2024 Senior Bowl Takeaways: Jackson Powers-Johnson, OL Group Steals Show on Day 1
At the 2023 Senior Bowl, Ohio State's Dawand Jones dominated the first practice day. Jones had to pull out for the rest of the week's festivities, but that first impression set the tone. He went on to become a fourth-round pick, a rookie starter and arguably the NFL's best first-year offensive lineman this past season.
The start to this year's Senior Bowl was eerily similar. While Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson wasn't wearing the green of the Ducks, he might as well have been the Incredible Hulk with the way he smashed his way through his opposition.
Powers-Johnson's start to the week is one example of the offensive linemen who excelled during the first sessions from the American and National squads. The same can't be said of the high-profile quarterbacks in attendance.
Brandon Thorn, Cory Giddings, Derrik Klassen and Matt Holder of the Bleacher Report Scouting Department are on hand to provide first-person accounts about each of the position groups.
Each day's notebook will also include a quick on-field interview with one of the class' more intriguing prospects. Miami hybrid defender James Williams is first on the docket.
Skill Positions
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Among this year's crop of skill-position players, the wide receivers exceeded expectations during the first day of Senior Bowl practice, while the quarterbacks flopped.
None of the National team QBs looked particularly good on Day 1. Washington's Michael Penix Jr. made a few sweet throws outside the numbers, but he didn't do anything to stand out and lacked touch on multiple passes. Oregon's Bo Nix and Notre Dame's Sam Hartman were both less inspiring, Nix in particular.
Michigan wide receiver Roman Wilson stole the show among the pass-catchers. He effortlessly glided across the field and changed direction with ease. The 5'10", 186-pound receiver won on a number of different routes, including a post and a few crossing routes.
Wilson also showed great ability to find the ball outside his frame, which is something his peers struggled with throughout the day.
WR Ricky Pearsall, Florida
Pearsall was the best vertical receiver throughout the day. Not only does Pearsall have the speed to separate, but he did a fantastic job winning at the line of scrimmage.
The 6'1" target does well to widen his stem to create space without sacrificing the ability to push upfield.
WR Ladd McConkey, Georgia
McConkey was a star during Day 1. The twitch, the change of direction, the attention to detail within each route—he has everything you want from a real-deal NFL route-runner.
McConkey consistently got open regardless of the DB across from him. He also made a diving catch on a quick throw to the flat.
WR Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint, Georgia
Rosemy-Jacksaint, McConkey's fellow former Bulldog, was a minor surprise performer at the start of the week. Though he didn't do anything too exciting, Rosemy-Jacksaint got open relatively often during team drills and made one nice catch outside of his frame.
A solid start could be built into something more.
WR Brendan Rice, USC
Rice fell somewhere between impressive and worrisome.
The son of Jerry Rice regularly invited contact during his one-on-one reps. As a result, he drew a number of penalties, in large part because he was less running routes and more running at DBs in hopes of winning the battle of physicality.
WR Xavier Legette, South Carolina
As for underperformers, it's hard to ignore Legette's day.
To be clear, he had some nice moments. For example, the second-team All-SEC selection made one outrageous catch on the sideline during team drills. However, Legette struggled to separate down the field during one-on-ones.
One particular rep showed the major concern with his game. He stacked the opposing defensive back, but he couldn't find that extra gear to break away and get under the ball.
WR Devontez Walker, North Carolina
Walker was another wideout who struggled throughout a tough day. He had some winning reps, but he largely faltered any time a defensive back got their hands on him, then struggled to make catches in traffic.
Walker was bullied on one particular curl route, which ended in an interception.
RB Ray Davis, Kentucky
Davis delivered on the expectation of being the best back on the American roster.
A bowling ball of a man, the 5'8", 220-pound ball-carrier showed some impressive vision between the tackles, as well as reliable hands in passing situations.
RB Rasheen Ali, Marshall
Ali can really go.
There's only so much to be gleaned from team periods without real hitting and tackling. But Ali was hitting the gas any time he got space in the open field.
RB Dylan Laube, New Hampshire
The underdog story of Laube coming from a small school is quite fun. He's a blast to watch.
Laube is such an easy mover. He consistently got open when working one-on-one receiving drills and showed some real twitch in space.
TE Ben Sinnott, Kansas State
Sinnott came into the week strong by measuring bigger than expected at a legit 6'4" and 254 pounds. Unfortunately, he struggled for a majority of Tuesday's session.
Sinnott dropped a number of passes, including some in contested situations that you would like to see a tight end finish.
