Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Senior Bowl Day 3: Marshawn Lloyd, Ray Davis Showing Out as Pass-Catchers

Starting point is 00:00:00 The running backs took over on the final day of senior bowl practice. Let's get to it. You are locked on Colts, your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. All right. What's up, my nerds? Thanks for tuning in and making us your first listen of the day. This is your daily podcast covering your Indianapolis Colts, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day.

Starting point is 00:00:45 And today's show is brought to you by LinkedIn Jobs, which helps you find the qualified candidates that you want to talk to faster. Post your job for free at linkedin.com slash locked on NFL. That's linkedin.com slash locked on NFL to post your job for free. Terms and conditions apply. What's up, everybody? This is Jake Arthur from horseshoehuddle.com. I'm coming at you with a little mini-sode today. We're going to wrap up the final day of Senior Bowl practice.

Starting point is 00:01:12 The National and American teams wrapping things up. Their third day today, Thursday. They will have a day off on Friday. I believe the team's going to like some community outreach, community service things. And then the game will be on Saturday, 12 central one Eastern. So the culmination of all this work this week, we'll you guys will all be able to watch it. I think it's probably on NFL network. So I'll go ahead and just run through what kind of the high points on offense and defense today, and then give you a little programming update of what you guys can expect from us the next couple of days leading into the, the, the senior bowl. So first up on offense, one thing I really noticed,

Starting point is 00:01:55 Michael Penix is someone I've been paying close attention to just because, you know, he had that really rough end to his season in the final game, you know, on the biggest stage possible after having some really big performances throughout the season and then in a college football playoff. But he's kind of been scattershot. His accuracy has been kind of iffy. Now, all these quarterbacks and pass catchers, they're getting used to each other. You know, sometimes it just takes time to get on the same page and get chemistry with these guys, especially when you're trying to learn.

Starting point is 00:02:33 You're getting together with a basic offense that relies on a lot of yards after catch and just guys being in the exact same right spot. So I don't totally hold it against a lot of these quarterbacks when it comes to the accuracy. Now, if there's arm strength issues issues or just like not seeing the field whatsoever, that's a problem. But Pennix has never had issues with his arm strength. But today they did a lot of red zone drills during the 11 on 11s. And I thought Pennix really stood out. Not only when there was pressure coming, he was able to flush out by time and find open receivers. But the red zone is, it's a really hard area for quarterbacks to succeed in the passing game. And Penix did really well there.

Starting point is 00:03:11 He had a couple short touchdowns. One to Dylan Loeb, the New Hampshire running back, and then another to Rice wide receiver Dylan McCaffrey, who no one knows anything about that guy's family. Definitely no other famous people whatsoever. But no, Penix was really good. On the flip side of that, Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman, if you guys followed coverage today at all, he struggled a little bit. And by a little bit, I mean a lot of it.

Starting point is 00:03:37 Especially, like I mentioned, the red zone is not an easy area for quarterbacks to succeed. His accuracy was just not great. There were times, especially he was rolling out and getting rid of the ball and his arm strength really waned and it just did not get where it needed to go. The rest of the quarterbacks were kind of just a decent mix. You know, some guys do some interceptions. It was a routine day overall for a lot of these guys, but those positive and negative were a couple of guys that stood out to me.

Starting point is 00:04:10 It was a bounce back day for UNC wide receiver Tez Walker, which I was really looking for. If you guys listened to Wednesday night's episode, I said his day started out great, but it's like as soon as I tweeted about it, the drops came. Now, he had another couple nice touchdowns in the one-on-ones. He didn't have any outright drops that I noticed today, but he had some really good battles with Notre Dame cornerback Cam Hart. And let's see who else. Cam Hart and Penn State cornerback Kalen King. It was really entertaining to see those matchups

Starting point is 00:04:47 because Walker, he's got some explosive ability to him. He's real shifty. And these cornerbacks, you know, they've got some decent size, and they've got, Cam Hart especially, one of his dings is like being able to change direction and things like that. King is more highly regarded for sure, and he's going to be an early round pick. But I really love watching these guys compete and get after it because

Starting point is 00:05:13 you could tell they're really trying. Like I think a lot of times in one-on-one drills, you just see the defense succumb to the fact that the receiver is probably going to catch the ball. But really, all week, these guys have been really competitive, and they've been really fun drills to watch. If you've seen any of the clips that people have been posting out there on Twitter this week, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. I mentioned McCaffrey briefly. I thought today was his best day.

