2018 Senior Bowl Recap
The Senior Bowl is our last look at some these players in live action before we enter the NFL Scouting Combine in February. For some, an incredible performance could provide enough national notoriety to elevate a player’s draft status. However, a horrendous performance at the Senior Bowl could be enough to leave a sour taste in the mouths of scouts and draft analysts.
One game is too small of a sample to gather a complete evaluation on a player. The years of tape these players have on their resume factor more into their draft grade compared the small sample size presented from one all-star game. With that being said, let’s take a look at some of the top performers from the Senior Bowl.
RISERS
JOSH ALLEN, QB WYOMING
Honestly, despite the impressive box score, Allen’s outing wasn’t all that and a bag of chips. He struggled in the first half, completing just two of his five pass attempts. Allen’s pocket awareness was obsolete as he failed to sense when the pocket was starting to collapse, causing him to hold onto the ball too long and not step up in the pocket to avoid the pass rush.
The second half was a different story. Allen came out like he had something to prove, completing seven straight passes before an incompletion late in the third quarter. Compared to the first half, Allen looked like a totally different quarterback. His first touchdown pass was a 16-yard strike to Tyler Conklin. Later in the third quarter, he connected with Durham Smythe for a 27-yard touchdown pass. Allen exhibited good touch on most of his passes and looked cool, calm and collected while surveying the field in the pocket.
By him coming back into the game in the third quarter to right the wrongs he did in the first half, Allen proved he has the competitive spirit to not take no for an answer. Along with his performance in the second half, his willingness to get back on the saddle and compete gained him a lot of respect amongst scouts and draft enthusiasts.
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MIKE WHITE, QB WESTERN KENTUCKY
We might have to move White up in our rankings. I know it’s an all-star game and he faced vanilla coverages, but he looked good. White stood tall in the pocket, quickly went through his progressions and efficiently distributed the ball to his open receivers. He’s an accurate passer and he does a good job of maneuvering through the pocket while keeping his eyes downfield. The knock on him going into the Senior Bowl was his arm strength, but honestly, it looks like he has enough power to connect with his receivers and get the job done.
KYLE LAULETTA, QB RICHMOND
If anything, Lauletta proved that he’s a gamer by completing eight of his 12 passes for 198 yards and three touchdowns. What makes this kid fun to watch is his ability to avoid the pass rush by spinning away from the pressure and buying some extra time to complete his passes. He’s quick, smart and efficient with the football and he’s also creative while avoiding the pass rush. This helps open things up in the passing game.
RASHAAD PENNY, RB SAN DIEGO STATE
You’re doing something wrong if Penny is not in the top five of your rookie running back rankings. On Saturday, he displayed why he’s an incredible prospect. Penny is one of the few backs who has the power and size to run over tacklers while also having the burst and speed to be electric in open spaces. Once Penny hits the second level of the defense, he’s a candidate to break off a big gain. He demonstrated this in the in the second quarter when he scored on a 73-yard catch and run. On that play, after catching the football, he immediately blew by the defense for the touchdown, showing that he’s almost impossible to catch from behind once he hits his second gear.
KALEN BALLAGE, RB ARIZONA STATE
Going into the Senior Bowl, one of the biggest concerns draft analysts had about Ballage’s game was his physicality at the point of contact. He proved the doubters wrong in this game by lowering his shoulder and delivering blows to defenders to finish his runs. His athleticism is through the roof and he’s one of the most versatile receiving backs in this draft. From watching him run, it’s easy to believe that he’s going to blow up the NFL Scouting Combine in February. His stock is going to continuously rise throughout the draft process.
D.J. CHARK, WR LSU
If anyone made money from their Senior Bowl performance this weekend, it’s D.J. Chark. He caught five passes for 160 yards and one touchdown in this game. Twice he toasted the defense for a long gain. The first long reception came in the first quarter when he burnt the cornerback and came down with a 63-yard catch. His second big play came in the third quarter when he scored on a 75-yard catch and run. Chark displayed versatility by converting the passes thrown his way while running underneath routes, showing that he’s also capable of creating separation when running shorter routes over the middle of the field.
TRE’QUAN SMITH, WR UCF
Smith caught all five of the targets thrown his way for 79 yards and one touchdown. Out of all the receivers in the Senior Bowl, Smith proved to be the most reliable by routinely catching tough contested passes in the short-to-intermediate levels of the defense. He has strong hands and does an excellent joboft using his body to create just enough separation from the defender to come down with the catch.
FALLERS
TANNER LEE, QB NEBRASKA
Lee was easily the worst quarterback on the field on Saturday. He struggled to connect with his receivers and was inaccurate on a lot of his throws. Turnovers got the best of him in this game as he tossed one interception and lost a fumble. His performance at the Senior Bowl will be one of the main factors preventing him from being on the top of team’s draft boards come April.
BAKER MAYFIELD, QB OKLAHOMA
Even though Mayfield had a solid week of practices at Mobile, his performance at the Senior Bowl wasn’t enlightening. He completed just three of his seven pass attempts. He ended the game on a sour note with three straight incompletions. This game wasn’t a total failure for Mayfield, as he proved to scouts and draft analysts that he’s capable of dropping back from center in live action. He demonstrated plenty of initiative while trying to clear his name from the maturity concerns that came from his on-the-field antics.
In the grand scheme of things, seven pass attempts is a very small sample size, making it hard to really grade Mayfield’s true potential from this one performance. He’s still one of the top quarterbacks in this draft and his overall draft stock shouldn’t be affected by this game.
ITO SMITH, RB SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI
For Smith to standout in this talent-stacked running back class, he needed a big game in the Senior Bowl to nationally publicize his talents. With just nine carries for 35 yards, Smith failed to breakout any big runs, meaning no extra notoriety in the media for his performance. He is at risk at falling through the cracks during the draft process and he will need to exceed expectations at the combine to gain more steam heading into the draft.
DAESEAN HAMILTON, WR PENN STATE
Hamilton was tremendous during Senior Bowl practices, displaying great route-running and short area quickness. That went off the rails on Saturday, when Hamilton couldn’t capitalize on his opportunities and dropped multiple passes. He also struggled to separate from defenders.
JAMES WASHINGTON, WR OKLAHOMA STATE
Bad quarterback play killed Washington’s production in this game. All of the passes thrown his way in this game were off the mark, making it almost impossible for him to convert any of his targets. Due to him destroying the competition in practice throughout the week, his draft stock should only increase.
ALLEN LAZARD, WR IOWA STATE
His inability to create separation from the defenders meant the quarterbacks didn’t look his way. He managed only two catches for seven yards in this contest. Lazard’s less-than-optimal performance at the Senior Bowl prevented him from becoming a household name in this draft class.
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