MOBILE, Ala. — Colts.com is in Mobile, Ala., this week for the 2020 Senior Bowl. What were some top takeaways from Wednesday's second day of practices?
NORTH TEAM
» It was the North team with the first session of the day Wednesday after going second on Tuesday. After a chilly, breezy day in Mobile to open up the week, Wednesday's weather was a little bit better, with temperatures approaching the low-50s (and, perhaps best for all involved, not much wind to speak of).
» A couple other housekeeping items for Wednesday: both teams were in full pads for the first time all week after wearing helmets, shoulder pads and shorts on Tuesday. That helps give evaluators a more realistic look at the action in the trenches, for sure. Also, Wednesday's practice included the use of referees.
» On Tuesday, the Colts used their two team on-field passes for head coach Frank Reich and assistant general manager Ed Dodds/defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, who split the day on the field. On Wednesday, offensive line coach Chris Strausser was seen on the field for the Colts, while Reich was up in the press box, getting a bird's eye view.
» Baylor RB Jamycal Hasty showed off an impressive burst out of the backfield during early drills. It doesn't take him long at all to get to a high gear. Hasty averaged 5.2 yards per carry in his four seasons at Baylor, and had 16 total touchdowns. Think Nyheim Hines for Hasty, who is listed at 5-foot-9, 205 pounds.
» Notre Dame's Troy Pride Jr. continued an impressive week Wednesday with a one-handed interception during one-on-one drills against Texas A&M wide receiver Quartney Davis. Pride Jr. might've been out of bounds when securing the pick, but still. He later added a solid pass breakup in 11-on-11s against Southern Cal wide receiver Michael Pittman.
» Jordan Love absolutely dropped it in the bucket on a go route to Baylor wide receiver Denzel Mims during 1-on-1 drills. A few throws later, he found Liberty wide receiver Antonio Gandy-Golden on a similar play. First off, Love is certainly showing an ability to place the ball in tight windows, where only his receiver can get it; he showed he could do that at Utah State, but the consistency this week has been impressive. Secondly, Gandy-Golden definitely belongs at this level. He had a combined 2,433 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns his two seasons at Liberty, but at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, it seems as if he could be a smaller-school guy who won't regret coming to Mobile this week.
» A safety from a Michigan school — Michigan State's Khari Willis — took advantage of his week in Mobile last year and eventually parlayed it into becoming a fourth-round selection by the Colts. Another Michigan safety, this time of the Wolverines variety, seems to be on a similar track this year: Khaleke Hudson. The 6-foot, 220-pound Hudson had a very solid day on Wednesday, showing off his versatility as an aggressive playmaker up front (225 total tackles in college, with 10 sacks and 23 tackles for loss) as well as coverage skills in the back end (two interceptions with 14 passes defensed at Michigan).
» Two edge rushers definitely flashed on Wednesday in Michigan's Joshua Uche and Syracuse's Alton Robinson. Uche has a much more slender frame at 6-foot-2, 250 pounds, but has been able to utilize his quickness to his advantage, both in drills against the offensive linemen and in 11-on-11s. Robinson, meanwhile, is built more in the mold of a Colts defensive end, measuring in at 6-foot-4 and 260 pounds; he was solid in one-on-one drills, too, and also flashed against the run in 11-on-11s.
» Another defensive player up front that continues to play well: North Carolina's Jason Strowbridge. At one point during 11-on-11s he batted down two straight passes at the line. Strowbridge has long, long arms, and knows how to use them.
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SOUTH TEAM
» Both teams today put in a considerable amount of work on special teams. The South team opened up with a lengthy live punt drill, for example. This work might not seem significant at a college all-star game, but remember: a lot of these guys will have to bank on becoming special teams standouts at the professional level before they'll even get a sniff on offense or defense.
» The Cincinnati Bengals' coaching staff had the South offense conducting a lot of drills against air early on Wednesday, which certainly isn't ideal when trying to evaluate competitiveness and effectiveness in a one-on-one or team setting. Once 1-on-1s did finally break out, a couple Florida wide receivers caught my eye: Van Jefferson (for his competitiveness) and Tyrie Cleveland (for his separation at the top of the route). Jefferson stood out for a second straight day, while Cleveland reached 19.5 miles per hour on one go route.
» Jalen Hurts shook off major struggles from Tuesday's first practice with a nice bounceback performance on Wednesday. During 1-on-1s and 7-on-7s, Hurts just seemed much more decisive and confident, connecting on several throws down the field. He had one especially solid throw in the one-on-one period, connecting with Vanderbilt wide receiver Kalija Lipscomb, who sped past Pittsburgh cornerback Dane Jackson. During 11-on-11s, he showed nice touch on a 20-yard completion to LSU tight end Stephen Sullivan, hitting him with just enough room before the sideline, and also in-between two defenders.
» Lenoir Rhyne is a powerhouse Division II football program located in Hickory, N.C.; the school has a total enrollment of just more than 2,000 students. There's some information 99.9 percent of you probably didn't know. Some more info? Lenoir-Rhyne cornerback Kyle Dugger in 2019 played in just seven games due to injury and still was given the Cliff Harris Award, which recognizes the best defensive player in NCAA Division II. Dugger on Wednesday showed off those skills during a one-on-one drill against Vanderbilt tight end Jared Pinkney, making a nice move to step in front of a Justin Herbert pass attempt and secure the interception. Another one of those Senior Bowl moments in which a small-school kid gets a shot to show he belongs with the best of the best.
» South Carolina defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw was the talk of practice on Tuesday after dominating one-on-one drills against pretty much any offensive lineman in his path. On Wednesday, though, Kinlaw picked up a noticeable limp during late drills, and didn't return the rest of the day. Auburn defensive tackle Marlon Davidson, who was wearing a boot on his right foot, was also held out of Wednesday's practice, so the South team could be without a good chunk of its size and strength up front moving forward.
