Senior Bowl: Who impressed on the final day of practices?

5 players that impressed on the final day of the Senior Bowl

The Senior Bowl wrapped up its third day of practice on Thursday. While the game itself will take place on Saturday, the value of these events comes during the practices. This is an event that the Los Angeles Rams have paid close attention to in the past. It wouldn’t be a surprise if they drafted a few more Senior Bowl players in April. Here are five players that stood out on the final day of practices in Mobile. I have also included some Rams-related notes at the end.

• Winners from Day 1 in Mobile includes potential Rams target at linebacker
• Senior Bowl Standouts: Iowa State WR duo with Rams connection shine in Mobile

WR Tez Johnson, Oregon

After what the Rams went through over the past four years with Tutu Atwell, it is understandable why fans wouldn’t want to do the same with Tez Johnson. Johnson weighed in at 5’9, 156 pounds in Mobile which is nearly identical to Atwell.

Whatever the feelings are on Atwell, that doesn’t take away from the fact that Johnson had a good week at the Senior Bowl. He finished strong on day three creating plenty of space in the red zone, showing off his route-running ability. Johnson runs crisp routes and also provides special teams ability as a punt returner which Atwell couldn’t do. He would give the Rams some of the explosiveness that they are lacking at the position. The smaller wide receiver mold hasn’t worked with Tavon Austin or Atwell, but maybe the third time is the charm?

QB Jaxon Dart, Ole Miss

Jaxon Dart finished off a good week in Mobile showing command running hurry up. In a two-minute offense, Dart hit South Alabama wide receiver Jamaal Pritchett in the back corner of the end zone for a touchdown. He also hit a hole shot between the cornerback and safety to Jack Bech that couldn’t be hauled in, but was placed well.

There may be some overreaction after how Dart performed this week, but he may be one of my favorite options to sit behind Matthew Stafford in this draft class. Dart isn’t worth a first-round selection and may go in the early to mid-second round. Unfortunately, the Rams don’t have a second-round pick currently. Dart was impressive and in the right situation he could have success.

iDL Darius Alexander, Toledo

Toledo’s Darius Alexander was a name that I circled coming into the week and he really showed out on Wednesday. Alexander’s motor runs hot and he has a lot of versatility. He showed that he can line up inside, but also win as a wide 9 at 300 pounds. Alexander beat Josh Conerly Jr. off of the edge during team drills.

Having a good first impression is nice and it catches attention. However, if a player shows development throughout the week and consistently, that’s just as impressive. That’s exactly what Alexander did. He got better each day of practice and saved his best for Thursday. The Rams took Desjuan Johnson from Toledo in 2023 and Alexander also fits their archetype from a traits perspective.

WR Xavier Restrepo, Miami

Here’s a wide receiver that Rams fans won’t mind seeing on this list. Jack Bech from TCU could easily go here, but after highlighting him yesterday, we’ll share the love a little bit. Restrepo showed some good work in the red zone during Thursday’s practice and is also a wide receiver that the Rams should like.

He’s a good route-runner and physical in the run game. He showed his ability to work through space on his touchdown reception during 7-on-7s. On his reception during 1-on-1s, he lost no speed on his cut to the sideline.

LB Shemar James, Florida

Linebacker can be a difficult position to showcase a lot of positive due to the lack of contact allowed during practices. However, this group did pretty well. Jeffrey Bassa and Jack Kiser had some impressive moments. On day three, the player that stood out at the position was Shemar James from Florida. James was fantastic in coverage as he had a pair of pass breakups during 1-on-1s against the running backs. During team drills, he did a good job filling holes in the run game.

James is an athlete with sideline to sideline speed that the Rams are missing at linebacker. While he is slightly undersized, he could play well next to someone like Omar Speights who excels more against the run. The Florida linebacker is a bit more well-rounded and good at play-recognition.

What They’re Saying

• On Wednesday, there was some clarity on Matthew Stafford’s future as it was reported that he would be back in 2025. However, there still are a lot of questions regarding Cooper Kupp. When I asked around on Wednesday, the overall vibe was that Kupp may be done in Los Angeles, but not with football. That was echoed when I asked another high level person on Thursday. There isn’t a ton of new information here. The Rams wide receiver won’t be back on his current deal. That’s a certainty. It’s hard to imagine that those conversations aren’t being had. The Rams love Kupp, but a tough decision may need to be made.
• I’ll have more on Nate Scheelhaase this week, but the people that I talked to on Thursday essentially repeated what I heard on Wednesday. Nick Caley is probably gone and Houston seems like the best fit given his connection with Nick Caserio. Scheelhaase is someone that is seen as a young riser in the NFL. The question is whether or not a team wants to take the risk and give him a huge promotion.