Stampede Blue
Thursday concluded the All-Star event’s practice schedule and these players had the strongest finish to the week.
Mobile, AL — An overcast final day of practices capped off an eventful week for the Senior Bowlers. Today will be an off day for everyone down here, with festivities concluding with the Senior Bowl game on Saturday at 2:30 PM EST.
There was a strong showing from multiple position groups that the Indianapolis Colts will inevitably covet in the current draft cycle. Who will end up in Indy remains to be seen, but this week served as a promising start in dwindling prospects down to who will fit what the Colts need.
While there were plenty of great plays to go around, these prospects stood out above the rest of the competition on Thursday. Those who will be briefly touched on following the list(s) in question will have their name(s) italicized. Multiple-day standouts will be bolded.
The 20-year-old underclassman’s week of practice featured an upward trajectory. Thomas is one of the bigger outside corner prospects in the class — standing at 6’1”, weighing 191 lbs, and sporting lengthy 32.5-inch arms — and his matchups against smaller, shiftier wideouts proved to be a tough assignment for Thomas, especially early on in the week.
Thomas struggled to showcase his vaunted press coverage ability against said slot guys, though it certainly showed up in matchups against the larger X-type wide receivers. To be fair, matching up against guys who’ll inevitably align in the slot in the NFL isn’t a realistic projection for who Thomas will go against as a pro. Regardless, Thomas welcomed the challenge and grew stronger with each practice.
The third and final practice of the week culminated in a day that saw Thomas haul in an INT in 1-on-1s, as well as multiple strong reps of press coverage which resulted in incomplete passes. Thomas may have started a bit slow, but his confidence and competitive spirit never wavered throughout the week, showcasing exactly why he’s one of the top cornerback prospects in the draft class.
After struggling in his first two days of the week, Fannin Jr. rebounded big in the final practice. He was more confident with each rep throughout the week, winning his matchups with more and more ease after being bottled up to kick off his Senior Bowl.
Fannin Jr. dominated in the red zone 1-on-1 period...
