Senior Bowl Practice Review: Day 2 National Quarterbacks
After an up and down first day that saw none of the National Team’s signal-callers stand out, all three looked to bounce back on Wednesday. The second day saw them compete in seven-on-seven drills, as well as full team reps. They were also asked to throw to the receivers in the defensive back versus wide receivers during one-on-ones.
Sam Ehlinger, QB, Texas
A late deep pass down the sideline to Cade Johnson of South Dakota State, which he snagged one-handed, was the highlight of Ehlinger’s day. The Texas product threw a quick out to D’Wayne Eskridge, showing some anticipation in seven on seven’s. Beyond that, he had more downs than ups, as he fumbled a snap in the shotgun and had two bad misses on deep passes where his receivers had more than a step of separation. In team drills, Ehlinger hung in the pocket for a very long time and took two sacks. He will need to turn it around quickly, if he wants to see his stock rise after the Senior Bowl.
Feleipe Franks, QB, Arkansas
The former Arkansas signal-caller did a better job of putting his arm talent on display on the second day of practices, as he drove a quick out to the field on a line. In one-on-one, he was once again able to throw the football to leverage and has no problem pushing the ball deep. Franks really struggled in team drills, taking four sacks on four dropbacks, while holding onto the football way too long. Boston College tight end Hunter Long gained separation on a corner route but Franks was unable to hit him, underthrowing his target by a couple of yards. A fumbled snap under center will leave a sour taste in the mouth of some evaluators. The good news is that Senior Bowl week is just that, a week. Franks still has time to turn it around and become more consistent.
Ian Book, QB, Notre Dame
Notre Dame’s quarterback Ian Book was the most consistent of the group on day one and this theme carried over to Wednesday. He only took one sack in team drills, trying to extend but was able to process rather quickly and dump the ball off underneath for the rest of the time. Book underthrew a deep pass during the eleven-on-eleven portion of practice that should have been intercepted but was dropped and later redeemed himself with a well placed vertical pass to his teammate Ben Skowronek, who was unable to secure the catch. The man who led Notre Dame to the playoff dropped a couple of deep passes in the bucket in one-on-one’s but also had a bad miss to the intermediate left.
*Be sure to check back throughout the week for our exclusive coverage of the Reese’s 2021 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. For more in-depth scouting reports, be sure to reserve your copy of the 2021 NFL Draft Bible Publication!
