MOBILE, Ala. — Former Georgia running back Trevor Etienne has had some strong practices in his bid to prove to NFL scouts that he’s more than a third-down running back.
Etienne will play for the American team in the Senior Bowl, which is set for 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Whitney Hancock Stadium.
“Just really let teams get to know what person I really am,” Etienne told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Not necessarily anything on the field. You can turn on the tape and see my play style. I just really want to connect with different teams and show them what kind of person that I am.”
Then his former coach from Florida pulled up.
“You good, man,” Billy Napier said. “How’s the week been?”
Etienne played two seasons at Florida before transferring to Georgia.
“Great, man,” Etienne said. “I’m enjoying it. I’m excited about this opportunity. Man, I got a chance to go against (former Florida linebacker) Shemar (James) in some of the drills, and I was, man this is just like back at Florida.”
Etienne rushed 122 times for 609 yards and nine touchdowns for the Bulldogs last season. He rushed 371 times for 2,081 yards and 23 touchdowns over his career.
He’s showed that he’s a dependable pass-catcher in drills. He missed some time last season with a rib injury and must show NFL scouts that he can run between the tackles.
“He looked good,” Hall of Fame general manager Bill Polian told The AJC. “He carried the ball well. He’s a slam-bang styled runner, which is good. You know, you just have to worry about ball security. But other than that, he’s fine. He showed some burst. He looked good.”
Here’s how the four other former Georgia players are performing:
Safety Dan Jackson
Jackson, 5-foot-11, 194 pounds, has been practicing back deep in some single-high looks. Since players are not tackling to the ground, he can’t show of his hitting ability until the game.
“It’s been great just getting out there and competing with the guys,” Jackson said.
He’s been concentrating on diagnosing plays.
“I’m just trying to be myself in all of those situations,” Jackson said. “Just focusing on my physicality and competitiveness.”
Jackson, a walk-on at Georgia, believes he can make an NFL roster.
“I don’t want to be done yet,” Jackson said. “I feel like I can help out any team just with my physicality and aggressiveness, trying to make plays.”
Linebacker Smael Mondon Jr.
Mondon has been moving around the defense, playing all three linebacker positions (strongside, weakside and middle).
“It’s been smooth, it’s been real fun going out there and getting to compete with really talented guys from all around the country,” Mondon told the AJC. “It’s a good experience.”
Mondon, 6-2⅜, 229, has not looked out of place in any of the spots.
“He moved around really well,” Polian said. “… They did a lot of team work. It’s hard to know exactly how they are going to perform until you see them in the game, when it’s full speed. Otherwise, I thought he had a really nice day (Wednesday).”
Mondon, was a five-star recruit from Paulding County High, hopes he gets to show his versatility in the game.
“So, on defense growing up, I played safety,” Mondon said. “Some of my favorite players were Tyrann Mathieu and Budda Baker. Ed Reed is my favorite safety of all-time. A lot of guys like that, who run around and pop people. They just jump off the screen.”
Wide receiver Arian Smith
It’s real simple for Smith, he’s trying to catch everything. He had 10 drops last season.
“This was my best and most productive year,” Smith said. “The ups and downs throughout the season, it builds who you are. I got better when I dropped a pass or when I messed up with a coverage or something or ran the wrong route.”
Smith (6-0, 185 pounds) believes he can fix all of those issues and impress NFL scouts.
“I feel like I can get open,” Smith said. “My best thing is getting separation from man-on-man, press coverage. I feel like that’s one of the best things I’m good at.”
Defensive lineman Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins
Ingram-Dawkins has been holding his own in the one-on-one drills against the offensive linemen.
“I want to show them that I have a high motor,” Ingram-Dawkins said. “That I can rush them on the edge. Show them aggressiveness and my physicality.”
He’s also locked in for the interview process.
“Just make sure they know all of the information about me that they need to know,” Ingram-Dawkins said. “Just know what type of player they are going to get if they draft me.”
Ingram-Dawkins (6-4, 276) believes he fits best in a 4-3 defense.
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