TE Jaheim Bell, Florida State
Conversely, Bell was impressive.
His speed and smooth movement skills are obvious. More importantly, Bell also showed nice concentration on a catch in traffic near the sideline.
— Klassen
Offensive Line
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Once Washington offensive lineman Troy Fautanu chose not to participate at the Senior Bowl, Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson immediately assumed the role as the highest-graded offensive lineman in Mobile.
After the first day of practice, Powers-Johnson not only reinforced my belief in him as a prospect, but he bolstered it due to his equally dominant performance at guard and center.
IOL Jackson Powers-Johnson, Oregon
Powers-Johnson didn't just physically dominate. He also showed a special ability to recover when initially beaten to flip the script and finish rushers on multiple occasions during one-on-ones.
On one rep, the rusher was able to gain access to his inside edge that drew some cheers from the defensive linemen before Powers-Johnson stuck the rusher with his inside hand, redirected and torqued him on his back, quickly quieting the crowd. On another rep at right guard, he showed patience in his set against Ohio State's Michael Hall Jr. to not give him his hands before latching on, anchoring and ending the rep quickly.
During the team portion of practice, he strained, ran his feet and stayed attached to a block 10-plus yards downfield. On a double-team, he spearheaded another 10-plus yards of vertical displacement.
Seeing the 334-pounder excel at center was one thing. For him to make it look as seamless as he did at guard, Powers-Johnson provided valuable insight about whether he could play both spots.
All eyes will be on him during Day 2 to see how he responds to an outstanding Day 1 practice now that his opponents are likely keying on him and devising ways to alter their approach.
OT Tyler Guyton, Oklahoma
Guyton not only passed the eye test with the frame/build of a high-level starting tackle, but he showed off the easy movement skills that appeared on film with very good play strength in the run game and a stout, firm anchor during one-on-ones.
The 6'7", 328-pound blocker did get slipped inside on a one-on-one base-block drill versus Missouri DL Darius Robinson and lost clean against an inside spin from Houston edge-rusher Nelson Ceaser.
However, the most impressive part about Guyton's day was the patience he showed in pass protection during one-on-ones after he beat rushers to the spot. That forced them to attempt to run through him, allowing his anchoring ability to really shine.
Guyton also had an uncovered backside climb on outside zone during the 9-on-7 portion of practice where he widened out, reattached and buried a linebacker to create a cutback lane.
IOL Beaux Limmer, Arkansas
Limmer came into the week as an athletic, center-only prospect for a zone-based run scheme who I was a fan of due to his wiry strength, use of leverage and stickiness as a run-blocker. Some of those traits were on display during the team portion of practice.
Unexpectedly, the movement he created during pods (double-teams/combo blocks) impressed.
During one rep, Limmer was the point man on an inside zone combo against Texas nose tackle T'Vondre Sweat, whom the Longhorns listed at 362 pounds. Limmer displaced Sweat vertically several yards off the ball using superior leverage with tight, inside hands. That was one of the four or five best individual reps I saw all day.
Limmer's low pad level, inside hands and ability to reset the line of scrimmage also popped a few other times in what was a very strong Day 1 for the former Razorback.
IOL Kingsley Eguakun, Florida
Eguakun was a tone-setting presence throughout the first day of practice. His ultra-physical and aggressive approach is a double-edged sword, leading to quick, decisive wins and outstanding, down-the-field finishes mixed in with clean losses due to overshooting his target.
Both were on display Tuesday, including a quick snatch-trap technique win during one-on-ones, a completed reach block on a shade from the pivot in team drills, and multiple finishes in team through the echo of the whistle.
OT Taliese Fuaga, Oregon State
Fuaga showcased the play strength and balance already seen on his film, as well as confirming some of the questions with his range on an island in pass protection.
Fuaga's run-blocking prowess was on display right away during run-fit drills. He got his hat across and backside hand latched inside of defenders on zone combos and cut-offs.
His play strength and naturally strong anchor was also evident during one-on-ones. Fuaga engulfed UCLA's Laiatu Latu on an attempted inside counter with a strong inside hand and stoned Michigan edge-rusher Braiden McGregor on another. Fuaga did lose around the edge during the team portion against a double-swipe from Penn State edge-rusher Adisa Isaac, but he won some handily against him as well.
It wasn't a perfect day for Fuaga, but it was a solid one that lined up with some of his strengths and weaknesses from his film.
