Reese’s Senior Bowl: Thursday’s diary includes a lot of QB talk

NFL coaches and scouts have an up-close look at prospects ahead of the NFL draft

Thursday was not the last day of practice for the Senior Bowl, just the last day of any type of contact. Fridays are busy with walk-thru’s and then different fan-based activities. It is supposed to rain so most likely the shorts/helmets will be conducted indoors at the University of South Alabama’s domed practice facility. Almost every coach and scouts leave Mobile, Alabama and will watch the game on a recorded device. As far as the media, it‘s about 50/50 who leaves while the remainder hangs around for the actual game.

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The game will be broadcast this Saturday on NFL Network and NFL+ with a kickoff at 2:30 (EST). The entire coaching staff of both rosters are current NFL coaches collected from various clubs. The American team’s head coach is Cleveland Browns special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone while the National squad’s head coach is New York Giants Offensive Coordinator Mike Kafka.

This is interesting because the Browns have the second overall pick, and the Giants own the third selection in the 2025 NFL draft.

In the past, an entire coaching staff from an NFL team would comprise the coaches for each roster. But coaching staff will have a vacancy or two after the season which became problematic. The Senior Bowl changed its coaching staff format and now calls it a “Coach Up” format where coordinators and assistant coaches are placed into elevated or different roles from the ones they currently hold with their respective clubs. In total, at least one coach from 13 different teams that submitted nominations was chosen for this year’s game.

In addition to Ventrone, Browns DL coach Jacques Cesaire is the National squad’s DC.

A lot of folks don’t realize how many players are drafted from this game. Last year, 10 first-round draft picks and 45 of the Top-100 picks participated in the 2024 contest. The Reese’s Senior Bowl is coming off four consecutive drafts with at least 100 players selected, which has represented over 40 percent of the entire past four draft classes

The starting lineup is usually decided by Friday’s helmet and shorts day, but all players play in the game. The starting quarterback usually plays into the second quarter, but there have been times when this ends up being the entire first half while the other two come in and play a quarter each. Usually, this college All-Star game has six quarterbacks, but this year there are seven.

Dawgs By Nature staff writer Barry Shuck is at the Senior Bowl again this year. Here is what looked appealing to him in the Thursday practices.

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DE Shemar Stewart and EDGE Mike Green made statements for two days and have left Mobile. I suppose they showed everything they had and impressed enough. Stewart came in ranked #22 and now looks like he will go in the middle teens.

I mentioned yesterday about a few tight ends that impressed me. Bowling Green’s Harold Fannin is a great prospect with steady hands. He runs like a receiver but is exceptional in blocking drills. Great size and has an unlimited motor.

WR Arian Smith of Georgia had a good practice and showed his abilities. His moves are deceptive and he can catch with his hands or his body. Crisp route runner. Played five seasons in college but needs to improve his route tree and be more consistent at catching the ball. WR Tez Johnson is on display this week as the best receiver here. Has great route running and is able to separate from just about every defensive back in the 1-on-1 drills. Ranked #87. The Browns own the #94 pick late in Round 3.

TCU wide receiver Jack Bech put on some highlights today. Haven’t noticed much from him this week but he showed out today. Great body control and was able to get good separation from his defenders in drills.

As far as the quarterback group, Jaxson Dart of Ole Miss had a second good day in a row. The knock on him on Day 1 was he did not have the arm strength but put that to bed with several deep balls that were laid in nicely. He looked very sharp on Day 3 with being aggressive and is a very accurate thrower. Dart has impressive velocity and zip on the intermediate throws and showed he was capable with short-out patterns and seam throws. Effective distribution skills. Came into this game with a fifth-round grade and will leave being a third-round prospect.

Alabama’s Jalen Milroe struggled for this second day although he began to hit some deep balls later in the 7-on-7 drills with accuracy. So far he appears to be a project QB and will need some time to grow into a full-blown next-level NFL quarterback. Each day he has overthrown receivers and had bad interceptions in drills. His work under center is not helping his game since he is used to the shotgun to begin each play. It would be a mistake for the Browns to draft him. Just watch this past season and realize he is a runner first and his passing process is weak with many wrong decisions. Came in with a second-round grade but may now drop a round and sit for a year.

