Most days the practices are divided up enough that there is time to write up each one, but things were a little different on Monday. The South team practiced from 1-3 and the North from 3-5, at fields about an hour apart thanks to mismanaged traffic. As a result, I missed the first 45 minutes of the North practice.

The morning began with the exercise in absurdity that is the weigh-in. With hundreds of grown men looking on, the players hit the catwalk in nothing but their Under Armour skivvies to get weighed and measured. It really is a surreal experience.

Some guys who stood out during the weigh-ins:

Baylor safety Ahmad Dixon wins the best body award. He’s the guy the ladies want you to be, gentlemen. Rock hard, toned without being over-muscled, and balanced from top to bottom. He hits like a freight train on the field, and it’s easy to see where the power comes from.

Utah State center Tyler Larsen had the opposite impression. He was very fleshy at 6’3” and 317, and his arm span came back at a disappointing 74 inches. No other center was less than 77 inches.

Auburn defensive end Dee Ford was a very impressive 6’2” and 243 pounds. My one-word note from the weigh-in: Wow!

Nebraska cornerback Stanley Jean-Baptiste is long all over, except for one key attribute: his hands. His span is just 8.5”, a ridiculously small number for a man with 32.75” arms and standing over 6’2”.

As a general observation, the era of full-body tattoos and bad body art appears to be coming to a merciful end.

Practice Notes:

Biggest winner: Pittsburgh DT Aaron Donald. He was outstanding for the North, showcasing his quickness and balance. He dominated Baylor guard Cyril Richardson, repeatedly besting him a barrage of moves. Donald showed the complete package today with speed, power, technical proficiency, and agility. It’s important to note this was pure pass rushing, which is his strength. My biggest knock on him coming here is that he doesn’t play the run well, and we have yet to see that here.

Biggest gainer: Florida guard Jon Halapio. He doesn’t have a lot of good game tape from this past season, thanks to toughing out a partially torn pec. Halapio was outstanding for the South practice, pancaking Arizona State DT Will Sutton twice in a three-rep span. He showed quick feet, good balance while in his stance, and ability to uncoil power from his hips and shoulders in concert.

For his part, Sutton wins the biggest hit-and-miss. He had those ugly reps against Halapio, and also Oklahoma center Gabe Ikard (playing right guard). Yet Sutton also had a few reps where he got off before the blockers could get into him, and he was a bat out of hell on those. He weighed in at a doughy 315, more than 30 pounds than his listed summer weight, and his short arms are clearly an issue for him. Just as on film, he tantalizes and disappoints in person. He’ll be a tough scouting report to complete.

Biggest underwhelming player: Tennessee DT Dan McCullers. He’s listed by the Vols as 6’8” but measured in at just under 6’7”. Despite still being massive, he doesn’t play big. Ikard, playing out of position, handily walled him off on one rep despite ceding four inches and 40 pounds. McCullers consistently struggled to protect his chest, and there’s just not a lot of fight to him. Mississippi State guard Gabe Jackson, the most impressive at his position on either roster, also had several successful reps against McCullers, including one where he caught the big man leaning too far and just pulled the chair from under him.

Biggest surprise: LSU linebacker Lamin Barrow. I’ve never been a big fan of his game tape, but he looked very fluid in movement and coverage drills today. He also demonstrated some very natural leadership, as did Montana LB Jordie Tripp. Barrow was the better player on the field today, so he gets the nod. Tripp looked fine athletically but kept overrunning his angle in team drills.

One-liners:

Stanley Jean-Baptiste blocked a field goal, something that almost never happens in practices.

Iowa State punter Kirby Van Der Kamp was not good at North practice. He shanked several balls, most to the right, and only had a handful that turned over for him.

Alabama WR Kevin Norwood earned an early earful after dropping a simple screen pass from Derek Carr. He did not miss another catchable ball all day.

Fresno State TE Marcel Jensen looks like Tarzan. He doesn’t exactly play like Jane, but let’s just say his body advertises a level of play he cannot meet. He was chided for blocking with his head down more than once.

Vanderbilt WR Jordan Matthews drew raves from several folks in attendance. He’s a man among boys at wideout here, and there is some decent talent around him too. Matthews is another weigh-in winner, with more abs than I can count.

BYU linebacker Kyle Van Noy is a very smooth athlete. He earned kudos for quickly implementing a coaching tip about getting his head around while dropping into coverage. Saints Defensive Coordinator Rob Ryan was watching him intently for a while.

Notre Dame OL Zach Martin was quite impressive. He’s got great feet and excellent initial punch. Many think he’s moving inside to guard, but he’s the best tackle here too.

One of the positions I’m looking at intently here is center. Florida State’s Bryan Stork and Colorado State’s Weston Richburg both impressed today. This is arguably the best positional group in Mobile.

Nine players who are healthy but declined to appear at the Senior Bowl:

Michigan State CB Darqueze Dennard

Oklahoma State CB Justin Gilbert

Ohio State RB Carlos Hyde

Florida State CB Lamarcus Joyner

Buffalo LB Khalil Mack

Texas A&M tackle Jake Matthews

Alabama QB A.J. McCarron

Alabama LB C.J. Mosley

Stanford LB Shayne Skov

Matthews, Mack and Hyde had little to gain here, but the others should be ashamed for shying away from competition. McCarron could have been the best QB here in my estimation, and the fact he chickened out says a lot about his competitive spirit.