MOBILE, Ala. – The Senior Bowl practices have concluded down here in Mobile, and the only thing left for the players to do is strap it up on Saturday and play the game.
The important part of the week for NFL people, however, is the three days of practices and player interviews at night.
So, who stood out during practice this week? Here are 10 who caught my untrained eye:
**O.J Howard, Alabama, TE, 6-5, 249
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Howard was simply dominant all week long. He's smooth and athletic, and makes everything look easy. He was easily the best tight end down here this week, and that's saying a lot, because this is probably the most talented tight end class to come around in a long time. Howard should come off the board sometime in the first round if he continues to impress throughout the draft process.
Cooper Kupp, Eastern Washington, WR, 6-1, 198
His production at Eastern Washington stood out, but teams wanted to see if he could be equally productive against the step up in competition at the Senior Bowl. He put any doubts to rest. Kupp is a terrific route runner and consistently catches the ball away from his body with his hands. He won most of the 50/50 balls he was involved in, and was the most impressive receiver down here this week, in my opinion.
Tanoh Kpassagnon, Villanova, DE, 6-6, 280
Kpassagnon enters the league with an NFL-ready body. Not only that, he showed terrific speed, quickness and bend in pass-rushing drills. There was one rep where he simply threw Western Kentucky offensive lineman Forrest Lamp to the ground, and continued his rush. Lamp is a first-round guard prospect. Kpassagnon is an impressive athlete.
Forrest Lamp, Western Kentucky, OL, 6-3, 305
Speaking of Lamp, that rep against Kpassagnon was probably the only bad one I saw on Day 1 of practices. I debated putting him on the list because he only took part in one day of practice because of a high ankle sprain, but it was a pretty good day. He played left tackle at Western Kentucky, but projects to guard at the NFL level. He played both spots at Tuesday's practice, and didn't look out of place at either.
Haason Reddick, Temple, LB, 6-1, 237
Reddick is super athletic, and seemed to be all over the field this week. The former running back and safety showed good cover skills, and also the ability to rush the passer in drills. He had 22.5 tackles for loss with 9.5 sacks this past season. He's one of those players a creative defensive coordinator can find a lot of uses for.
Montravius Adams, Auburn, DT, 6-3, 308
He might not make a lot of other lists, but when I watched the South Team pass-rushing drills, Adams kept standing out. He has a motor that never dies, and I was impressed with some of his advanced pass-rushing moves for an interior guy. His spin move was pretty devastating to would-be blockers. He was unblockable at times in one-on-one drills.
Obi Melifonwu, Connecticut, S, 6-4, 219
He's got terrific size and range for the position. He looks very comfortable in man coverage for a player his size. He also isn't afraid to come up and stick his nose in the fray in the run game. He's a player who could line up against some of the NFL's bigger receivers and tight ends, and match up nicely.
Tre'Davious White, LSU, CB, 5-11, 191
White is the best defensive back in Mobile this week in what's shaping up to be a very stout cornerback class overall. He's very fluid in his movements, and explodes after the ball coming out of his breaks. He also has terrific ball skills. He was all over the ball in one-on-one passing drills against receivers. He's a late first-round prospect.
Evan Engram, Ole Miss, TE, 6-3, 236
Safeties and linebackers had zero luck this week trying to cover Engram. His strength is certainly his vertical passing game. He made plays down the seam and sidelines all week long. He's a very natural pass catcher with soft hands, but is also a willing blocker.
Kareem Hunt, Toledo, RB, 5-10, 208
Hunt and North Carolina State's Matt Dayes have both been impressive this week, but Hunt's stood out a little bit more to me. He's patient with good vision running between the tackles. Hunt also possesses a burst to get to the edge. Where he probably turned the most heads, however, is as a receiver out of the backfield. I can't remember him dropping a single pass all week. He looks to have all the tools a team would want at the position.
