Day 2 of practice at the Senior Bowl in Mobile is in the books. It was a slightly warmer day that got into the 50s, but as the sun went down near the end of the second practice at 5 p.m., it felt like temperatures were back in the lower 40s. It was still an eventful day of practice with a lot to analyze.
* The North team, led by Matt Patricia's Detroit Lions staff practiced first. For the second straight day they ran 9 on 7 drills, which gives a good taste of physical play up front. The Bengals staff put the south team through 9 on 7 drills on Wednesday too. These drills feature the quarterback, running back and seven blockers against the front seven on the defense. I'll try to review those sessions on video for my end of week report.
* After focusing on the offensive and defensive lines on Tuesday, I watched a lot more of the skill position players on the second day of practice. For the North Team, wide receiver KJ Hill from Ohio State continues to impress. At 6'0 and 192 pounds, he isn't showing the explosiveness that former teammate Terry McLaurin showed at last year's Senior Bowl but he runs good routes and consistently creates separation for catch opportunities.
* James Proche out of Southern Methodist is an interesting player. At 5'10 and 196 pounds he lacks upper echelon size, but he more than makes up for it with speed. He has speed and quickness from the slot, and creates separation at the top of his route. Despite his height, he made a nice contested leaping catch down the field. He did fumble on a punt return later on.
* Antonio Gandy-Golden out of Liberty made plays for the second straight day. At 6'3 and 222 pounds, he is able to separate over the top. He's made a number of big plays and was effective in blocking drills. His day was only marred when he short armed and dropped a deep pass that hit him perfectly in stride down the sideline.
* Denzel Mims, a 6'2 and 206 pound receiver from Baylor, made one of the best plays of the day, a jumping contested catch down the sideline on a deep ball. His size and ability to make plays in contested areas looks like his top skill.
* I understand why some people consider Utah State Jordan Love a first-round quarterback. He makes some special throws and has put the ball where he wants most of the time. I look forward to watching him in more detail between the Senior Bowl and the draft.
* On defense, Michigan linebacker Joshua Uche had a nice day. He is good around the line of scrimmage and has flashed the ability to rush the passer and stop the run. Jason Strowbridge had two deflected passes at the line of scrimmage. Of the cornerbacks, Notre Dame's Troy Pride Jr. showed speed and the ability to mirror in coverage down the field.
* The star of the day a practice, however, was on the South Team. Van Jefferson, a 6'1 and 197-pound receiver out of Florida, was dominant. He made catches all over the field, including deep routes, patterns of the middle and contested catches. He is sudden and deceptive at the top of the route and routinely generates a lot of separation. He made a great concentration catch, tipping a ball to himself two or three times before hauling it in down the field. He's probably been the most productive wide receiver in Mobile so far this week.
* I was excited to see speedy Texas wide receiver Devin Duvernay this week, but it has been his teammate Collin Johnson that has made more plays. At 6'5 and 221 pounds, Johnson has made long catches down the field and has elevated to make contested catches in the air.
* Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert looks the part, and can do everything you want a quarterback to do from a physical standpoint. He stands at 6'6 and 227 pounds, can run it, and has the arm to make all the throws.
* Two players on the South Team managed interceptions during practice. Clemson safety K'von Wallace was given a gift when Colorado's Steven Montez's pass floated in the air right to him in the middle of the field. The other interception came from Division 2 Lenoir Rhyne's Kyle Dugger who undercut a crossing route in the middle of the field for an interception.
* Due to impending rain on Thursday, practice has been moved to the indoor facility of the University of Southern Alabama. We will have coverage on Giants.com.
