Practice has started for the 70th annual senior bowl and Jon Gruden is finally getting a hands on look at the North squad spending a good amount of time with his four quarterbacks today. Practice has started for the 70th annual senior bowl and Jon Gruden is finally getting a hands on look at the North squad spending a good amount of time with his four quarterbacks today. Michael Gehlken reports from Alabama. Check out the video above. More Raiders: Follow at reviewjournal.com/Raiders and @NFLinVegas on Twitter.<doc-sep>Daniel Jones, QB, Duke – Jones is expected to be a first-round pick, and several mock drafts even have him being selected within the top 10. Jones seemed to thrive the most among the four quarterbacks on the North roster, completing an efficient 8-of-11 pass attempts for 115 yards, and one touchdown. There are plenty of QB-needy teams in the draft, we'll see who takes a chance on him. Andy Isabella, WR, UMass – If you saw him in person, Isabella's five-foot-10 frame wouldn't intimidate you, but on the field, he plays big. The athletic wideout hauled in seven receptions for 74 yards, and one touchdown, which lead all receivers in yards and receptions. Hunter Renfrow, WR, Clemson – The two-time College Football Playoff Champion has played in his fair share of big-time games, and he was clutch when the Clemson Tigers needed him most. During the Senior Bowl, Renfrow finished with the most receptions on the South team and added 63 yards. He wasn't the most-talked-about wide receiver at the Senior Bowl, but he made an impact on the field all afternoon. Tyree Jackson, QB, Buffalo – Jackson hasn't received nearly as much coverage as Daniel Jones, or Missouri's Drew Lock, but he's an intriguing prospect that has people talking. He had a strong career at the University of Buffalo, throwing a career-best in touchdowns with 28, and wasn't afraid to put the ball on the ground and do it himself. Jackson rushed for 757 yards and 16 touchdowns during his career. He had a strong outing for the South team, completing 61 percent of his passes for 165 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.<doc-sep>With the Oakland Raiders having a front row seat at the Senior Bowl, some players left a good impression while others may have dropped their stock. The Senior Bowl concluded on Saturday, and the Oakland Raiders got to see plenty of prospects showcase their talent. Some shined and surely increased their draft stock heading into the combine, while others might have left teams a bit concerned. Raiders head coach Jon Gruden piloted the North team to the victory, and had some fun with it, stamping the players helmets with Raiders logos after good plays. The Senior Bowl is just another step in the evaluation of talent heading into April’s NFL Draft, where the Raiders hold six of the first 100 picks. These all-star game are not the end all be all, but they will definitely cause teams to go back to a player’s film and confirm what they saw in person. So it goes without saying that you much rather have them looking for the positives than the negatives. To recap the week in whole, here are 3 studs from the week along with 3 duds.<doc-sep>Daniel Jones extended his arm for a handoff, but pulled it back at the last moment. The Duke quarterback was going right but rolled back left, fooling enough defenders to forge an easy path to the end zone. It capped a 10-play, 84-yard drive and scored the North squad’s first touchdown during Saturday afternoon’s Senior Bowl. Raiders head coach Jon Gruden was waiting for Jones near the sideline, ready to slap the iconic silver and black shield on his helmet. Jones wasn’t the only one with a Raiders sticker after a 34-24 victory in the annual college all-star game at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala. Several NFL draft prospects earned one from the Raiders coaching staff, which led the North squad all week. Some guys -- including Delaware safety Nasir Adderley, UC Davis receiver Keelan Doss, UMass receiver Andy Isabella and Texas edge rusher Charles Omenihu -- got two. That was an easy way to see which players left a good impression on Raiders coaches in this game, typically deemed less important than the practices leading up to it. Gruden still thinks the game holds value. Here’s why: “It will weigh in because it’s full-speed live,” Gruden said Thursday, the last full practice of the week. “When you’re live, that’s the only evaluation that we’re lacking. You can run all the controlled environments you want, but the best evaluation comes in games.” That’s especially true for running backs, who have easier paths through practice without going to the ground. Notre Dame’s Dexter Williams followed up an excellent week with a solid game effort that included a touchdown run, which is what scouts want to see. The aforementioned players were solid. South defensive lineman Kingsley Keke of Texas A&M was all over the place early on, and end Jaylon Ferguson got to the quarterback a few times. Mississippi State end Montez Sweat flashed his athleticism on occasion. Both offensive lines had solid moments as well. [RELATED: Raiders keeping close eye on edge rushers at Senior Bowl] Jones was the best North squad quarterback, and Adderley had an excellent game including an interception late. Scouts will break down Senior Bowl practice and game tape time and again in the coming weeks and months leading up to the NFL draft, trying to find players who can help after turning pro. That includes the Raiders, who leave with great knowledge of every prospect who played in this game. “Everybody will tell you they look at the Senior Bowl practice tape, the Senior Bowl game film over and over and over,” Gruden said earlier this week. “You watch the matchups over and over and over. “I remember doing it with [late Raiders owner/GM Al Davis]. He would put the Senior Bowl on for the 44th time and I would say, ‘how many more times are we going to watch that game?’ There’s tremendous value in it. It’s a great tool, and provides great matchups you would never see if you didn’t come here.”<doc-sep>
Posted Monday, January 28, 2019 5:55 pm MOBILE, Ala. -- Last week the National Football League descended on Mobile for the 70th annual Senior Bowl. Scouts and team officials from all 32 professional football franchises were represented as the most coveted crop of collegiate seniors spent a week trying to prove on the practice field and in meetings that they deserve to be drafted. The week leading up to the game is widely considered more important than the game itself, which is a glorified scrimmage these days. Regardless, Ladd-Peebles Stadium was as full Saturday as it has been all season to watch this group of college veterans compete. The North Squad, coached by NFL legend Jon Gruden and his Oakland Raiders staff, came out victorious 34-24 over the South Squad, who were under the direction of Kyle Shannahan and the San Francisco 49ers. This year the Senior Bowl rosters were unusually loaded with potential draft picks at the quarterback position. Duke's Daniel Jones and Missouri's Drew Lock both saw playing time with the North squad and are projected first round picks in the upcoming draft. Jones was named the game's Most Valuable Player after going 8 of 11 for 155 yards passing and a touchdown, along with a 1-yard touchdown run. Lock went 9 of 14 for 57 yards, while fellow North gunslinger and early-round draft hopeful Ryan Finley of North Carolina State went 7 of 11 for 83 yards. Penn State's Trace McSorely, who's looking to prove scouts wrong and make a strong impression before the draft, completed 7 of 13 passes for 59 yards. The big-name quarterbacks for the South Squad weren't nearly as successful passing the ball with West Virginia's Will Grier, Washington State's Gardner Minshew and Auburn's Jarrett Stidham combining to go 9 of 21 for just 95 yards. It was small school prospect Tyree Jackson of Buffalo who stood out, going 13 of 21 for 165 yards and 2 touchdowns to go with an interception en route to earning South Team MVP. Clemson's Hunter Renfrow led all South receivers with 5 catches for 63 yards, while his North Squad counterpart Andy Isabella of UMass led all receivers with 7 catches for 74 yards and a touchdown, earning the North Team MVP. Neither squad got much going in the ground game. Memphis running back Tony Pollard led all rushers with 8 carries for 60 yards, which was more than the South gained collectively (59). As mentioned earlier, the game isn't much of a barometer of who will be drafted or who helped or hurt their draft stock. Most of the nitty gritty work in practices and workouts, as well as the meetings with teams behind closed doors, are where players really helped or hurt themselves. Nevertheless, the Senior Bowl is a part of Mobile history and never ceases to provide a great time for locals and fans of the players who are invited.