The National team held their practice of the week on Tuesday, and as expected, it was a sloppy affair. Both teams on the first day of practice were messy with dropped snaps, false starts, jumping offsides, and not being on the same page for the play. One player who definitely looked rusty and struggled was BYU quarterback Jaren Hall. Hall dropped snaps, fumbled a ball while rearing back to throw, and was inaccurate. The 2023 NFL Draft is not strong at quarterback, so the 2023 Senior Bowl is a great opportunity for Hall to start rising, but he his first-day struggles made him look more like a mid-round backup, at best. Hopefully for Hall, he can shake off the rust and practice better on Wednesday and Thursday.
Conversely, Texas running back Roschon Johnson was one player who did not look rusty. He was a downhill force in practice, hitting the hole with quickness and showing the speed to accelerate to the second level. Johnson also held his own in the pass-blocking one-on-ones, picking up some wins alongside some losses. He was decent in the receiving drills as well. While Johnson is not super athletic or elusive, he is a physical downhill runner with quickness and power. Johnson could be a Jamaal Williams-type back for the NFL. This Tuesday practice was a strong start to the week for Johnson, and if he has a complete week, that could put him in the conversation to be a late third-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.
A defensive tackle who really helped himself on Tuesday was Arizona State’s Nesta Jade Silvera. He fired off the ball with a quick first-step and stayed low to keep guards from getting a hold of him. Aided be his speed and leverage, Silvera ggave interior blockers fits in the one-on-ones. He showed speed to power as well, bull-rushing blockers into the quarterback marker.
Wisconsin’s Keeanu Benton was another defensive tackle who helped himself on Tuesday. He was strong and quick at the point off attack. In the nine-on-seven run scrimmage, Benton did a nice job of stuffing lanes and holding his gap. While Benton did not produce a lot for the Badgers, he has NFL size and the physicality to potentially develop into a starter.
Months ago, WalterFootball.com reported how some teams thought that North Dakota State offensive lineman Cody Mauch could be this year’s Cole Strange. Mauch opened his 2023 Senior Bowl week by justifying that praise. He showed impressive recovery in the pass-rushing one-on-ones to push defensive tackles around the quarterback marker. Mauch also packed a serious punch as a run blocker, rocking defenders at the point of attack and getting to blocks on the second level. Mauch has a powerful frame and blocks with serious tenacity. He may not have the length to play offensive tackle in the NFL, but he could definitely be an effective guard. This was an impressive start for Mauch considering he is undergoing a big jump in competition coming from the small-school level to playing Power Five all-stars.
Two offensive tackles who had mixed openings were Maryland’s Jaelyn Duncan and BYU’s Blake Freeland. Duncan has a good skill set that includes quickness and athleticism. He had some nice one-on-one reps, kick-sliding with speed rushers to seal the edge. There were other losses where he seemed to overset and defenders were able to dart past him. Duncan has physical talent, but he is raw and needs development in his technique.
Freeland has size that would probably make him fit better at right tackle in the NFL. There were some impressive reps where he manhandled rushers, including one time when he buried a defender into the turf. However, Freeland can get in trouble when he stands up too high. Hence, playing on the right side could be a better fit.
Illinois running back Chase Brown struggled on Tuesday. He had a fumble in the run scrimmage, lost some blocks in the pass-blocking one-on-ones, and looked like he ran the wrong play a few times. Brown is strong, physical back, but he needs to perform better on Wednesday and Thursday.
Notre Dame offensive lineman Jarrett Patterson had an ugly opening practice. He had some horrible fumbled snaps, a false start, and was knocked backward on a number of plays. Patterson looked much better with the Fighting Irish, so perhaps he will bounce back mid-week.
Stanford wide receiver Michael Wilson had a nice start to the week. He ran good routes and showed strong hands, functional size and speed. The 2023 NFL Draft is weak at wideout, so Wilson has the potential to rise.
Army edge rusher Andre Carter had a strong opening to the week, looking fast and agile off the edge. Carter had a big drop in production from 2021 to 2022, so it will help him to have a good week against better competition at the 2023 Senior Bowl.
WalterFootball.com will have more recaps from the Senior Bowl practices later in the week along with a run-down of the post-practice team interviews. Follow @walterfootball for updates.
