Senior Bowl Thread

massraider

massraider

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Rosters:

http://www.gbnreport.com/seniorbowlhtswts.html

(But I think Quinn isn't playing)

Programming Notes:

Set the DVR for 10:30 tomorrow and 5:00. Hour and a half of practices on NFL Network. Daily wrap up at 8:00.

Anyone that catches these practices, please post notes for the shlubs that don't have NFL Network.
 
Good timing, just got this in my email...


Senior Bowl Practice Report North Team - Monday



Jan 22, 2007, MOBILE, AL - The cold Alabama rain showers couldn't stop hundreds of scouts, agents, and fans from watching the North Team take the field in the first Senior Bowl practice of the year.

Those that braved the elements were treated to a collection of talent that rivals some of the greatest Senior Bowl rosters of all time. There were impressive noteworthy plays made by players of all shapes, sizes, and positions, with a few prospects staking early claims as the best at their positions. There were also a few surprises that no one could have forecasted.

The rest of the week practices will be divided up with one team practicing in the morning and the other practicing in the afternoon. Due to the time spent Monday morning at the weigh-ins, however, both teams practiced this afternoon, forcing a tough decision for scouts. With the first practice of the week likely to be in only helmets and shoulder pads, I generally focus on the quarterbacks, receivers, and defensive backs. With greater questions surrounding the North's prospects at these positions, I chose them.



Quarterbacks:

Scouts were anxious to see Troy Smith, Drew Stanton, and Tyler Palko side by side simply because it is rare to see players so different playing at the same position. Heisman winner Troy Smith has to answer questions about his height (after measuring in at 6-0 even earlier) and ability to throw without superstars like Ted Ginn, Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez. Drew Stanton has all the physical tools, but after a late season meltdown, scouts wanted to see how he'd perform in this high pressure environment. Tyler Palko lacks Smith's big name or Stanton's measureables, but is a gutty winner who just wins.

Of the three, Smith was the most impressive throughout Monday's practice. While his height is a concern, Smith has a clean over-the-top delivery that is rarely batted down at the line of scrimmage. He showed plenty of arm strength, zipping passes to all levels of the field, and yet showing great touch, as well.

Stanton was a little more erratic, though his strong arm and size make him the most prototypical of the trio. Also, quarterbacks were discouraged to run with the ball, something that robbed Stanton of the mobility that has scouts so intrigued. Stanton threw the ball with plenty of force, but often played conservatively, electing to check down to tight ends and running backs rather than attack the perimeter.

Tyler Palko was willing to attack the corners, but only did so with limited success. He lacks the arm strength of the other two North quarterbacks and, thus, is forced to go through more of a windup when throwing longer routes. With cornerbacks who can break on the ball as well as Leon Hall, Daymeion Hughes, Josh Wilson, and Marcus McCauley, this resulted in too many pass deflections. Palko is accurate, however, and has the best chance of impressing teams come Saturday, as his game management and leadership ability are strengths.


Wide Receivers:

The wet conditions seemed to affect the receivers more than it did the quarterbacks or cornerbacks. Either that or the North receivers simply dropped too many balls that should have been caught.

Perhaps the best performances were turned in by Rhema McKnight and Jason Hill. McKnight made several athletic grabs and caught the ball as consistently as any receiver today. He was especially good early, before a couple of drops that would have been spectacular catches, wore of some of the luster. McKnight generally showed good route-running, but he'll need to clean up his footwork if he hopes to enjoy continued successa against a very talented North secondary.

Hill wasn't spectacular, but he was consistent in catching the ball and turning upfield. He was rarely asked to stretch the field deep, however, limiting opportunities to judge what scouts feel is one of the questions he needs to answer this week.

Though he entered the week with as little fanfare as any receiver on either Senior Bowl team, West Virginia's Brandon Myles had a strong initial practice. He caught the ball cleanly and showed that his mediocre production with the Mountaineers have more to do with the team's success in running with Pat White and Steve Slaton than an indictment on Myles' receiving ability.

East Carolina's Aundrae Allison showed flashes and his downfield speed is an element that cannot be coached. He was consistently able to gain separation and caught the ball reasonably well, though there were a few drops. Paul Williams and David Clowney have similar deep speed, but each suffered through several drops throughout practice. Williams struggled early, but built momentum towards the end of practice. Clowney caught the ball fairly well early, but often allowed the ball to get into his pads. Perhaps asked by coaches to uses his hands more, Clowney dropped several passes as practice winded down.


