{"id":61892,"date":"2023-02-04T11:05:02","date_gmt":"2023-02-04T15:05:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jetnation.com\/?p=61892"},"modified":"2023-02-04T11:05:02","modified_gmt":"2023-02-04T15:05:02","slug":"defensive-standouts-from-the-2023-senior-bowl-practices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/2023\/02\/04\/defensive-standouts-from-the-2023-senior-bowl-practices\/","title":{"rendered":"Defensive Standouts from the 2023 Senior Bowl Practices"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Now that I\u2019m back home after what was an amazing week down in Mobile for the Senior Bowl, which many people I talked to called it the \u201cstart of the offseason\u201d, I\u2019ve had time to go back and review the practice tape and match it up to the live notes I took each day. Obviously, I cannot possibly see <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">everything<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> during each practice session, so I tried my best to be as efficient as I could be. Here was my basic process for each day:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Tuesday: General roster overview noting body types\/builds. It\u2019s one thing to see a player on TV and say \u201che looks ___\u201d, but it\u2019s another to stand 50 feet away from them while they are going through their workout. This was my chance to confirm, or deny, what I originally noted about a player\u2019s size.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Wednesday: National Team WR\/TE vs DBs, American Team OL vs DL<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Thursday: National Team OL vs DL<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In total, I attended 5 of the six practices and came away impressed with a new group of players each day. Some players were stellar all week long, while others got better each day. There were players who didn\u2019t quite deliver the results based on the expectations set for them, and even some who continued to struggle in the same areas that they did on tape. For this article in particular, I will only focus on defensive players that caught my eye in a positive way. With all that being said, here are my Senior Bowl standouts, chronologically:<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>LB Daiyan Henley, Washington State<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Speaking of perfect replacements, the Jets also have a decision to make at linebacker, with both Kwon Alexander and Quincy Williams set to hit free agency in March. It has been reported that Williams is seeking roughly $7M per year in his new deal, which could be hard for New York to fork over, considering they have to pay his younger brother north of $20M per season, and C.J. Mosley is due to make $21M at the same position. It\u2019s nearly impossible for the team to allocate that much cap space into the linebacker room.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Enter Daiyan Henley.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Coming in at 6\u2019 \u215e\u201d and 230 lbs, the Washington State product could be the cost-efficient answer to their WILL backer spot. Henley was practically unblockable in 1-on-1s against the running backs, and his tenacity in pursuit of the football is something I can predict the Jets, and Robert Saleh specifically, coveting. His coverage ability was also exceptional throughout the week.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"embed-twitter\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Daiyan Henley PBU at the Senior Bowl \u2014 the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WSUCougarFB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@WSUCougarFB<\/a> LB can COVER \ud83d\udc40 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/I81ZCRTMDK\">pic.twitter.com\/I81ZCRTMDK<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CamMellor\/status\/1620849478013194242?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 1, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/div>\n<h4><strong>S Sydney Brown, Illinois<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Brown was one of the last players I watched and took notes on before leaving for Alabama, so he, and his twin brother RB Chase Brown, were players I wanted to immediately get eyes on. Besides having a rocked up physique, the 5\u2019 10\u201d 213 lb Brown showed out in all phases. He played both safety and nickel throughout the week, proving his versatility can be sustained at the NFL level. While he had some issues with larger tight ends, he was handsy at the catch point and made every catch difficult. He had a good redzone period that included an undercut interception. The Jets will be looking to add to their secondary, and after an impressive week, Brown could be a player on New York\u2019s radar.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"embed-twitter\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Heck of a rep from Illinois\u2019 Sydney Brown at the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SeniorBowl?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#SeniorBowl<\/a>. Patient feet, smooth man turn, stays in phase and disrupts the catch point. Strong week from the Canadian. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Ei53aJQIl0\">pic.twitter.com\/Ei53aJQIl0<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Rob__Paul\/status\/1621305629628370945?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 3, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/div>\n<h4><strong>CB Kyu Blu Kelly, Stanford<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">My second Stanford standout from the week of practice, Kyu Blu Kelly was also a practice player of the week for his position group, as voted on by the players. After a quieter Tuesday, Kelly had a tremendous Wednesday that included a pick-6 that got his defensive teammates hype, as well as another near interception shortly after. Although the Jets don\u2019t have a need at cornerback, he is an intriguing prospect that fits what the team likes out of the position.