Now that Senior Bowl week is in the rear-view mirror, we can now turn our focus to getting caught up on watching tape on some underclassmen that I have not gotten to yet. I can also continue talking about some other draft news that I have not really talked about because of the Senior Bowl. So let’s get caught up on it all.
WRAPPING UP THE SENIOR BOWL
Okay, so I still have a few other things to talk about. The 2021 Reese’s Senior Bowl game had quite a few participants sitting out that started the week practicing. Devonta Smith (WR) and Landon Dickerson (C) of Alabama we knew would not play. I also never expected Alabama RB Najee Harris to play either. However, a total of 26 other players did not suit up on Saturday that at least practiced one day*. 16 players for the American team and 10 for the National team.
AMERICAN
Mac Jones, QB, Alabama
Kadarius Toney, WR, Florida
Racey McMath, WR, LSU
Alex Leatherwood, OT, Alabama
D’Anta Smith, OT, East Carolina
Trey Smith, G, Tennessee
Ben Cleveland, G, Georgia
Jack Anderson, G, Texas Tech
Malik Herring, EDGE, Georgia
Carlos Basham, EDGE, Wake Forest
Charles Snowden, EDGE, Virginia*
Marvin Wilson, DL, Florida State
Monty Rice, LB Georgia*
Aaron Robinson, CB, North Carolina
Robert Rochell, CB, Central Arkansas
JaCoby Stevens, S, LSU
*were at practice but never in pads
NATIONAL
Tylan Wallace, WR, Oklahoma State
Sage Surratt, WR, Wake Forest
D’Wayne Eskridge, WR, Western Michigan
Ben Skowronek, WR, Notre Dame
Hunter Long, TE, Boston College
Robert Jones, G, Middle Tennessee
Levi Onwuzurike DL, Washington
Tony Fields II, LB, West Virginia
Chazz Surratt, LB, North Carolina
Tre Brown, CB Oklahoma
The situation was so bad for the American team at OL that Pitt center Jimmy Morrissey was brought in just for the game on Saturday. He was training in nearby Pensacola, FL. I am not going to question the legitimacy of some of the injuries. However, I did find it mighty suspicious that both Surratt brothers were “hurt” after the same day.
UPCOMING PRO DAYS
The first handful of pro days have started to populate the schedule. It sucks that this is probably going to be the only way we get any testing information this year. But if this is what we got then it is what we got.
3/9 Northwestern
3/10 Pittsburgh
3/19 Michigan
3/24 Michigan State
3/26 Virginia Tech
3/30 Ohio State
RAMS & LIONS BIG TRADE
I could not believe that I had not talked about this before now. The Detroit Lions traded long time franchise QB Matt Stafford to the LA Rams for QB Jared Goff, a 2021 3rd, and a 2022 & 2023 first-round pick. The extra first appears to be so Detroit would take on Goff’s contract.
For Stafford, it is a fresh start with a team seemingly ready to compete for the Super Bowl next year. For Detroit, it is the start of a rebuild. Goff is expendable after next season if he is not what Detroit wants and they have two extra picks to help the future.
The Rams seem to just not care about first-round picks. They will not have had a one since drafting Goff in 2016. Now, they will not have another until 2024. For their sake, I hope they continue to hit on their mid-round picks. Because eventually the cap bill is going to come due and without the cheap labor that you get from rookie contracts that produce, they are going to be in deep trouble.
Coming up tomorrow, MOCK DRAFT Version 3.0!