Cornerbacks:

Perhaps no other position on either roster was I more curious to view in person than the North's cornerbacks. Michigan's Leon Hall has been ranked as the elite at the position all season long, but was beaten in some of his biggest matchups this year. California's Daymeion Hughes was among the nation's best big plays corners, but questions about his deep speed and the talent of the receivers in the Pac-10 seemed legitimate. Josh Wilson and Marcus McCauley seemed to have unbelievable size/speed combinations, but how would they react against this kind of talent?

Of the four, Daymeion Hughes' answer was heard the loudest.

Hughes was spectacular Monday. He was as dominant during this practice as any cover corner I've witnessed in nearly ten years of covering the Senior Bowl. He was never challenged deep -- which is a significant caveat, as he is estimated to run in the mid 4.5s -- but he rarely allowed short and medium receptions, consistently showing the instincts, body control, and instantaneous break on the ball that caused his own coaching staff (Tampa Bay) to routinely praise him and for scouts throughout the stands to divert their attention towards him. Hughes was at his best matched one on one with receivers, but also showed sticky hands and good leaping ability in drills earlier in practice.

Leon Hall wasn't as good as Hughes today, but he, on the other hand, was challenged deep and held up well. Hall has good footwork, speed, and leaping ability, and while beaten on occasion, cemented his place -- at least early on -- as one of the top defensive players here.

Maryland's Josh Wilson has the speed to get any scout excited. He's reportedly been timed in the 4.2s and that speed was on display Monday. He didn't appear to be as instinctive or show the break on the ball that Hughes or Hall showed, but was in reasonable position all day long. Passes were completed on him, but he competed and has great upside.

Marcus McCauley struggled today. While he looks the part, McCauley looked a half step slower than the other cornerbacks in early drills and this weakness was taken full advantage of by the North's receivers. He was beaten deep a few times and beaten short often. As the practice went on, he seemed to get down on himself. McCauley is too gifted to drop too far down the board, but he'll need to bounce back this week to assure himself of being the top 50 player his talent warrants.

For whatever reason two of the cornerbacks I was most interested in viewing -- Eric Weddle of Utah and Tanard Jackson of Syracuse -- were moved to safety. Weddle isn't much of a surprise considering he has played safety (at an all conference level, no less) in the past. Jackson, however, has been at cornerback throughout his time at Syracuse and is, quite frankly, a pretty damn good cornerback.

Often teams practice with all of their defensive backs together. This was not the case much of the day Monday, as the safeties worked with each other much of the time.
 
Others:

Though my intent was to focus on the positions listed above, some other players were simply too good not to notice. Others I noticed due to position changes or due to struggles.

There seemed to be two legitimate standouts along the offensive and defensive linemen. Each entered the game considered a first round pick. Each further cemented that status Monday.

With Wisconsin's Joe Thomas electing not to play, Penn State's Levi Brown is the most highly decorated offensive lineman in Mobile and throughout today's practice he showed why. Brown was good in pass blocking drills, consistently able to beat speed rushers to the outside and punish those who tried to bull rush him. He was even better in run blocking drills, where he decimated most and beat nearly all.

One defensive lineman who did hold his own against Brown and beat all others was Nebraska's Adam Carriker. Carriker is the best 3-4 defensive end prospect in this draft and among the best in recent years. He is known for his strength at the point of attack and at 6-6, 290 pounds, that shouldn't come as a surprise. What was surprising, however, was how effective Carriker was in pass rush drills. He was terrifically quick off the snap, but showed enough burst to get the offensive tackle leaning and once Carriker caught his opponent leaning, he simply latched on and tossed tackles away like rag dolls. I enjoyed watching Daymeion Hughes play cornerback today and was loathe to look elsewhere when he was on the field. Adam Carriker forced me too, at times.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day also came from the defensive line. California's Brandon Mebane has earned a reputation among those who follow the Pac-10 as being one of the toughest defensive tackles in the conference, but quiet frankly, in the eyes of NFL scouts, that isn't saying much. Besides USC, the Pac-10 hasn't produced a great many rugged defensive tackles in recent years and the talk was that Mebane was simply the next overrated one to come out of the conference. That talk changed a bit today, as Mebane showed very good strength at the point of attack, rarely giving up an inch against double teams and pushing single blockers into the back field on occasion. Mebane has been ranked as high as a first round pick by some analysts, but more realistically, has always been considered more of a 2nd day prospect. Some teams, in fact, didn't view as anything more than a late round pick. That said, Mebane impressed today and will move up the board with a strong performance this week, especially considering the overall lack of talent at defensive tackle in this year's draft.

