Van Jefferson, Lamical Perine Named Senior Bowl Practice Players of the Week

Former Florida Gators running back Lamical Perine and wide receiver Van Jefferson have been honored for their play during the 2020 Senior Bowl.

MOBILE, Ala - Former Florida Gators' running back Lamical Perine and wide receiver Van Jefferson have been named the Senior Bowl South team players of the week at their position, director Jim Nagy announced on Friday.

In all three days of practice, Jefferson consistently stood out in both one-on-one and team drills, given his route running prowess and good hands. Jefferson primarily served as an outside receiver during the week, and thrived running short-to-intermediate routes, getting open early and often to become each South team quarterback's favorite option.

Jefferson also contributed deep on occasion but dealt with some overthrows that ended up going incomplete as well. Notably, Jefferson made an impressive catch on a deep post route in double coverage during Wednesday's practice, which riled up the crowd of scouts, coaches, media, and fans alike.

"This is a big experience, a great moment, and I'm blessed to be here, but at the same time, I know what I'm here to do, Jefferson told GatorMaven during the week. "I'm taking in all of this experience because you don't get to do this often. You only get to do this once in a lifetime, so I'm happy to be here."

Perine didn't post the same production as Jefferson during the week, but that's a given when you consider the atmosphere. Tackling to the ground isn't permitted in practice, and run plays are typically called dead shortly after the running back clears the hole to prevent a big hit and potential injury.

However, Perine still showed some explosion through the hole on some running attempts, and caught some passes in team drills as well. His efforts earned attention from NFL scouts, with a Philadelphia Eagles scout meeting with Perine for about 15 minutes following the third South team practice.

"There's a lot of great running backs here [at the Senior Bowl], everybody has different traits," Perine said. "But I feel like I'm balanced, and I can do everything you want me to."

Jefferson and Perine, joined by fellow former Gators wide receiver Tyrie Cleveland and defensive ends Jonathan Greenard and Jabari Zuniga, will play in the annual Senior Bowl on Saturday at 2:30 P.M., which you can watch on NFL Network.