The Defense Stands Out in Day One of Senior Bowl Practices
The Texans were well represented at the Senior Bowl
The first day of practice for the Panini Senior Bowl was dominated by the defenses. The Houston Texans had plenty of representatives there to take in the two practices. General manager Nick Caserio started his day observing offensive linemen drilling. Offensive line coach Cole Popovich was present at the practices and observed the offensive line play as well.
Caserio moved around the field, taking in linebacker and running back 1-on-1 drills. He also spent time with special teams coordinator Frank Ross, watching the specialists.
The Texans had plenty to take in from the first practice. Here are my observations.
Lee Hunter (DT, Texas Tech) was one of the best players on the field. Hunter terrorized the offensive linemen he faced. He was rarely stopped, and even when he didn’t win, one could argue it was a stalemate and not a loss by Hunter. Hunter dispatched multiple double teams with ease. He was powerful and fast. This is a large human, but not simply a space eater. He ripped past the offensive line and would have annihilated a quarterback in a live rep. Hunter will likely be in no-man’s land for the Texans. He might sneak past their first round selection, but will almost assuredly go before their second pick in the draft. If Houston found a way to add this monster to the defensive line, watch out.
Gennings Dunker (OT/OG, Iowa) was one of the few linemen to get a win over Hunter. Dunker looked the part of a right tackle with a thick base and the foot speed to handle some of the edge rushes. Dunker practiced at guard as well. That’s where he earned his win over Hunter. There were some hiccups to Dunker’s day, but usually he set out to maul his defender and succeeded. Dunker had a better day than teammate Beau Stephens (OG, Iowa). Stephens was a well-decorated player this season as a First-Team All-American, but that mattered little to the multiple defenders who handed him some losses in 1-on-1 reps.
