Here are my thoughts from day one. I’ve managed to watch all of the 1v1’s from the O-line and D-line drills. These are the notes I made…

Star performers (both rosters)

Carson Vinson
Walter Nolen
Jalen Rivers (at guard)
Aireontae Ersery

Opt-outs

It’s worth noting Armand Membou didn’t practise today even though he was in Mobile. People are saying he currently intends to participate and is maybe nursing an injury — although the speculation has already started that because Daniel Jeremiah put him at #11 in his mock draft that he’s opting to sit out. Byron Murphy pulled out of the Senior Bowl a year ago for this very reason.

Several other players have also pulled out. None of the Ohio State players are in Mobile. Jack Nelson isn’t participating, along with fellow offensive linemen Jared Wilson, Tate Ratledge and Ajani Cornelius. Defensive linemen Jordan Burch, Nic Scourton and Alfred Collins opted out. Cam Skattebo isn’t in Mobile and neither is Andrew Mukuba, Carson Schwesinger, Xavier Watts or Elic Ayomanor.

National team notes

— Wyatt Milum, lining up at left guard, lost a rep to Jamaree Caldwell way too easily. He overset off the snap and his footwork was all over the place. He gave up the inside for Caldwell — so much so that it was virtually an invitation. It goes to show that the transition from tackle to guard isn’t always an easy one. Milum had some afters with Yahya Black following another rep. I liked Milum’s aggression off the snap and he quickly got into Black’s chest and engaged. He basically held him off with only his left arm and had the feet to block off the route to the QB. Right at the end of the rep Black regained some leverage and drove Milum backwards but the rep had already been won by the left guard. That’s when the pushing and shoving between the two started. Milum was given one rep at left tackle and it was painful to watch. Donovan Ezeiruaku just swiped his hands away and ran around him for an easy win. Milum had enough time to turn around and get a good look at Ezeiruaku hitting the QB though. I’ve said for a while that with his lack of length and sluggish feet, there’s no way he can play tackle at the next level. It’s absurd that some people have been projecting him as a first round pick. He’s a guard convert and will not go in round one. Hopefully he’ll settle into the position switch on day two. I really like his potential for the Seahawks at left guard in a zone scheme. Let’s hope for better tomorrow because he has the potential.

— Marcus Mbow struggled at right tackle. He completely oversets with his initial slide, leaving a canyon of space to the inside. All Mike Green had to do was set him up and then dart inside as Mbow tried to engage. It’s terrible technique with his footwork. He had another rep later on where he jumped early on the snap, again failed to set in the right position and was bullied by David Walker of Central Arkansas. Mbow doesn’t look like a tackle. Neither does he look particularly powerful with any kind of anchor or sand in his pants. He looks undersized. When they moved him inside, he still got shoved backwards. His final rep was a win against Josaiah Stewart surprisingly. He did a much better job setting the edge and then working to control Stewart.

— I’m not sure Mike Green showed ‘amazing’ quickness. He’s clearly quick and looks smaller than your typical EDGE. But given he’s never going to be a power guy, or even speed-to-power, you want to see exceptional speed. I think we saw ‘good’ athleticism not ‘great’ athleticism today.

— Aireontae Ersery started strongly against Landon Jackson. The Arkansas pass-rusher used unorthodox technique on an arm-over to get to the outside but Ersery quickly recovered to shut-down the edge, using his length to shove Jackson off balance. He then had the athleticism to regain a positional advantage and drive his man to the turf. On his next rep, he completely controlled Mike Green, latching on and not letting go. To score the hat-trick, in a rematch with Jackson, he drove to the edge and the defender didn’t have the bend to turn the corner, so Ersery sent him to the ground. I’ve had reservations about Ersery sticking at tackle but this day answered some of those questions. Impressive.

— Yahya Black bullied Caleb Rogers at left guard on a rep. He engaged the blocker and then just threw him aside like a used dishcloth. Rogers had a better rep against Florida State’s Joshua Farmer but then in a rematch between the two, Farmer crossed his face and shoved Rogers backwards into the QB. Jamaree Caldwell also bullied Rogers into the backfield for a win.

