Gators Notes and Quotes from Day 1 of Senior Bowl Practice
MOBILE, Ala -- It was a chilly day at Ladd-Peebles Stadium during the first practice sessions of the 2020 Senior Bowl, but former Florida Gators wide receiver Van Jefferson was anything but cold on the field.
Jefferson, one of five Gators participating in the annual NFL scouting event, received plenty of attention for his performance in shoulder pads and shorts Tuesday, before each team moves to fully padded practice on Wednesday.
In team drills, Jefferson caught two passes - one on a slant route and another on a deep curl - and created plenty of separation for yards after the catch in live situations.
Well-known for his route running abilities, Jefferson was sure to show off his skills in front of NFL scouts, coaches, general managers, and the media alike. His one-on-one drills, as expected, were a sight to see.
"I've been getting great feedback [from NFL teams]," Jefferson told GatorMaven at the Senior Bowl. "I still have a lot more work to do, a lot more to prove, I feel like I'm an underdog, so I've got that underdog mentality to go out there and showcase what I do."
Jefferson is joined in the South team receiver corps, coached by the Cincinnati Bengals and their WR coach Bob Bicknell, by former teammate Tyrie Cleveland. Cleveland, who received a late invitation and flew into Mobile on Monday night, is excited to compete one last time with Jefferson before both ascend to the next level.
"It's great", Cleveland said of playing with Jefferson for one last time before the NFL. "Coming from the same school, playing with each other throughout college, the past two years, Van came and I treated him like a brother, and ever since then we've been getting each other better. We dreamed of times like this, so we've just got to take advantage, and just keep working, competing, and pushing each other.
Notes and quotes
- Cleveland didn't stand out much in the first day of practice, but that was to be expected as he was such a late addition to the roster. He has to wear an ordinary white helmet until a Florida Gators helmet is provided. However, Cleveland worked with the receivers and on special teams as a gunner.
- Former Gators BUCK rush end Jonathan Greenard, who was a weigh-in winner earlier Tuesday morning, spent time with both the defensive line and linebackers during the first team practice. Greenard dropped into coverage on a couple of reps, notably covering former Vanderbilt tight end Jared Pinkney well on multiple plays. In one-on-ones, Greenard exploded well off the line, but was a hair late on a couple of pass rush moves that prevented him from finishing plays.
"[I'm taking in] all of it, all of it in. I've been waiting to get here since I was a little kid," Greenard said during media day.
- On the opposite edge, defensive end Jabari Zuniga had some great moments and an equal amount of reps where it was clear he was rusty. Taking as many if not more reps than any other defensive lineman in one-on-ones, there were times where Zuniga would fly off the line and display nice moves, including a solid dip-and-rip, and then there were reps were Zuniga would get stone-walled and pushed out of the play. During team drills, where he was the starting strong-side DE, Zuniga made an impressive run stop working from his edge position across the line and making a play in the opposite A-gap.
"I obviously didn't have the season that I wanted to," stated Zuniga. "That's the reason why I'm here. In five games, I played two of those games healthy, I just feel like I have so much to prove."
- Running back Lamical Perine has an easy job ahead of him in Mobile, at least as a rusher. It's obvious on a day like Tuesday without lower body pads on, but as a running back, Perine won't see many plays go beyond the line of scrimmage unless he breaks free, as run reps are often called dead early on. Yet, Perine showed solid burst through the hole on inside handoffs and will continue to have NFL eyes on him.
"There's a lot of great running backs here, everybody has different traits," Perine said. "But I feel like I'm balanced, and I can do everything you want me to."