I didn't focus on LaMarr Woodley and Anthony Spencer much today, but will this week. Each lacks traditional size for defensive end and could be asked to play some linebacker. The Senior Bowl rosters have historically proven to some accuracy on this, as often players thought to perhaps be athletic enough to move around have been listed as a DE/OLB instead of one position or the other. Interesting that Woodley is listed strictly as a defensive end, whereas both positions are listed for Spencer. Of the little I viewed of each, both showed the burst and use of hands as that made them the natural and productive pass rushers they were at Michigan and Purdue, respectively.

Iowa's Marshal Yanda is an intriguing prospect, but early on was asked to play right tackle and this isn't a good matchup for him against this kind of talent. He was moved inside to left guard later, a position where he projects much better for the next level.
 
Man, your emails sure beat my penis enlargement and Nigerian investment-stuffed mailbox.

Nice stuff, HBoy.
 
Slightly different take from footballguys.com:
The weather camp and cold, making it tough to get a good handle on the QBs, who were having trouble taking snaps and throwing spirals. The WRs were also falling down a lot, although this was a good measure of who could run their routes under control.

QB

Tyler Palko, Pitt - nice throw on run X2, mechanic poors, throwing off back foot, throwing while falling back and throwing on off foot while scrambling, weird 3/4 release, puts ball in right spot

Troy Smith, tOSU - two fumbles likely due to weather, showed a lot of confidence in leadership in huddle, on sidelines, good barking cadence, knew where he wanted to put the ball and had several good throws

Drew Stanton, Mich St - started off slow, got going and has a great delivery, perfect mechanics, over the top throwing motion, proper zip, proper touch, good ball placement, very athletic for his size

Chris Leak, Florida - Considerably shorter than Kolb or Palmer, live arm, good zip on short throws, consistently overthrew deep balls, checked down almost exclusively in drill with 4-5 receivers.

Kevin Kolb, Houston - good mobility and mechanics, did not throw many spirals, seemed to struggle

Jordan Palmer, UTEP - looks the part, almost a spitting image of his brother, good mechanics, but very inconsistent results, Ball tended to float

RB

Kolby Smith, Louisville - good pad level, runs behind his pads, using all his forward momentum to gain maximum yardage, good short area quickness, no long speed, willing inside runner, instinctive, good day catching the ball, nice arms extended catch and great catch on fade route

Garrett Wolfe, NIU - really small, even tiny compared to other RBs, smaller than the kicker (Mason Crosby), swallowed by defense, not quick, not fast, dropped passes

Tony Hunt, PSU - runs way too upright, not in a rhythm, didnt have a sense of urgency about him, lethargic, good hands, didnt look ball into hands once, one run, so indecisive behind the line, Gruden says "that was indecisive as hell"

Brian Leonard, Rutgers - exceptional hands, running out every play in practice, good inside running, forward lean, kept feet moving, can run through trash at line of scrimmage, not overly fast or powerful, but willing and determined runner

Kenny Irons, Auburn - seems totally over ankle injuries, great burst and lateral movement, very live legs, very elusive

Ken Darby, Alabama - uncreative straight ahead runner on the few carries I saw

Lorenzo Booker, Florida St - Exceptional quickness and speed, very electric and sudden compared to Darby and Irons

WR

Paul Williams, Fresno St - Blends in athletically as opposed to standing out at Shrine Game, didn't seem serious, joked around on sidelines, maybe not paying attention

David Clowney, Virginia Tech - Drop after drop after drop, very fast, not elusive, but slippery, See also: Todd Pinkston

Rhema McKnight, Notre Dame - Consistent, good concentration, looked ball into hands, good routes, opens his body to QB to create as big a target as he can. not overwhelming athletic, but very consistent

Jason Hill, Washington St - good hands

Brandon Myles, West Virginia - lots of drops

Dallas Baker, Florida - L-O-N-G arms, does better when he has to reach full extension for a ball much like Plaxico Burress, not physical in route running, easily redirected, but responded well to coaching when this was pointed out. Let the passes thrown straight at him get to his body. Hangs in air, great leaper

Dwayne Bowe, LSU - very impressive physique, but quick, fast, and athletic for a solidly built guy, very under control and crisp in his routes and showed good hands. Drew a lot of praise from the coaches

Chris Davis, Florida St - Looks like a slot receiver type, good running crossing routes, showed good hands, some toughness/physicality for a smaller WR

Courtney Taylor, Auburn - body caught, sometimes lazy in routes, didnt seem to have good quickness or hands. Flashed some speed and some toughness on a few plays, but was one of the poorest performing South WRs.

