It was the last day of Senior Bowl practices in Mobile, Alabama. It was an exciting week and very informative to get a chance to watch so many players up-close and talk to more than 25 one-on-one. You can hear those interviews on the Giants Huddle podcast in three episodes on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Before breaking down the final day of practice, I want to thank Jim Nagy, Molly Middleton and the entire Senior Bowl communications teams for a great week of practice, access, and interviews. Fantastic job by them.

Here's what I saw from the sideline. As always, opinions are my own.

* Some players decided not to participate in practice on Thursday, including Shemar Stewart, Donovan Ezeiruaku, Deone Walker, Mike Green and Dorian Strong. Some players were brought in to replace them on the roster like Minnesota edge rusher Danny Striggow.

* The final day of practice takes place just two days before the game and is always a bit lighter in terms of length and full contact to make sure players are ready for Saturday's game. The National players, however, were juiced up. You could tell the players had built up some competitive fire going against the other side throughout the week. Players were chippy and there was a lot of chirping between the National offense and defense throughout.

* It was especially obvious in the trenches during one-on-one drills where a small scuffle almost broke out between players after some reps. The defense generally got the better of the matchups. Here are a couple more names beyond the obvious and those I've spoken about before that flashed today. Toledo defensive tackle Darius Alexander (6-3.5, 304, 34-inch arms) was getting up-field and past the offensive linemen using a combination of burst, power and a sweet rip move to work towards the quarterback. Aeneas Peebles (6-0, 289) from Virginia Tech, Junior Tafuna (6-3, 303) from Utah, and Joshua Farmer (6-3, 314) from Florida State also had their moments.

* On the edge, despite not looking the part, Central Arkansas' David Walker continued to win reps lining up inside and over the offensive tackle. He is only 6-0 and 267 pounds with 31.75-inch arms and he is very compact, but he figures out a way to win one-on-one. It will be interesting to see how teams decide to fit him into their defensive gameplans.

* After fast starts this week, Miami's Jalen Rivers (6-5, 331, 35-inch arms) and N.C. State's Anthony Belton (6-5.5, 345, 34.5-inch arms) were less consistent today. Rivers has played guard and tackle, while Belton has primarily been at tackle. West Virginia's Wyatt Millum (6-6.25, 315, 32.5-inch arms) took snaps at tackle and guard this week, but was much more effective playing the latter. Meanwhile, Nebraska's Ty Robinson and Arkansas' Landon Jackson had more success after slow starts on the first day of practice. UCLA's Oluwafemi Oladejo (6-2.75, 261, 33.5-inch arms) continued to win rushing from the inside and outside.

* Quarterback Dillon Gabriel is doing a cool thing, wearing a helmet with logos from all three teams he played for: Oregon, Oklahoma and UCF.

* In team drills, Oregon's Jamaree Caldwell (6-2, 342) had impressive run stops. Running back Bhayshul Tuten (5-8.75, 211) used his speed to get to the outside on a run. Virginia safety Jonas Sanker, Florida State cornerback Azareye'h Thomas and Illinois State safety Keondre Jackson either played good coverage or knocked a pass away.

* The seven-on-seven action took place in the red zone, where Xavier Restrepo caught a touchdown from Taylor Gabriel, Syracuse running back LeQuint Allen caught another, and Da'Quan Felton pulled down a score on a quick out.

* The National Team worked team red zone drills next, where Miami tight end Elijah Arroyo adjusted his crosser to a zone defense and stopped in a hole in the coverage and made a jumping catch for a touchdown. He was the most exciting tight end in Mobile. A ball that went through the hands of a tight end found its way to Nebraska's Tommi Hill for an interception. Landon Jackson, Oregon linebacker Jeffrey Bassa, Utah's Junior Tafuna and Darius Alexander all registered what looked like potential sacks.

* In the competition portion to close practice, Iowa safety Sebastian Castro had a pass break-up defending Harold Fannin during red zone drills, recovering after getting beat off the line. Anthony Belton and Wyatt Millum won their one-on-one pass protection drills. The practice ended with a three-rep competition between Illinois' Pat Bryant II and Tommi Hill, with Bryant taking the win home with a catch for a touchdown.

* In the American practice, Delaware running back Marcus Yarns continued to show off his athleticism with a deep catch in one on ones beating the tight end. Florida wide receiver Chimere Dike caught a couple passes down the field. TCU wide receiver Jack Bech doesn't wow with traits but catches everything and shows good body control. Geogia wide receiver Arian Smith had a good day with several catches.

* Defensive backs Trey Amos and Billy Bowman Jr., along with linebackers Jack Kiser and Smael Mondon Jr., all had pass break-ups. Ole Miss edge rusher Princely Umanmielen used an outside rush in a team drill to beat the left tackle and knocked the ball away from Jalen Milroe. Georgia Safety Dan Jackson had a big hit separating Bech from the ball on a near long completion down the sideline. UCF cornerback Mac McWilliams punched a ball out and Kansas State cornerback Jacob Parrish had a pass break-up.

* In the final competition of the week, UCF cornerback Brandon Adams prevented Floria receiver Chimere Dike from coming down with a catch. Nebraska tight end Thomas Fidone II caught a corner route for a touchdown. Georgia running back Trevor Etienne beat his teammate Smael Mondon Jr. for a touchdown. Alabama defensive tackle Tim Smith (6-4, 311) got under the pads of Arizona offensive linemen Jonah Savaiinaea and drove him back for a sack. Practice ended with LSU offensive lineman Miles Frazier (6-5.5, 324) stopped Umanmielen on a nasty outside speed rush to seal the win for the offense.