OT Christian Jones, Texas
Jones had a strong day overall. He did lose clean during a one-on-one rep inside, but for the most part, he anchored on command and engulfed rushers quickly using his play strength.
It will be interesting to see how rushers adapt during the second day of practices now that they realize defeating Jones with power rather than speed and setting up their moves is an unwise approach that plays perfectly into his strengths.
IOL Tanor Bortolini, Wisconsin
On the less-than-impressive side of the ledger, Bortolini struggled mightily during one-on-ones due to a lack of length and tardy, erratic hand placement that rushers were able to capitalize on in decisive fashion, beating him cleanly with speed and power.
He was better during the team portions of practice, especially at center when he was working in tandem with guards on combo blocks. He also had a nice solo reach block on a shade.
When isolated in pass protection, confirmation started to emerge that Bortolini is a center-only prospect despite having guard experience.
OT Patrick Paul, Houston
Paul caught too many blocks during the one-on-one run portion of the day, resulting in quick stalemates and a lack of power. He was often late or wide with his hands, giving up his chest too quickly.
That improved during the team portions of practice, where he looked smooth and was keeping rushers at his fingertips. Paul will be looking to improve and clean up his technique as a run-blocker during the second day of practices.
IOL Javion Cohen, Miami
Cohen looked stiff and labored during the one-on-one run and pass portions of practice. He struggled to uncork and deliver any real power on defenders, leaving him either stalemated on contact or overextended when defenders attempted to slip off the block.
That matches some of what's seen on film, but he needs to play with better leverage and burst throughout the rest of the week to unlock his size and natural power that shows up in spurts.
OT Ladarius Henderson, Michigan
Henderson was all over the place with his technique, both at guard and tackle.
Henderson played with shaky leverage throughout the drills. He gave up too much ground against speed to power and got slipped at the top of the quarterback's drop due to disjointed footwork and a lack of range to expand his set points.
Hopefully, Henderson will be able to focus more at guard as the week continues to help accentuate his strengths as a player.
— Thorn
Defensive Front Seven
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With the more notable players in the trenches and an underwhelming linebacker room heading into the Senior Bowl, most of the focus fell on the defensive line during Day 1. The linebackers themselves didn't really make anyone take notice during the team periods, so there isn't much to report from that group.
Even with that in mind, the defensive linemen had a pretty underwhelming performance. That was especially the case in one-on-one pass-rush competitions, where the other side of the ball clearly had the upper hand.
EDGE Laiatu Latu, UCLA
Latu is Bleacher Report's highest-rated prospect at this year's event, However, his talent level wasn't immediately evident during the first day's practice.
He had a few wins as a pass-rusher —which should be expected—and ended the day by beating BYU offensive tackle Kingsley Suamataia. However, the UCLA product wasn't dominant in a setting geared to favor talented pass-rushers.
Utah's Taliese Fuaga was the best competition whom Latu faced, and the former walked away with a dominant win.
DL McKinley Jackson, Texas A&M
Practice didn't exactly start on a high note for Jackson. The 331-pounder's calling card is built around stopping the run, with solid ability to eat double-teams.
During one of the first reps in pods, Jackson faced a combo block and ended up getting pancaked. During the one-on-one pass-rush reps, his poor hand usage continued to show up as he got stonewalled and ended up on the ground again.
To the former Aggie's credit, he did finish the day strong with a couple of good reps in the team period. He notably logged a tackle near the line of scrimmage.
DL Gabe Hall, Baylor
Out of all the defensive front-seven players across both rosters, Hall was the biggest winner of the day. He needed to show more growth as a pass-rusher, and he came out of the gates swinging with back-to-back wins using the swim as a pet move.
Those positives carried over into the team period, where the Baylor product logged another pressure.
Hall currently holds a sixth-round grade on B/R's NFL draft big board, but his status will quickly change if he can keep it going throughout the week.
EDGE Adisa Isaac, Penn State
Isaac is known for his prowess as a pass-rusher. It thus came as no surprise that he had several wins around the edge against multiple different offensive tackles, including Fuaga, who was one of the morning session's top performers.
The only issue with Isaac's performance is that he didn't do anything to squash any narratives about his run defense. That isn't to say he was bad in that particular area, but he didn't stand out positively, and he possibly reinforced what was already known about his game.
— Holder
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Secondary
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The group of defensive backs in Mobile experienced their share of ups and downs, with multiple prospects getting beat badly at one point.
However, there were flashes of excellence, which is where the concentration will lie with Tuesday's evaluations.