Chansi Stuckey, Clemson - Quick and fast, but was not as impressive as Higgins, who is a similar type of WR. Got pushed around early in routes

Johnnie Lee Higgins, UTEP - Very fast, very quick, very athletic, and strong for a smaller WR. stood out. speed to separate on deep routes

Other

Adam Carriker, DE, Nebraska - Nasty, fiery, mean, lots of pop

Rufus Alexander, LB, Oklahoma - stuck to RB in coverage

Aaron Ross, CB, Texas, Michael Griffin, S, Texas - both had ints by reading plays well

Brandon Meriweather, S, Miami - Had scintillating INT by cutting in front of Joe Newton, who looked open when the ball was thrown, didnt respond to coaching well

Martrez Milner, TE, Georgia - terrific adjustment on poorly thrown ball, took hit from Griffin and held on

Kevin Payne, DB, Louisiana-Monroe - terrible day, got yelled at to finish out plays and seemed to be slow and out of it

Fred Bennett, CB, South Carolina - big, strong, physical, aggressive, and showed speed to boot
 
massraider said:
Garrett Wolfe, NIU - really small, even tiny compared to other RBs, smaller than the kicker (Mason Crosby), swallowed by defense, not quick, not fast, dropped passes
Click to expand...

This made me laugh.

I've never seen such a poor review of a player.

Wolfe must have looked like a friggin bum out there.
 
Well NFL Siruis Radio is there today and they were just watching Amobi Akoye, and were very impressed. They saying that he hit the OL with a left hand and knocked him over.....WOW.....Sounds like this kid came to ball......
 
Watched the practices on NFL Network. Tough to get a opinion, but:

Drew Stanton: Has all the tools. Looked really good. Looked best of the QB's.

Troy Smith: Looked good. Mayock brought up a good point. Needs to prove he can make plays in the pocket. They know he can roll out, sprint out.

QB from Pitt: Yeah, he pretty much sucks.

Leon Hall: Watching the CB's in one-on-ones, Hall looked so much better than the rest it was comical.

Clowney: That WR that was dropping everything yesterday? He's consistent. Dropped two more in front of the cameras.

Anthony Spencer: Got more screen time than anyone. Poor man's Dwight Freeney. Supposedly may move to LB, but just saw him at DE.
 
Senior Bowl Practice Report North Team - Tuesday



Jan 23, 2007, MOBILE, AL - With only the North team practicing Tuesday morning (the South practices in the afternoon), the number of scouts, agents and fans at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama rose considerably. Those in attendance were treated to a strong practice by several players, with many who flashed dominance Monday continuing their strong play.

With a practice under their belt to get a bit acclimated, the offensive and defensive lines were my focus, with a few players at other positions sticking out as well.


OFFENSIVE LINE

The offensive line crop here continues to be led by former Penn State tackle Levi Brown. Brown once again proved able to consistently stone defensive ends at the line of scrimmage, surrendering only outside pressures by Purdue's Anthony Spencer.

Brown has stood out so much in part because of the relatively unimpressive play by the North's other tackles. Notre Dame's Ryan Harris, in particular, has been disappointing. Considered by some to be a potential first-day selection, Harris was beaten consistently Tuesday. Speed rushers were able to get past him on the outside, stronger ends simply walked him back towards the quarterback and technicians were able to swat away his initial hand punch and maneuver past him with a wide array of spins, swim and rip moves. Harris has good size and flashes the footwork to remain on the outside, but would be better served moving inside to guard at the next level.

Iowa's Marshal Yanda was moved inside to left guard at times during the first practice, but was asked to play right tackle Tuesday. Yanda demonstrates the initial kick-step to contain speedier rushers, but lacks the upper body strength to keep defenders at bay for long. Notre Dame's Victor Abiamiri, who has struggled with consistency over the first two days, was able to consistently gain pressure against Yanda.

Boston College's James Marten is more of the traditional mauler for the right side and tries to make up for his initial quickness and balance with tenacity and power. Marten competes as a pass blocker, forcing defenders to beat him rather than give up easy pressures, but can be beaten with speed off the edge. As a run blocker, he is more effective and looks to take out his frustrations due to his pass blocking deficiencies on the defensive end unfortunate enough to line up opposite him.

