Senior Bowl Day 1 recap: Gabriel leads underwhelming QB group

Keeping tabs on a few positions of need for the Raiders

Mobile, Ala. — One of the first NFL Draft events of the offseason was underway Tuesday was the first day of practice for the Senior Bowl. While new head coach Pete Carroll and new general manager John Spytek aren’t in attendance, the Las Vegas Raiders reportedly have staff members on-site to evaluate prospects this week.

With the Raiders picking sixth in the draft and looking for a quarterback, the team’s front office is undoubtedly checking in on Senior Bowl QBs; Dillon Gabriel from Oregon, Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart and Jalen Milroe from Alabama. So, let’s take a look at how they, and other prospects who fit Las Vegas’ needs, performed on Tuesday.

Quarterbacks

It felt like the coaching staff had the training wheels on Dart and Milroe today. The staff was working heavily with those two on their footwork from under center, limiting their reps during the competition periods. That makes sense since both are shotgun quarterbacks who have accuracy issues tied to their footwork.

To no surprise, Dart and Milroe also missed a handful of throws as they work to master the technique. While it’s noteworthy, it shouldn’t be too alarming as quarterbacks can often struggle to begin the Senior Bowl. For example, Bo Nix and Michael Penix Jr. fought through struggles last year and performed well during the season, especially Nix.

Somewhat by default, that led to Gabriel being the most impressive passer from Mobile on Day 1. He showed off his impressive accuracy, making a handful of layered throws between the second and third levels of the defense. However, his lack of size is apparent—measuring in at 5-foot-10.5—and being on the same team as 6-foot-5 Tyler Shough and 6-foot-4 Taylor Elgersma doesn’t do Gabriel any favors.

Jeffrey Bassa

I spent most of the day paying close attention to the defensive line, but Bassa was impossible to ignore and deserving of his own section. He was constantly around the ball and showed some impressive makeup speed in coverage during the one-on-ones. According to Zebra Technologies, he was the fastest linebacker and tight end during the National Team’s first practice, registering a top speed of over 20 MPH.

The Oregon product has a background as a former safety and solid instincts against the run. He’s what the Raiders were hoping to get when the team drafted Divine Deablo, but Bassa has more experience and upside as a linebacker to be a good Day 2 target.

Defensive Tackles

Deone Walker had a handful of quality reps that floated around on social media, but don’t be fooled. Walker struggled to stay in his gap against double teams and continues to have issues with his pad level. He’s too big (6-foot-7 and 340 pounds) and strong to get pushed around as much as he does. Also, the Kentucky product didn’t show much in the one-on-one pass-rush drills, even against competition from smaller schools.

Tennessee’s Omarr Norman-Lott is more of a 3-technique and thus, may not fit an immediate need in Las Vegas with Christian Wilkins in the fold. But Norman-Lott’s get-off was impossible to ignore as he was disruptive and got penetration several times on Tuesday. The former Volunteer is a bit of a project, so he could be a good candidate to sit behind Wilkins for a year or two if the Raiders’ new front office is interested.

The Silver and Black could use a gap-filling nose tackle immediately. One player to keep an eye on for that role is Iowa’s Yayha Black. His size (nearly 6-foot-6 and 337 pounds with 35-inch arms) immediately stands out, and he had a handful of quality reps as a run defender on Tuesday. Black also showed a few nice bull-rushes to start the week strong and put himself on the radar.

Cornerback

The most notable corner of the day was Trey Amos from Ole Miss. He measured in at nearly 6-foot-0.5 and 195 pounds with 32-inch arms and had several quality reps in the one-on-ones. The former Rebel could be a good second-round target for the Silver and Black to add more competition to the position group.

Quincy Riley (5-foot-10.5) from Louisville and Western Kentucky’s Upton Stout (5-foot-8) also had strong performances. But those two are on the shorter side and might get pigeon-holed into a nickel cornerback role at the next level.

Overall, there weren’t many notable performances from the cornerbacks on the first day of practice.

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I’ll be back with another recap tomorrow, focusing on the linebackers and running backs while also keeping a closer eye on the defensive backs.