MOBILE, Ala. — kyu blu kelly he did himself a favor on Day 2 of the 2023 Senior Bowl, making a handful of aggressive plays with the ball, including a 40-yard pick-six interception.
The former three-year starter at Stanford is a long, athletic cornerback who showed off his quick-reaction ability and strong ball skills Wednesday. Kelly intercepted Louisville quarterback malik cunningham tearing the ball out of the catcher’s hands and taking it home. He played hard on the ball all day, with those coverage plays hard to catch. erase from memory. The entire defense joined him in the end zone to celebrate the score to end the seven-on-seven drills.
He also shone in offense-versus-defense games, making a stellar read on another Cunningham pitch. Kelly jumped the route and squashed it away from Oklahoma tight end brayden willis. Kelly showcased her skill in man and zone coverage looks all day, leaving her mark in early Mobile practice.
And the Stanford standout certainly makes a lot of sense for the Detroit Lions. Kelly has played outside and inside for three years under former head coach David Shaw. The 6-foot-1 cornerback allowed 22 catches on 44 targets for 373 yards and two touchdowns last season. He was a champion all-state and Nevada state track athlete during high school, with those wheels and agility popping in the college football showcase. He is also the son of former NFL cornerback Brian Kelly, who spent the final season of his career with the lions.
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It was a strong day for defensive backs, in general. of Miami tyrique stevenson he was on the ball, diving and making high-effort plays in the secondary. Credited Lions defensive assistant Shaun DionHamilton for instilling a physical mindset in Team USA’s cornerbacks over these first two days. South Carolina Dario Rush he had a pretty similar day in coverage, which made things difficult for those quarterbacks.
See below for more observations and takeaways from the second day of practice:
— Before we delve into those quarterbacks. michigan state jayden cane he might have been the best player on the field on Day 2. Reed was the fastest player on either roster to open business Tuesday. And then Wednesday? Reed did it all. He displayed that speed as he made a pair of 35-yard touchdown receptions downfield in one-on-one drills. Reed defeated the cornerback of Maryland jakorian bennett downfield to the pylon, finishing off the play with the reception. He then got the better of USC. mekhi blackmond on a hotly contested one-on-one route. Reed burned the defensive back with a drive to the inside then out to the end zone, with Blackmon showing great ability to track the ball and turn it into a tough catch. Still, Reed came away from this day looking like a big winner.
— So, quarterbacks were better. However, it is nothing special. but BYU jaren’s living room and the state of Fresno jake haener he looked a lot more comfortable on Day 2. Hall dropped a couple of dimes into the bucket from 35 yards out on back-to-back one-on-one drills. He put the ball where he needed to be every time, with one of those for Reed, and kept nasty fumbles from happening again. Haener did the same by cleaning it up and keeping the ball off the ground. His best shot of the day was an incompletion in the end zone, but it was a great pocket shot, putting it where only his man could get it. Haener was more on the run with fast-paced practice, showing some of his fun playmaking mentality. The second session was a bit worse, with Team USA’s quarterbacks still struggling to find their rhythm. TCU Max Duggan he had his best moments in team drills, leading the offense while displaying that leadership ability. Duggan dropped a beauty along the sideline in two-minute drills to Oregon State tight end luke musgravetoo, for his best pitch of the session. Shepherd tyson bagent and the one from houston Clayton’s Melody He had more solid moments than on Day 1. But there was still inconsistency in accuracy and shaky moments, including a handful without a defensive line or rush on their faces. There isn’t a first-round quarterback in this group. Haener has been the most consistent since his ugly start, while Duggan has been with him.
— Defensive tackle for Carolina Coast jerrod clark continue looking for the part. The big man made an impressive move down the line for the second day in a row to put his gloves up in the air to deflect a pass. Clark pushed North Dakota cody mauch back, then raised those hands to make the play. He has shown some spark on the inside, with a recent history of holding the run. It’s hard to get an idea of his ability against the run on these non-tackle afternoons. But his power and his plan to succeed at the next level are easy to spot. Speaking of Mauch, the tackle has been representing guard and center this week. That’s a new task for Mauch, with him playing the middle of the play where Clark passed.
— dawand jones was the big winner on Day 1. The Ohio State offensive lineman was unavailable Wednesday and was reportedly being evaluated.”to see if he’s healthy enough to come back this week.” And in other injury news, Texas running back roschon johnson he’s out for a week after breaking a bone in his hand. Texas Tech Corridor Sa Rodorick Thompson Jr. took his place and was active, getting a few looks to kick off his impromptu week in Mobile.
— Tulane Corridor Tyjae Spears put the bow on another solid day. Spears displayed her ability in space on a screen to open practice yesterday. And then she took that to another level to wrap up the second day of sessions for the US team. Spears’ ability to make cuts and reads at the second level has been remarkable. She broke a long run, causing several people to miss, and then brought a screen home. Spears made the low catch from the backfield, worked her way to the sideline, then cut to midfield. And while there’s no takedown in these practices, it’s hard to imagine someone taking him down with those looks.
— TCU supporter dee winters he did himself a favor in a pinch. On back-to-back plays at 11 in 11 seconds, Winters intercepted the pass up the middle and ripped the ball from a carrier’s hands to force a fumble on the next play. There are height concerns at 5-foot-11, but it’s hard to ignore those plays and the instincts of him clicking every time he darts for the ball.
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