Marten's Boston College teammate Josh Beekman hasn't been the dominator advertised. While he has held up reasonably well, especially during the scrimmages where he is protected on either side, Beekman struggled mightily in individual drills Tuesday. He is consistently beaten off the snap with quickness and despite a natural leverage advantage due to his height, Beekman gets his hands too high on his opponent and was too often driven back to the quarterback.

Former West Virginia Mountaineer Dan Mozes plays with good quickness, and during scrimmages he was able to slip past the line of scrimmage to get to linebackers. This mobility will serve him well in some schemes, but an overall lack of mass and power was evident when he was asked to block defensive tackles one on one. Mozes was twice laid on his back in pass rush drills by California's Brandon Mebane, and while Mebane enjoyed success against most interior offensive linemen again Tuesday, Amobi Okoye, who hasn't been as good, also made plays against Mozes.

Ohio State's Doug Datish flashed strength at the point of attack, but unfortunately his best moments came against former teammate David Patterson, who has struggled to make positive plays thus far. Against other defenders, Datish has been beaten by quickness and strength.

It wasn't all ugly on the interior. Two interior linemen from pass-happy offenses proved more physical and aggressive than advertised.

Hawaii's Samson Satele showed impressive form at both the guard and center positions. He was occasionally beaten by quickness in pass rush drills, but played low and with power as a run blocker and often was able to turn his opponent away from the ball carrier while run blocking.

Similarly, Texas Tech's Manuel Ramirez used an impressive hand punch and physical force to move defensive tackles off the line of scrimmage. Texas Tech's infamously wide splits may have helped Ramirez prepare for the one-on-one pass blocking drills, as defenders struggled to get past the guard.


DEFENSIVE LINE

Two players enhanced the positive impression they left on me Monday.

Nebraska's Adam Carriker continues to beat nearly everyone placed in front of him. In individual drills, his combination of strength and surprising quickness has been difficult for all to handle. The anticipated battles between he and Brown were rare, with each getting the better of the other on occasion and neither consistently beating the other. Against all others, however, Carriker won -- at times easily.

California's Brandon Mebane is making himself millions this week. Considered one of the weaker links on a solid North defensive line, nothing about Mebane this week can be described as weak. He has performed well in pass rush drills, showing an explosiveness that twice knocked West Virginia's Dan Mozes on his back. Mebane wasn't just successful against Mozes -- he was unblockable for most interior linemen, even holding up well against double-teams. Scouts continue to circle his name and question why he didn't stand out like this in previous film. Whether Mebane has under-achieved in the past or simply taken his game to another notch this week, the fact remains he has arguably been the North's most impressive lineman and certainly has been the most positive surprise through two days of practice.

Purdue's Anthony Spencer showed the speed off the edge that will result in his being a highly valued commodity come draft day. I have yet to see him take part in drills as a linebacker, though he seems athletic enough. The battle between Spencer and Brown has been one of the more interesting ones this week. Brown, when able to get his hands on Spencer, usually wins, though Spencer is quick enough to re-direct that he's never completely out of the play. At times, Spencer was able to cross Brown's face and get easy outside penetration. I mention Spencer against Brown because against the other tackles here, Spencer's speed has been simply been too much to handle. Spencer also is savvy enough that when he senses his opponent leaning outside to thwart his initial exterior rush, he can spin or rip back to the inside.

I was interested to see how Amobi Okoye would hold up this week, especially when he weighed in at 287 pounds Monday, a full 25 pounds less than he was listed at with the University of Louisville. The quickness off the snap has remained, but Okoye hasn't played with the power at the point of attack that led some to consider him as a potential nose guard. Okoye has flashed playmaking ability and hasn't been bad this week, but he hasn't yet been the difference-maker some expected. Still, at only 19 years old he has remarkable upside, and has held his own.

Like Okoye, Notre Dame's Victor Abiamiri may have entered the Senior Bowl a bit overrated. Whether because of the attention due to playing for Notre Dame or because he might be the most impressive looking prospect in Mobile getting off the bus, Abiamiri has his share of followers. He flashes rare speed off the edge, quite a statement considering he is nearly 6-feet-5 and weighed in at 270 pounds. That said, too often Abiamiri is stifled at the point of attack and unlike some of the more successful pass rushers here, Abiamiri struggles to make the play when he has been initially locked up. His frame and raw athleticism scream upside, but one would expect that a veteran of 49 games would have more in his pass rush arsenal.

