Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez notes the prospects who put on a show at the Senior Bowl on Thursday.
The final day of practices at the 2021 Reese’s Senior Bowl came to an end on Thursday.
There were a handful of prospects that stood out today, some of which capitalized on the past couple of performances and a few that made their first cases.
With that being said, here are five players that shined who could be on the Chargers’ radar:
OT Alex Leatherwood, Alabama
Leatherwood, arguably the nation’s top left tackle from this past season, has put together a mixed bag of showings since the first day. However, Leatherwood, put the pieces together on Thursday, showing that he should be in discussion for a top-40 selection. Winning with length, power and a stout base, edge defenders had no luck against him in both one-on-ones and team drills. When it came to the team drills, he did a firm job of driving opponents down the field.
TE Noah Gray, Duke
The Chargers could possibly be in the market for a tight end, especially if another team wants to pay Hunter Henry top dollar. Therefore, Gray could be a mid-rounder who catches the team’s attention. Today, Gray was arguably one of the pass catchers out of the bunch, which included a spectacular one-handed grab. He also showed promise in the run-blocking department during team drills, which is an area that he needed to prove his worth to scouts coming into the event. Overall, his combination of length, leaping skills and body control make him an ideal mismatch weapon.
CB Benjamin St. Juste, Minnesota
Yesterday, I mentioned two lengthy cornerbacks who stood out; Washington’s Keith Taylor and UCF’s Aaron Robinson. Today, it was St. Juste, another corner who’s well-built, who stole the show. St-Juste made a couple of impressive plays, showing good play strength at the line jamming receivers and consistently staying on receiver’s hip throughout the route, which led to pass deflections. Hailing at 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, St-Juste would bring a big, physical and sticky player to cornerback room.
IOL David Moore, Grambling State
Like University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s Quinn Meinerz, Moore entered this week completely under the radar. But he has shown that the competition is not too big for him, serving as an absolute wall up front. Built like a tank, Moore played with good, quick feet, a wide base and clamps as hands, not allowing much ground. In the run game, he used his massive size and lower body strength to drive defenders well off the ball and put a couple of defenders in the turf. Likely to go Day 3, Moore would be a strong contributor along the interior.
WR Frank Darby, Arizona State
If the Chargers wish to build around quarterback Justin Herbert, getting him another pass-catching target is not a bad idea. It’s not an immediate need, which means they could wait until Day 3, where someone like Darby would benefit the wide receiver group. Today, the former Sun Devil displayed great route-running, footwork and toughness, both in one-on-ones and the red zone drills. Darby has shown plenty of separation quickness to be a great vertical threat at the next level.
