Senior Bowl Media Day

For every NFL team not named the New England Patriots or the Philadelphia Eagles, it’s already the off-season, but even those two Super Bowl contenders had scouts in Mobile today for Senior Bowl Media Day in search of the next Tom Brady or Senior Bowl alum Carson Wentz.
Or maybe it’s the next Ito Smith they want, Marquis Haynes, or Greg Gilmore. All of them say knowing their weakness is their greatest strength.
For the 110 or so players on the roster for this year’s Senior Bowl they were all invited to Mobile because of what they do really well and yet it’s what they might have struggled with a little bit in college that has the attention of all the scouts this week. So for NFL draft hopefuls like Southern Miss running back Ito Smith, Ole Miss outside linebacker Marquis Haynes, and LSU defensive tackle Greg Gilmore, there’s always something more they can do better. “That I can be an every down back, that I can do it all. Block, catch out the backfield, play special teams, whatever they ask me to do I can do it. Size doesn’t matter, you know? I feel like I’m one of the better backs in this class and I bring heart to the table. I’m somebody that’s going to go out there every down and give whatever I got. With the NFL teams being here, just to go out there and show who I am as a player, what I bring to the table,” said Smith.
“They just want to know if I can drop in coverage. That’s really the question they want to know, and can I play on special teams. So I don’t mind, wherever the coach wants to put me, I’m here to contribute the best way I can. I just tell them hey, it’s been a while since I can drop in coverage but I’m going to go out there and do my best at it. If you want to see that I can drop, I’ll show you I can drop. I never thought I’d be here at the Reese’s Bowl, but I thank them for having me here and I’m just ready to show what I can do,” said Haynes.
Gilmore said, “I do just want to show that I’m coachable on the field, I have great technique and I can pass rush. I get a lot of that this year. By you talking to these teams and getting these criticisms now, I mean you’re really a step ahead of the game.”
So whether it be pass rushing, pass coverage, or being that every down running back, Saturday’s Senior Bowl will be the next best opportunity to the NFL combine in terms of raising draft stock and that’s especially true for Smith, who grew up in Mobile and graduated as a three-star prospect from McGill Toolen High School.
Smith and Haynes are the only representatives from their respective schools while Gilmore is joined by three other Tigers. Smith is the first USM player to accept a Senior Bowl invite since Jamie Collins in 2012.