentage is not pretty, some of the throws he made on Saturday were. He displayed an above-average speed behind his passages, as well as the touch and accuracy needed to hit the receivers quickly and, at times, thread the needle to make difficult throws in tight windows. If any fullback would get a winner out of the game, it was Mouth.
The rest of the group was generally so-so. Arkele ‘Feleipe Franks started the game poorly and went 4-for-9 for 56 yards in the first half, throwing several balls into the dirt. He could get steam in the fourth quarter, but he finished the game 9-for-16 with 122 yards and a finish for the triumphant national team. His accuracy was contradictory, but when he was at stake, he demonstrated a strong arm and the ability to hit receivers with a good placement in controversial situations.
Jamie Newman of Wake Forest had one of the better statlines of the day, scoring 10 for 14 with 118 yards, a Test and an interception for the U.S. team. A more telling statistic is perhaps the four pockets he took in the center on Saturday. He certainly had a few plays, but his business presence was not ideal, and his accuracy was somewhat contradictory. Newman has a strong Day 1 practice, but he seems to be cooling off from there, and his game in the Senior Bowl itself hasn’t done too much to inspire confidence.
Sam Ehlinger of Texas and Ian Book of Notre Dame did not see as much playing time as the above three backs, but when they were on the field, neither could stretch the field much. Ehlinger had 42 yards and an attack on four rounds from ten attempts, while Book had 48 yards and an interception while throwing 5-for-11.
Both offensive lines had trouble blocking the edge: out of the six total pockets that accrued on Saturday, 5.5 could be counted against edge stormers. Among those struggling to tackle offensively was Brenden Jaimes of Nebraska, who had three penalties over the course of the afternoon. The honor is heavy on some of the domestic offensive lineouts: David Moore of Grambling State, Oklahoma’s Creed Humphrey and Robert Hainsey of Notre Dame were at first glance among notable artists. North Dakota State Dillon Radunz does deserve credit because he was rock solid on the left handle for the national team.
With some contradiction along the offensive line, it is understandable that both teams managed the ball inefficiently. The national team averaged 3.3 yards per carry, while the U.S. team had just 1.6 yards per carry. While most fullbacks had very few chances to make anything work, North Carolina’s Michael Carter was the national team’s biggest winner from the backfield. He finishes with 60 rushing yards and an attack on eight runs and adds 15 yards on two catches. He was able to stand out by using his agility and double threat ability as a runner and a passer.
Several wide receivers used this week’s practices to remark, and although some of the standouts did not play on Saturday, other receivers took advantage and played incredibly well. Dez Fitzpatrick of Louisville had six catches for 90 yards for the National team, to be open throughout and play with good physicality in tight coverage. UCLA’s Demetric Felton and Ole Miss’ tighthead prop Kenny Yeboah were the recipients of their team’s two pass goals. One receiver who struggled a bit was Arizona’s Frank Darby, who followed a solid week of practice with just one catch on six targets.
For the American team, Amari Rodgers of Clemson took the lead with four catches, which turned them into 23 yards and a touchdown. He was athletic and was a reliable target for his backs throughout the day. Shi Smith of South Carolina was dynamically out of the lock in a three-catch 57 outing. Bowling Green’s Quintin Morris led all short teams with three catches and 52 yards, including a 35-yard reception that hampered a defender. He showed that he was a bit athletic while showing off his band. Josh Palmer of Tennessee made an onslaught in the continuation of his strong Senior Bowl week, just like Trevon Grimes of Florida.
Many of the big plays of this year’s Senior Bowl took place in front of the seven, especially along the defensive line. On the national side, Patrick Jones of Pittsburgh was one of the best performers, and he cut a bag and a quarter was fast off the edge while playing an important role in another bag. He looked explosive and obviously had a handful for the attacking line of the American team when he was on the field. Texas’ Ta’Quon Graham also had a full bag, and people like Notre Dame tandem Ade Ogundeji and Daelin Hayes, Ohio State’s Jonathon Cooper, and UCLA’s Osa Odighizuwa all got away with half bags. Odighizuwa, Tarron Jackson of Coastal Carolina and Rashad Weaver of Pittsburgh all got in a hurry, in addition to the aforementioned Jones.
The U.S. line of defense had only two pockets, but they could still produce pressure. Quincy Roche of Miami (FL) was an animal off the edge, and he carved two quarterback rabbits and often looked explosive in his first steps. Tulane’s Cameron Sample continued his strong training week with an impressive Senior Bowl, leading his team by seven tackles and slashing a half bag. He was athletic, powerful and posted in his rush and solidified himself as one of the biggest winners of the week. Janarius Robinson from the state of Florida led the team with 1.5 bags and had five dives, like the physical copy he had on tape.
With a lack of consistent practice during the week of practice, Saturday was a chance for linebackers to showcase their skills in a more realistic, playful situation, and many of them did. South Alabama’s Riley Cole dominated his colleagues at home from Hancock Whitney Stadium, finishing with six tackles for the U.S. team and looking instinctively and athletically in support. He also discussed an outline of the coverage. Cole’s American teammate, LSU’s Jabril Cox, presented a strong five-pack outing that played him with impressive athletics. AJBURN’s KJ Britt also had five tackles, which added a departure from the pace and gave versatility on the discount. The linebackers of Ohio State, Justin Hilliard and Baron Browning, were among those in the national team who looked good after the position on their rankings.
Due to a somewhat disappointing performance from both teams, defensive backs had ample opportunities to make a few plays and play what they did. The biggest standout in the secondary series was Benjamin St-Juste, Minnesota for the National Team, as he had two distractions and was able to knock out the opposition in a purple-heavy boundary roll. Darren Hall of the State of San Diego and Keith Taylor of Washington also played well for the national group, counting every deflection from the pace. Hall was versatile as a tackler and a reliable cover, while Taylor was a switch for much of the game. Pitarburgh’s Damar Hamlin had the separate interception of the team, and he made a beautiful forehand and picked a pass that Taylor turned down.
The American secondary title is by Ifeatu Melifonwu of Syracuse, who followed in the footsteps of his older brother Obi to not only play at the Senior Bowl, but also dominate the stage. The younger Melifonwu interrupted two passes on Saturday, and he was able to show great skills and route recognition skills as a frontier corner used mainly in the press. North Carolina Central Bryan Mills had a somewhat up-and-down game – as was the case with his practice week – but his highlights were impressive. He ends up with a pass deviation and had some qualifications in the coverage.
There were no major problems from either team’s specialists. Memphis’ Riley Patterson passed with 2-for-2 on field goals and 3-for-3 on extra points for the National team, while Jose Borregales of Miami (FL) saw pure kick-off lights as the U.S. team passed to two. their assessments. Kentucky’s Max Duffy nailed a point to drop a point on the 10-yard line for the Americans, while Cincinnati’s James Smith had 52 points with one point. None of the long snappers also struggled to snap.
This year the Senior Bowl was another entertaining one, and I’m glad I was able to go to Mobile to see this year’s action for myself. We hope this week will be the kick-off for an exciting process ahead of the draft.