Senior Bowl Practice Review: Day 1 National Wide Receivers and Defensive Backs

Catch up from what happened day one of practice at the senior bowl.

The Senior Bowl got started yesterday and the wide receivers and defensive backs faced off in one-on-ones to show what they are made of. While this is typically a showcase drill for the receivers, there were some standout plays and performances by the defensive backs as well.

SCOUTING NOTEBOOK

South Dakota State wideout CADE JOHNSON had a disappointing weigh-in with shorter than ideal arm length. What this immediately tells scouts is that he won’t be an ideal intermediate-to-deep target at the next level, as it would allow defensive backs who have the length to have extra time and distance to get to the ball and create pass breakups. Johnson’s game at the next level will have to be predominantly short timing routes like slants and drags.

If this is Johnson’s projection, he needed to show that he could be quick with his feet to find separation underneath and have the juice to make plays after the catch. He did not disappoint in his drills, as he used quick feet in his stem to break from Michigan defensive back AMBRY THOMAS in one of his first reps. He showed off his quick feet again later on a deep curl, where he was able to come to a near-complete stop with small, gear-down steps to beat Thomas again.

He had a few reps against safeties later on, which were easy wins for Johnson (and most receivers), but he was able to show off his athletic fluidity in route stems and in building his routes. Johnson’s measurements were not great, but his first day of practice was.

The one safety who had any success against Johnson was CHRISTIAN UPHOFF of Illinois State, who was able to use his physicality and dense frame to slow Johnson at the top of his stem and disrupt the route.

One name to follow closely this week is D’WAYNE ESKRIDGE from Western Michigan. Eskridge showed off yesterday against defensive backs with his quick feet and mean stems. His first rep was against CAMRYN BYNUM of California, as Eskridge fought through an aggressive press by Bynum. The two fell to the ground seemingly as the ball was being thrown but Eskridge was able to get up and make the grab. While his technique on this rep wasn’t pretty for Eskridge, it showed his quickness and athleticism to finish the play.

From that point forward, Eskridge had no problem winning. If he has a pro day it appears as if he’ll test very well, as he was able to make space in his first few steps and into his stem, then snap it off quickly for massive separation. There were a couple of plays where Eskridge had well over five yards of separation from Bynum, who was unfortunate to line up against Eskridge for almost every rep.

Eskridge measured in at just over 5-foot-9, so he will also be a slot option at the next level. He showed off his quick feet at the start of his stem and a plan of attack to get open. Later in his reps, he used an arm stab to turn Bynum around and then break into his blindside for another five yards or more of separation. Being able to make that initial separation will be crucial for his slot receiving stock, and Eskridge is going to be a fast riser on draft boards after this week.

Another player who showed off some slot abilities was UCLA offensive weapon DEMETRIC FELTON. The running back/wide receiver hybrid worked out with the receivers. Coming into the Senior Bowl, he needed to show that he could be versatile in the passing game to become the swiss-army-knife prospect that he has the potential to be. After a slower start against TRE BROWN of Oklahoma, who had an excellent day as well, Felton started to show off some stem manipulation and use his defender’s momentum against him to create separation. He did this against Brown and TRE NORWOOD, a safety out of Oklahoma. Felton’s stock as a Lynn Bowden type of receiver out of the slot had a nice bump today.

Speaking of Tre Brown, his first rep against Felton he completely stuffed him at the line, making it easy to register a pass breakup. Later on against Louisville receiver DEZ FITZPATRICK, he used his physicality to power through Fitzpatrick’s stem and remain in his hip pocket, allowing him to nap an interception thanks to his positioning. It was an impressive rep.

Another cornerback who performed well was KEITH TAYLOR of Washington. Taylor, a cornerback who showed off length on his film, did not measure as impressively as one would hope (although he did measure at over 6-foot-2). He did show off mean physicality and athleticism in his trail of receivers—something that did not always get to pop on his tape while spending a lot of time in zone coverage.

Taylor was able to remain physical through a stem by the massive Wake Forest receiver, SAGE SURRATT and completely throw off the route. Surratt, the second biggest receiver on the National Team, had an unimpressive day and seemingly refused to use his hands to help him separate on routes.

Minnesota defensive back BENJAMIN ST JUSTE had a good day. He seemed to lose at the line of scrimmage against bigger receivers but showed excellent recovery speed and instincts to remain in the play. St. Juste had a lot of dog in him yesterday and is a name to watch as a late riser as well.

Oklahoma State receiver TYLAN WALLACE also had a good day, showing off quality stem work and creating early separation, notably on Keith Taylor and Camryn Bynum. Wallace is widely seen as one of the best receivers on the National Team, and his stems, length, and separation abilities show that he could find work in the NFL as a Z wide receiver, as well as in the slot.

*Be sure to check back throughout the week for our exclusive coverage of the Reese’s 2021 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. For more in-depth scouting reports, be sure to reserve your copy of the 2021 NFL Draft Bible Publication!