MOBILE, Ala. — Kyu Blu Kelly did himself a favor on Day 2 of the 2023 Senior Bowl by making a handful of aggressive plays off the ball, including a 40-yard pick-six interception.
The former three-year starter at Stanford is a tall, athletic cornerback who flashed his quick responsiveness and strong ball skills on Wednesday. Kelly intercepted the Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham by snatching the ball out of the receiver’s hands and bringing it to the house. He played ball well all day, with those games difficult to play from cover erase from memory. The entire defense joined him in the end zone to celebrate the result that ended seven-a-side drills.
He also flashed in offensive-versus-defense sets and put in an excellent performance on another Cunningham throw. Kelly jumped the route and punched it away from the Oklahoma tight end Braden Willis. Showing off his skills in man and zone coverage looks throughout the day, Kelly made his mark in Mobile’s early training.
And standing out Stanford certainly makes a lot of sense for the Detroit Lions. Kelly played outdoors and indoors 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 All State and Nevada State track and field champions through high school, with those wheels and agility showing up on 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 generally a strong day for the defenders. Miami’s Tyrique Stevenson was on the ball, diving and making tedious plays in secondary school. He credited Lions defensive assistants Shaun Dion Hamilton for instilling a physical mentality in the American team’s cornerbacks during those first two days. South Carolinas Darius Rush had a pretty similarly busy day of coverage, making it difficult for those quarterbacks.
Below are additional observations and insights from day two of the exercise:
— Before we get into those quarterbacks. Michigan State Jayden Reed was perhaps the best player on the field on Day 2. Reed was the quickest player from either squad to open business on Tuesday. And then on Wednesday? Reed did everything. He showed that speed while making two 35-yard downfield touchdown catches in one-on-one drills. Reed defeated the Maryland cornerback Jakorian Bennett downfield to the pylon and ended the game on reception. Then he defeated the USCs Mechi Blackmon on a hotly contested one-on-one course. Reed burned the defense with a move inside and then back into the end zone, with Blackmon showing a serious ability to track the ball and make it a tough catch. Still, Reed looked like a big winner from that day.
— So the quarterbacks were better. However, it’s nothing to write home about. But BYUs Jaren Hall and Fresno State Jake Haener looked much more comfortable on day 2. Hall dropped a few dimes into the bucket from 35 yards on back-to-back reps in one-on-one drills. He got the ball where it needed to be every time – including one of them to Reed – and avoided every repeated ugly fumble. Haener did the same, cleaning it up and keeping the ball off the ground. His best throw of the day was an incomplete pass into the end zone, but it was quite a throw from the pocket that placed him where only his man could get. Haener was more on the run with the up-tempo training and flashed some of his fun playmaker mentality. The second session was a bit worse as the American team’s quarterbacks were still struggling to find that rhythm. TCUs Max Dugan had his best moments in team drills, leading the offense while also showing off his leadership skills. Duggan dropped a beauty on the sidelines in two-minute drills to Oregon State’s tight end Luke Musgraveto, for his top throw of the session. Shepherds Tyson Bagent and Houston’s Clayton melody had more solid moments than Day 1. But there were still inconsistent accuracy and shaky moments, including a handful with no line of defense or charge in their faces. There is no first-round quarterback in this group. Haener has been the most consistent since his ugly start while Duggan was with him.
— Coastal Carolina’s defensive tackle Jerrod Clark still looks like this. The big man made an impressive move at the line to get his fists in the air to smash away a pass for the second straight day. Clark toasted North Dakotas Cody Mauch back and then raised his hands to make the game. He has shown a spark inside, with a recent history of barrel filling. It’s hard to get a sense of his ability on these two-fight-free afternoons against the run. But his power and plan to succeed at the next level is easy to see. Speaking of Mauch, the tackle has been holding guard and center this week. This is a new assignment for Mauch, where he is the focus of the game where Clark came through.
— Dawand Jones was the big winner on Day 1. Ohio State’s offensive lineman was not out there Wednesday and was reportedly rated.to see if he’s healthy enough to return this week.” And in other injury news, Texas is running back Roshon Johnson falls out a week after breaking a bone in his hand. Texas Tech is running back Sa Rodorick Thompson Jr. took his place and was active, garnering a few looks to start his impromptu week in Mobile.
— Tulane runs back Tyjae Spears Put the bow on another fixed day. Spears flashed his ability in space on a screen to open the practices yesterday. And then he took that to another level to wrap up the second day of practice for the American team. Spears’ ability to make cuts and reads at the second level was remarkable. He broke a long run, missed several people and later brought a screen to the house. Spears made the low catch out of the backfield, broke to the touchline, and then sliced back through the middle of the field. And while there’s no tackling on these drills, it’s hard to imagine someone taking him down with those looks.
— TCU linebacker dee winter did himself a favor in his hurry. On back-to-back snaps in 11 on 11s, Winters would intercept the pass down the middle and snatch the ball out of a ball carrier’s hands to force fumbling on the next play. At 5-foot-11, there are concerns about height, but it’s hard to ignore those plays and his instincts when he’s rushing for football.