Former Michigan Wolverines football linebacker Josh Uche continues to steal the spotlight at the Senior Bowl practices, with outlets from all over the nation heaping praise on him at the conclusion of practice on Day 2.
Left guard Ben Bredeson joined the party as well, receiving plenty of praise for the way he performed in Mobile, Ala., yesterday.
Quarterback Shea Patterson, on the other hand, struggled mightily, and the tabloids were not kind to him as a result.
Eric Edholm of Yahoo Sports got the acclaim started for Uche, tabbing him as one of the overall winners from practice on Day 2.
"There’s still a debate to be had about what a team will do with Uche, who is a pass rusher in a sawed-off frame at 6-1 and 241 pounds," Edholm explained. "But it’s clear that Uche has pass-rush ability that shouldn’t be wasted because he doesn’t fit an ideal prototype.
"Uche had a fantastic practice Wednesday, racking up wins all day. He has great twitch and wiggle, and great upfield quickness to stress bigger tackles. Every time I looked up, Uche was in the backfield.
"That’s not all he does. Uche also opened eyes in coverage, blanketing Purdue TE Brycen Hopkins on one impressive one-on-one rep. It’s unclear if Uche will have quite the three-down versatility of players such as Patriots LB Jamie Collins or Saints LB Demario Davis, but I’ve been impressed with his bag of tricks.
"There aren’t too many [former Colts linebacker] Robert Mathis-sized full-time pass rushers who have made it, so maybe Uche can win the way [Jaguars defensive end] Yannick Ngakoue does.
"The way he is showing out, I may have to rethink my overall evaluation of Uche."
Dane Brugler of The Athletic echoed a similar sentiment in regards to Uche, also tabbing him as one of his Day 2 winners.
"It was predictable, but the speed of Uche is consistently stressing out blockers during Senior Bowl drills," Brugler noted. "He wins with immediate explosion that blockers simply cannot account for in space, introducing his long arms to stay on path to the quarterback.
"Although he doesn’t have a deep toolbox as a rusher and can be eaten up by blockers in the run game, Uche has also done a nice job when asked to drop and cover. He is a quick, loose-hipped player so the athletic traits are obviously there, but he was primarily an upfield rusher at Michigan and there wasn’t much of a sample size on tape of him dropping.
"But he is proving during practices that he is more than simply a speed rusher, getting physical to reroute and turning his head to find the football."
"From the defensive line group, Uche might have gained the most buzz today," Russell Brown of cover1.net added. "He was incredibly consistent on just about every rep. He is explosive and showed off his athletic ability and lower body movement.
"He checked into the Senior Bowl at 6-1 and 241 pounds, so he’ll be undersized to have a consistent role off the edge but he moves well in space and could see playing time at outside linebacker.
"Whatever is decided, he’s built off a strong day with his disruptiveness and versatility."
While the reviews were mixed on Patterson following the conclusion of Day 1 practices, he was mainly hit with negativity at the end of Day 2.
A dropped snap, in particular, drew the ire of Lions head coach Matt Patricia, who could be heard cussing Patterson out live on TV.
"Patterson was a hot mess on Day 1; Day 2 still had its rough spots which included some dropped snaps and sailed passes in rhythm," Benjamin Solak of TheDraftNetwork recapped.
"But Patterson has good release speed and body control on the move that leads to accurate balls when he's outside of the pocket and when he was more trusting in his rhythm.
"Patterson is fighting to be drafted this week, and the traits he showed today were enough for a third-string quarterback you try to develop."
"Patterson's 2019 season can kindly be described as up and down," Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports chimed in.
"In 13 games he completed 50 percent or fewer of his passes five times, and he looked overwhelmed at times during Wednesday's practice. He didn't display the arm strength of [Utah State quarterback Jordan] Love or [Washington State quarterback Anthony] Gordon, the other North Team quarterbacks, and he struggled at times to throw a tight spiral.
"He also had issues with the getting the snap cleanly -- North Team coach Matt Patricia made it crystal clear he wasn't happy with the miscue -- and had back-to-back throws batted down at the line of scrimmage during 7-on-7 drills.
"But this isn't the end of the world for Patterson; [Jaguars quarterback Gardner] Minshew and [Panthers quarterback] Will Grier had similarly uninspiring weeks during the 2019 Senior Bowl and the former went on to play in 14 games for the Jaguars while throwing for 3,271 yards, 21 touchdowns and six interceptions.
"The latter was a third-round pick who could have a chance to earn more playing time in 2020 with [Carolina quarterback] Cam Newton's health still an unknown."
Concluding on a positive note, left guard Ben Bredeson received unanimous acclaim from national outlets for his Day 2 performance.
He had a quiet Day 1 and didn't draw much attention, but burst onto the scene yesterday with an outstanding practice.
"Every time you turned and watched the offensive line, Bredeson from Michigan was impressing me with something," Brown wrote. "He’s not flashy but he’s consistent and knows how to work within his limited frame at 6-4 and 316 pounds with 31.5-inch arms.
"Some of his footwork could be refined and it should be with NFL coaching but he looks like he’s ready for the NFL and it wouldn’t surprise me if teams like the Detroit Lions or New England Patriots fall in love with him."
"Michigan’s Ben Bredeson had another strong day," Owen Riese of Acme Packing Company opined. "I was sitting next to an NFC West scout and after one rep, he said: 'That’s a starting guard in the NFL right there.'
"He’s done well for himself here in both pass protection and using his physicality."
"There are a few guards who have stood out this week, particularly in pass rushing 1 on 1s," the Osceola News-Gazette noted. "First up might be Ben Bredeson from the University of Michigan.
"He turned in some very impressive reps on Tuesday, first against [defensive tackle] Davon Hamilton from Ohio State. Bredeson showed a great initial hand strike, almost violent with the left hand, eventually driving Hamilton to the turf.
"He also had a fascinating rep against [defensive end] McTelvin Agim from Arkansas. The guard was beaten a bit to the inside, but maintained contact with Agim and was able to recover with his right arm to bring the rep to a stalemate.
"His ability to counter quick moves flashed later on a pass rushing rep, when he slid out to protect to his right but the defender tried to cut inside his left shoulder. Bredeson was able to again recover and “ride and carry” the defender away from the pocket.
"He showed some strength during portions of Tuesday’s practice. First against Darrion Daniels, the big defensive tackle from Nebraska. Bredeson showed good upper body strength to handle the initial bull rush move, but the good footwork to handle the late counter move to the inside.
"Then in a bit of a rematch with Agim, he handled a 'swat and cut' move from the defender very well, with a solid combination of upper body strength and lateral quickness."
Notable Tweets/Videos Involving Wolverines on Day 2
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