Starting point is 00:05:42 He's been just kind of a guy, very pedestrian to me so far this week. I haven't really noticed anything positive or negative. He just wasn't standing out. He was just there. He was doing his job, but nothing spectacular about it. Today, I really noticed him. First, there was during one-on-one drills, he was going up for a fade route along the left side. The quarterback throws it up. The corner totally bumped him off of his route, rerouted him when he bumped him like that, but he still managed to come down with the ball as he was kind of stumbling and falling down into the end zone. So that was a really impressive catch. And then like I mentioned earlier, he had another one in the back of the end zone from Pennix. So a couple touchdowns on the day for McCaffrey. Big couple weeks for his family coming

Starting point is 00:06:31 up. It's going to be important. I hate to keep harping on some of the negatives. We'll get to more positives here in a minute. I've been generally underwhelmed by the tight end group this week, but there have been a couple of guys that have stood out. Penn State tight end Theo Johnson has done some really good things. He's made nice catches. He's boxed out and used his body to shield defenders away from him. He's also been able to get some separation. And Michigan tight end A.J. Barner, I thought he had a really nice day today as well. Just winning some of those one-on-one reps. And I think he even had a touchdown, a short touchdown on kind of the very shallow red zone near goal line drills.

Starting point is 00:07:16 So it was a good day for those guys as well. The running backs, though, they are really the ones that kind of took my attention today. None of these guys are necessarily known for their pass-catching prowess. Maybe Dylan Loeb already, the New Hampshire running back. But I have been really impressed with not only this group kind of checking off something that people have questions about, but they're doing it in a spectacular fashion. USC running back Marshawn Lloyd today. He had a really nice one where he jumped up over a defender in the back of the end zone and came down with it.

Starting point is 00:07:56 He had a really nice run where he showed that guy can break tackles. Everybody knows that about him, but it wasn't just his power. It was his agility and elusiveness that he really put on display there. He had a few really nice plays today. Kentucky running back Ray Davis definitely is going to be a draft crush of mine. That guy just makes really, like really great catches day in and day out. Did it again today. Caught things so seamlessly. He caught this little wheel route today that it just looks so effortless for him. Again, another couple nice runs. New Hampshire running back Dylan Loeb. That's a guy who's getting a lot of attention despite being from

Starting point is 00:08:37 a small school. Yesterday was media day and I was planning on talking to him at some point, but the guy had a scrum the entire time he was in there. There was not a time where there wasn't five people trying to talk to this guy. So he's had a really good senior bowl week. And despite being, you know, a small school white running back, you know, that's not very common. I think he's going to get a lot of attention as the draft cycle continues. And if he has a really big combine, I think that'll kind of heat up as well. And then Troy running back, Kamani Vidal, he had a pretty big day as well. The Marshall running back, Ali, unfortunately, he had to leave the Senior Bowl.

Starting point is 00:09:24 It's escaping me who said this. I think it was maybe Matt Miller from ESPN. But he had like a ruptured bicep or something along those lines. He suffered an injury that's going to cause him to miss quite a bit of time. He's going to miss the entire pre-draft process. But I want to make sure I mention he's had a great week. He's someone I've really been impressed with throughout the week. It's incredibly unfortunate that this is how his senior bowl and pre-draft process ends. But that unfortunately is the name of the game

Starting point is 00:09:57 sometimes. And I mean, at least he got to show what he could do here at the senior bowl rather than just like at the combine. Because if you caught our conversation with Kato June, these evaluators really want to see what guys are doing in an actual competitive football setting rather than just being workout warriors at the Combine. So if he was only going to make it to one thing, he really showed his stuff here in Mobile. So here in a second, we will go ahead and look at the defensive side of the ball. At the start of the new year, every small business owner is asking themselves the same question. What's the one move I can make that'll take my business to the next level? LinkedIn Jobs knows that your success all depends on the team that you surround yourself with.

