Earlier this week we learned that Anthony Gordon would wear number 3 during the Senior Bowl this week in honor of his former teammate Tyler Hilinski. On Tuesday, we had our first chance to see Gordon and that number 3 jersey in action.

Gordon, and the rest of the Senior Bowl North squad, had their first day of practice today in Mobile, Alabama. But before they hit the field, they were poked and prodded for the all-important measurements.

Anthony Gordon:

HT: 6-2

WT: 199

Arms: 31 3/8”

Hands: 9 1/2”

After that, it was time to meet with the media. Gordon talked plenty of football (and we’ll get to that later) but his Mike Leach impression was what garnered the most attention.

On a more serious note, Gordon also talked with Theo Lawson of the Spokesman Review to cover why his jersey number change to honor Hilinski was so important to him. Gordon told Lawson via text message that he was “honored and privileged” for the opportunity to wear Hilinski’s number.

“It means a lot to me to carry on Tyler’s legacy, alongside emphasizing the importance of mental health through Hilinski’s Hope,” Gordon said. “The Hilinskis are an unbelievable family that has a special place in my heart.”

After the media session, it was finally time to hit the field.

By most accounts, it was a tough day for Gordon. He entered the week with high expectations, but didn’t exactly impress some analysts with his performance on a windy day in Mobile. Here’s what Mark Schofield of Pro Football Focus had to say about day one.

Tuesday is just a baseline day, but Gordon struggled at times. It was windy and raw down at Ladd-Peebles, but on deeper throws during practice Gordon’s passes tended to hang in the air a bit longer. There also seemed to be a lot of miscommunication on routes during this practice, not exclusively with Gordon but also with Jordan Love and Shea Patterson. But that led to some missed opportunities during the various drills.

To be fair, none of the quarterbacks really jumped off the page for the north. Erik Edholm of Yahoo Sports named all three North team quarterbacks as his “losers” from the first practice.

It’s Day 1. No one is freaking out. But Jordan Love, Anthony Gordon and Shea Patterson looked less impressive overall than the South group of Justin Herbert, Steven Montez and Jalen Hurts. (And Hurts was not great throwing today.)

After practice, Gordon agreed with some of that criticism, saying that his footwork is the biggest thing he needs to work on before gameday. “I didn’t really have my feet under me at times,” he told reporters. “I want to make sure I get the plays out a lot cleaner tomorrow.

You can watch Senior Bowl practice tomorrow live on ESPNU. Gordon and the North team is set to take the field at 10:30 a.m. pacific time, followed by the South team at 1 p.m. also on ESPNU.

As for the game, kickoff is set for Saturday at 11:30 a.m. on the NFL Network.

Football

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