The 2016 Senior Bowl wrapped up practice on Thursday, and the game is set to kick off Saturday at 11:30 a.m. PT. Numerous NFL scouts, executives, and coaches were on hand for the week of Senior Bowl practices. This setting provided them a chance to observe and meet with players, and continue the process of figuring these players out and setting up a big board.
One notable absence from Senior Bowl week would appear to be San Francisco 49ers head coach Chip Kelly. On Monday, Matt Maiocco tweeted that Kelly was not planning to attend the Senior Bowl practices. It is possible that changed at some point, but with the coaching staff not formally announced until Wednesday afternoon, it seems unlikely Kelly's plans would have changed.
Kelly has spent a lot of time at these events in the past. He has talked about the value of seeing players in person, and talking to them, and generally adding a little something to the assessment. However, much of the discussion surrounding Kelly's arrival in Santa Clara was that Trent Baalke would remain in charge of the 53-man roster. There is skepticism from some folks whether that can work, but this could be a decent sign that for at least year one, this can be a solid working relationship.
I have no idea if this will deteriorate in the coming years, but for now, the clear delineation of power between Chip Kelly and Trent Baalke seems to be in decent shape. It's only small example, so I won't take this as a sign that nothing bad will happen. And it is just year one, where he has a lot of work to do sorting through his offensive scheme and the current roster talent. Nonetheless, without much else to work with right now, it's a good starting point.