Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Allen, Mayfield give North all-star QBs at Senior Bowl
MOBILE, ALA. » Quarterbacks Josh Allen and Baker Mayfield got to enjoy being teammates for a few days on their way to the NFL.
Both likely first-round draft picks were the headliners for the Senior Bowl all week, divvying practice snaps for the North team leading up to Saturday’s game.
“It’s fun. He’s a fiery competitor,” Wyoming’s Allen said. “We were hyping each other up on the field, and that’s what it’s all about. Coming out here having fun, meeting new guys, being able to compete with the best and progress every day.”
Oklahoma’s Mayfield hasn’t said if he’ll play in the game itself. The Heisman Trophy winner told reporters after Thursday’s practice: “We’ll see.”
Regardless, he and Allen got to work through three practices led by Vance Joseph and the Denver Broncos coaching staff with NFL eyes upon them throughout. The Broncos, who draft fifth and are in the market for a quarterback, had wanted Mayfield to be on their team.
“We wanted to have an opportunity to get to meet him,” said Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway, Denver’s general manager and president of football operations. “Obviously we’ve seen what everyone else has seen, what he can do on the field and the type of player that he is. To be able to be around him and get to know him a little bit was important.”
His take after a couple of practices: Both Mayfield and Allen had made “some bigtime throws.”
Mayfield arrived a couple of hours before Tuesday’s first North practice after flying home to Austin, Texas, to be with his mother, who he said wasn’t “not doing too great.” He did enjoy working with the Broncos coaches.
“It’s been a great experience being around them, learning from them and competing against some of the best quarterbacks in the country,” Mayfield said.
The Senior Bowl hasn’t had two quarterbacks selected in the first round of the same draft since Jake Locker and Christian Ponder in 2011. Plus, Oklahoma State’s Mason Rudolph made an appearance in Mobile but couldn’t practice or play because of a foot injury, though his top target, wide receiver James Washington, is on hand.
Other top QB prospects like UCLA’s Josh Rosen and USC’s Sam Darnold are underclassmen.
The other North quarterbacks are Washington State’s Luke Falk and Nebraska’s Tanner Lee.
The South, coached Bill O’Brien and the Texans staff, is led by Virginia quarterback Kurt Benkert, Western Kentucky’s Mike White, Troy’s Brandon Silvers and Kyle Lauletta of FCS Richmond.