MOBILE — Day two of Senior Bowl practice saw the pace pick up. Several day-one risers like Tank Dell, McClendon Curtis, Keeanu Benton, Jayden Reed, and Tyjae Spears continued to impress scouts. Yet, at the same time, a new group of players rose to the forefront on Wednesday. Here are the risers from day two.
3 Linemen Make Waves on the Day 2 Senior Bowl Practice Report
Adetomiwa Adebawore, DL | Northwestern
Adebawore turned in the “WOW!” performance of the day. He was unstoppable at both defensive end and defensive tackle, consistently beating opponents with quickness, athleticism, or sheer power. Especially during drills and 1-on-1s, Adebawore had blockers twisting, grasping at air, and sometimes pulling themselves off the turf, as he blew past them. It was a great practice for Adebawore.
Keion White, DE | Georgia Tech
White’s always been known as an athletic big man. Today he played like an athletic big man that was a one-man wrecking crew. The former Georgia Tech defensive end was incredibly explosive off the snap and moved exceptionally well around the field. He displayed a tremendous closing burst and, on a number of occasions, blew up plays during the scrimmage or embarrassed opponents in 1-on-1 drills.
John Michael Schmitz, C | Minnesota
Schmitz almost made my list yesterday, and there was no denying him on day two. There were so many things to like about his practice — blocking fundamentals, football intelligence, and the nastiness in his game. Schmitz does a great job bending his knees and blocking with leverage.
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The former Minnesota center does a phenomenal job quarterbacking the offensive line and making the calls. He opened up the middle of the line for ball carriers to plow through. During the late stages of practice, when the American team was going through a two-minute drill, Schmitz got 20 yards downfield and annihilated a linebacker.
Sydney Brown, S | Illinois
If you didn’t know better while watching today’s practice, you’d have thought Sydney Brown was a cornerback, not a safety. Brown really stood out when lined up over receivers, displaying a quick backpedal and the ability to track the ball and then make his move and break up the pass.
His ball skills, timing, and overall play were very impressive. No one believes Brown is simply a run-defending safety who is unable to play over the slot receiver.
Daiyan Henley, LB | Washington State
Daiyan Henley was incredibly impressive during coverage drills. The Washington State linebacker easily flipped his hips in transition, stuck to opponents everywhere on the field, and showed a defensive back-like burst to the ball. His ability to get a hand in and knock away passes was only surpassed by the way Henley was able to track the ball in the air 25 yards downfield and then position himself to break up the throw.
Payne Durham, TE | Purdue
Payne Durham did not make any big play receptions 25 yards downfield, though he did catch the ball very well. He dominated just about everyone as a blocker in drills as well as during the scrimmage. He’s big, powerful, and explosive. During 1-on-1 drills, you could see opponents — usually linebackers — walk away worse for the wear after they went up against Payne.