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Starting point is 00:11:11 that it's hard to have the time and resources to actually do the hiring, which is such a critical part of business operations. But luckily, with LinkedIn, the process is intuitive, quick, and easy. So go post your job for free at LinkedInin.com slash locked on NFL. That's linkedin.com slash locked on NFL to post your job for free. Terms and conditions apply. All right. Defensively, a big theme for me today for these guys was in the passing game, particularly the back seven. These guys were chomping at the bit they were competitive they were attacking the ball they tried to make nothing easy for the receivers and tight ends whatsoever uh and again i mentioned the back seven because i was really impressed with the linebackers

Starting point is 00:12:00 and they were jumping routes they were staying active when the ball was in the air whether it was a tip pass or whatever they were trying to get to it they weren't just trying to get to the potential receiver they were trying to disrupt the pass and that that seems so duh i'm sure but a lot of guys don't do that they're very passive they let they let things come to them instead of being proactive and making a play on the ball and being disruptive. And this is a group out here in Mobile right now that these guys are being taught right. It's just a really disruptive group of guys in pass coverage. And if you're looking at this from a Colts perspective, they really need that, especially from the linebacker core. So we're looking at Notre Dame linebacker J.D. Bertrand.

Starting point is 00:12:47 He jumped a short little route for a pass breakup today. Oregon safety Evan Williams did the same thing. Penn State cornerback Kalen King had a really nice pass breakup where the quarterback threw the ball just way too high towards the left sideline. And King flew up for a pass break. If it was a really athletic play, it's going to show a guy that's probably going to jump out of the gym in India at the combine. Oregon quarterback Kyrie Jackson also had a pass breakup against his Oregon quarterback Bo Nix, who was intended for Tez Walker. It's funny because during his Senior Bowl media availability, his introductory press conference,

Starting point is 00:13:32 Bo Nix was talking about how Jackson just never shuts up in practice. And that's a guy that, you know, he can get under your skin in practice. It's a guy that, like, gets the competitive juices flowing out of you. So I really like to see college teammates going at it against each other in a setting like this. I'm sure it kind of makes things a little more entertaining for them as well. The Georgia safeties have really been impressing me as well. I talked about Bullard last night, but Tykee Smith got an interception today off of a tip pass over the middle. That was from Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt. And this next guy, another linebacker, not his first

Starting point is 00:14:12 interception of the week. Jackson Sermon got another interception, and this one was even more impressive to me than the first one earlier in the week. So this one came from Joe Milton, who everyone knows has just a rocket arm. He threw this really quick pass along the right hash, maybe 7 to 10 yards downfield. And again, it had some heat on it, but Sermon was right there to just snag it right out of the air. Like a lot of linebackers, they have bricks for hands, and it's just going to bounce off. But he showed really soft hands. And the fact that he's got two picks just this week makes me think that, I mean,

Starting point is 00:14:48 you got to look at his movement skills and how he's going to be able to change direction and his range and things like that. But at least within the box, if a ball comes at him, that guy's probably coming down with it nine times out of 10. So that is something that I think that's a big box that he checked this week. And if he goes out to Indy for the combine and runs well in his agility and mobility drills are really good. That's a guy whose stock could really end up moving forward.

