2009 Senior Bowl

[hasbeen99]

Now that the offseason is officially upon us, draft prep is under way. The combine is 2 weeks away. We don't have a 1st round draft pick, so the first couple of guys we'll draft were likely playing in the Senior Bowl.

Did anyone watch it, and/or the practices? Thoughts? Impressions?

I had too much going on to catch the practices or most of the game. I tried to watch the DLs, but the only guys who stood out to me were 1st round projections.

 

[magnus]

I gotta get some info on this.

Anyone?

 

[presidence99]

I evaluate purely off of combine numbers.

Seriously though I didn't catch much other than Raji whipping everyone they put in front of him except the center from Cal (i think).

 

[yhatemetoo]

http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2009/1/31/743363/where-s-the-beef-2009-s-cr

The first thing you need to know about the 2009 class of defensive tackles is that (say it with me) B.J. Raji is gone. Forget about him, get him out of your head. Save the "if we still had or 1st round pick" talk, it wouldn't matter, he is gone, gone, gone. A shallow class of run-stuffers and a stellar week of Senior Bowl practice have allowed Raji to skyrocket up everyone's draft board. Save for a full-blown combine disaster, Raji will be snapped up in the first ten selections. Raji has in fact been so impressive, rotoworld.com is reporting that he may be among the Lions' considerations with their first overall selection.
Nose tackle may be a primary need for the Cowboys, but they can not go into this draft married to the idea of grabbing one with the 51st pick. The value simply may not be there. The second tier cloggers have a history of sliding, (see Gabe Watson, and Alan Branch) so there is a chance that Raji's linemate Ron Brace could fall to the Cowboys in the second round. If not, the Cowboys may have to take a long hard look at Clemson's Dorell Scott in the third, or take a late round flyer on a small school guy like Stillman's Sammie Lee Hill. With that said, we are still early in the process, and draft positioning will change dramatically after the combine.
I wouldn't consider any site to be the bible on player evaluations, but in all my years of being a draft junkie, draftcountdown.com has been one of the more reliable sites. Their projections always turn out to be pretty accurate. Here is a list of this year's top defensive tackle prospects, in the eyes of the draftcountdown.com staff.
1. B.J. Raji, Boston College- 6-1, 323
2. Peria Jerry, Ole Miss- 6-2. 290
3. Evander Hood, Missouri- 6-4, 295
4. Sen'Derrick Marks, Auburn- 6-2, 296
5. Ron Brace, Boston College- 6-3, 324
Complete list here

 

[magnus]

the portion of the game I saw, Mack was powerful (I believe he had been playing at guard also). I'll paste in some analysis for reading:

he 2009 Senior Bowl kicked off in earnest Monday morning, as 104 players weighed in for NFL scouts and then participated in practice. Several high-profile players are taking part in this year's event -- one of the most important weeks of scouting leading up to April's NFL Draft. And a number of those well-known names started the week slowly. Here are the players who helped themselves during the Senior Bowl's first day and those who did not fare as well:

Risers
BJ Raji/DT/Boston College: The Eagles' massive interior lineman was almost unblockable throughout the day in the North's practice. Raji displayed a very quick first step off the snap, which gave offensive linemen fits. He made it harder on his opponents by swatting blockers to the ground as they were left wondering how he got by them so easily.

Shawn Nelson/TE/Southern Mississippi: Nelson looked formidable during weigh-ins this morning, then took his athletic frame onto the field and impressed scouts. He's fluid moving around the field and fast -- very fast. Nelson was constantly beating opponents in the secondary and made a number of good plays in the secondary.

Cullen Harper/QB/Clemson: The Tigers quarterback was much maligned during the season and at one point was benched for poor play. On Monday, he showed the reason why scouts were so high on him coming into the season. Harper displayed poise, threw with accuracy and made good decisions in the pocket. He tossed several nice deep passes, connecting with USC's Patrick Turner for a long gainer of 40 yards in one instance.

Darius Butler/CB/Connecticut: Butler stood head and shoulders above all other cornerbacks from the North squad in Day 1. The former Husky was very smooth in coverage and used his athleticism and size to deny opponents a chance at the ball. None of the North wide receivers was able to shake Butler throughout the entire practice.

Rashad Jennings/RB/Liberty: Jennings is the top small school player in Mobile this week and proved as much in Day 1. His 234-pound frame looked impressive this morning during weigh-ins, then Jennings looked athletic and fast on the field at practice. He has a burst through the hole and looks frighteningly powerful running in the open field. Jennings also caught the ball well and stood out in blocking drills.

