Turf Show Times
Oregon linebacker Jeffrey Bassa was a clear winner on day 1 of the Senior Bowl. Could he be a Rams target?
The Senior Bowl kicked off on Tuesday with day one of three practices before the game on Saturday. During the Les Snead era, the Los Angeles Rams have consistently targeted players in Mobile that are participating in the Senior Bowl, including Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp. I will be spending the week in Mobile to get a closer look at some of the draft prospects. Here are the winners from day one.
There may not have been a player that impressed me more than linebacker Jeffrey Bassa from Oregon. He’s exactly what the Rams need at the linebacker position to pair with Omar Speights. The Oregon linebacker shined in coverage on Tuesday. He displayed good recovery speed and the ability to keep up with running backs and wide receivers down the field.
Coming into Mobile, Bassa said that he wanted to show that he can be a four-down linebacker. Bassa told me on Tuesday, “I want to show teams that I’m a true four-down linebacker...I can be a guy that can stop the run on first down, but then also be able to drop in pass on third down whether that’s me matched up on a running back, tight end, or running with a wide receiver in coverage.” He also has no issues playing on special teams.
Bassa did show a lot of good moments against the run as well. He was quick to the ball and navigating through traffic. He went out and accomplished what he set out to do. Bassa is a fit for what the Rams have looked for in a linebacker in the past. If they go linebacker in the third round, he could be an option.
There are always some questions when it comes to FCS players coming to the Senior Bowl. While North Dakota State has been an offensive line pipeline in recent years, it’s always good to see how they perform against better competition. For Zabel, not only would he need to show that he could hold his own, but do so at several different positions.
Zabel started the day warming up at center as a sneak peek for what was to come. He played at center and right guard after playing at left tackle all of last season for the Bison. The North Dakota State offensive lineman more than held his own. An argument can be made that he was one of the best players on the field.
Aeneas Peebles was a disruptor on the defensive line on Tuesday. A lot of his big plays came in team drills which you like to see. He’s someone that did a good job off the snap and splitting through the offensive line to get into the backfield.
The Virginia Tech defensive lineman is very explosive,...
