The second practice of the South team in the Senior Bowl was held in Mobile, Alabama in Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The players practicing in full pads. The South team is being coached by the Cincinnati Bengals coaching staff.
The best player at Senior Bowl on either team is South Carolina defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw. However, Kinlaw suffered a scary moment during the pass-rushing one-on-ones, limping back to the line of scrimmage after he fought through a block from Kansas’ Hakeem Adeniji. Kinlaw did not take any more reps in the one-on-ones or the team scrimmage, but he looked okay as his helmet was on and he was standing on the sideline with the coaches while not getting attention from the trainers. It was probably a precaution to hold out Kinlaw after that rep.
Kinlaw has an incredible skill set, and he knows how to use it. He overwhelms offensive linemen with his speed and athleticism to dart by them. He can overpower them with his strength and uses his great length to keep them from getting into his chest to sustain contact. After his Senior Bowl performance, Kinlaw could go as a top-15 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Kinlaw’s college teammate D.J. Wonnum had a nice practice on Wednesday, using his speed to get some wins in the pass-rushing one-on-ones. In the run defense one-on-ones, Wonnum had an ugly rep on which he was bulled back by Clemson’s Tremayne Anchrum. That play illustrated that Wonnum being undersized has some limitations for the NFL and his best fit could come as a 3-4 outside linebacker.
Another potential 3-4 outside linebacker is Florida’s Jon Greenard, and he had a mixed outing on Wednesday. Greenard lost some one-on-one reps when offenive linemen were able to get into his chest. As a pro, he could stand to improve his ability to shed blocks. On the positive side, Greenard showed some pass-coverage skills by running with LSU tight end Stephen Sullivan on a corner post route. Sullivan had slight separation, and Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts dropped in a good pass to him for the completion. In the team scrimmage, Greenard also had Justin Herbert dead for a sack after reading a bootleg well to get into Herbert’s face just as he turned around.
For the NFL, Greenard would probably fit best in a 3-4 scheme, as that will help him to avoid taking on tackles as frequently in the ground game because he will have some help with a five-technique end. In a 4-3, Greenard should rotate to help him avoid the pounding and getting worn down as a run defender. In either pro scheme, he should be a good pass-rusher
Another linebacker who had a good session on Wednesday was Alabama’s Anfernee Jennings. He did very well in the pass-rushing one-on-ones, notching some wins over St. John’s Ben Bartch byusing speed to run around the corner on a few reps. Jennings would be a nice fit in a 3-4 scheme that could move him around as an inside or outside linebacker.
While Bartch needs development, he has helped himself this week by showing that he has the skill set to compete. Coming from Division III, Bartch isn’t used to this caliber of competition, but he has good size to him with length and strength. He could be a good mid-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft who has the potential to develop into being a starter.
Florida running back Lamical Perine may not have overwhelming size, speed or power to be a feature back in the NFL, but he could definitely be a solid backup and platoon. Perine was clutch player for Florida over the past few years, and he showed his versatility in Wednesday’s Senior Bowl practice. Perine had some impressive wins in blitz protection, holding up South Carolina’s T.J. Brunson on a blitz attempt, and that came after stopping a rush from Penn State’s Cam Brown. Brunson won a rematch on which he beat Perine with a spin move, but this was a strong showing from Perine that illustrated he can serve as a blitz protector in the NFL.
Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert continued to throw the ball well. He lofted some good passes downfield and showed off his strong arm and accuracy. A number of team sources think Herbert is going to end up being a riser from this week because his skill set is going to improve his standing with quarterback-needy teams.
Alabama outside linebacker Terrell Lewis had another good session. He used his length to get some wins in the pass-rushing one-on-ones, keeping blockers off of him and then using his speed to dart by them. He closed out the team scrimmage by forcing a fumble when he smacked the ball out of the hands of the quarterback. Lewis wasn’t supposed to do that, as he should have run by the signal-caller to allow him to make a throw downfield to evaluate receivers and coverage, but instinct took over and Lewis had just executed a good rush to be in position for a sack. If it weren’t for the medical red flags, Lewis would be a safe pick to be solid pro edge defender as he as a very good skill set with developed technique.
WalterFootball.com will have more recaps from the Senior Bowl practices on Thursday along with a run-down of the post-practice team interviews. Follow @walterfootball for updates.
