A windy first day of Senior Bowl practice has left the football world with many takes to fire off and a lot of them had to do with one certain LSU Tiger.
Neil Farrell Jr. did not return home to Mobile, Alabama to waste any reps. He got to work as soon as they let him make contact with the people lined up in front of him. He showcased his burst off the line and went straight to violence. His bull rush play style worked well for him during practice, with a ton of one-on-one drills for Day 1. He looked ready to go from the jump, hyping himself up before warm-ups and after big plays. You could tell that the moment was not lost on him. His best rep was against Tennessee offensive lineman Cade Mays. He got Mays into an uncomfortable position by getting low and getting to his spot FAST. It was an immediate won rep for Farrell.
A couple of former teammates shared their thoughts in the quote tweets of a video I posted to show their support.
Damone Clark also showed out on the first day of practices. Overall, the defense for the American team really dominated all practice. That, of course, is something that does not bode well for LSU OL Ed Ingram. Clark closed out a three play run for the defense that finished a series of three straight tackles for losses. Clark showed what we have come to expect from him in Baton Rouge. He is a super smart player that tackles extremely well, and sets himself up for success before the play even begins. His coverage is still spotty at times, but he’s usually able to recover really well.
He was one of the players made available to media after practice. He gave credit for his improved play this season to former LBs coach Blake Baker yet again, following the theme that we saw from linebackers throughout the season. Baker is now the safeties coach for the Missouri Tigers. He spoke well of his time at LSU and having to be a leader for both LSU’s defense and the rest of the National team.
“I’ve been trained for this. I had guys in front of me like Devin White and Patrick Queen. Those guys showed me the way when I was a young pup, and now it’s my time.”
Outside of the LSU guys, there were a couple of people who really stood out to me. Of course, everyone is curious about the QBs. Most of the top guys in this draft are out here competing for the attention of the media. While no one was perfect in my eyes, there were two guys that stood out more than the rest of the group. Malik Willis and Sam Howell both were fairly consistent, and had the best flashes of the day. I’m curious to see how they improve throughout the week, as they will only gain better chemistry with their receivers as they continue to play with them. Trevor Penning, offensive tackle out of Northern Iowa, is a guy whose name keeps coming up in draft circles that I just haven’t been able to watch. He had a very solid day and looked like he belonged the most out of any offensive tackle in attendance.
This was mainly a warm-up and ramp-up day for both teams, I’m excited to see practices open up more throughout the week.