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by Daniel Harms
Day two of Senior Bowl practices is my favorite because the players have a better sense of what the coaches want, how to play with their teammates, and are more comfortable. The competitive level in all areas begins to ramp up, and players can feel it and want to bring out their best. Quincy Riley has been one of the best defensive backs on the field, not just for the National Team but for the Senior Bowl roster.
Riley measured in at 5-foot-10 and 192 pounds, bringing his physical brand of instinctual football to Mobile. At Louisville this season, he racked up 33 tackles, three for loss, two interceptions, and 13 passes broken up. He was always around the football field, and he made sure to let the receivers know he’d be doing the same thing all during practice.
Quincy Riley CB from Louisville with one of the best play the ball reps from today. Just pretty all around pic.twitter.com/6EUYPg9zft
— Justin Penik (@JustinPenik) January 28, 2025
Being patient at the line of scrimmage in man is a tough ask for defensive backs because they always have to guess what’s coming. Still, Riley does a great job of staying patient and slowly opening to the outside as Jayden Higgins declares and gets vertical. Using his inside hand to maintain position and stay on top of the route from Higgins, Riley keeps himself in perfect position to mirror and locate the football. As Higgins realizes the ball is getting closer, he tries to push Riley upfield to adjust to the football and turn his shoulders to box him out, but Riley fights through the back shoulder and punches the football away. He didn’t panic with the football in the air, trusted his ball tracking and playmaking ability, and forced that ball out. Hell of a play.
Louisville CB Quincy Riley 🔒#TheDraftStartsInMOBILE pic.twitter.com/mLtYqkR21A
— Mason Kinnahan (@Mason_Kinnahan) January 29, 2025
Riley is an impressive instinctual corner and might be more comfortable with the ball in the air than before the pass. He’s a good athlete and shows smooth footwork to mirror receivers in their releases to maintain that hold on the route. He stays with the receiver through the head nod but falls behind when his feet get caught, and the receiver separates deep. He battles back into the rep, closes with impressive speed, gets his arm on the ball, and ends up with another pass breakup.
Riley returned to school for the 2024 season to work toward becoming a first-round pick. Watching him this week, the work is apparent. Riley will be jumping up draft boards after this week, and our own Ryan Fowler got a one-on-one interview with the Louisville product Riley has the cornerback mentality that coaches and front offices will love.
“I want to let everyone know I’m the best DB in the country…I want to show that.” @_RyanFowler_ caught up with @LouisvilleFB Quincy Riley after Day 2 of National practice#TheDraftStartsInMOBILE pic.twitter.com/XjYtuzvLJK
— The Draft Network (@TheDraftNetwork) January 29, 2025
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