By Robert L. Herron and Taylor Rogers |
As the grueling week of practice ends, players for college football’s most prestigious all-star game prepare for the Senior Bowl taking place this Saturday, February 5 at 1:30 pm CST in Mobile, Ala., and broadcast on NFL Network.
The weather became relevant as the practice week rolled on – transitioning from a pleasant Tuesday, to a wet-outdoor Wednesday, and finally to a covered practice on Thursday. The players will participate in a Mardi Gras parade Friday evening and get some rest prior to the game – which looks to have a favorable weather forecast.
The Jets staff coached the National Team, which included well-known players like Pittsburgh’s QB Kenny Pickett, Cincinnati’s RB Jerome Ford, and Boston College’s OL Zion Johnson.
The Lions staff is coaching the American Team. Their roster includes Liberty’s QB Malik Willis, Alabama RB Brian Robinson, LSU’s LB Damone Clark, and Auburn’s CB Roger McCreary – a Mobile, Ala., native.
While player assessment is subjective, DE Jermain Johnson II from Florida State had a great week and helped himself in terms of his draft status. Travis Jones, DL from UConn consistently shined with his physicality in one-on-one drills and in team settings. Additionally, Zion Johnson stood out with his offensive line play. Overall, the QB play was spotty and that – combined with the weather – made it difficult to say if any particular QB really looked great. If you had to choose the QB who increased their draft value the most, most would probably agree Malik Willis would best fit that spot.
Zebra technologies (who we have written about previously here) provided some interesting player movement metrics that were captured during practice.
| Top Speed in MPH | |
| Tariq Woolen (DB) | 22.45 |
| Danny Gray (WR) | 22.01 |
| Velus Jones Jr. (WR) | 21.75 |
| Joshua Williams (DB) | 21.75 |
| Max Acceleration in YD/S2 | |
| Darrian Beavers (LB) | 5.76 |
| D’Vonte Price (RB) | 5..64 |
| Kerby Joseph (DB) | 5.64 |
| Jerome Ford (RB) | 5.62 |
| Lineman Acceleration in YD/S2 (max speed MPH) | |
| Amare Barno (DL) | 5.42 (18.44) |
| DeAngelo Malone (DL) | 4.98 (18.77) |
| Bernhad Raimann (OL) | 4.69 (13.62) |
| Trevor Penning (OL) | 4.18 (15.12) |
Check back with for additional Senior Bowl coverage this week.
Robert L. Herron is Acting Director of Sport Exercise Science at the United States Sports Academy. Robert is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist® with distinction from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA-CSCS*D®) and a Clinical Exercise Physiologist through the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM-CEP®).
Taylor Rogers is the Academic Affairs Coordinator at the United States Sports Academy. Taylor is currently a graduate student at the United States Sports Academy where she is completing her master’s in Sports Management.