Through no fault of his own, Ohio State's Quinn Pitcock entered this week as one of the more highly overrated prospects in Mobile. Pitcock has been mislabeled by some as an interior rush threat, but is at his best plugging the line of scrimmage and gritting his teeth. A good player whose work ethic and dependability will make him a solid starter at the next level, Pitcock rarely has been able to generate a pass rush in drills or stand out during the scrimmages. The one opponent he has consistently beaten is his former teammate, Datish. Against others, Pitcock has been relatively average.

Patterson also has struggled to make a good impression with scouts. He shows enough in terms of quickness to have slipped past a few interior blockers in individual drills, but lacks explosiveness and power.

Similarly, Nebraska's Jay Moore benefited from playing opposite Carriker and an underrated Ola Dagunduro and has been exposed a bit in Mobile. While he plays with passion and makes an occasional play, Moore has struggled to keep his feet throughout practice and has been physically manhandled at times.

Though Michigan's LaMarr Woodley was in pads, he was apparently held out of drills due to an undisclosed injury.


(cont.)
 
OTHERS

Northern Illinois' Garrett Wolfe, who seemed to have faired well Monday catching the ball as a receiver out of the backfield and as a returner, did not participate and I didn't see him at all at practice.

I was able to track down Rutgers tight end Clark Harris, who suffered a turf toe injury. Harris' injury is enough to keep him out of practice and Saturday's game, but shouldn't hamper his preparation for the Combine.

Daymeion Hughes turned in one of the great single-day performances Monday that I've seen over my seven years of covering the Senior Bowl. I didn't focus on him Tuesday, but did peek from time to time and noted that he was enjoying similar success. Unfortunately, in my limited viewings, I also noted that Fresno State's Marcus McCauley continued to struggle.

The receiver who seemed to be making the most positive impression among scouts was West Virginia's Brandon Myles. Myles made the best catch I've seen through the first two North practices Tuesday morning. Working opposite McCauley, who was in good position on this particular play, Myles made a leaping reception of a poorly throw pass. Despite an impressive leap, Myles still had to extend and showed strong hands to snatch the ball out of the air before tumbling out of bounds while managing to drag both feet in bounds.

I rarely pay much attention this early in the week to specialists, but All-Everything kicker Mason Crosby deserves mention. Or so I thought. Crosby, whose leg strength was said to be one of the most impressive in recent history, struggled to get the ball to the 5-yard line on kickoffs. Of the eight kicks I viewed, none reached the end zone. It was possible that Crosby intentionally was kicking short as the Tampa Bay coaching staff had a JUGGS machine spitting out deeper kicks for returners to practice. That said, if Crosby was kicking lighter than normal it remained an unknown to several scouts I sat with, some of whom are searching for a kicker in this year's draft.

It was interesting to note the players used as returners throughout the day. While Michigan's Leon Hall was among those pulled to potentially catch punts, I never saw him actually field one. Hughes, Aundrae Allison, Jason Hill, McCauley, Wolfe and Paul Williams were among those who have been used as returners over the first two days. Of the group, Allison and Williams looked the most comfortable and each showed the explosiveness to be dangerous. Hill looked uncomfortable and struggled to judge the kick, dropping to his knees to catch the ball and still dropping it.
 
Ryan Khalil looked very good in the linemen drills, he's smallish but technically sound. Mayock has him as maybe the best center in the draft and perfect for a zone blocking scheme. I wonder if Kiffen gets in Al's ear? We need a center in the worst way.

I know some of you will knock me on this but I think Chris Leak could be the sleeper QB in this draft. Smart, doesn't make mistakes,

Man Singletary looks like he's on the Mahatma Ghandi diet. Homeboy has slimmed down.

I like that Bowe kid from LSU.
 
I really like Kalil, he is small, but I think he has decent strength and as you say suits zone blocking if that is the way we go.
 
Senior Bowl Practice Report South Team - Tuesday


Jan 23, 2007, MOBILE, AL - There is something special about scouting the South team at the Senior Bowl.

With the game based in the heart of SEC country, hundreds of fans with Florida, Arkansas, LSU and other school colors are scattered throughout the stadium. Naturally, they are drastically out-numbered by those showcasing their Auburn or, especially, Alabama Crimson Tide loyalty. Entire families were decked out in their school colors. Classes of students from nearby schools reserved entire sections of Ladd-Peebles Stadium to cheer on the action.

