Reese’s Senior Bowl: Tuesday Diary as Browns Bubba Ventrone runs the present

The Reese’s Senior Bowl in Cell, Alabama is in full swing and is a crucial a part of the Cleveland Browns NFL draft prep. Roughly 900 scouts and coaches from the NFL, CFL, and UFL are watching draft hopefuls whereas a document 1,100 full media are in attendance for the observe week.

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The sport will air dwell on Saturday, February 1 on NFL Community and NFL+ with kickoff at 2:30 pm (Japanese) at Hancock Whitney Stadium on the campus of the College of South Alabama. Each networks will broadcast Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday practices from 10:30 am to three:00 pm (Japanese) throughout the week.

Picture by Don Juan Moore/Getty Photos

The sport has been a hotbed for future NFL superstars and Corridor of Fame members equivalent to Dan Marino, Joe Namath, Imply Joe Inexperienced, Walter Payton, Jerry Kramer, Sam Huff, Franco Harris, Bo Jackson, Brett Favre, Doak Walker, Michael Strahan, Clay Matthews, Cooper Cupp, and Philip Rivers, to call a couple of.

Former Browns head coach Paul Brown coached many of those video games as he was capable of get to know gamers on a private observe. This 12 months’s contest will function Cleveland particular groups coordinator Bubba Ventrone because the American roster’s head coach.

In final 12 months’s recreation, 10 gamers have been taken within the first spherical that participated. A grand whole of 110 picks within the draft performed within the recreation, which represents 43% of all the draft course of.

The 2023 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Yr Puka Nacua, and Co-Winners of the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Yr Byron Younger and YaYa Diaby all performed within the 2024 contest.

Annually, the sport options six quarterbacks. Usually, half is well-known. However this 12 months’s recreation is highlighted by quite a few high-profile quarterbacks: Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard, Jaxson Dart from Ole Miss, Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, and Jalen Milroe of Alabama.

Will Howard of Ohio State had accepted an invitation however cancelled as an alternative as did all the opposite Ohio State gamers. Gamers cancel on a regular basis or get injured and go away, however it might be the primary time a whole faculty’s gamers have opted out.

It simply so occurs that the Browns are out there for a younger quarterback this 12 months. None of those signalcallers are projected as first-round picks, however from Rounds 2-4 all of them ought to hear their title known as. Not all nice quarterbacks are drafted within the first spherical equivalent to Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Jalen Hurts, Russell Wilson, Dak Prescott, and Bart Starr, to call a couple of.

A number of gamers have been spectacular within the opening practices whereas some not a lot. Dawgs By Nature’s Barry Shuck is on the Reese’s Senior Bowl this week for practices and to speak to gamers.

One place group the Browns will certainly draft a participant or two is the offensive line. This 12 months’s offensive deal with class could be very sturdy.

Right here on the Senior Bowl, the expertise is thick alongside the offensive line.

North Dakota State’s Gray Zabel (6’-6”, 305 kilos) is totally big for a middle. He acquired reps at guard and seemed very pure there. In faculty, he began at left deal with so he’s versatile. Is a three-year starter and appears good up to now being very bodily. He’s ranked #41 and the Browns personal the #33 choose in Spherical 2.

One other deal with that impressed was Aireontae Ersery (6’-6”, 330) from Minnesota. Big man with equally big arms. Within the 1-on-1’s with the line of defense he solely misplaced one battle and that was attributed to a partial slip.

OT Jalen Rivers (6’-5”, 325) of Miami turned some heads. He’s a bit slower with taking over a primary step however has lengthy arms that allow him to maintain his man extensive and drive him deep. He was positioned at guard for a brief spell however it’s clear he’s a deal with. OT Anthony Belton (6’-6”, 336) of North Carolina State has a large base and performed on the left facet this previous season. He seemed regular however defenders had a troublesome time attempting to navigate round him. Some spin strikes didn’t assist as he didn’t take the chew. He recovers effectively additionally.

One man you could not know of is Clay Webb (6’3”, 290) of Jacksonville State. He is a wonderful guard prospect who’s a first-team All-American. He did nice within the 1-on-1’s and solely let one defender get previous him in six reps. You possibly can inform he is an efficient go protector with distinctive approach. He has versatility in addition to he has heart expertise. Has 33 faculty begins. Boston Faculty’s Ozzy Trapilo had points with rushers who blasted off the road. He had no reply for it.

The extensive receiver group right here in Cell is spectacular.

The very best efficiency of the day belonged to Tez Johnson of Oregon. He grew up down the highway and is now taking part in in entrance of NFL coaches and scouts. One scout I talked to described him as “unguardable” regardless of there being many blue-chip cornerbacks who’ve tried. That simply could also be true, for right this moment anyway. He’s a bit mild at 156 kilos. That will have labored in faculty, however the NFL is the place the massive males dwell and work. Up to now he’s getting seen.

Kyle Williams of Washington State is catching the whole lot thrown his method. He has large arms (8.75”) and tasks as an alignment-versatile receiver.

So far as the heralded quarterback group, Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel stood out essentially the most. He’s a cultured passer and really correct. He seems extra decisive than the others when he’s about to throw. Canadian Taylor Elgersma from Laurier didn’t have a lot accuracy on the lengthy balls however did superb with the under-20 yard throws. He was named First Staff All-Canadian this previous season with a 74.5% completion ratio. He has zip on his throws and decides shortly which receiver to throw to. He performs with a gunslinger fashion and has the arm expertise with athletic capacity. Might be attention-grabbing to see him in an American Soccer setting.

TE Elijah Arroyo had an incredible observe. He is an efficient blocker with lengthy arms. Within the 1-on-1’s he had three actually good catches.

So far as the working again room, I used to be impressed with UCF’s R.J. Harvey’s fashion. He’s a productive again with 1,577 dashing yards this previous season. He can dart to a gap because it opens up and decides fairly shortly. Has good arms as effectively. Spectacular jump-cut capacity and is quicker than you assume. He simply screams “big play threat” on each snap. Trevor Etienne of Georgia is impressing everybody. Up to now, he has overwhelmed each linebacker who has tried to cowl him popping out of the backfield on swing passes.

It seems like Oregon’s Jeffrey Bassa is the category of the linebacker group. He has prototypical dimension (6’-2”, 235 kilos) and is ready to determine run or go fairly shortly, then run to the play. Has superior route recognition from zone drops with good protection abilities. Some passes to the tight finish have been accomplished in entrance of him, however he was concerned within the play and would have made immediate tackles if it was dwell.

The line of defense is what this recreation is all about. The checklist of outstanding D-Line defenders is spectacular.

Entrance and heart is Marshall’s Mike Inexperienced. No one has his quickness off the snap. No one is previous his man like they aren’t even there. He has a rating at #11, so if the Browns need him, they might want to commerce down. Pair him with Myles Garrett and simply watch the fireworks. Nice bend off the sting. He did effectively within the working drills so he’s a whole participant.

DT Aeneas Peebles from Virginia Tech is a niche plugger. DT T.J. Sanders is one other large man who may win simply by not being relocated. He did very well within the 1-on-1’s as did Florida State DE Josh Farmer and UCLA’s Oluwafemi Oladejo who seems uncooked after which wins three straight reps. I additionally like Donovan Ezeiruaku of Boston Faculty who flies off the snap.