Day two of the Senior Bowl practices brought some more exciting moments from both teams. The weather was almost the exact same as the day before, but even warmer, moving up to 60-61 degrees with no clouds in the sky. Once again it was some great weather for football.

National Team Senior Bowl Practice

Trenches

Sparks were flying in the trenches early on as there were several enthusiastic 1-on-1s and 2-on-2s that went about. Almost right off the bad, Oregon defensive tackle Brandon Dorlus caught the attention of everybody watching as he flung aside Florida offensive lineman Kingsley Eguakun to the ground on a pass rush up the middle. It was a great combination of power and strength.

Illinois OL Isaiah Adams at the Senior Bowl – Photo by: USA Today

The momentum from Dorlus’ big play didn’t necessarily translate the rest of the day. He wasn’t doing poorly per se, but he seemed to run into some issues when he was lining up against Illinois offensive lineman Isaiah Adams, who stoned him each time he went up. To the credit of Eguakun, he had a very solid day the rest of the way putting in some good reps and holding his own.

We saw a big-time pancake as well on the offensive side from right tackle Roger Rosengarten from Washington, which of course is a pipeline for the Bucs. Rosengarten sent Kansas edge rusher Austin Booker flying through the middle as he tried to cut to the inside, but Rosengarten wasn’t having it.

While that wasn’t the best moment of the Senior Bowl for Booker, he actually wound up having a great day when the team got to 11-on-11s. There were three plays in a row in which he disrupted the backfield with at least two for sacks. His speed got him there instantly so no play could develop.

Another defensive tackle that had a day was Ohio State defensive tackle Michael Hall. He was impacting the game in various ways, starting out with his power on a straight-up bull rush. He easily pushed the opposing offensive lineman all the way into the pocket to the point where he was thrown into Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman after the ball was released. On the next series he was in, Hall recorded a sack with a rip to the inside. The next big moment came as he knocked a pass down at the line of scrimmage resulting in an incompletion.

UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu was at again during the day two Senior Bowl practice. What impressed most wasn’t just him making the play, but how he did it differently on each team. In 2-on-2s Latu cut to the inside and blew right through the lineman in mere seconds. In 11-on-11s he showed great bend getting to the outside of the tackle and turning it up the field for a sack. He had another “would be” quarterback hit shortly after where he got to the outside again, but since the quarterback was rolling away from him at the start of the play, Latu had to keep hustling to chase him down. He’s got a ton of speed at the position.

Wide Receivers

Though Brenden Rice took a bit of a step back today, Ricky Pearsall out of Florida continued to raise his stock. On one early rep, Pearsall went deep down the field and successfully hauled in a contested catch in the end zone.

Pearsall really stood out on the second day of practice at the Senior Bowl not only for his ability to make tough catches but for making life difficult for opposing defensive backs to keep up with. His ability to separate was on full display and he makes nice use of his frame to shield off coverage and make tough plays routine. He is someone to keep an eye on.

Speaking of wide receivers to keep tabs on, look no further than Western Kentucky receiver Malachi Corley, a Bucs mock draft selection. Corley dazzled on an end around given to him and he took it way down the field and even made hard-hitting contact down the field.

Other receivers to notice at today’s Senior Bowl practice are Roman Wilson and Devontez Walker. Wilson has been one of the biggest surprises of the week and his best play came at the end of the team’s practice. Going up against top cornerback prospect Quinyon Mitchell, Wilson took full advantage of catching Mitchell slipping and as he neared the sideline made a tough, one-handed grab in bounds.

Notre Dame Senior Bowl QB Sam Hartman – photo by: USA Today

It was not the same story for Walker. He has all of the traits of an NFL receiver, but it may take some further refining to unearth his full potential. Walker struggled with some concentration drops, but there were other moments when it looked natural and easy for him to be found open up the middle catching the ball in stride. The University of North Carolina wideout remains an intriguing name and a big final day of practice would serve him well.

Just a note on the quarterbacks. They were supposed to be the stars of the show in this group all week, but the performances of Michael Penix Jr. from Washington, Bo Nix of Oregon and Sam Hartman of Notre Dame all continue to underwhelm.

American Team Senior Bowl Practice

Splash Catches

There were some fascinating moments from the American team with two great catches. One of them came from Kentucky running back Ray Davis, who ran down the field and made a leaping one-handed catch over the defender for a huge gain in 1-on-1 drills. You could tell it brought him some more confidence as he continued to show off his receiving prowess after.

The other spectacular came from South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Leggette. Battling the defender down the sideline, Leggette was somehow able to jump, catch, and contort his body close enough to stay in bounds, all while the corner was draped over him. Leggette has great size for his position and can be a playmaker too.

CBs Came Ready To Go

Production from the cornerbacks was at a high today. Auburn’s DJ James had a nice breakup down the sideline. Mizzouri’s Kris Abrams-Draine continued to make after play showing his athleticism constantly to force incompletions. But the best corner of the day was Jarvis Brownlee Jr. out of Louisville. With good size, Brownlee plays physically and is in your face from the beginning of the play until the end. He stayed stride for stride with receivers while tracking the ball and knocking it away to force many incompletions too.

Brownlee played so well that he even got a shoutout from two-time first-team All-Pro, Jets star cornerback Sauce Gardner.

Another prospect who performed well in the secondary was Auburn safety Jaylin Simpson. What stood out was his ability to make tough catches. Whenever you followed him in drills, he would show his hands to make shoestring grabs, and in one-on-ones with fellow safeties, Simpson hauled in a one-handed catch in stride. He may not be the most imposing player standing at 5-11 and weighing 178 pounds, but he has shown that he is not someone to test.

Pass Rusher To Pay Attention To

Towards the end of practice, there was a highlight made by Missouri defensive lineman Darius Robinson. Coming off the edge on this particular play, Robinson emerged into the backfield immediately to break up a screen pass to the point where the quarterback had to spike the ball into the ground. Typically on screen plays the offensive linemen will allow the defenders to get in eventually in order to create room, but Robinson was so fast that there wasn’t even time to set it up.

Tulane Senior Bowl QB Michael Pratt – photo by: USA Today

Robinson fits the bill at 6-5 and 286 pounds and has seen his stock go up exponentially. He pairs his elite power to overcome blocks with the versatility to move around the defensive line. His name could continue to buzz with another strong practice.

Michael Pratt Threads The Needle

Looking at the quarterback play, there were some positive moments from Tulane’s Michael Pratt. He wasn’t afraid to throw over the middle and through defenders to complete the ball. While the others were checking down constantly, Pratt let it sling. It was a nice change of pace for a quarterback group that hasn’t brought much over the first two days.

Everybody will get one more chance to make a name for themselves during the last practice taking place on Thursday.