CB Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo
Mitchell showed his fluidity and quick transitions out of breaks. He excelled in short and intermediate routes where he was able to sit on them and drive on the ball.
Mitchell is here to boost his draft stock and make money. After putting his ball skills on display on Day 1, he's on track to achieve that goal.
CB Chau Smith-Wade, Washington State
Smith-Wade flashed throughout his practice session. He's a versatile defender, but might be best working out of the slot.
The 5'10" 187-pound defender showed off elite traits with quick feet to mirror and loose hips to flip and run.
CB Khyree Jackson, Oregon
The 6'3" Jackson used his length well. He battled all day, primarily from press coverage. He used his hands well to disrupt routes and also showed the ability to sink his hips and drive on routes.
His biggest challenge will be fighting against his natural build to keep his pad level low.
CB Cam Hart, Notre Dame
Along with Jackson, Hart is among the biggest cornerbacks in Mobile. The 6'3" defender was a bully during a few one-on-one reps, where he punished wide receivers at the line of scrimmage.
With his size and length, Hart moved well and battled on both short and deeper routes. He showed the strength and the ability to consistently fight through the catch point for pass breakups.
CB Johnny Dixon, Penn State
The 5'11", 192-pound Dixon is much smaller than Jackson or Hart, but he played with an impressive level of physicality while in coverage.
Although he was a little handsy and got called for pass interference a few times as a result, it's clear his goal was to get hands-on and make it difficult for receivers to work down the field. How he adjusts to NFL rules as the week progresses will be something to watch.
CB Kris Abrams-Draine, Missouri
Abrams-Draine also flashed during the first practice.
Although he's thin at 173 pounds, he has long arms that he uses well. He also showed the ability to quickly get in phase as he works down the field.
S Kamren Kinchens, Miami
Kinchens looked like the best safety on the field in Mobile. It's only one day, but his status as the top-ranked safety in this year's draft class may not come into question.
He showcased his versatility in man coverage, as a deep safety, or filling the alley in the run game. That versatility on the back end should continue to appear throughout the week.
Georgia safeties
Tykee Smith and Javon Bullard may lack ideal height at 5'10" to be full-time safeties in the NFL, but both are twitchy athletes with high motors. They flashed during one-on-ones, as they played physical and stood up to bigger tight ends.
Coming from the SEC, it isn't a surprise to see both hold their own. Still, their competitiveness is impressive to see in person.
— Giddings
Senior Bowl Interview: S/LB James Williams, Miami
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Miami's James Williams isn't built like other defensive backs, which is why he's being evaluated at another position during Senior Bowl week.
When the event revealed this year's rosters—including underclassmen for the first time—Williams was listed as a linebacker. The 6'4", 230-pound defender entered the Hurricanes program as a 5-star recruit from the 2021 class and the nation's top safety prospect.
During his time at The U, Williams was a safety by trade, but he could be found all over the field.
To better understand how large Williams is for a safety, he's slightly bigger and longer than when Kam Chancellor dominated the middle of the field during the Seattle Seahawks' Legion of Boom heyday. Williams is a full two inches taller and 15 pounds heavier than Derwin James Jr. when Florida State's Swiss army knife went through the draft process.
However, NFL safeties generally aren't on the larger size in today's game. Bigger defensive backs can struggle to cover space and handle explosive receivers in the open field.
Williams is being asked to make a transition to linebacker in Mobile, but it's not viewed as a permanent move—at least entirely.
Bleacher Report: How is the move from safety to linebacker initially, and is this switch potentially something that will be a big part of your professional career?
James Williams: I am open to it and willing to play whatever they want me to play. This week, I want to show them that I can play linebacker since they want to try me there. Either way, it's an opportunity to showcase my talent and show them why I'm here.
B/R: Does that mean the rest of the predraft process will be spent with you performing as a linebacker?
JW: At the combine, I'll just be doing DB workouts. Here, I'll show I can play linebacker. There, I'll be a DB. But I plan to show them I can do whatever they want me to do.
B/R: Is there the thought that the potential change will force you to change your style of play or potentially add weight over time?
JW: I'm an open book. I'm ready to do whatever.
B/R: With the stresses of the biggest job interview to become an NFL athlete, what allows you to unwind and not worry as much about what's being asked of you throughout this process?
JW: I'm a big video game guy. I'm a Madden player. If you want to play me, DM on Instagram, Twitter and Tik-Tok. Let's do it [he said with a smile]. But my favorite game of all time is Call of Duty.
Recruit rankings via 247Sports unless otherwise noted.
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