2020 Senior Bowl Final Practice Recap

Jan 24

2020 Senior Bowl Final Practice Recap

In Thursday’s practice of the 2020 Reese’s Senior Bowl, the North Team showcased their talent first on the day. The North Team displayed a very solid showcase of talent as they were led offensively by quarterbacks, Shea Patterson of Michigan, Jordan Love of Utah State, and Anthony Gordon of Washington State. On the South, QB’s Justin Herbert, Jalen Hurts and Steven Montez of Colorado. Each quarterback had their bright spots and were able to create some offensive success, but the major highlights did not come from the quarterbacks in this practice. Each team had their share of players that were overlooked coming into Thursday’s practice, but made their presence known during the day.

Top Performer

LSU Tight End Stephen Sullivan made his name known almost immediately during practice. After his measurements on Tuesday, Sullivan’s wingspan measured at an incredible 7 feet and 1 inch. This made all the difference in his ability to beat linebackers, safeties, and cornerbacks. In a full team move the ball period, Stephen Sullivan of the South Team caught an impressive redzone touchdown while flexed out wide against another South Team corner. The catch displayed his ability to run routes, high point the ball and create offensive matchups. Moving between tight end and receiver, it is obvious that NFL teams would like to see how versatile he is and could he truly be considered a matchup nightmare.

In addition to the performance of Sullivan, Shea Patterson of the North Team truly showed that despite his up and down career at Michigan, his competitive nature still reigns supreme. In his plays that required him to scramble out of the pocket, one thing that remained constant was his ability to keep his eyes down the field. Although his stats may not reflect, in just watching Patterson, you can obviously see his pocket presence is a positive and he made several smart decisions to throw the ball away. Patterson’s game on Saturday will be extremely important for his stock.

Sleeper

Antonio Gibson of Memphis University may be one of the most interesting prospects at the Senior Bowl. After being switched from receiver to running back at the last moment, Gibson has shown why he made such a large impact at Memphis. His ability to catch and run is ranked with the best in the Senior Bowl. As a senior, he posted 38 receptions, with 9 Touchdowns and an average of 19 yards per reception. After practice on Thursday, his shiftiness, speed and dynamic playmaking ability was evident. One play that he displayed his ability was on a 10-yard sideline catch that was followed by a spin and run that left defenders reaching. Saturday will be exciting for Gibson as he will show all teams that he can play whatever he wants.

Moving Forward

As we finish up the senior bowl events with the Meet The Players Event and Senior Bowl Experience today, it will be a much-needed downtime for the players to mingle with owners, scouts, and coaches and hopefully solidify their draft stocks for players that will have to wait until their pro day to be re-evaluated.

-By: LeMarkus Bailey