Senior Bowl: In a deep tight end class, there is value to be found

MOBILE, Ala. — The final day of Senior Bowl practice is always a bit different. It usually sees the most situational work. In this case, under gray skies and with cooling temperatures, the National team opted to emphasize red-zone work.

That wasn’t just during team periods, either. The coaches emphasized red-zone work in one-on-one periods and again during 7-on-7.

So, who stood out in the high-leverage area of the field?

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THURSDAY’S NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

Illinois safety Sydney Brown distinguished himself. He started with a near-interception in the one-on-one period. Working against Clemson tight end Davis Allen, he used Allen’s lunge forward against him, gaining leverage and jumping in front of the pass. His toe touched the sideline, thus preventing the pick. Brown also dropped a potential interception just outside the goal line in the seven-on-seven red-zone period.

Brown was stellar in all drills Thursday and was arguably the most consistent player on the field. But Allen, who had an excellent week, got a touchdown at his expense when he faked a step to the corner, then slanted inside of Brown. He caught the touchdown pass despite Brown being draped over his back.

Purdue TE Payne Durham found the end zone in both the one-on-one and team periods. In one-on-one, he worked past Daniel Scott‘s outside shoulder, and then caught worked back to catch a pass at the left goal-line pylon despite Scott being step-for-step with him. A nearby official ruled that Durham got both feet in-bounds, and he had the touchdown.

Scott also displayed nice recovery peed during a one-on-one repetition, overcoming a misstep to break up a pass to Allen in the end zone.

Only an inaccurate throw prevented Stanford WR Elijah Higgins from scoring in the red-zone one-on-one period. He deked Boise State safety JL Skinner III as though he would run a slant, and instead ran a flag route. Higgins had two steps of separation, but the pass sailed outside and behind him.

UNC-Charlotte WR Grant DuBose also impressed, as his sharp cuts generated separation in red-zone work. He had perhaps the day’s nicest reception, an outstretched grab near the back right pylon during the seven-on-seven period. The 6-foot-2, 204-pounder plays bigger than his size and improved from day-to-day throughout the week.

Stanford WR Michael Wilson didn’t have his best day. He dropped a pass in the final rep of the one-on-one period. While his fellow Stanford product Kyu Blu Kelly had decent coverage, he didn’t impact Wilson as he tried to make the catch; it was a clean drop.

North Carolina OT Asim Richards doesn’t look flustered. He also does exceptionally well at using a speed rusher’s penchant for working the outside shoulder to his favor. As long as the quarterback doesn’t drift in the pocket, Richards should help keep a clean pocket far more often than not.

Appalachian State edge rusher Nick Hampton was a handful on the edge. But he’ll need to show he can maintain that explosive speed on the corner with a bit more weight; he is just 236 pounds.

Michigan State punter Bryce Baringer continued to win the hang-time battle. During a punt period, five of his six punts had hang times of at least 4.65 seconds. And on two punts from his team’s 40-yard line, Baringer dropped them down at the 11- and 7-yard line, respectively.

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AS FOR THE QUARTERBACK PLAY …

… This is not a vintage year. None of the quarterbacks will be taken in the first round, and even Round 2 appears to be a stretch. Of the three quarterbacks on the National team, Fresno State’s Jake Haener has the best pocket presence, although on one of the team-period reps when he stood tall in the pocket, he appeared to do so because of the protection of practice, as he was a sitting target for a blind-side rush. Still, Haener’s pocket sturdiness and his effectiveness at play-fake boot action distinguished himself this week.

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MASE’S TOP 5 FROM THE NATIONAL TEAM ON THURSDAY:

1. S Sidney Brown, Illinois
2. OT Asim Richards, North Carolina
3. TE Payne Durham, Purdue
4. WR Grant DuBose, UNC-Charlotte
5. P Bryce Baringer, Michigan State

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