MOBILE, Ala. — The most impressive pass catchers from the SEC at the Senior Bowl this week have a “TE” next to their names in the program, not a “WR.”

Tight ends O.J. Howard of Alabama and Evan Engram of Ole Miss have been some the top performers for the South squad regardless of position, catching just about everything in sight and proving to be mismatches for linebackers and safeties alike.

But the same can’t be said of the wide receivers. LSU’s Travin Dural, Texas A&M’s Josh Reynolds and Mississippi State’s Fred Ross have all disappointed to some degree. According to the draft experts at CBSSports.com, Reynolds is a fourth- or fifth-round talent. Dural is pegged for Round 6, while Ross is slated for Round 6 or 7.

Howard, on the other hand, is a surefire first-rounder. Engram is expected to come off the board as early as Round 2.

After three days of practice in Mobile, the draftniks appear to have gotten it right thus far. Howard has lived up to his billing as the No. 1 tight end in the draft. Engram is built more like a wideout by NFL standards, but he offers versatility.

Dural’s hands have proven to be unreliable, plus he’s fumbled the ball twice after making catches against aggressive defensive backs. Reynolds has certainly outperformed Dural, although to say he’s turning heads would be a stretch. Ross isn’t particularly crisp running routes and has had trouble getting separation from defenders.

Also, all three measured smaller than they were listed in college. Dural? A full inch shorter. Reynolds and Ross? An inch and a half each.

“There’s no comparing them to the two tight ends,” a scout from the NFC told Saturday Down South during Thursday’s workout. “The two tight ends are great players and will play in the league. The receivers have some work to do.”

While so many of the prospects on hand are selling out on every rep in an effort to get noticed, Dural appears to be lackadaisical and even disinterested at times. His lowlights have definitely outnumbered his highlights to this point.

“I thought he’d be better, too,” the scout said. “We’ve been hearing for years that LSU has all these weapons and just needs a quarterback to get them the ball. Now I’m not so sure. Nothing about him stands out.”

Currently sporting the highest grade of the trio, Reynolds has certainly flashed here and there with sharp routes and great grabs. Additionally, he’s gotten better as the week has progressed. Thursday was by far his best day of the three, so perhaps it simply took him some time to get acclimated to three new QBs.

“I see the potential there,” the scout said. “I’m not sure he’ll make as many big plays in the NFL. He did a lot of that in college against inferior athletes. There aren’t any inferior athletes in the NFL.”

Ross has lost too many battles getting off the jam at the line of scrimmage. He’ll see a lot more press coverage on Sunday, of course.

“He’s not as big as I had hoped,” the scout said. “Almost every school does that, though. They do the same thing with 40 times. Kids that supposedly ran 4.2 in high school, they run 4.4 in college. And then the kids that supposedly ran 4.4 in college, they run 4.6 at the Combine.”

Fortunately, Ross (below) ended Thursday’s session with a bang. On the final snap of 11-on-11 drills from the 3-yard line, he managed to reel in a one-handed reception in the back-right corner of the end zone. He even kept both feet in bounds.

Jan 26, 2017; Mobile, AL, USA; South squad wide receiver Fred Ross of Mississippi State (8) is tackled by cornerback Damontae Kazee of San Diego State (24) during Senior Bowl practice at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Glenn Andrews-USA TODAY Sports

Credit: Glenn Andrews-USA TODAY Sports

PICK SIX

  • The injury bug has bitten the SEC at the Senior Bowl. Alabama linebacker Ryan Anderson, Texas A&M safety Justin Evans, Auburn safety Rudy Ford and LSU cornerback Tre’Davious White were all held out of Thursday’s workout due to various ailments. Ford and White have already been ruled out of Saturday’s game with ankle issues.
  • With three defensive backs from his own conference out of action, Tennessee cornerback Cameron Sutton was featured at both safety and nickelback. The former Volunteer made the most of his extra reps, including a batted ball on a pass intended for Ross from Cal quarterback Davis Webb. Sutton’s coverage skills appear to be sound. He also forced a fumble from Dural.
  • Much more than the other two quarterbacks in Mobile, Webb and Antonio Pipkin of Tiffin, Tennessee’s Joshua Dobbs has wisely thrown the ball away when none of his receivers are open. Considering the fact that Dobbs fired his fair share of interceptions this past season, perhaps he’s learning that forcing it tends to lead to mistakes.
  • Blitzing isn’t allowed in Saturday’s game, but Browns defensive coordinator Gregg Williams still threw a curveball at Dobbs with a double cornerback blitz. Dobbs recognized it and managed to connect with Reynolds, whose spot was vacated by one of the blitzing corners. Williams joked with Dobbs after the play that he would’ve been sacked before getting rid of the ball.
  • I overheard former general manager and current NFL analyst Bill Polian say that this is “the strongest running back class that I can remember.” While the SEC doesn’t have a ball carrier on display at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, LSU’s Leonard Fournette — an early-entry junior — is likely to be the first back selected in April.
  • After making that acrobatic TD catch on the final rep of practice, Ross ended his day getting interviewed live on camera by Alex Flanagan of NFL Network.

John Crist is the senior writer for Saturday Down South, a member of the FWAA and a voter for the Heisman Trophy. Send him an e-mail, like him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.