Mike Thomas/WR/Arizona: Scouts compare Thomas to All-Pro Steve Smith in style and the Arizona senior was one of the top receivers on the field on Monday. He ran crisp pass routes and had cornerbacks twisting in the wind in their attempt to stay with him on the field. Thomas also displayed solid hand and natural pass catching skills. His size (5-foot-8) will discourage teams from using an early selection on Thomas, but he proved today he can play with the best.

Ashlee Palmer/LB/Mississippi: Palmer was a bit of a surprise invitation to the Senior Bowl yet proved Monday he is worthy of a spot in the event. Palmer practiced with a lot of explosion, quickness and strength. He also aggressively chased the action and worked hard in every single aspect.

Sliders
Rey Maualuga/LB/USC: Maualuga looked rusty today, both physically and mentally. He's not in the best of shape and was very hesitant to make decisions on the field. Maualuga seemed to get his bearings as the day proceeded, but his play was not reminiscent of a potential top-five pick.

Pat White/QB/West Virginia: Scouts wanted to give White a chance to prove he can play quarterback at the next level, but the early returns have not been positive. White struggled throwing the ball. White was not accurate, could not drive deep passes even though he was throwing with the wind; and at this point, he looks like a college signal caller who may be better off at a different position in the NFL.

Graham Harrell/QB/Texas Tech: Harrell displayed good mechanics in Day 1 lining up under center after taking most of his snaps in college out of the shotgun. He was also relatively accurate. The problem for Harrell is poor arm strength as his passes had relatively no zip and he was unable to drive deep passes.

William Moore/S/Missouri: Moore has been labeled as a run defending safety with poor coverage skills and did nothing to shake that reputation on Monday. He struggled moving laterally and at one point was left lying on the ground after attempting to cover a receiver from the North squad.

 

[magnus]

day 2

The second day of practice at the Senior Bowl saw an increase in intensity and performance (Day 1 Report). Players are leaving final impressions on NFL decision makers as to their level of skill on the football field. As a result, a number of prospects have cemented better draft grades for themselves heading towards April while others have watched their stock move in the other direction. Here's a look at Tuesday's results.

Risers
Derrick Williams/WR/Penn State: Williams' vaunted athleticism was on display as he established himself as the best receiver on the field. Williams displayed speed, effective route-running skills and reliable hands. He beat defenders for the deep reception or physically beat them down to make the underneath reception. There's no doubt scouts were excited by Williams, who showed signs of pulling it all togher.

Alex Magee/DT/Purdue: Magee was a late arrival to the Senior Bowl after a communications mishap but made up for lost time Tuesday. The Purdue product was impossible to block and consistently got penetration behind the line of scrimmage, beating blockers with quickness as well as power.

Trevor Canfield/OG/Cincinnati: Canfield has a reputation for being a nasty, fierce competitor and he showed why Tuesday. The former Bearcat starter was dominant at the point and handled almost everyone he faced. He's not only strong but also mean; he never let up. More than once he continued to play after the whistle, getting an extra shove in after the play had ended.

Louis Delmas/S/Western Michigan: Delmas has been the best safety on the field and the feisty defender consistently put himself in a position to make plays on the ball all day. He throws his body around the field in an effort to stop ball handlers and delivered a number of blows that made scouts take notice. Delmas was effective in run defense and against the pass.

Coye Francies/CB/San Jose State: Francies is another defensive back whose aggressive play impressed scouts. Francies knocked several defenders to the ground Tuesday with hard hits, which got a loud response from the crowd of approximately 1,000. More importantly he was effective in coverage, displaying top ball skills, which scouts wanted to see.

David Veikune/DE/Hawaii: Veikune has worked hard the past two days and improved his game. The former Warrior was tenacious in run defense and also flew off the edge as a pass rusher. Several of his battles against top-rated left tackle Michael Oher ended up in his favor. In one instance he had the potential first-round pick twisted like a pretzel as Oher failed to protect the quarterback from Veikune's speed.

Peria Jerry/DT/Mississippi: Jerry is standing out to NFL decision makers not only as a football player but also a leader on the field. He has displayed good quickness off the snap and really pushes the pocket as an interior defender. Jerry's ability to shoot gaps and disrupt offenses has been apparent to all at the Senior Bowl.

