Overheard at the 2016 Reese's Senior Bowl

MOBILE, ALA. - Three Temple Owls are participating in the 2016 Reese's Senior Bowl which is scheduled for January 30 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Kickoff is at 1:30 p.m. CT (2:30 p.m. ET) and will be broadcast on NFL Network.

DT Matt Ioannids, LB Tyler Matakevich, and DB Tavon Young have been making NFL coaches and scouts, as well as media who cover the league, take notice. Here are just a few of those comments:

"Temple's Tavon Young, however, showed terrific timing and closing speed to break up multiple passes, ripping at the ball as it arrived. At just 5-9 (and 3/8") and 180 pounds, Young isn't imposing but he is scrappy, projecting best as a nickel or dime defender in the NFL."
-- Dane Brugler, NFLDraftScout.com

"One of the things that makes Temple CB Tavon Young so effective is how quickly he can shake off contact and maintain his presence in coverage. One good example came when he worked against Cincinnati's Chris Moore, who got his arms into Young's chest to try and get separation downfield on a go route. Young had none of it, and stayed with Moore, timing his own contact perfectly to avoid a pass-interference infraction and create enough of a distraction to force a deep incompletion. Young's size (5-foot-9, 183 pounds) might turn teams off, but his persistence, quickness and reads on the ball evoke a few memories of Chris Harris Jr. Judge these players not by their size, but by their hustle and willingness to not get pushed around by bigger, more physical wide receivers."
-- Andrew Mason, DenverBroncos.com

"One of my favorite defensive back prospects in the 2016 draft, Young has been under-appreciated on a Temple defense that also boasts two other Senior Bowl invites, including Bednarik winner Tyler Matakevich. But Young's poise against top talents and comfort ability to anticipate—not guess—on routes are what allows him to be a truly special vertically protecting cornerback prospect. Young had awesome success against Notre Dame's Will Fuller, and will look to do the same against vertical threats in Mobile. Don't be surprised if he leaves Mobile with top-50 expectations."
-- Eric Galko, Optimum Scouting

"A defensive linemen that jumped out from Tuesday's practice that I need to keep an eye on today is Temple defensive tackle Matt Ioannidis. Ioannidis measured in at 6-4, 303 pounds and was extremely active during the North practice. There were several snaps where he was in the backfield playing the run as well as working off blocks rushing the passer. Like his teammate, Ohio State's Adolphus Washington, both were extremely disruptive."
-- Bryan Broaddus, DallasCowboys.com

"Like Day, Ioannidis was very disruptive from the defensive tackle position on Wednesday, getting into the backfield against the run and the pass. He ranked ninth in overall grades among defensive tackles this season, and fourth in pass-rush grades. It's important that he show well this week against top competition, because his only negative pass-rush grade on the season came against the best offensive line he faced: Notre Dame."
-- Pro Football Focus

"Temple sent three players on defense to Mobile—Tyler Matakevich, Tavon Young and Ioannidis—and the big defensive tackle was by far the most impressive. The North team offensive linemen struggled with his push and power all week, and he flashed the quickness to chase the quarterback too."
-- Matt Miller, Bleacher Report

"At least one NFL defensive coordinator said the 6-foot-3, 303-pound Ioannidis had a "very good day" Tuesday. A projected fifth-round prospect, Ioannidis had 10.5 tackles for losses, 3.5 sacks, four pass breakups and two fumble recoveries this past season."
-- Vaughn McClure, ESPN Atlanta

"As the week of practice continues, the scouting community is buzzing over a few players at the game, specifically Matt Ioannidis of Temple and Ohio State Buckeyes star Braxton Miller….For Ioannidis, one-on-ones have been his time to shine. The Owls defensive standout has been disruptive on every day of practice against an impressive group of offensive linemen. It will be interesting to see how Ioannidis and Miller continue to perform as the week comes to a close, but it is clear that they are among the best, most talked about prospects at this year's edition of the all-star game."
-- Josh Sanchez, CampusSports.net

"Three guys the scouts are raving about already: Temple DT Matt Ioannidis, Boise S Darian Thompson, OSU WR Braxton Miller."
-- Ian Rapoport, NFL Network

"Temple's Matt Ioannidis has been labeled by many as a player who has most improved his draft stock over the first couple of days."
-- Andrew Gribble, ClevelandBrowns.com

Football Gameplan conducted interviews with all three players. Click to view the links.
Matt Ioannidis
Tyler Matakevich
Tavon Young

Temple University Athletics

Overheard at the 2016 Reese's Senior Bowl

Players Mentioned

Matt Ioannidis

Tyler Matakevich

Tavon Young

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