Senior Bowl notes: Is Bo Nix like a ‘young Drew Lock’?

MOBILE, Ala. — As usual, the Senior Bowl practice reveals draft talent to be found …

NOTABLE STANDOUTS ON THE NATIONAL TEAM AT SENIOR BOWL PRACTICE

WR DEVONTEZ WALKER, NORTH CAORLINA

One player had me thinking of the singer Sade on Tuesday, and that was Walker because he’s such a “smooth operator.” My first note of the day was about Walker, and I would take many more after I jotted down “14 fights for the catch, diving, PI too.”

Walker immediately jumped out because of his “my ball” mentality and because he was able to secure a catch while diving and getting interfered with. He plays larger than his size, and I like the way he used his frame to give his quarterback the largest possible target. It’s clear, Walker is already a nuanced receiver.

RB MARSHAWN LLOYD, USC

I’ve already connected the Denver Broncos to Lloyd in my “state of the roster” article about running backs because I think he’d be a perfect Day 3 selection for them in the 2024 NFL draft. I still believe he’s going to be a mid-round pick, but after his performance on Tuesday that might change. Lloyd showcased his ability as a receiver out of the backfield, and he had some good runs as well.

Sure, there’s no live tackling to the ground, but you can tell how a player moves with ease through traffic and project what runs would have resulted in. Most importantly, Lloyd was outstanding in backs-on-backers where he showed he was further ahead in pass-protection ability than some may have been giving him credit for.

A product of @uscfb, RB @m_lloyd_2 had a stellar day. On this handoff from Michael Penix Jr., he reads the developing hole well and has a nice little jump cut that kept defenders off-balance. Lloyd is one of @CecilLammey’s favorites here. pic.twitter.com/StX86COCrD

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) January 31, 2024

CB MAX MELTON, RUTGERS

The Broncos need more team speed, so it’s easy to see why Melton could be a great addition – he’s freaky fast. The Senior Bowl uses Zebra Technologies that tracks each player with a GPS signal. That data can be quite interesting to note, but I didn’t need to see the numbers to know Melton is fast. He clocked in at 20.96 MPH on Tuesday, the fastest cornerback in practice. With the naked eye, Melton moves fast, thinks fast, and he plays fast. He’s physically fast, but I like the way he looks mentally fast as well and stays ahead of plays.

QB BO NIX, OREGON

I thought we were watching a young Drew Lock when Bo Nix was throwing passes in practice. He certainly has arm arrogance, but he lacks the cannon that Lock possesses. This means Nix may have bad mechanics (mostly throwing off his back foot) but doesn’t fit the ball into as many tight windows.

Bo Nix was making too many off-platform throws on Tuesday. When he connects, it looks good, but when passes are off the mark I go back to the bad mechanics.

I see some bad habits as a passer, mainly related to his footwork. The timing wasn’t there with his receivers, but that could come with time as the week goes on. I was hoping to see Bo Nix take over the way guys like Carson Wentz and Baker Mayfield did years ago.

NOTABLE STANDOUTS AMERICAN TEAM

TE JARED WILEY, TCU

The Broncos need a playmaker at the tight end position, and Wiley would fit the bill. He looks like a wide receiver out there playing tight end. My first note on Wiley read “19 tap catch to himself.” On an out route, Wiley had a pass come in too far in front of him. Rather than reach for the ball and not secure the catch, or merely not even try to make the grab, Wiley used one hand to tap the ball to himself where he secured the catch and then kept two feet inbounds. That was not his only big play as a receiver, but it was his best of the day. I look forward to seeing him shine again on Wednesday.

EDGE CEDRIC JOHNSON, MISSISSIPPI

I liked Eyabi Okie-Anoma (Charlotte) a few days ago at the East-West Shrine Bowl practices, and I was getting some of the same vibes from Johnson when it came to getting after the quarterback. It’s rare when a college player can stack moves, but Johnson shows the ability to do that. Most players have one move. Many players have more than one move. The players who can be special in the NFL have the ability to quickly go from one move (when it doesn’t work) to another. Johnson is that guy.

S JAYLIN SIMPSON, AUBURN

We could see some changes coming to the safety position in Denver, so they need to be ready by drafting more talented players at the position. Simpson is a player who can roam the field and make plays in coverage. At times, I thought I was watching a large cornerback play rather than a safety. He’s got ball skills, and Simpson has the length to regularly knock passes away.

QB MICHAEL PRATT, TULANE

I think the best quarterback overall was someone I was not expecting it to be. Pratt was the best overall because he was not bad at any one thing. He wasn’t the best at what quarterbacks were asked to do, but Pratt did not show any major concerns. Pratt can use multipe arm angles to get rid of the ball, including a downward motion. It may not look great, but the ball still gets there. In fact, there was a batted pass at the line that still found the mark down the sideline. Pratt doesn’t have the strongest arm, but that pass pushed through to his receiver. It probably helped that the pass went to Pratt’s college teammate WR Jha’Quan Jackson.

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