Winners from Day 1 of Senior Bowl Practices
The first of three Senior Bowl practices took place on Tuesday afternoon, an event that gives some of the best seniors in college football a chance to showcase their skills an extra time prior to the NFL Draft. Many prospects use this event to put their names on NFL teams’ radars as well as to raise their draft stock. Here are some of the winners from the first day of the 2023 Senior Bowl.
CB Jakorian Bennett
Cornerback Jakorian Bennett out of Maryland had a terrific first day of practice in Mobile, particularly in the one-on-one drills. He had an outstanding coverage rep against fellow Big 10 prospect Ronnie Bell from Michigan.
In 11-on-11s, Bennett followed up his strong day in the one-on-ones with a forced fumble as well. The Maryland CB has gotten to this point through some physical play, and he put those skills on full display on Tuesday afternoon.
EDGE Isaiah Foskey
Isaiah Foskey was a prospect that I had my eye on going into this week, and he did not disappoint in the first day of practices. The Notre Dame pass rusher dominated Michigan offensive tackle Ryan Hayes in one-on-one reps, and he held his own against some of the better offensive linemen in this group.
DL Keion White
Defensive lineman Keion White had a big moment in 11-on-11s during Tuesday’s session when he blew up a running play despite appearing to be held on the play. In addition to that great play, he certainly looked like he belonged in reps against Maryland’s OT Jaelyn Duncan. He didn’t quite have the rep in those drills that Foskey did, but this was a great starting point for a player looking to gain more recognition ahead of the draft.
RB Tyjae Spears
In our first prospect from the offensive side of the ball, running back Tyjae Spears displayed some incredible skills both as a runner and a receiver. His athleticism popped even amongst some of the best draft prospects in the class, and if he performs throughout the week like he did on Tuesday, he should jump among the top 5 RBs in this class.
OT Dawand Jones
Dawand Jones is the big winner so far in the Senior Bowl, literally. The massive 6’8 offensive tackle out of Ohio State recorded some of the most incredible measurements we’ve ever seen, including the longest wingspan ever at the Senior Bowl. His wingspan is 89.5 inches, essentially equivalent to that of a 7’6′ person.
Nicknamed Big Thanos, he put all that size to use in the first day of practices. Jones was clearly the best man in the trenches throughout the afternoon, with no one being able to match the size and speed that he showed in either one-on-ones or 11-on-11s.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. He also earned minors in History, Human Biology, and Journalism. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys marathon training, playing video games, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. For more of his opinions, check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.