Hopefully they are fans of defensive football, as the South offense had trouble moving the ball during Tuesday's afternoon practice. Overall, the South's cornerbacks were able to consistently disrupt passes. Part of it can be attributed to great quickness and competitiveness on their part. Unfortunately, some also has to attributed to a lack of consistent accuracy from the quarterbacks and precise route-running from the receivers.

This being my first look at the South squad, I focused on the quarterbacks, receivers and defensive backs. Unlike the North team, which elected to have its tight ends and safeties practice separately throughout most of the first two days, the South kept all receivers and defensive backs together, making it easier to judge more players quickly.


QUARTERBACKS

The North team has a clear advantage over the South here. The South, led by Florida's Chris Leak, Houston's Kevin Kolb and UTEP's Jordan Palmer, struggled to get on track offensively, mostly due to inconsistent accuracy from its passers.

It would be tough to characterize any of the South's quarterbacks as having the better day. Leak was the only one who didn't throw an interception and while he was arguably the most accurate of the passers, his throws lacked zip and were often batted away by cornerbacks aggressively challenging his short and medium passes.

Kolb has the arm strength and flashes the accuracy needed to take command of the position for the South. At times, he fires the deep out and lays passes over the top of linebackers with the touch that warrants high grades. Unfortunately, for every few effective passes he also had some terrible ones. Kolb was intercepted at least once and could have been on a few others occassions.

Palmer also can impress with his strong arm, but his passes often force receivers to stop, reach or otherwise slow down their progression to make the reception, limiting the effectiveness of the play. Palmer also threw at least one interception, a toss over the middle that lacked enough touch to get over linebacker Patrick Willis. Willis, who made an impressive read on the play, picked it off cleanly and likely would have returned ot for a touchdown in a game situation.


WIDE RECEIVERS

Early on, it appeared LSU's Dwayne Bowe would dominate this group. His size and physicality made him a tough matchup for cornerbacks and he showed fluidity in his route-running that consistently created separation. Bowe had several impressive catches early, but bobbled a few down the stretch and dropped a deep touchdown late that would have been one of the highlights of practice. Still, for an offense that struggled to move the ball at all, Bowe was the South's best bet Tuesday.

Speedsters Johnnie Lee Higgins and Chansi Stuckey struggled to get free against sticky coverage, and on the few occasions when they were open the South quarterbacks failed to get them the ball. Each had a couple of nice catches along the sideline. Higgins had a few of his catches only come due to collegiate teammate Palmer checking down to him. Stuckey was more impressive as a returner, showcasing the burst and agility to be a standout in this are at the next level. Though each has great foot quickness and balance, neither was able to shake defenders consistently, providing quarterbacks with small windows in which to thread their passes.

Auburn's Courtney Taylor and Florida's Dallas Baker each caught the ball well, though neither seems to have the extra gear needed to challenge defenders deep. Florida State's Chris Davis also caught the ball well and has the athleticism to run good routes, but he lacks size and toughness, often being pushed around the corners while attempting to run his route.

It was not a good day for the South's receiving corps. Though I plan to turn my attention to the offensive and defensive lines tomorrow, I will devote more time here Wednesday in the hopes that some of the receivers are able to shake free a bit more consistently.


TIGHT ENDS

While the wide receivers struggled mightily throughout the day, the South's tight ends each helped themselves with strong practices. Georgia's Martrez Milner was graded as a potentially high-round pick entering his senior season and actually led the Bulldogs in receptions. That said, he was plagued by untimely and unsightly drops throughout the year. This was not the case Tuesday, as Milner caught the ball cleanly and displayed his athleticism. He was able to get open against quality defensive backs and can gain some yardage after the catch.

Oregon State's Joe Newton lacks Milner's athleticism, but he might have the softest hands of the tight ends in Mobile. Newton showed good form in catching passes with his hands when allowed, but also knew when to protect the ball from defenders and big hits over the middle in cradling the ball into his chest. Newton's size and use of hands allow him to get off the line fairly smoothly, but he is no threat to go far after securing the pass.


(cont)
 
(cont)

CORNERBACKS

Whether due to their own athleticism or to inadequacies of their opponents, the South cornerbacks were tough to beat. That said, a clear pecking order was established as a few players consistently stood out, others flashed and a few were surprisingly mediocre.

The buzz heading into Tuesday's practice was the play turned in by Auburn's David Irons the previous day. While scouts who had reviewed film on both he and Daymeion Hughes felt that Hughes had the better day, Irons was "right there with him." I devoted considerable attention to Irons throughout the practice and the hype from Monday was well deserved. Showing better speed and the break on the ball that all the great cover corners have, Irons was consistently able to break up receptions. He was challenged on short, intermediate and deep routes, and even when beat was in great position to make the tackle. Perhaps playing with a bit of a chip on his shoulder after some questioned whether he would have been invited had his brother not been star South runner Kenny Irons, David has been among the game's most impressive players through two days.