Alphonso Smith/CB/Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons' corner was yet another defensive back who stood out Tuesday. Smith looked fast, physical and very instinctive all day. He battled against larger receivers and his 5-foot-9-inch frame never backed down. Smith defended a number of passes and played like a starting NFL cornerback.

Sliders
DeAngelo Smith/CB/Cincinnati: Smith possesses the athleticism to play at the next level but was very hesitant and unsure of himself Tuesday. He consistently lost a half step to opponents off the line of scrimmage and gave up several long receptions and an even larger number of underneath routes.

Nathan Brown/QB/Central Arkansas: The small-school passer has struggled so far and done nothing to improve his status in the eyes of NFL decision makers. Brown throws with a three-quarter delivery and the result is poor accuracy and passes that scatter. His inability to throw the deep pass Tuesday resulted in a number of receivers slowing up in their routes and waiting for the ball to arrive.

John Parker Wilson/QB/Alabama: Wilson was another passer who struggled Tuesday. He showed a weak arm and was unable to get speed on passes and under threw a number of receivers who were open down the field. Late in the day Wilson threw a terrible interception into triple coverage.

Herman Johnson/OL/LSU: Johnson has lined up at both his natural position of guard as well as right tackle. His size (6-feet-7, 382 pounds) has not transitioned into the ability to dominate the opposition. Johnson's immobility is obvious to all and at one point he was knocked to the ground due to his inability to move. Much was expected from Johnson this week but he has not responded and his draft stock is plummeting.

 

[tharan000]

Alex Magee/DT/Purdue: Magee was a late arrival to the Senior Bowl after a communications mishap but made up for lost time Tuesday. The Purdue product was impossible to block and consistently got penetration behind the line of scrimmage, beating blockers with quickness as well as power.

Trevor Canfield/OG/Cincinnati: Canfield has a reputation for being a nasty, fierce competitor and he showed why Tuesday. The former Bearcat starter was dominant at the point and handled almost everyone he faced. He's not only strong but also mean; he never let up. More than once he continued to play after the whistle, getting an extra shove in after the play had ended.

BJ Raji/DT/Boston College: The Eagles' massive interior lineman was almost unblockable throughout the day in the North's practice. Raji displayed a very quick first step off the snap, which gave offensive linemen fits. He made it harder on his opponents by swatting blockers to the ground as they were left wondering how he got by them so easily.

Yes.

 

[gridfaniker]

mel kiper lists Pat White as the fifth best QB available.

 

[magnus]

Here's a dickload of Senior Bowl analysis

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2009 Senior Bowl Journal
This event is held in Mobile, Alabama right near downtown and was a week long line of events. From practice each day, to press conferences involving players and coaches, to the actual game itself it was a memorable experience for me. Coaching the North squad was the Cincinnati Bengal coaching staff and coaching the South squad was the Jacksonville Jaguars coaching staff. I arrived the Sunday before the first day of practice, which was held on Monday. Before the practice was the official weigh in. There I met Matt Mcguire who writes for Walter Football. We discussed many different players and events throughout the week and I was able to learn quite a bit from him.

Weigh In

The weigh-in was the most awe-inspiring event the whole week in my opinion. It was held at the Convention Center right across from the hotel where the players were staying. Players lined up and walked across a stage in front of hundreds of us scouts, general managers, and coaches. Some of the people I saw at the event were NFL legend Bill Parcells accompanied by Dolphins Head Coach Tony Sporano & GM Jeff Ireland, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones accompanied by Head Coach Wade Phillips, Bucs head coach Raheem Morris, draft expert Mike Mayock, and Packers general manager Ted Thompson. Seeing these guys doing the same thing I was doing was pretty neat that's for sure.

There were some pretty out of shape guys coming in mainly some offensive lineman(Trevor Canield, Andy Levitre, Jason Watkins) all were extremely flat with no real definition, and appeared out of shape. The most impressive bodies go to DB Keenan Lewis, LB Nic Harris, DB Derek Pegues, LB Clint Sintim, RB Andre Brown, RB Rashad Jennings, RB Cedric Peerman, and the most impressive guy to me was LB Brian Cushing from USC. The guy was flawless, extremely cut up, and displayed a very well proportioned body and hardly any body fat.

Practice & Game

Next up on Monday's schedule was the first practice of the week. The North practiced the same time as the South at two different locations so I was only able to catch the North practice. I'm going to sum up the entire week of practice as well as the game with my most impressive players and the least impressive (which players helped or hurt their stock the most). Keep in mind that there were just five practices, one in helmets and shoulder pads(Monday), two in full pads(Tuesday & Wednesday), and two in just helmets(Thursday & Friday). Practices featured hundreds of locals, as well as the same and more NFL people from the weigh in. Some added names that I saw at practice were draft expert Todd Mcshay, ESPN's Michael Smith, former Browns GM Phil Savage, and scouts from almost every NFL team.

