Salter Draws High Praise, a 'Bounceback Performer' After Day 2 of the Elite 11 Finals

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- Kaidon Salter did not look himself on Monday night during the kickoff round of the 2020 Elite 11 Finals, but that vastly changed on Tuesday night during his pro day outing.
Salter was the 20th participant in the 18-20 throw scripted event, and he impressed to end the more than four-hour-long session. He drew some 'wows' from the crowd and the coaching staff.
Salter scored a 36 during the pro-day, which was best for 6th overall in the event, and he edged out quarterbacks from SEC East Rivals schools in Brock Vandagriff (UGA) and Carlos Del Rio-Wilson (FLA).
Big-time performances tonight at the Pro Day workout of the #Elite11 Finals are led by Ohio State commit Kyle McCord out of St. Joseph’s (Pa.)🏈🎯 pic.twitter.com/oLH3Ws7Mgl
— Brian Stumpf (@Stumpf_Brian) July 1, 2020
He was efficient throughout the drill and drew praise from the Sports Illustrated All-American team for his bounce-back effort. The SIAA team wrote, "Tennessee commitment, Finished one spot out of last place in the Day 1 ranking for SI All-American yesterday, but he answered the call on Tuesday night. Salter came in 6th overall per the official Elite 11 scores, and his consistency was key down the stretch. Salter struggled intermediately at times, but he drove the ball to the third level efficiently. Salter threw the 7-cut to each side well, and was efficient moving in and out of the pocket. The Tennessee commitment was steady all night long. He hit big on the run and outside the numbers and kept a tight spiral well more than not. He looked much more comfortable taking drops and working through his release than the night prior"
Salter moved all the way from 19th to 7th in the Day 2 rankings, which should speak volumes to how well he performed throughout the day. Multiple other quarterbacks performed well enough to hold their place or even gain ground, but no one made a jump like Salter did on the list.
He will be back in competition for Day 3's finale at 10 AM CST in another competition-style setting with a chance to rise even more.

Matt Ray is the publisher of Sports Illustrated-FanNation's Volunteer Country, serving as a beat reporter covering football, recruiting, and occasionally other sports. Matt also is a lead analyst at Sports Illustrated All-American, Sports Illustrated lead authority in high school recruiting coverage. When not at work covering the Tennessee Volunteers or the recruiting trail, Matt enjoys spending time with his wife Destiny traveling the country.