MOBILE, Ala. — Smael Mondon is smiling again now that the Georgia linebacker is able to showcase his skills at full speed.

Mondon is one of five Georgia players at the Senior Bowl this week, all working to impress the NFL head coaches and general managers in attendance at the practices leading up to the 2:30 p.m. game on Saturday at Hancock-Whitney Stadium.

“It felt good, we’re always competing in practices at Georgia, so it was a seamless transition to come down here and compete,” Mondon said after the opening practice on Tuesday.

“It was good to see guys from other schools and see how you compare.”

Mondon, on Day One, looked very strong, continuing to play at what Kirby Smart said was the highest level of his Georgia career at the end of UGA’s SEC Championship season.

“I just want to show my foot is not a problem, it might be something that might scare some teams away, but it’s not an issue and it’s not going to be an issue,” Mondon said, explaining what he wants to show NFL leaders this week.

“I’m feeling as good as ever, and I just want to show them what I’m capable of doing.”

Mondon reminded teammate Trevor Etienne of his skills in one coverage drill, winning the rep against his former Georgia teammate.

“I went against Trevor twice, you can ask him how it went,” Mondon said with a smile. “Me and Trevor are always going back and forth, so it was fun to go against him today, it was good for sure.”

Etienne, who was signing autographs, was in earshot of Mondon’s playful boast.

“I slipped,” Etienne said with a telltale smile that acknowledged Mondon had indeed gotten the better of him.

Mondon was the warhorse of the Georgia defense this past season, his veteran leadership emerging as Georgia made a triumphant kick down the stretch of the season, beating Tennessee, Georgia Tech and Texas to earn the No. 2 seed in the College Football Playoffs.

Notre Dame beat Georgia in the CFP Sugar Bowl Semifinal, 23-10, but that wasn’t on the defense.

The Irish had only 244 yards of offense — the fewest by a winning team in CFP history — and their longest touchdown drive was 13 yards following a turnover.

Indeed, Notre Dame didn’t penetrate the Georgia 25-yard line with its offense on any other drive, as its other touchdown came on a 98-yard kick return.

Mondon said the loss was disappointing, but he was proud of the SEC Championship Game win over Texas and what it meant to the program.

It’s a blessing, it’s definitely hard to win an SEC championship,” Mondon said. “I have as many SEC championships as national championships, so it shows it’s just as hard.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t get the ultimate goal that we were aiming at, but it’s still something to be proud of.”

Mondon can also be proud of his pass coverage skills, which figure to help him separate from other linebackers in the draft.

Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy noted that Mondon was the one Georgia player he saw that could cover Brock Bowers effectively in the closed UGA practices that scouts were able to see.

“Brock was great from the first day, and he made me better, for sure,” Mondon said. “When I was guarding him, it was like ‘alright, let’s go!’

“Going against him gave me a lot of confidence and helped me a lot.”

And now it’s up to Mondon to help himself with a strong performance in the Senior Bowl game and a good workout at the upcoming NFL combine in Indianapolis from Feb. 27 through March 2.