Giardi: Studs and duds from day one of the Senior Bowl, plus the latest chatter on the Patriots

MOBILE, Ala. — We watched the American and National teams go through their first practices. Here are five thoughts on what I saw - plus some picked-up pieces regarding what I'm hearing about the Patriots. 

1. Learn the name Grey Zabel. 

The North Dakota State product had an excellent first day. He's listed on the Senior Bowl roster as a tackle, but he took reps at all three interior offensive line spots and won wherever he lined up (C, LG, RG) during 1-on-1s. He also got reps at both tackle spots. Everyone I surveyed today (NFL scouts/execs) sees Zabel as better suited to play inside, and there's a belief he could end up as the first one off the board from that group. He wasn't the only offensive lineman that stood out to me (and I admittedly watched them less than Bedard did. The Big Boy deals with the big boys). The tackle out of Oregon, Josh Conerly, looked very smooth on his feet. Athletic. He measured well: 6-foot-4 1/8 and 313 pounds, 34-inch arms, 10 3/8-inch hands, and an 81-inch wingspan. Perhaps that's a little too light for tackle? Time will tell. I liked how he moved today.

2. Speaking of Oregon players, WR Tez Johnson is quicker than a hiccup and showed out in 1-on-1s. 

Here's the problem: he's a smurf. Johnson measured at 5-foot-9 and change, and tipped the scales at 156 pounds. I see TuTu Atwell of the Rams, who was drafted way higher than he should have been and is a role player (and it's a small role). He handled press coverage today and was physical at the top of the stem. I liked the tape of Utah State's Jalen Royals (it was limited this year because of a foot injury), and some of his work today proved why. He is smooth, like mashed potatoes that got run through the food processor (no lumps here). He managed to not only get inside a corner, playing him on the inside but also create a step of separation on a quick slant. Not easy. But Royals didn't look well-conditioned and consistently returned to the huddle slower than everyone else. National head coach Ray 'Bubba' Ventrone (remember him?) stopped the session at least twice to exhort his players to play with a faster tempo. It wasn't directed at Royals, but he was guilty.

I had eyes on Jayden Higgins, but the quarterback play during the National team's practice was subpar. Actually, it wasn't good in either session, and I sensed some frustration when throws were here, there, and everywhere, except consistently on target. TCU's Jack Bech, who is 6-2, 214, had the catch of the day and nearly made a ridiculous one-hander to close practice, but I didn't see the quickness I was expecting.

3. On the quarterbacks, be glad you don't need one this year. 

My goodness. I'm a Jaxson Dart as QB3 in this draft guy, but he was scattershot this afternoon. But compared to Alabama's Jalen Milroe, Dart was Drew Brees-like. Milroe has small hands (8 3/4), and very few signal callers with those sized mitts end up as consistently accurate passers. Quite frankly, I can't fathom how or why people pushed him as a first-rounder. But history tells us that the NFL still hasn't figured out how to properly scout QBs. I was intrigued by Louisville's Tyler Shough. That kid has a cannon and had an off-platform fling outside the numbers, making me readjust my eyeballs. But he's 25 years old. 

4. I didn't know Thomas Fidone II before today, but I'm doing my homework after what I saw. 

The tight end out of Nebraska runs like he is getting electrical shocks in each leg at different times, but he broke off his routes cleanly, and that dude is a hands catcher. He plucked several balls out of the sky, and you're about to understand why. Fidone measures 6-4, his hands are 10 3/4 inches, and he has an 82 1/2-inch wingspan. Great googly-moogly. He had 36 catches for the Cornhuskers this season. I'm asking around. I'll report back to you. Elijah Arroyo twice managed to get over the top of a defense with a stutter and go and then an out and up. He's 6-4, 251 pounds, but doesn't have the same hand size and wingspan as Fidone. Arroyo looks like what you would envision as a prototypical tight end. I'll throw two more at that position that showed up today: Mason Taylor (LSU, son of Dolphin legend Jason Taylor) and Terrance Ferguson (Oregon). Ferguson had the fastest recorded speed by a TE today and can play both in-line and as a move, while Taylor bailed Milroe out with a terrific grab in the right flat and moves well like he's not even trying (but he is). 

5. From a defensive back perspective, two corners and one safety stood out. 

UCF CB Brandon Adams just wouldn't let any receiver stack him. He doesn't have unusually long arms or wingspan, but he was technically sound and had an interception on a deep shot to WR Isaac TeSlaa (Arkansas). Adams let out one hell of a roar after the play. The other CB that showed up most often was Trey Amos of Ole Miss. Amos was around the ball throughout the afternoon practice and had at least two PBUs. Oklahoma's Billy Bowman Jr. lined up at safety but also has some slot flexibility, which is key because he's not quite 5'10" and 198 lbs. Bowman has loose hips (it is scouting season...) and took a leadership role on day one.

PICKED UP PIECES ON THE PATS

- The more doors I knock on, the more I wonder about the Doug Marrone addition. His approach is considered rigid, and he's very much of an old-school type. That only plays with a specific kind of player - usually established veteran types - with a particular mentality. As much as I would like all football players, especially offensive linemen, to be the toughest guys on the football team, they can be just as sensitive as the next guy. Will that approach work with what the Pats currently have on the roster, or where they may go in free agency and the draft? Time will tell. 

Marrone's most recent NFL work - two years as the OL coach in New Orleans - was a mixed bag and, once there was a change in offensive coordinators, led to his dismissal. That team ran a fair amount of wide zone, but not successfully. 

Marrone was credited for revitalizing guard Cesar Ruiz but had zero influence on former first-round pick Trevor Penning. In fact, some people close to the situation believed the coach had impeded Penning's progress. (Penning switched from left tackle to right this season and seemed to find his footing under OL coach John Benton and OC Klint Kubiak). Again, different strokes for different folks.

As for how Marrone might approach the gig (again, should he be in charge of the OL), I found this quote from a few years back. 

"I'm not gonna watch a lot of film and in my mind after not having been here, say, 'Oh, my God! This is who this player is!'" Marrone said. "I really say, 'Hey, these are the things I could change, make him better. Let me get on the field. Let me figure out who he is."

- Last year at this time, I wrote about how little buzz the Pats' offensive coordinator search had attracted. Plenty of fans tried to dismiss it. Will those same folks feel the same way when I tell you the hiring of Mike Vrabel (and others) has created a little more life here at the Senior Bowl? "He gives them an identity," said one assistant coach from a rival AFC team. Another still turned his nose up at the roster but said, "Mike will weed out who belongs and who doesn't. They'll be better for it."

- Brian Belichick and Mike Pellegrino have predictably left the organization. Belichick first joined the staff as a scouting assistant in 2016, became a coaching assistant the following year, and was elevated to the safeties coach in 2019. He was one of the few position coaches who actually developed a rookie (Dell Pettus) who contributed positively this past season and generally oversaw a group that's been one of the team's best during his tenure. Pellegrino spent the last half-dozen seasons coaching the cornerbacks, and oversaw the All Pro seasons of Stephon Gilmore, J.C. Jackson and Christian Gonzalez. Both are excellent coaches. Not easy to replace.

Kevin Richardson, who was just hired by Vrabel from the University of Illinois, has experience coaching DBs.