On day two of Senior Bowl practices, two more quarterbacks stood out

Mother Nature was featured in Mobile, Ala. on Wednesday as the skies opened, and a downpour of rain made things miserable in practice. Football doesn’t stop for weather, so the show must go on and that’s what happened on Wednesday as players had to show off for scouts in less-than-perfect conditions.

I’ve seen many Senior Bowl practices disrupted, delayed or cancelled due to weather over the last 16 years. You can’t learn as much as you do when the weather is clear, but there are things to take away from a rainy day of practice. I went out in the rain and cold to watch what these players could do when the field was wet and soggy.

It’s a wet one out here today #SeniorBowl pic.twitter.com/zQ2nwyEIa9

— Emory Hunt (@FBallGameplan) February 2, 2022

Here is my day two report from the 2022 Reese’s Senior Bowl.

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Ridder Lets it Rip

After the first day, I needed to see more from Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder. He has all the physical talent in the world, and Ridder is certainly an athletic quarterback who fits the modern game. Ridder is an alpha male and known as a great leader, but I had questions about him coming into this week. I needed to see Ridder make more “pro decisions” as a passer during practices at the Senior Bowl.

On day one, Ridder avoided going to targets who were “NFL open” more than once. The windows in the pros are much smaller than those in college football – especially at Cincinnati. Ridder needed to let it rip in order to prove to me (and to scouts) that he could attack a defense in tight windows to move the chains.

On day two, Ridder had the prettiest throw of the day. It was certainly a pro decision, and Ridder had great pass placement on the ball. I’d like to see more of this going forward. What’s interesting to note is that pass placement – outside of a couple of throws – was a problem for him in the adverse conditions. On day three, Ridder still has questions left to be answered.

Desmond Ridder DIME

Best throw of Day 2 at the @seniorbowl pic.twitter.com/a4uKzlR0OJ

— Anthony Treash (@PFF_Anthony) February 3, 2022

If Ridder continues to perform well at the Senior Bowl, we could see him work his way into the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Some think he’s already there, but from the people I talk to in the scouting community, he may be more of an early second-round pick and has drawn comparisons to Derek Carr – himself a day two pick years ago.

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Moving Up

I’m always looking for players to back up practice performance from one day to the other. Heading into this game, I wanted to see what Florida State defensive lineman Jermaine Johnson did in front of scouts. He’s a versatile talent who is difficult to deal with whether lining up inside or outside on the defensive line.

While other players have had a straight shot to get here: high school to college to the NFL. He’s got a different path which includes two years playing JUCO football, then transferring to Georgia and playing in a rotational role then transferring to Florida State where he became one of the best defensive playmakers in the nation.

Johnson has not disappointed here in Mobile. In fact, Johnson may be my favorite player here after two days of practice. He’s a disruptive player who can win with length, strength, burst and multiple moves. If you’ve read any of my practice reports, I’ll go on and on about “the pit” where pass-rushers go up against blockers to get after the quarterback (usually just a coach standing there with the ball).

In two days, we’ve seen Johnson use multiple moves to get the job done. I like seeing him use different moves to create pressure, but I also like the way Johnson has shown the ability to “stack” moves one after the other. This a more nuanced skill that most college players just don’t have down yet.

Jermaine Johnson has been cooking at the @seniorbowl, his stock is definitely rising. Right here uses a counter swipe to win inside. pic.twitter.com/uCETuB8Tb3

— Leger Douzable (@LegerDouzable) February 3, 2022

Johnson is making a name for himself in Mobile. He is going from a borderline first-round pick to perhaps moving into the top-20 – and maybe even higher – with his consistent and dominant performances.

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Where Art Thou Romeo?

Nevada quarterback Carson Strong did a better job of moving around in the pocket on Wednesday. In the rain, Strong’s arm made him stand out from other quarterbacks except for Malik Willis (who also has a strong arm). The arm strength of a quarterback can be overblown in the pre-draft process, but in the rain, it’s nice to see passers who can cut through the conditions with their strong arm. Strong was one of two quarterbacks to show that on Wednesday.

Strong did a good job of showcasing better movement in the pocket, and he certainly showed off his connection with college teammate, wide receiver Romeo Doubs. When the rush was swirling around Strong, he tried to find Doubs. More than once, Strong was able to get it to his guy – including one pass that would have gone for a touchdown.

carson strong to romeo doubs for 6 #SeniorBowl pic.twitter.com/0E6X0iqQ0A

— Ray G 🏁 (@RayGQue) February 1, 2022

It’s clear the two have a connection on the field, and perhaps some team will want to take a chance on both to see how they develop together. Look at what the Bengals did when they drafted quarterback Joe Burrow and the next year got him his favorite target for LSU in wideout Ja’Marr Chase. Now, Strong and Doubs are not Burrow and Chase, but you can see how doubling up on a college duo can benefit a team.

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Backs on Backers

A player who has made my “best of” list for two days in a row is Florida running back Dameon Pierce. It’s difficult to see what a running back can do at these games because there is no live tackling. However, you can see how a player moves, runs, and how he catches passes.

You can also see how they can perform in pass protection – perhaps one of the most important skills for a young runner in the pass-happy NFL. The Lions coaching staff has a slow process during practice in my opinion, and there is a lot of time wasted on the practice field. That being said, Detroit’s staff does a great job to end practice – as they pick a one-on-one situation to feature in a “best of 3” drill.

The Lions’ coaching staff once again ended @seniorbowl practice with an offense vs. defense 1-on-1.

Today it was @GatorsFB RB Dameon Pierce vs. @AppState_FB LB D’Marco Jackson.

Pierce stoned him 💪 pic.twitter.com/qm647YXFXz

— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) February 2, 2022

Pierce is one of those players I expect to have a strong performance in day three. In fact, when he makes my notebook, I won’t be surprised.

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