Eagles Senior Bowl practice recap: Jermaine Johnson and Coby Bryant separated themselves

MOBILE, Ala. — With Senior Bowl practices done and the Eagles’ brain trust back in Philadelphia, let’s reflect on what the first real week of the draft process has taught us.

The first practice session on Tuesday was the most informative, with Wednesday’s workout heavily affected by a consistent rain shower and Thursday’s moved inside because of the poor weather. NFL coaches and scouts were allowed to watch the sessions on Thursday, but most media weren’t admitted.

Here were the players who stood out in the portions open to reporters:

Any player from a non-Power 5 school will have something to prove in the Senior Bowl setting against elevated competition, and Hall proved himself.

The 6-foot-6, 260-pound hybrid lineman had several dominant reps during one-on-one pass-rushing drills from multiple alignments. Hall can play anywhere from the three-technique defensive tackle spot to the five-technique defensive end spot, meaning he could be a good fit for the front that Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon wants to run.

Gannon used players such as Josh Sweat and Ryan Kerrigan in the 4i technique (lined up just inside of the offensive tackle), which wasn’t ideal. Hall would be right at home there, as he displayed during practice.

If the Eagles are looking for more of a pure edge rusher, Johnson fits the bill. It’s safe to say he was the best defensive player in practice on the first two days, dominating the one-on-one drills with intensity and polished rush moves.

Johnson solidified his first-round status this week and reportedly sat out the final day of practice. He doesn’t have the athletic upside of some other edge rushers in the class, but he has the college production to suggest he could be a meaningful contributor even as a rookie.

He measured in at 6-4, 259, and he ran a 4.5-second 40-yard dash a few years ago, so the comparisons to Sweat (6-5, 251, 4.53) go beyond just the Florida State connection.

Johnson won in several ways this week, too. He has been successful with a few finesse moves, but bull rushing Kentucky offensive lineman Darian Kinnard into the ground at the end of Tuesday’s practice was one of the most attention-grabbing rushes of the entire week.

Noticing a trend? Several defensive linemen stood out this week, and Ebiketie certainly helped his pursuit of going in the first round.

He’s less refined as a player when compared to someone like Johnson, but the Temple transfer’s athleticism stood out in one-on-ones. He might be more of a developmental player; he struggled at times with powerful offensive tackles and his college tape suggests he’s not great against the run, but his pass-rushing upside is apparent. He already has a variety of rush moves and is good at setting up offensive tackles with a plan.

At 6-2, 250, he’s a little smaller than Johnson, but his 34-inch arm length, which is more instructive, is just ⅜-inch shorter than Johnson’s.

Enough about edge rushers, already.

There were a handful of cornerbacks who helped themselves, but Bryant was one of the top outside cornerbacks in the practices.

At 6-1, 191, he has the size to play outside and he had a handful of good reps in press man coverage during one-on-ones and team drills.

Johnson split time between guard and center all week, which is an important development considering he’d never played center in college.

Predictably, he looked more comfortable at guard than he did one spot over, but it’s still promising to see him show some positional versatility, especially for a team like the Eagles that might be on the market for a center to replace 34-year-old Jason Kelce either this year or in the next few.

At 6-2, 314, Johnson was an imposing figure among the Senior Bowl linemen and he showed an ability to anchor against a handful of solid pass rushers. He was also notably one of the last players, if not the last, to leave the field after practice each day, staying after to work on his snapping.

During Wednesday’s rain-soaked practice, Willis showed that his arm strength isn’t weather-contingent.

Willis’ arm talent is the best of this Senior Bowl class and will certainly translate to Sundays. He also has great speed and should run the 40 somewhere in the 4.5-second range.

The flaws are still there — he’s been good for a handful of head-scratching misplaced passes each practice — but a team willing to let Willis develop could benefit greatly. This week confirmed he has the traits to be an elite quarterback in the league, and he’s closing in on the “QB1″ label in this draft.