— Josaiah Stewart won with pure speed against Ozzy Trapilo. It was a complete mismatch. All Stewart had to do was bend around the edge and he was home and hosed. Stewart then had a win against Josh Conerly Jr, faking to the outside then dipping inside. He was too quick and powerful for Conerly and had the bend and lean to work around his right shoulder. Conerly couldn’t stop him getting to the QB. A promising start for Stewart.

— Grey Zabel got a lot of praise online today. As someone who has promoted Zabel a ton on the blog, it’d be beneficial for me to just agree with all of the praise and say he was brilliant. I don’t think that was the case though.

On one rep for example, which many are classifying as a ‘win’ on Twitter, he is shoved five yards into the backfield by Jamaree Caldwell. Caldwell then disengages and dips inside to the quarterback. We get this every single year in Mobile. If you are an interior lineman (Zabel was playing center) and you immediately go backwards five yards into the lap of the QB in shotgun, that isn’t a win. The sole point of the 1v1’s isn’t to avoid getting whipped with a swim move off the snap. If an interior defender forces a guard or center backwards into his quarterback, they win. You’ve moved him off the spot. Every year we talk about this during the Senior Bowl and every year ‘losses’ are called ‘wins’ on the internet.

I’d also say Zabel didn’t shoot his hands quickly enough off the snap. If he’s going to move inside to center he’s got to be the aggressor. I was once told by a very experienced personnel executive that this was the first thing he looked for. Are you shooting your hands and taking your game to the opponent off the snap?

On a third rep against Aeneas Peebles, the defender tried to cross Zabel’s face after faking to the right shoulder. Zabel, again at center, worked to get his left arm in place to shield the gap. He then rides Peebles out of the play, so it ends well. However, I think a dynamic NFL rusher doesn’t allow that one left arm to stop them bursting through that gap. Zabel has to close it off quicker. On a right guard rep against Ty Robinson, I thought he initially did well to sink, leverage and stall but then Robinson countered with power and managed to move towards the QB. Maybe call that one a score draw.

Zabel had a better rep at guard against Peebles. I think he’s just a better player and was able to get his feet in the right area then work his hands. He kept working his hands inside. Now, an ideal rep would’ve seen him get the hands inside off the initial punch and control from there. Because he had to readjust his hands all the time, Peebles almost squirmed out of his grip. But the hands and feet were connected enough for Zabel to get position and then work Peebles to the turf.

Zabel took so many reps, way more than anyone else. I was surprised how much work he had in the 1v1’s. In a left guard rep against Darius Alexander, the defender tried an arm-over move but Zabel landed inside and sunk his hips well to latch-on — turning Alexander with his back to the quarterback. It would’ve been nice to see him finish here but strangely Alexander was able to back himself into the QB until Zabel was able to plant the anchor.

I’m not saying Zabel had a bad 1v1 session at all — but when I was looking at Twitter earlier, I was almost expecting to see Zack Martin out there. There is a tendency for group-think at the Senior Bowl with so many people attending these days. I thought Zabel performed as you’d expect for someone kicking inside with his talent — it was a mixed bag but with the potential to develop over the course of the three practises.

You do also need to consider the scrimmages, which I’ve been able to find a ‘bit’ of online. Zabel does look impressive here. This is a better rep below from Zabel, playing at right guard. He shows a really good reach and he drives the linebacker well out of the play. This is the kind of blocking play Seattle will use under Klint Kubiak so it’s good to see:

Zabel also does a good job hooking the interior defender in the video below when lining up at center:

— UCLA’s Oluwafemi Oladejo easily beat Jalen Travis off the edge. He had a nice clean get-off, swiped Travis’ hands away and then turned the corner with natural ease to finish. Great rep. Oladejo also kicked inside and drove Marcus Mbow backwards. Then he went up against Josh Conerly Jr. His initial move was poor — an attempted inside counter and he hopped into contact. You’ll get buried at the next level doing that. However, he recovered well and countered with a neat spin move back to the outside. Conerly Jr did well to recover and regain position himself, before Oladejo worked back inside and swam into the QB. It’s rare you see an edge defender try three moves in one play. Okadejo is someone I haven’t studied and I’m keen to see more. Josh Conerly destroyed him when the pair met at midfield in an end-of-session 1v1, much to the delight of his offensive team-mates.

