Don’t Discount These Seniors: Reese’s Senior Bowl Day Two Standouts
It’s draft season, which means it’s ECG season. After two days of practice in Mobile, Kelii, Sora and Dante’ breakdown who rose to the occasion and showed out in practice.
Tight end Jackson Hawes makes a one-handed catch during a scrimmage during day two of practice at the Senior Bowl at Hancock Whitney Stadium on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (Kelii Horvath/East Coast Gridiron)
For fans, players and scouts alike, the draft starts in Mobile. That saying certainly holds true for us here at East Coast Gridiron, as it marks the beginning of draft season. It is our first chance at seeing the top players in the draft class compete with one another, testing their mettle during drills and competition. As a result, we begin to learn new things about these players that evolve our evaluations heading into draft night. Here is what we learned after Day Two in Mobile.
TE Jackson Hawes stood out as both a blocker and pass catcher. While he is a sound blocker and had his way blocking opposing linebackers in drills today, he also made a one-handed snag on a throw from Jaxson Dart.
RB Woody Marks looked explosive in the run game and showed off his prowess as a receiver. Marks could profile as a three-down back if he improves in pass protection.
TE Mason Taylor has been impressive in one-on-ones, dropping DB Billy Bowman on a deep crosser. Bowman has had a rough time in coverage so far, but his athleticism is evident.
EDGE Landon Jackson greatly struggled yesterday, and unfortunately those struggles extended into today. I do not see Jackson sneaking into the first round anymore, as the pass rusher from Arkansas has been overwhelmed in one-on-ones and has failed to generate pressure in live scenarios.
WR Jalen Royals is not only one of the most physically impressive pass catchers, but he has arguably been the best in Mobile through two days. The stocky wide out from Utah State has worked some of the best corners out here in a variety of ways. He has gotten it done with his cuts and route running, physically off the line of scrimmage, and in contested catch situations.
QB Jalen Milroe has an uphill battle to be selected in the first round. He has struggled with inaccurate throws and threw an interception on a very poor rep. His physical traits may not be enough for teams to spend premium draft capital on the Alabama product.
WR Tez Johnson has been excellent. He has gotten open no matter the matchup, and he also made a great crack block in the running game today.
WR Arian Smith may have had a great contested catch downfield, but he had a rough day today. It began with three straight drops to open the day, when the coaches stopped the drill to have Smith run his route again and catch the football. The drop issues have persisted in Mobile.
Sora - Quincey Riley | CB | Louisville
With many defensive backs struggling to contain the many talented pass catchers at the Senior Bowl, Riley stood out with his tight coverage in one-on-ones. Riley held his own against the likes of Tez Johnson, Xavier Restrepo and Pat Bryant.
Riley was able to go toe-to-toe with quick, twitchy receivers and make plays on the football. Even on reps where he allowed a catch, Riley was in position to break up the pass. With so much talent at receiver, Riley will have plenty of opportunities to display his coverage skills.
Defensive lineman Shemar Stewart (14) forces a fumble against quarterback Seth Henigan (16) during practice at the Senior Bowl at Hancock Whitney Stadium on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (Kelii Horvath/East Coast Gridiron)
Kelii - Shemar Stewart | EDGE | Texas A&M
After incredible highlights and a few perplexing lows on the first day of practice, Stewart bounced back in a big way today. Stewart was full of big plays and made his presence felt from the start of practice.
During position drills, Stewart displayed elite quickness with both his feet and hands. That impressed me a lot given his size. Stewart also made plays in the scrimmage, as he blew up a run on the first play and later forced a fumble after breezing past offensive tackle Emery Jones.
I mocked him to Cleveland with the second overall pick, and his performance today likely solidified a top-15 selection. As a result, Stewart will reportedly opt out of the Senior Bowl and prepare for the draft.
Wide receiver Isaac Teslaa makes a catch during practice at the Senior Bowl at Hancock Whitney Stadium on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025. (Kelii Horvath/East Coast Gridiron)
Dante’ - Isaac Teslaa | WR | Arkansas
A late addition to the Senior Bowl, Teslaa has proved that he belongs in Mobile. A dangerous downfield threat, Teslaa has great ball-tracking skills and always gives maximum effort to make a play on the football.
Teslaa doesn’t appear to be the most refined route runner, but he has sneaky separation ability, finding ways to get open downfield. On top of that, Teslaa is monster in contested catch situations and showed that on the field today.
After years of iffy quarterback play at Arkansas, seeing him catch passes from Jaxson Dart, Riley Leonard and Seth Henigan has helped Teslaa’s skills shine in Mobile.
