Day 2 of practice is in the books for the 2024 Draft prospects in attendance at the Reese’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, AL. Practice was done with contact in the trenches and hitting but no tackling to the ground. The weather was beautiful today with the sun out and shinning for what looked from my perspective to be a very competitive day of practice before the game this coming Saturday. The National Team practiced first and has the better of the QB rosters with Nix, Pennix Jr., and Hartman. Pennix was the class of that group today as Hartman came back down to earth a bit. Mitchell out of Toledo is still dominating in coverage as we saw him play in the slot as well as on the boundary and was amazing in both. May just be the first CB off the board come April. On the American Team, Leggette had a significantly better day. Won his routes consistently and dominated the catch point. Jackson out of Tulane began to come to life as well but is still doing too much in his routes allowing the coverage guy to get back into the play. Here are my main risers and fallers after day 2:
Risers:
Darius Robinson EDGE, Missouri
A pass rushing monster. It seemed like every play he was in the backfield in team action and in 1-on-1s he bested everyone he went up against to include Guyton out of Oklahoma. He is ranked 113th via PFF mock draft simulator, which will surely be updated very soon as he is a for sure day 2 pick. He also wasn’t rated highly compared to the other pass rushers in this class according to PFF. This seems to be a mistake based on how he performed today. Guy is a winner on the edge and is showing up against some of the best Tackle prospects in this draft.
Joe Milton III QB, Tennessee
His biggest knock was his timing, anticipation, and accuracy in the intermediate and short routes as well as on the move. On day 2, Milton showed that he was capable of doing all of that. They put him in position to run RPOs as well as run the ball some himself in practice and his decision making was perfect every time. Its not what we all are wanting to see from Milton as his arm talent is all about the fact he came almost throw from endzone to endzone (that’s not an exaggeration), but it shows he can operate the finer parts of an NFL offense and do it effectively.
Xavier Legette WR, South Carolina
After a down day 1, Legette came out on day 2 and showed why he is going to have a shot at a late 1st early 2nd round selection. He won just about every route he ran and was high pointing the ball in team drills like someone his side should do. His physicality is always on display and for a guy his size he was able to stop on a dime and change direction to gain consistent separation. If day 1 was a let down, day 2 was everything you wanted and more from Legette.
Jahiem Bell FB/TE, Florida State
A lot of people were talking about Kyle Juszczyk as a comp just from the lineup versatility that Bell has. He also showed the ability to make those impressive catches that we have seen Juszczyk make throughout his career. Bell made some catches today that just made all who watched them go “WOW” and he did so by winning with his route or catching through contact. He was the most impressive TE on the field today.
Malichi Corley WR, Western Kentucky
The YAC King was on full display showing his versatility today. They ran him on a sweep that showed off his speed, burst, and just flat-out quickness. If that wasn’t impressive enough, he wrapped that up with a pop on the safety showing he isn’t afraid to stick his nose in and make a hit to break a tackle. These practices don’t allow him to show off his strength, but come game time, expect to see Corley break tackles and gain tons of extra yards.
Fallers:
Bo Nix QB, Oregon
2 days and 2 lackluster performances by Nix. When he attempted to go down field he was late, inaccurate, or a combination of the two. I have not seen him make a good throw that was more than maybe 5 yards down the field in team drills. It has been checkdown city the entire time and he is simply being outplayed by all the QBs in attendance. Unless day 3 and the game are different, the only thing Nix built by coming to Mobile is the case that he is not a 1st round QB.
Patrick Paul OL, Houston
Paul continues to show poor technique and getting beat left and right. For some one who is ranked so highly and expected to be drafted so highly I just do not see it. Jones out of Texas and Foster out of Missouri are showing way more promise against the same opponents than Paul has been able to show even once. Paul continues to fall in my eyes and would be a guy I would want to stay away from if I am looking to get a tackle in the draft.
Devontez Walker WR, North Carolina
Walker won just about every route he ran with ease. Guy gets consistent separation and makes it look effortless every time he runs a route. So why is he a Faller? Well he simply hasn’t been able to catch a ball. He has had 2 days or drops and it is a shame for just how good of a route runner he looks to be. If he can have a solid day 3 and game, I would have no issues with someone drafting him on day 2. If not there are some guys behind him who have shown significantly more promise who will be available.
Tyler Guyton T, Oklahoma
Guyton is ranked 33rd in PFFs mock draft simulator and significantly lower on the tackle rankings. So which ranking makes more sense? Well based on the performances he has had over 2 days, the truth is somewhere in the middle. He has great reps followed by poor ones. Guyton has shown inconsistency over 2 days and when it comes to the top tier edge rushers, he seems to have his worst reps. Darius Robinson who is in my Risers column above, beat Guyton with ease. Guyton followed that rep up by getting beat again almost as easily. He has the build, size, and athleticism you want from a Tackle in the NFL, he just hasn’t strung the wins together like some of the other guys at the Senior Bowl so far.
Be sure to check back for my day 2 risers and fallers for the Reese’s Senior Bowl.