*NFL Network's experts assess the performances at Senior Bowl practice: *
Mike Mayock loves Lamp.
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The NFL Network analyst has an early favorite in the draft process, and it is offensive lineman Forrest Lamp out of Western Kentucky. The NFL community is gathered in Mobile, Ala., this week to scout players like Lamp at the 2017 Reese's Senior Bowl, a showcase of college football's top outgoing seniors.
The first of three practices kicked off yesterday leading up to Saturday's North vs. South game, which will be played at Ladd-Peebles Stadium (2:30 p.m. ET, NFL Network).
"The best single tape in the last five years that I've seen against Alabama's defensive front was Lamp's," Mayock said after Tuesday's practice. "When they measured him here in the morning, his arm length was just over 30 inches. That's short, and a reason why there's so much talk about moving him inside to guard, perhaps even center. He reminds me of Zack Martin or Joel Bitonio -- guys who were dominating left tackles in college but got kicked inside in the NFL, and still remained really good players. He had a very solid day."
Lamp wasn't the only one to shine on Day 1 of Senior Bowl Week. Here are the other prospects who stood out to Mayock:
Cooper Kupp, WR, Eastern Washington
Mayock: "I like this kid. He had 22 catches, including six touchdowns, against two Pac-12 teams in his college career at EWU. He can play at any level; don't let the small school fool you. What I saw on tape is what I saw Tuesday. He's fast. He won deep, he won shallow, he beat press coverage. He can win at all three levels. And he gets it. I think he's going to play and play well very early in his NFL career."
Dan Feeney, OL, Indiana
Mayock: "Feeney and Lamp will both be in the conversation of who's going to be the No. 1 interior offensive lineman in this draft. I'm going to have fun watching them compete all week. They certainly competed in their first practice here. Going into the season, many had Feeney as the No. 1 interior offensive lineman, but when he got back from an early season concussion, he was moved to tackle and played out of position, so there's mixed opinions on him among scouts. But he had a solid start to this week, especially when he shot his hands inside."
Tanoh Kpassagnon, DE, Villanova
Mayock: "He's really fascinating to me. There was a buzz around him in the scouting community before this week and I think it will pick up even more steam coming out. He was impressive in the morning weigh-in with a ready-made NFL body. And he competed at a high level when he hit the field. When you come from a small school like Villanova you have something to prove, and he did on Day 1 with his effort and toughness. He's raw but has a lot of upside."
Montravius Adams, DT, Auburn
Mayock: "When he keeps his pad level down he can be a monster inside. You don't see many people with that size with those type of movement skills. He's got superior short-area quickness and comes off the ball both in the run and the pass game. In the one-on-one drills, nobody could block him on Day 1. He was dominant."
Meanwhile, the consensus MVP of the day was Alabama tight end O.J. Howard, according to the NFL Network crew.
"I thought he was the best player on the field, if you look at either [North or South] practice," said Daniel Jeremiah, a former NFL scout. "He was outstanding, several one-handed catches, just everything he does is smooth and easy. He had an outstanding day."
