3. Oklahoma OT Tyler Guyton headlines a strong offensive tackle group
The most impressive position on the Senior Bowl roster is offensive tackle. This is a good year for the Patriots to need OTs, especially in the top 40 picks, as many scouts expect roughly ten offensive tackles to fly off the board early in the day two:
Tyler Guyton (Oklahoma) – Guyton isn't quite the finished product yet, with some lapses in technique leading to quick losses. Still, he's a converted tight end who's relatively new to the position and a star athlete with tremendous size (6-7, 328, 34-inch arms). Guyton had an incredible run as he dominated both run-blocking and pass-blocking drills. He took Alabama edge rusher Chris Braswell onto the field as a rep, where Braswell tried to turn his corner. Guyton has an incredibly high ceiling, but a quick loss to Houston's Nelson Caesar on an inside spin move and another quick loss on an edge-setting drill showed he was in the green. However, along with that athleticism and raw power, Kyton has immense potential.
Taliese Fuaga (Oregon State) – Overall, a strong game from Fuaga to start practice red hot. Fuaga was quick to get to his marks and pass rushers through him to the football, making it a challenge for edge rushers in the national team. Has tremendous foot speed and poise as a run blocker. However, Fuaga cooled off at the end of practice, winning a speed rush that would have been a holding call. It is important to monitor on the second day to see if tolerance is an issue for Fuaga.
Patrick Ball (Houston) – Ball is a mauler with great size (6-7, 333, 36-inch arms) and has been one of the best athletic testers in Mobile. His height sometimes works against him against power rushers who can get under his pads on bull rushes, but he's going to move people and has mirror foot speed around the arc as a pass pro. Paul is an intriguing day-two option for the Patriots, with plenty of upside.
Kingsley Suamataia (BYU) – Suamataia is a blocky right tackle prospect with a wide body and excellent anchoring ability to slow down pass-rushers. Early on, he made it tough on guys by playing with good leverage to protect his corner. The BYU product continued to finish in the run game with great power in the outer zone. However, at the end of training, Suamataia suffered a close and decisive loss to first-rounder Laidu Latu (UCLA) in an outstanding performance. Suamataia hit a cross-chop move to beat Latu first as the first rep, but Latu was able to recover and corner the rep late. Later, Latu beat him cleanly with an inside move. Overall, Sumadaya is an intriguing prospect due to his thick frame and power. However, he will face several rushers of Latu's caliber at the next level.
Jordan Morgan (Arizona) – Although he has an athletic tackle, Morgan measured under 33-inches with hands and struggled with his hand placement to make first contact. Showed good timing in the secondary as a run blocker. Along with his arm length, his traits may be more suited to a guard. It's not really “down” because he had some good reps. Morgan can plan inside at the next level.
4. UNH RB Dylan Lapp among tight ends and running back standouts
The Patriots' offense has holes everywhere, including needs in the secondary at tight end and running back. It's not the best class at either position, but there might be some value on Day Three, precisely if the Pats entertain a pick.
Starting at running back, UNH's Dylan Laub has some skills as a change-of-speed. He reached a speed of more than 20 MPH, he broke through the defense of a representative of the one-pin force with a shotgun and squeezed behind his lead barricade before bursting out. Laube has a quick foot, good stop/start ability and quickness in the pass game. I'm intrigued as a projected mid-day-three choice about fit in New England – like a big Danny Woodhead.
At tight end, Kansas State's Ben Sinnott and Penn State's Theo Johnson showed the ability to escape coverage on seams and crossers. They have some juice in the passing game that should be looked at as improvement options for the Patriots.
5. Defensive Matters: Four defensive players making money on mobile
No, we're not ignoring defensive players in this draft or the Senior Bowl because the Patriots have more needs on offense. Here are the players that caught my eye:
CB Quinyon Mitchell (Toledo) – One of the best relievers on the field. Mitchell is in the conversation for the best cornerback in this class. He was incredibly strappy in coverage throughout practice and broke down twice in drills. Mitchell was excellent.
CB Cam Hart (Notre Dame) – Hart competed in back-to-back drills with suffocating coverage. He had a great rep against Dez Walker where he ran a route for Walker and intercepted a pass. Hart also has good size (6-3, 204). He could be a perimeter corner targeted for the Patriots early in Day Three, but Hart could play until Day Two in Mobile.
TD Braden Fiske (Florida State) – This dude's motor is running hot. Fiske is a monster up the middle with great game speed, power and snap timing. He was breaking up run plays during team practice at the national training.
TD Gabe Hall (Baylor) – Twitch-up interior rusher with a good arm-over/swim move and the ability to beat with power. Hall is worth another look as a potential rotational interior rusher.