— There was a great rep from Jalen Rivers working at guard against Yahya Black. As I said, these interior linemen need to shoot their hands and take their opponents on, without reaching and over-extending. Rivers was right into Black off the snap and just dominated him. Lovely rep. Then he did the same thing to Ty Robinson on his next opportunity. He showed a fantastic initial punch, he got his hands inside and he had jolting power. Robinson tried to work his feet to get away but Rivers stalked him with light feet, every step containing a new punch. I haven’t studied Rivers but I want to now. When they kicked him out to right tackle he was easily beaten off the edge. I’m guessing his home is at guard.

— Jonah Monheim had a win against Oregon’s Jaramee Caldwell, a rarity today. He let Caldwell’s aggression work against him and used his momentum to cut his hands and send him down to the ground. On another rep he also had a win against Yahya Black. However, Joshua Farmer bullied Monheim into the backfield on another rep. Farmer consistently straight armed blockers and drove through his feet. It was effective today. Back to the center Monheim, he also bossed Aeneas Peebles towards the end of the session. A good day for Monheim, someone I didn’t expect to be as impressed with as I was.

Look at the USC center reach up to the second level and seal off his man in this scrimmage rep:

— Darius Alexander has a ton of physical upside. He slapped Ozzy Trapilo aside rushing the left edge, completely opening up the B-gap. Sadly he just stumbled as he exploded to the QB but the rep was still won. Anthony Benton easily beat Donovan Ezeiruaku. He just caught the spin move and finished. Mike Green ran around Ozzy Trapilo like he was a tackle dummy on one edge rep. Too easy.

American team

— Overall this practise was nowhere near the level of the national team. The 1v1’s were far shorter for the linemen and there wasn’t the same seriousness to the session, at least based on what I saw on the NFL Network.

— Walter Nolen looked so quick beating Miles Frazier while crossing his face. You can’t teach his level of quickness. Nolen’s second rep saw him drive Caleb Webb backwards into the quarterback with sudden power. Teams are always looking for this kind of player — someone with the power to be combative in the trenches, with the quickness and burst to exploit openings and penetrate as a pass-rusher. Nolen, for me, looked like the real deal today and a potential top-20 pick. Miles Frazier faired better in his second rep against Alabama’s Tim Smith — but he’s a far weaker opponent than Nolen.

— On TJ Sanders first rep, he was surprisingly easily handled by Jacob Bayer of Arkansas State. Bayer shot his hands inside brilliantly, kept his feet moving and controlled the block throughout. On Sanders’ second rep, he stuck Garrett Dellinger on his backside with power. For some reason Sanders and Kyle Kennard were both wearing sweatpants during the practise. I’m not sure it helped — they looked pretty casual out there.

— A lot of people loved seeing Deone Walker’s measurements yesterday. Today, reality struck. He has a sloppy frame with an overhanging gut. He’s also top-heavy with no size in his legs or arse — there’s just no lower body explosion. His legs are so thin. He also has terrible pad level and gets upright late in the rep, providing a huge target on his chest. He showed no plan in his first rep against Clay Webb of Jacksonville State and was easily controlled. On his second rep against Garrett Dellinger it looked like he was moving in slow motion and couldn’t be bothered. He showed a bit more fight and effort on his third rep but still made it a struggle to get an advantage against Clay Webb. Later, the pair had a 1v1 rep in front of the whole roster at midfield. Webb easily won it. Walker, again, looked like a sloppy sack of potatoes. He had a terribly disappointing 2024 season for Kentucky and based on what we saw today, he’s a day-three pick at best.

