• Oregon's Jackson Powers-Johnson is the best player thus far: He showed up at 335 pounds, which is big for a center, but he still is fast on his feet with power and patience.
• CB Jarvis Brownlee Jr. is making plays: The Louisville product is playing sticky coverage and making a name for himself through two days at the Senior Bowl.
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Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes
With two days of Senior Bowl practices wrapped up, we’re starting to get a good look at which players will be talked about the most when Senior Bowl week is finished.
Here are PFF’s top performers and standouts from Day 2 of Senior Bowl practices.
C JACKSON POWERS-JOHNSON, OREGON
Powers-Johnson has been the best player at the Senior Bowl through two days. He was one of the top interior offensive linemen going into the week and has not only matched expectations, but exceeded them. He showed up at 335 pounds, which is big for a center, but he still is fast on his feet with power and patience. He feels like a first-round player because of his dominance against all pass rushers.
I cannot say enough say impressive @oregonfootball OL Jackson Powers-Johnson has been. Dominating at center and guard. Wins consistently with power, but here he shows the patience and quickness, too.
Not sure he’s lost a 1-on-1 rep all week pic.twitter.com/wC1T5FWPN5
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) January 31, 2024
G CHRISTIAN HAYNES, UCONN
The clip from Haynes below is from Day 1, but this shoutout is for a strong start to Senior Bowl week for him as one of the top offensive linemen at the event. Like Powers-Johnson, Haynes has been getting work at both center and guard — and has been excellent at both. He recorded pass-blocking grades above 82.0 in each of the past two seasons due to his explosiveness and balance. Playing with power was a question he needed to answer this week, and he is doing so with resounding success.
Christian Haynes had a very strong day today. Ball player. pic.twitter.com/eBPDAuZPbk
— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) January 31, 2024
EDGE LAIATU LATU, UCLA
Latu's elite hand usage and pass-rush pedigree are standing out. Those two categories allowed him to be the most productive pass rusher in the country over the past two years, as he earned pass-rush grades above 91.0 in each of those campaigns. In the clip below, he displays his toolbox of pass-rush moves and counters. Most impressive of all, he has the fast reaction speed to still beat his man in time for a sack even if the first move fails. He might be a little physically limited, but he brings first-round production.
Laiatu Latu has moves on moves.
Just a ninja with his hands. pic.twitter.com/1vAsKyjGsO
— Nicholas Moreano (@NicholasMoreano) January 31, 2024
EDGE DARIUS ROBINSON, MISSOURI
Robinson passes the “off the bus” eye test with flying colors, measuring in at the Senior Bowl at 6-foot-5 and 286 pounds with nearly 35-inch arms. He has also passed the on-field test, especially in the one-on-one opportunities. He is naturally very strong due to playing interior defensive line in his first three seasons at Missouri. And now as an edge player, he holds the line of scrimmage as a five-technique defensive end in run-defense roles. He has also answered some questions about his pass-rush abilities (see below). He is a player trending higher into the top-50 range.
Welcome to the Darius Robinson show.
Efficient arm-over vs. Tyler Guyton. pic.twitter.com/KM3VMUEDVJ
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) January 31, 2024
DI MICHAEL HALL JR., OHIO STATE
Hall is a pass-rush specialist as a three-technique defensive tackle with an 84.8 pass-rush grade in 2023. Going into the week, he needed to stand out in that area. Two days into the Senior Bowl, and he absolutely is, especially on Day 2. Though the play below was from Day 1, he has only become more confident as the week has gone on. Day 2 was his best in terms of consistent disruption with moves like a set-up and spin, as well as an effective arm-over when shooting gaps. He might be more of a pass-rush specialist at the next level, but with moves like that, he can clearly be valuable in that role.
Michael Hall Jr’s spin move isn’t fair. #Browns
pic.twitter.com/fkNC03RWJd— Matt Wilson (@CoachWilson66) January 31, 2024
CB JARVIS BROWNLEE JR., LOUISVILLE
Brownlee is one of the lesser-known defensive backs in Mobile this year, but he certainly gained a lot more fans after his dominance on Day 2. The 5-foot-10, 183-pound cornerback had three one-on-one reps in a row where he not only won but also played coverage so tight that he intercepted the pass. Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell has had the best week of any cornerback, but another solid showing from Brownlee on Day 3 will make him the next name to praise from this cornerback group.
The Jarvis Brownlee Jr hype is justified pic.twitter.com/zUepWBa0oj
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) January 31, 2024
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