NFL Week 9 FTN Staff Bets
FTN Staff
Every year, top draft prospects from around the nation accept invites to showcase their talents at the Reese’s Senior Bowl. With coaches, scouts and NFL decision-makers present from around the league, players have a fantastic shot at improving their draft stocks as the #TheDraftStartsinMobile. The Jets and Lions coaching staffs will begin their indoctrination to the NFL as they lead the National and American teams.
Our own Ray Garvin, Brett Whitefield, Derek Brown and Chris Wecht from FTN Network and FTN Data will offer their boots-on-the-ground insights from practices and events in Mobile throughout the week.
Check out our pre-Senior Bowl rankings on FTNFantasy.
Senior Bowl Day 3 – Top Takeaways
Romeo Doubs, WR, Nevada
For the second practice in a row, Doubs struggled to get separation and failed to get a clean release off the line. At this point, I am comfortable suggesting this is part of his game he will need to improve. While I still really like him as a prospect, perhaps I am not as bullish as I was coming into the week. Stock down. – Brett Whitefield
Velus Jones Jr, WR, Tennessee
We knew coming into this week that Velus had some wheels, and that has been confirmed. Dude can absolutely fly. What we had not really seen yet was the short area burst and release package that he displayed today. I was blown away by his ability to quickly get off the LOS cleanly. Several reps he got off of press before the DB was even able to put a hand on him. Huge day for one of the older prospects in the draft. Stock up. – Brett Whitefield
Carson Strong, QB, Nevada
Strong’s deep ball was a tough sight to behold for a quarterback with mobility issues and heralded for his arm strength. Strong rifled passes to his receivers today on short and intermediate routes with adequate velocity, but for the second day in a row, when he was tasked with throwing the ball downfield, the ball lofted in the air. The same velocity that showed up on his film hasn’t been present so far. Strong is moving down my prospect board. – Derek Brown
Christian Watson, WR, North Dakota State
Watson has absolutely turned heads both yesterday and today in practice. His performance has easily been one of the most surprising stories of the week thus far. Watson has put on a route-running clinic and has been able to easily generate separation at all levels of the field, against both off and press coverage. Considering the conditions today, his hands were a bright spot among the WR group. – Brett Whitefield
Malik Willis, QB, Liberty
I think today may have been the turning point in which Willis established himself as the guy of this draft class. I can’t speak for everyone, of course, but I can speak for myself and I certainly feel this way. Willis clearly has the most arm talent in this group (it’s not close) and he also just looks, sounds and acts like the alpha-type leader most NFL teams covet in their QB. One of my favorite parts about watching Willis this week has been his willingness to challenge himself on the field with either difficult throws or hanging in the pocket and getting through his progressions. Stock up. – Brett Whitefield
Dameon Pierce, RB, Florida
Pierce was shot out of cannon on rushing attempts and pass routes today. The wiggle that was evident on his tape was present throughout practice. With the rain being a factor for every receiver today, I won’t count some drops against Pierce. He flashed superb chops in pass protection drills and offered the glimmer of a three-down skill set.
Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina
Coming into the week, Howell was my favorite QB in the class. While he hasn’t had many catastrophically bad plays this week, there has been a lot of throw-for-throw inconsistency. On top of that, his demeanor seems very quiet and reserved, almost like he is tired (all the time). Not something I love to see for a guy you would be handing the keys to a franchise over to. Stock down. – Brett Whitefield
Trey McBride, TE, Colorado State
McBride showed off his receiving chops today in a big way. He continues to look fluid in his route-running and has the ability to get separation from whatever defender is tasked with covering him. Despite being a little bit shorter than the other tight ends at the Senior Bowl, he showed the ability to make contested catches today with a defensive back draped all over him. The one knock I saw from McBride was that he struggled in pass blocking, but it seemed like many of the tight ends had issues in that department. Improving in this area will make him a difference-maker along with his already established receiving talents. – Chris Wecht
Jerome Ford, RB, Cincinnati
Ford came into the Senior Bowl as most people’s RB1 of the group, and so far I haven’t seen anything to suggest anyone should take that spot from him. He hits holes fast and rarely goes down on first contact, and when he gets into open space he can run away from the entire defense with his speed. There is a good chance Ford is the fastest running back on the field at the Senior Bowl. – Chris Wecht
Dontario Drummond, WR, Ole Miss
Drummond was a guy I thought would show big and flashy plays given his size and speed, but it just hasn’t been there. He without a doubt can get open and make catches in the short and intermediate part of the field, but he seems to struggle getting open deep for big plays. He was asked to play more of a slot role for Ole Miss this past season, so maybe it is just part of his game that is being worked on and will improve with time. – Chris Wecht