— Ian Rapoport reported earlier in the day that Shemar Stewart wouldn’t practise at the Senior Bowl due to an injury that needed some work. However, he was out there in the 1v1’s. Jonah Savaiinaea easily handled him in their first rep. The Arizona blocker’s set was far better than any of the right tackles we saw in the first session. Although Stewart tried to rip through Savaiinaea, he still ran him out of the play. On Stewart’s second rep he bull-rushed Emery Jones into the backfield. Everyone seemed to have success against LSU’s Jones. Savaiinaea’s second rep wasn’t as good against Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins. The Georgia defender attacked his chest and won with hand-placement and power. Once he drove Savaiinaea off the ball, he disengaged to finish.

— Tennessee’s Omar Norman-Lott kind of won his first 1v1 rep against Sacramento State’s Jackson Slater — fighting through the gap with effort more than anything. He didn’t have to do much to work through to the backfield. His second rep flashed pure power, driving back Jacob Bayer into the backfield. Norman-Lott lacks an ideal frame and it’s hard to work out what his best down-to-down position would be.

— Now onto the biggest surprise of the day. Carson Vinson of Alabama A&M was fantastic. For me, he’s today’s big winner. There’s definitely some technical refinement to be had with him but wow — he looks the part. Kyle Kennard lost a rep to Vinson in his 1v1. Initially it looked like Vinson shifted his weight too far to the left but Kennard didn’t have the quickness on the inside-counter to capitalise, allowing the left tackle to recover and keep him off the QB. Vinson buried Sai’vion Jones on his second rep — setting well, getting his hands in the right position and dumping Jones to the turf. In a late final 1v1 at midfield in front of everyone, Vinson walled off Shemar Stewart and made it look easy. The whole offensive roster exploded as Vinson celebrated, forcing the whole defense to do a set of push-ups. He’s nearly 6-7, 314lbs and he has 35 1/8 inch arms. If he keeps this up, he’s going to be flying up draft boards ahead of the combine.

— Emery Jones had a poor year for LSU in 2024 (so did Will Campbell). On his first 1v1 rep he was easily beaten by Notre Dame’s RJ Oben to the outside. I don’t think he can play tackle at the next level. His technique was all over the place today and you just wanted someone to light a fire under him. The problem with Princely Umanmielen is the same — inconsistent effort. On his first rep against Logan Brown of Kansas, he just tried a lazy spin move and gave up when the tackle caught it. Jared Ivey has some splashes on tape but he was way too upright and high against Jackson Slater on his first 1v1 rep and just gave a big target for the blocker to attack and win. You expect the bigger name, bigger school players to dominate these reps. Ivey did have an easy win on an inside move against LSU’s Jones.

Quick-hitting notes on other positions

I have only been able to dip into what’s available online because most people focus on the OL vs DL 1v1’s. Here are some things I picked up on though…

— Seth Henigan’s passes were fluttering all over the place, he also had some inaccurate passes in 7-on-7. Not sure if it’s nerves but he didn’t look like a draftable player today. Alternatively, Riley Leonard looked assured and threw with some velocity to the mid-range level. He also looked very athletic on the run. Jalen Milroe, athlete as he may be, didn’t look technically sound. I didn’t see much of Jaxson Dart.

— The tight ends Mason Taylor and Elijah Arroyo looked smooth in their routes and they showed a great ability to create late separation. Colston Loveland and Tyler Warren are top-12 locks in round one — so it’ll be interesting to see where Taylor and Arroyo go. They, for me, are the next two tight ends to be taken. They won’t last beyond pick #50 and could go in the top-45.

— I really like Washington State receiver Kyle Williams and thought he did a great job creating easy separation during his reps. He looked way smoother than Xavier Restrepo, for example. Tez Johnson also looks sharp and dynamic — which he needs to at his size.