USC WR Michael Pittman out of Senior Bowl with foot injury
MOBILE, Ala. — The Senior Bowl experience for USC wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. came to an abrupt and disappointing halt on Thursday. The 6-4 Pittman arrived in Mobile hoping to establish himself among a deep group of wide receivers, but a strained right foot forced him to the sidelines on Thursday and he will not play in the game on Saturday.
“I tried to play through it (Wednesday),” Pittman said. “But the smart thing is to not play. It’s disappointing. But it’s the right thing to do.”
Pittman caught 101 passes for 1,275 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2019, and his size and strength stood out over the first two days of practice in Mobile.
And that is saying something given the talent on hand, including Ohio State’s K.J. Hill, Notre Dame’s Chase Claypool — who has made play after play this week — Baylor’s Denzel Mims and SMU’s James Proche.
Strowbridge drops weight, ups game
North Carolina defensive linemen Jason Strowbridge has always had trouble keeping weight on. That was an issue while playing in the interior of the line for part of last season for the Tar Heels.
On the outside, however, less is seemingly more for him. A switch to the edge at the midpoint of last season took advantage of Strowbridge’s speed and athletic ability. By the time he showed up in Mobile for the Senior Bowl, his weight was down to 267 from 281.
The heads he’s turned this week while showing explosion and natural rush instincts off the edge is proof he might have found the right home on the scale and on the field.
Strowbridge, who had 22 sacks in four seasons at North Carolina, has met with the Raiders. The feedback he received suggested they envision the 6-4 defender as an situational pass rusher but also someone strong enough to set the edge.
“I’m pretty stout against the run, but I wanted to come here this week and show my pass rush ability,” he said.
Florida Atlantic TE turning heads
The Raiders are probably set at tight end with Darren Waller and Foster Moreau. But you can never create too many matchup problems, so the addition of another playmaking tight end isn’t out of the question.
Florida Atlantic’s Harrison Bryant has used this week in Mobile to solidify himself as one of the best tight ends in the draft. He’s been unguardable throughout workouts, using his size (6-4, 242 pounds) and athletic ability to beat defenders in multiple ways.
His experience playing in Lane Kiffin’s multiple offense at FAU should make the transition to the NFL easier.
“I’ve been exposed to a little bit of every style of offense. Pro style. Spread. RPO. Play action,” Bryant said. “So really, whatever team, whatever scheme, I feel I can fit into.”
Bryant finished last year with 65 catches for 1,004 yards and seven touchdowns and won the Mackey Award as the nation’s best tight end.
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore onTwitter.