Five now-former Michigan football players are in Mobile, Ala., this week for the Reese's Senior Bowl, which is set to take place this upcoming Saturday (Jan. 30). Long snapper Camaron Cheeseman, wide receiver Nico Collins, running back Chris Evans, fullback Ben Mason and cornerback Ambry Thomas are all slated to participate in the annual game and take part in the activities all week.
Former Michigan Wolverines running back Chris Evans showed his versatility on day one of the Senior Bowl practices. (USA TODAY Sports Images)
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Players were measured for their height, weight, wingspan, arm length and hand size on Tuesday, before drills began.
Camaron Cheeseman
Height: 6-4 3/8
Weight: 237
Wingspan: 76"
Arm Length: 30 1/8"
Hand Size: 9 2/8"
Nico Collins
Height: 6-4 2/8
Weight: 215
Wingspan: 79"
Arm Length: 32.48"
Hand Size: 9 3/8"
Chris Evans
Height: 5-10 7/8
Weight: 219
Wingspan: 78"
Arm Length: 31.48"
Hand Size: 10"
Ben Mason
Height: 6-2 6/8
Weight: 256
Wingspan: 79"
Arm Length: 32"
Hand Size: 9 3/8"
Ambry Thomas
Height: 5-11 7/8
Weight: 189
Wingspan: 76.48"
Arm Length: 31.48"
Hand Size: 8 4/8
Nico Collins Shows Signs Of Rust, But Also Makes Impressive Plays
Collins' measurables (shown above) were a good sign for scouts and analysts to see, considering he has essentially been off grid for several months. He was seven pounds lighter than what he was listed on the Michigan roster for the 2019 campaign.
"Why does Collins’ weigh-in matter? Because we haven’t seen Collins since the end of the 2019 college football season," wrote The Draft Network's Kyle Crabbs. "To see him come in at a lean 215 pounds is a nice bonus for a big-bodied, down-the-field receiving threat —and the best may be yet to come. If Collins shows that, with some weight loss, he’s a little more fluid and dynamic, then who knows where the limit is on his draft stock.
"A big week in Mobile can inspire confidence that Collins’ conditions at Michigan were the biggest barrier to consistent production."
Collins did not play during the 2020 season, after he opted out just ahead of the campaign and instead chose to prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft. He, along with some others who took a similar path, showed some signs of rust on day one when the prospects hit the field.
"The rust factor was obvious for several players who didn’t see a snap in 2020 — and it will be important to track their progress (or lack thereof) throughout the week," wrote The Athletic's Dane Brugler. "... Michigan WR Nico Collins had trouble detaching from coverage off the line but was able to gain separation over the top once he could stretch out his stride."
It was not all bad for Collins, though, with the big-bodied wideout showing some promise during team drills and impressing at least one onlooker.
"Collins, who opted out of the 2020 season, showed terrific ability to get off the line of scrimmage and gain separation," wrote DetroitLions.com's Tim Twentyman. "His best catch of the day was a toe-tapping 25-yard gain showing off terrific body control along the right sideline in a team drill."
Evans, who proved to be a versatile back at Michigan, showed off the multiple ways he can impact games in his first day of practice this week.
"In one situation during a team period, Evans took a handoff from Alabama quarterback Mac Jones, surveyed the carnage at the line of scrimmage and darted through the C-gap to a roaring applause from his team," wrote MLive's Aaron McMann.
Mason worked at fullback for the majority of his career in Ann Arbor, but has also moved around. He played some defensive tackle in 2019, before transitioning back to offense and playing h-back and tight end during his final season in 2020. He worked primarily with the tight ends Tuesday, and also saw action on special teams, another area in which he excelled in Ann Arbor.
Thomas didn't get much action and many balls thrown his way during team drills, but he showed his ability to stick onto receivers and not allow much separation.
"While he didn’t make any highlight-reel plays, the ball was rarely thrown his way during 7-on-7s and live team periods, backing up his strong play in coverage," McMann wrote.
"Thomas is a bit bigger these days — he weighed 189 pounds on Tuesday — but hasn’t lost the blazing speed that allowed him to excel in the defensive backfield in 2019."
