2014 NFL Draft: Matt Miller's Scouting Notebook for Senior Bowl Week
By Matt Miller , NFL Draft Lead Writer Jan 23, 2014
The 2014 Senior Bowl is closing, but the
NFL draft season is only heating up. After three days of viewing practices and speaking with players in Mobile, Alabama, what was learned? A ton.
The Senior Bowl cannot be beaten when it comes to player access, the volume of evaluations happening live and the hands-on teaching and adapting the players must do. The NFL Scouting Combine may be a more hyped event, but for raw player evaluating the Senior Bowl is tops.
There's a ton to get to this week and two notebooks full of notes to share.
Five Up, Five Down
Five Up
5. QB Derek Carr, Fresno State
The most talented player at the 2014 Reese's Senior Bowl, Fresno State's quarterback was dominant throughout the week. He may have been helped by the poor talent level of the other quarterbacks in Mobile, but Carr took advantage and went to work.
The most impressive aspects of his week were shown both on and off the field. His velocity and accuracy were at the highest of levels. Even during a very cold and windy Tuesday practice the California kid was able to excel in the elements.
Carr also impressed by staying after practice to work with any receiver willing to run routes and work on timing together. He has clearly stepped up as the leader of the South team.
4. DT Aaron Donald, Pitt
I've spent time writing about Aaron Donald in this space before. He's lightning fast, instinctive and productive. Michael Felder even made him his No. 1 ranked player in our
CFB 250 series.
Donald's only real knock was his height, but during the week of practices against the best senior offensive linemen in the nation, he excelled at every stop. Donald used his lower center of gravity to fire off the ball and make himself a tiny target for the hands of interior blockers. And with his outstanding first-step quickness added on to his small target area, he was able to consistently get into the backfield and make plays.
The Senior Bowl is great at allowing evaluators to compare players side-by-side, and seeing Donald work the top linemen in the nation has him moving up my board.
3. DE Dee Ford, Auburn
The flashiest performer of Senior Bowl week was, without question, Auburn pass rusher Dee Ford. The smooth, sleek, explosive edge defender was all over the field making plays. And his raw speed was undeniable from the stands.
Ford jumped out on film, too, but you always wondered where you'd play him in the NFL. The Jacksonville Jaguars staff answered that question this week by allowing him to line up at both left and right defensive end in a base 4-3 set. He flourished no matter the side of the line and no matter who tried to block him.
The best fit for Ford moving ahead is likely at outside linebacker, but a big week here has pushed him into late first or early second round territory.
2. CB Stanley Jean-Baptiste, Nebraska
The buzz around practices was that NFL teams are now looking for the big, long, aggressive cornerback to fit into press coverage schemes. In short, teams want the next Richard Sherman.
Stanley Jean-Baptiste isn't quite Richard Sherman, but coaches and scouts will see a lot of similarities and a clay they can work with in his Nebraska game film and the abilities shown in practice. Jean-Baptiste has the frame (6'2 3/8", 215 lbs) and the fluid hips and feet to play in press coverage at the next level.
Some may knock his hip technique or how high he plays, but when you're over 6'2", you won't be as flexible as a smaller cornerback. That's OK, because a smaller cornerback can't press and jam like he can.
Don't be surprised to hear Jean-Baptiste's name called at the end of Day One or very early on Day Two.
1. DT RaShede Hageman, Minnesota
The only man I was physically afraid to get in front of this week was Minnesota's RaShede Hageman. At an even 6'6" and 318 lbs, he towered over the competition. Literally.
Hageman's film showed an impressive, and at times dominant, defensive tackle. My biggest question mark heading into the week was his ability to play with leverage. It's fine to be 6'6" as a defensive tackle, but can you get low? Can you make yourself a small target for blockers? Hageman didn't always do this at Minnesota, but in Mobile the switch was flipped and he started dominating.
Seeing Hageman develop throughout the week was eye-opening. And with his god-given length, burst and strength he shines as a scheme-versatile defender able to play in a conventional 4-3, 3-4 or the trendier hybrid fronts. Teams that want him should be ready to spend a pick inside the first 20 picks to get him.
Five Down
5. QB David Fales, San Jose State
No player had more of an up-and-down week that San Jose State's David Fales.
The senior quarterback struggled throughout the early portion of the week, but not just on the field. Fales measured in very small at 6'1 3/8" and definitely looks small in the pocket. One team scout I spoke to compared him to a "shorter Alex Smith" in terms of footwork, arm strength and his build.
Fales did rebound well by Wednesday, but two days of poor velocity and ball placement will be something teams take home with them.
4. QB Stephen Morris, Miami (Fla.)
Stephen Morris' slide down draft boards continued this week in Mobile.
The Hurricane quarterback entered the year with considerable praise after evaluators viewed his junior season and saw considerable upside. But Morris regressed in 2013 and could never find a consistent footing on a weekly basis.
Add that to a surprising weigh-in (6'1 6/8" and 208 lbs) and you have some issues he needed to work through. Morris' inconsistent ball placement and velocity were obvious in practices, though, and his old habit of only throwing inside the hashes made for a long week of quarterback drills.
3. OLB Michael Sam, Missouri
The All-American pass rusher from Missouri struggled to find a role in the Atlanta Falcons schemes this week. Coming into the game, Sam was moved from his home at left defensive end to outside linebacker. Through one and a half days of practice there he looked stiff and unsure of himself. That led to the coaching staff shuttling him to defensive line drills.
Sam is small for a classic 4-3 defensive end, and without great strength you have to question his ability there to get off blocks and make plays. But ask him to stand up and play outside linebacker and you have a liability in coverage.
Sam enjoyed a great 2013 season, but finding a spot for him in the NFL will be more difficult than originally thought.
2. OLB Adrian Hubbard, Alabama
Like Michael Sam, Adrian Hubbard was asked to be something he's not this week--a 4-3 outside linebacker.
Hubbard made his living at Alabama as an edge-rushing linebacker, but never as a player dropping into coverage and making plays in space. Hubbard needs to be moving forward, not backward, when the ball is snapped. Playing in a base 4-3 scheme this week, he's been flat, stiff and out of position.
That may hurt Hubbard when it comes time to evaluate the Senior Bowl, but teams also know he's best served as a 3-4 outside linebacker. That said, he has to learn to play lower and with more flexibility regardless of the scheme. Even 3-4 outside linebackers have to play in coverage.
1. CB Aaron Colvin, Oklahoma
A torn ACL suffered in practice destroys the draft stock of the best cornerback on the field early in the week. Now Aaron Colvin is off to have surgery next week, confirmed by Senior Bowl staff in an announcement to the media Wednesday.
Colvin was a solid top 50 player for me heading into the week. Now, with his 2014 season in question, he should be expected to drop to at least the fifth-round range of the draft.