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"embed-twitter\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Kyu Blu Kelly with the pick-6 at the Senior Bowl \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/StanfordFball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@StanfordFball<\/a>\u2019s CB has looked good today at the Senior Bowl  <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/fqRjbRWw3s\">pic.twitter.com\/fqRjbRWw3s<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CamMellor\/status\/1620863028416905217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 1, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-twitter\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Stanford CB Kyu Blu Kelly continues to stand out in day two of <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/seniorbowl?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@seniorbowl<\/a> practice. <\/p>\n<p>Nearly snags a pick here and has been jumping routes all day. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/LazbpsSdUT\">pic.twitter.com\/LazbpsSdUT<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Matt Anderson (@MattAnderson_8) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MattAnderson_8\/status\/1620863825124950021?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 1, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/div>\n<h4><strong>DL Yaya Diaby, Louisville<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For those that listen to Glenn Naughton and myself on JetNation Live, every Thursday at 6:30pm EST on YouTube, Diaby is a prospect we both have talked about in positive ways. What stood out most to be about the former Georgia Military product was his pass rush technique. Good first-step explosiveness, hand usage and finish. With the Jets likely looking for upgrades along the defensive line, Diaby is someone I will be mocking to the Jets in the mid rounds of mock drafts for the foreseeable future. He is also a standout human being.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"embed-twitter\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Man, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LouisvilleFB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@LouisvilleFB<\/a>\u2019s YaYa Diaby wins QUICK here at the Senior Bowl  <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/MnlH6lb4XH\">pic.twitter.com\/MnlH6lb4XH<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CamMellor\/status\/1620861739905712128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 1, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-twitter\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">In response to my question, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LouisvilleFB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@LouisvilleFB<\/a> standout defensive lineman YaYa Diaby talked about his mother. Afterwards, I told him I got a bit emotional while listening because I lost my mom recently. YaYa put his arm around me and wished me well. He&#39;s a stand-up guy!  <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SeniorBowl?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#SeniorBowl<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/EXHkPFOZxB\">pic.twitter.com\/EXHkPFOZxB<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Barroom Net | Aldo Gandia (@BarroomNetwork) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BarroomNetwork\/status\/1620833930990723072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 1, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/div>\n<h4><strong>CB Mekhi Blackmon, USC<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Someone who I was unfamiliar with before arriving in Mobile, Blackmon caught my eye in 1-on-1s on several occasions. His best rep of the week came against practice player of the week, Jayden Reed. Even Heisman trophy winner, and most draft expert\u2019s QB1 for the 2024 NFL Draft Caleb Williams had something to say about the lockdown redzone play. From a Jets lens, Blackmon won\u2019t be high on the priority list, but his ability to stick with wideouts in man coverage was on display. Depth at the position is always a must, so there is certainly value in drafting the former Trojan.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"embed-twitter\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Not rare wid 6 tho! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/S5ilDpuwKy\">https:\/\/t.co\/S5ilDpuwKy<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Caleb Williams (@CALEBcsw) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CALEBcsw\/status\/1621817192823291904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 4, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There were many other prospects who could have made this list, so limiting myself to just five was very difficult. The Jets have prioritized defensive players in the draft on Day 2 and 3, with the added belief that this coaching staff can develop them into starters for the future. These players all check the boxes on the field as fits. You can check out my offensive standouts <a href=\"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/2023\/02\/04\/offensive-standouts-from-the-2023-senior-bowl-practices\/\">here<\/a>, and make sure to tune in to watch the Senior Bowl at 2:30pm EST on NFL Network.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Now that I\u2019m back home after what was an amazing week down in Mobile for the Senior Bowl, which many people I talked to called it the \u201cstart of the offseason\u201d, I\u2019ve had time to go back and review the practice tape and match it up to the live notes I took each day. Obviously, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":61884,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-61892","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-featured-editorials"},"acf":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/USATSI_19914349-scaled.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/peLffi-g6g","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61892","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/64"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61892"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61892\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61895,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61892\/revisions\/61895"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61884"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61892"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61892"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/miletestsite.com\/jets\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}