On day one at the Senior Bowl, one quarterback stood above the rest
Feb 2, 2022, 6:42 AM
Things kicked off on Tuesday at the 2022 Reese’s Senior Bowl, and I couldn’t be more excited. For 16 years in a row, I have traveled to Mobile, Ala. for this game and it’s the best part of my favorite time of year – draft season!
The Senior Bowl has the best talent, and this year there are many players – perhaps as many as 20 – who will be first-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft. It was fun to see these players compete against each other in practice, and the first day was just a taste of what we should see the rest of the week.
Here is my day one report from the 2022 Reese’s Senior Bowl.
***
Tiny Hands, Big Deal?
All eyes are on the passers in Mobile. Five of the top six quarterbacks in the 2022 NFL Draft are in town, and they will be jockeying for draft position during the week of practice.
Kenny Pickett (Pittsburgh) enters the week as arguably the best quarterback in this draft. He’s certainly at the top of the list of many draft experts out there, and this week is going to be big for him in terms of where he’s going to get drafted in the first round. However, it was a measurement that dominated the talk about Pickett on Tuesday.
The talk was about Pickett’s hand size, but everyone in the scouting community knows that is an overblown measurement. Yes, his 8.25-inch hands could be a problem for players who play in adverse conditions – but Pickett played five years at Pitt, which certainly saw him play in a ton of cold-weather situations. Regardless, Twitter was having a heyday making fun of Pickett’s (not really that) small hands.
Kenny Pickett talking to the media at the Senior Bowl pic.twitter.com/ok7pIwpEwi
— Joe (@tipthedorman) February 1, 2022
I’d rather talk about his practice performance which was good not great. However, Pickett was arguably the most consistent of all the quarterbacks in Mobile. I like the way he sets up quickly, and Pickett’s arm is tied with his feet correctly. He’s not out of position when he goes through his hitches when throwing the ball. I felt Pickett could have “wowed” a little bit more, but I might see him do that as the week goes on. It was a good start for Pickett, but he needs to put on a show because many in attendance expect him to be great.
***
Willis World
It was heard early in practice, when the defensive line was running through drills, a coach exclaimed “get your money!” I’ve got some notes on the defensive line, but my focus was primarily on the quarterbacks for the first day. The quarterback who may have “made his money” the most was Liberty’s Malik Willis.
It’s a Willis world, and we’re just living in it. I thought he was the best quarterback on Tuesday, and he positioned himself as the quarterback to beat during this week of practice. His arm is just so much stronger than anyone else in attendance. The ball explodes out of his hand, and Willis can fit passes into tight windows that others won’t even attempt because of their lack of space.
Willis doesn’t have true mechanics. That will have to change as he goes through his pro career, but on Tuesday you saw how he could just flip passes with his wrist and get the ball there in a hurry. That’s how rare his arm strength is – he can throw off his back foot and still put the ball on the spot. Now, with better mechanics will come better accuracy and that’s what we need to see Willis do as his pro career goes on.
He’s super athletic and can make defenders look silly with his legs. When the rush is near, Willis can escape and buy more time to find targets down the field.
***
Into The Pit
My favorite drill at these All-Star games is affectionately known as “The Pit.” This is the one-on-one drills where the offensive linemen go up against the pass-rushers, and it’s one of the most exciting drills you’ll watch. Day one of the pit in Mobile did not disappoint, especially when two players projected to go in the first two rounds went against each other.
That’s what we got to see when Florida State defensive end Jermaine Johnson went against Kentucky offensive lineman Darian Kinnard. Early projections have Johnson in the first round and Kinnard in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Either way, both players are among the best in this class, and it was a fun back-and-forth between these two on Tuesday.
Kinnard bounces back and gets the win. NFL teams will love the competitive bounce-back from Kinnard. This is what @seniorbowl is all about!#TheDraftStartsInMOBILE™️ #BestoftheBest https://t.co/0FJMZaD8Uk pic.twitter.com/7Liye0COUx
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) February 1, 2022
The Senior Bowl staff picked them for a best of three contest in the pit. On one rep, Johnson was able to win in a big way – basically planting Kinnard into the turf. On the next rep they faced each other, Kinnard was able to easily stunt Johnson’s rush and keep him at bay. At the end, it was Kinnard who won, and I imagine this is a pairing we’ll see go against each other again on Wednesday – and that’s must-see practice for sure.
***
Look for Low Miles and Speed
Running back is a tough position. In college football, running backs can be chewed up by their program as they lead the team on the ground. Some backs don’t get a chance in college, but then they shine in the NFL. Guys like Terrell Davis, Priest Holmes, Willie Parker, Damien Harris or Antonio Gibson were either not used much at all or only had a featured role for one season before coming to the NFL.
Teams are looking for talented backs with low miles. Running backs are like tires, they only have so much tread – so find a guy who has talent but for some reason or the other just wasn’t used that much in college. This gives them a good chance of being productive for longer in the NFL.
Top 5 Max Speeds from Senior Bowl National Practice per @ZebraTechnology:
*Fayetteville State CB Josh Williams – 21.75 mph
*Nevada WR Romeo Doubs – 21.25 mph
*Arizona St RB Rachaad White – 21.15 mph
* Ole Miss WR Braylon Sanders – 20.84 mph
* NDSU WR Christian Watson – 20.71 mph— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) February 1, 2022
That running back could be Arizona State’s Rachaad White. He came into the 2021 season with less than 50 carries for his career, and he finished the season with 182 rushes for 1,000 yards and 15 touchdowns. White recorded the third-fastest time (21.15 MPH) of any player in practice on Tuesday. He wasn’t known for his speed in college, but that’s what stood out on the first day of practice. I liked the burst he showed, and the fact he didn’t waste a lot of motion or time getting up to full speed.
***