Though he still has a troubling tendency to freelance, Tennessee's Jonathan Wade flashes superb athleticism. He ran easily with every receiver the offense put in front of him, and was able to break aggressively on passes throughout the day because he has the acceleration to catch up even if fooled. Wade became increasingly physical as practice went on, and came through with one of the better defensive plays of the early week when he trailed a receiver across the middle, read the quarterback's eyes, accelerated and snatched the ball away from the unsuspecting wideout for a dramatic interception to end one drill.

Texas' Aaron Ross also enjoyed a strong day. He shows the speed and change of direction skills to operate as an effective man-to-man corner at the next level. However, the Thorpe Award winner was a little grabby for my taste. While he has the athleticism to remain close to receivers, he also showed a troubling habit of laying his hands on receivers yards down the field, something that may potentially draw flags at the next level.

Fred Bennett's size makes him an intriguing talent. He is a bit tall in his backpedal, but shows good recognition and aggression and was consistently able to out-physical receivers. The speculation among scouts was that he might be exposed with more accurate passing, but Bennett helped himself with a solid day of work.

A.J. Davis was statistically one of the nation's most dominant cornerbacks in 2006 and earned comparisons to former Clemson star Tye Hill for his brilliant closing speed. Davis, however, was beaten fairly consistently Tuesday. His closing speed is apparent, but so was Davis' struggles at sticking close enough to receivers throughout the route for his reaction time to do much good. Davis appeared hesitant to play up close and was quick to back off, often allowing receivers fairly uncontested short receptions. When challenged deep, Davis' closing speed was better and he seemed to gain confidence as the practice went on. Early on, however, Davis was one of the few corners the South's quarterbacks were able to target.


SAFETIES

One of the reasons for the South's defensive brilliance Tuesday afternoon was the stellar play of the safeties.

Texas' Michael Griffin and Miami's Brandon Meriweather might be two of the more underrated pass defenders in the draft with all of the attention being heaped upon LSU's LaRon Landry and Florida junior Reggie Nelson. Each aggressively supported the run and proved to be dependable open-field tacklers. Most impressive was the instincts and overall athleticism shown by each in pass defense. The South's quarterbacks rarely challenged defenders with deep passes mostly due to the blanketing coverage applied deep by Griffin and Meriweather. Griffin, in particular, stood out in early interception drills, showing not only great leaping ability but the ability to almost hover in the air for a split second while he snatched passes at their highest point.

Kevin Payne, a relative unknown compared to Griffin and Meriweather, was a half-step slower than his teammates, but faired well throughout the day. While he didn't appear quite as athletic or instinctive in the passing game, Payne had no problem asserting himself as an open-field tackler. Some of the most forceful collisions of the day came at the hands of Payne (sorry, couldn't resist).
 
Jack's sore libido said:
God I want Carriker on this team.

Any chance he makes it to the top of Round 2?
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would you prefer him at end or tackle?

ive got him right outside the top 20 right now which could put him within shitting distance of our 2nd... but i dont know if thats the way to go or not.
 
I'd love him at end.

To me, 290 is not too big to play end. We need a big guy to hold up against the run. Julius Peppers is about 290.
 
Jack's sore libido said:
I'd love him at end.

To me, 290 is not too big to play end. We need a big guy to hold up against the run. Julius Peppers is about 290.
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he's also 6ft 7in

Carricker looks to be about 6ft 6in, so i guess it could even out if he's 290. I've read 295 at some places and i wonder if he may be 300.
 
Seraph24 said:
he's also 6ft 7in

Carricker looks to be about 6ft 6in, so i guess it could even out if he's 290. I've read 295 at some places and i wonder if he may be 300.
Click to expand...

Who cares about an inch or 5 pounds.

This guy is a player, and has manhandled every lineman at the senior bowl thus far except Levi Brown, who is a top 15 pick. He's big, strong, athletic, has a mean streak and plays like he has a chip on his shoulder...five or ten pounds won't make too much of a difference when he's already 290.

I think Carriker is gonna end up in the top 20. Mayock said he is the best 3-4 defensive end product to come out in years and a ton of team are playing a 3-4 or some semblance of it nowadays.
 
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