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Riley Leonard of Notre Dame is the best quarterback here. He has shown to be very accurate and can really launch the ball deep. He has solid footwork with good pocket presence. We already know he is a good runner so that is huge plus. He grew up just down the road so he has had his hometown supporters every day. Has the height (6’-4”) you want in a quarterback with deceptive speed. Leonard is frequently finding cleaner passing lanes and extending plays when initial designs fail. Absolutely shined in the 11-on-11 drills.

Louisville’s Tyler Shough (6’-5”, 225 pounds) has a cannon for an arm. He will be 26 years old in September and is ranked #186 so a fifth-round project. Not a fast guy when flushed but has good zip and ball placement on the quick slant. Physically imposing and solidly built throughout his frame with good body strength.

Another quarterback who has had a good week is Dillon Gabriel of Oregon. I have mentioned him before. He can move in the pocket and has great accuracy. Looked good in both the 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills. His passes really move once it leaves his hand with good velocity and spin. Has an exceptional deep pass and can throw it a mile. He connected well with his Oregon teammate Tez Johnson on several plays. Physically, he is a total package. A reminder that he is also 6’0” tall. Not that others that size haven’t made it big such as Drew Brees, Russell Wilson, Joe Montana, and Fran Tarkenton, to name a few. He is a good leader but is a slow runner once flushed. He looks good in all aspects of the game and if you can accept his lack of height he will become an NFL starter.

Several running backs look very good.

Georgia’s Trevor Etienne had his best practice day. He showed nice hands catching the ball out of the backfield. When spread wide, his route running was deceptive and clean. R.J. Harvey of UCF has looked good all three days. He is absolutely a bull and his entire goal is to not touch the ground. A fighter and mean. 4.41 speed. Exceptional contact balance combined with low pad level.

RB Jacquez Hunter of Auburn would be a great pickup in Round 4. He is another who will get a lot of receptions in games and can make the difficult catch on poorly thrown balls. A good day of practice was seen from RB Bhayshul Tuten of Virginia Tech.

Lots to see on the other side of the ball.

DT Joshua Farmer (6’-3”, 318 pounds) of Florida State has gotten attention all week. He is a powerful man with good lateral movement. He performed well against top-notch offensive linemen in the 1-on-1s as well as 7-on-7 drills. Has the versatility to play inside or on the edge.

As far as the defensive line, Central Arkansas’ DE David Walker just keeps getting mentioned among scouts. He had 12 sacks this year and 21 tackles for loss. He practices hard and has exceptional speed. His best game is against the run. When rushing, he definitely depends of the bull rush. Has been put inside during the week as well so add versatility to his resume. Ole Miss EDGE rusher Princely Umanmielen is just 264 pounds but has great speed and his burst off the snap is unnatural. With a great bend and showing a variety of moves and counters. Impressed with his hand usage and is a refined pass rusher. Ranked early second-round.

DT Walter Nolen of Ole Miss is in a class of his own. Tumultuous and just a beast. Constantly won in the 1-on-1s. He is showing impressive lateral quickness that makes him a nightmare on stunts. Explosive first step. Ranked #36 so the Browns could help their interior defensive line in the second round. Other defensive linemen who had a good day are DE Landon Jackson of Arkansas, Toledo’s DT Darius Alexander, and Minnesota EDGE Danny Striggow.

Let’s just get to the linebackers. One name that has stood out is Shemar James (6’-1”, 230 pounds) of Florida. Without a doubt, he has the best speed of any linebacker here this week. He has pretty good coverage abilities but is not the fastest to the ball as evidenced by his 4.49 time in the 40. James is a smooth natural mover. His hands are being talked about as an issue as they measured 8 3/4”, but so far has not stopped him from knocking down passes – even those intended for speedier RB’s. Round 4 sounds about right for him.

Very impressed with Demetrius Knight (6’-2”, 245 pounds) from South Carolina. Big kid who is a hitter. A-plus on aggression. Has been special in coverage drills against the running backs. Flashes impressive zone coverage awareness, particularly in underneath drops. So far against offensive linemen he has taken on blockers with good leverage and may not shed every block, but is able to get around them at some point. A natural leader and will simply get after it. Has a #30 ranking. I would holler if the Browns took him with the first pick in the second round. Jordan Hick, JOK, and Knight with Winston Reid and Mohamoud Diabate as backups? Sold!

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Do the Browns need to draft a safety? They are here in Mobile, Alabama. Love Sebastian Castro of Iowa. He has shown good coverage skills in the 1-on-1’s with the tight end group. Aggressive and doesn’t shy away from contact. What I have seen is short-area quickness. Should be available in Round 3.