Starting point is 00:15:15 I think, uh, let's see who else did some nice things today. That was, I mean, defensively, that was about it. It was, I was just really impressed with those guys' ability to attack. You know, you're looking at a guy, if you're looking at one of my favorites from the week, someone who has been positive every single day, someone I really look forward to watching is the Toledo corner, Quinion Mitchell from the national team. Now, unfortunately, Roman Wilson and Ricky Pearsall have both checked out of Mobile. You know, they mission accomplished for them. They're no longer there. Those were fun matchups

Starting point is 00:15:51 to watch because those were really the two best receivers for the national team. And Mitchell was probably the best corner on both teams throughout the week. So those were really good to watch. So the competition level for Mitchell went down quite a bit on day three. But I think all three of those guys really stamped their impact on the week. So coming up, I'll let you guys know, again, I mentioned kind of a programming update, what our coverage of the Senior Bowl and stuff is going to look like over the next few days. Happy, happy Super Bowl to all who celebrate from FanDuel, America's number one sportsbook. If you're like me, Super Bowl Sunday is all about scoring the best seat on the couch, grabbing your favorite snacks, and placing some super bets. FanDuel has so many ways for you to end the season with a dub or two or three, depending on how many bets you want to put together. And not only can you bet on who's going to win Super Bowl 58, but FanDuel also has

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Starting point is 00:17:21 if your first bet of $5 or more wins. Just visit FanDuel.com slash locked on to sign up. That's FanDuel.com slash locked on. Make every moment more with FanDuel, an official sportsbook partner of the NFL. Okie dokie, everyone. So again, Thursday, last day of practice. Friday, everybody's off. Saturday afternoon will be the game.

Starting point is 00:17:44 Stay tuned here for the rest of the week. I've got all my interviews that I've done for the week up. We didn't get to have as many today after American practice. It was weird. A lot of the players were off, away from the boundary, talking to scouts and things like that. So not as many interviews today. But I did go and I spoke with Utah defense back

Starting point is 00:18:05 Sione Vaki. He didn't cross paths with Julian Blackman at Utah, but you could tell that Blackman left a really big impact behind because Vaki really looks up to him. And he actually told me, he's like, Hey, if the Colts want to pick me up so I can keep learning from Julian, that would be awesome. So go check that out. That's in our feed. Now it's a couple minutes. Well worth your time. That's a guy I'm really keen on in this draft cycle. If you haven't already again, check that out, that went out with Vaki. I also got some other one-on-ones this week. Colts assistant linebackers coach Kato June,

Starting point is 00:18:40 Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall who had a great week. Miami safety Cameron Kitchens had a great week. There's some other ones. I put up some press conference footage, some scrum footage of other guys. So those are really good. Some of those guys had some really good things to say. So you want to check that out and learn yourself some more about these draft prospects. Because I know I've learned a ton this week.

Starting point is 00:19:03 I feel a lot better about my draft study going, you know, over the next few months now, tomorrow morning, Friday morning, Shad McGinnis and I, a friend of the show, you guys know him. He was just on with Zach recently. He was down here in Mobile all week as well. Shad and I are going to go live for you guys to break down our biggest takeaways from the senior bowl. Guys who really helped their stock, maybe guys who we expected more from,

Starting point is 00:19:31 guys who we really, really like as fits for the Colts. If you're in here, leave comments now, leave us questions for us to answer for you guys tomorrow. Anything you want to know about the senior bowl, if there was, I know I didn't talk a lot about linemen throughout the week. I'm kind of saving it all as a compilation for tomorrow. So if you guys have questions about the Senior Bowl, let us know. We'll get those answered for you. Again, the game is on Saturday, 12 p.m. Central, 1 p.m. Eastern. Zach and I are actually going to go live after the game, just like we would with a Colts game to give you a wrap up. I know you guys haven't heard Zach's thoughts on the senior bowl yet, or the players that are there.

Starting point is 00:20:10 So he'll give you some of his thoughts as well. That'll be good to see. So that's about it guys. If you don't already follow at locked on Colts at Jake Arthur, NFL and at Zach Hicks too on Twitter. Also be sure to subscribe on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts. We would love your ratings and reviews as well because that helps us immensely.

Starting point is 00:20:30 And with that, we will see you guys tomorrow.

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Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Senior Bowl Day 3: Marshawn Lloyd, Ray Davis Showing Out as Pass-Catchers

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