The game I sat in the press box and had a great view of the action. My notes are included in my assessment of my "Risers & Fallers" listed below.

The 7 best players at the 2009 Senior Bowl

1.)DT B.J. Raji - Boston College

2.)C Alex Mack - Cal

3.)OT Michael Oher - Ole Miss

4.)LB Brian Cushing - USC

5.)LB Rey Maualuga - USC

6.)DT Peria Jerry - Ole Miss

7.)WR Brian Robiskie - Ohio State

Risers & Fallers

Quarterbacks

Risers

1. Pat White- White was fairly consistent all week and with no quarterback overly impressing me, Pat showed very good rotation on the ball, above average arm strength and mediocre accuracy. White reminds me a little of former Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith in that they are both 6'0", both have similar college numbers(Smith career completion percentage is 62.7 and White's is 64.8 and yes Pat White attempted more passes as well) Aside from that, coming out of college Smith has shown he can throw the ball more effectively downfield then White has which is correct, but after this week of practice paired with White's MVP performance in the game including a beautiful touch pass to the corner of the end zone for a 39 yard score, I think White at least deserves a shot. Being the realist that I am, I don't see that happening, so expect whatever team that drafts this guy to have the "Wildcat" as a part of their playbook(if they were smart). White had the chance to play some receiver this week but declined, if he does not line up at the WR position at his pro day then I see him falling down draft boards. Right now White's value is a mystery, but if he shows he has a good pair of hands he could get drafted on the first day. He's too much of a play-maker to fall past the 3rd round in my opinion.

2. Rhett Bomar- I thought Bomar had a decent week of practice, displaying the strongest arm of any quarterback on either roster. Like i said before, i felt QB was one of the least impressive positions here, and i do not think any of these guys merit a first or second round pick.

Fallers

1. Nathan Brown- Central Arkansas- I asked myself more then once this week why this guy was invited instead of some of the other Seniors out there. He appeared lost at times, was very inconsistent with his throws. A team could draft him purely as a project.

Running backs

Risers-

1. Andre Brown- N.C. State = At 6'0" 224 Brown possesses great size and appeared in excellent shape. He showed me this week what i kind of already knew watching him in college, he is a tough hard nosed runner who will fall forward. Brown has good leg drive, very good strength for a back, and will pick up those hard earned yards for you. It will be very interesting to see his 40 time. I see Andre as a definite first day pick, possibly a 3rd rounder.

2. Cedric Peerman- Virginia = At 5'9" 210 Peerman has what a lot of NFL team's appear to be looking for, a guy with a low center of gravity. Cedric has big strong legs to go along with his equally strong upper body. He has very good leg drive and will make someone miss as well. One play that stood out during the game, Peerman juked LB Rey Maualuga out of his shoes, then broke LB Brian Cushing's tackle. Seeing Peerman in street clothes you would think he is a Marine. He comes off as a very serious man and he plays like it. I like this guy a lot.

3. Jeremiah Johnson - Oregon = Johnson really improved as the week went on. He showed very good hands and a second gear that not too many guys here had. At 5'8" 198, Jeremiah has good balance and can be an effective 3rd down back, especially catching balls out of the backfield. He has value in the 4th-5th round for sure.

4. Korey Sheets- Purdue = Sheets was relatively quiet during the week of practices, but come gameday, he showed great kick returning ability as well as good leg drive breaking a few tackles as well.

Fallers

1. James Davis- Clemson = Not that he had a bad week of practice, but Davis didn't really do anything to stand out from the rest of the pack. Coming into the week, Davis had the most buzz(aside from Rashad Jennings). At 5'9" 207 he fits the mold, but he was the worst at catching balls out of the backfield, and didn't show that ability to separate as much as I would have liked to see.

Fullbacks

Risers-

1. Tony Fiammetta- Syracuse = Fiammetta is 5'11" 246 and plays the game with a mean streak. Not only did he show good blocking skills, particularly against the pass, what impressed me most about Tony were his soft hands out of the backfield. One of the most impressive plays i saw all week was during team drills, Fiammetta chipped DE Larry English and decleated him. English took a few moments to get up while Fiammetta engaged another man almost instantly after his block.

2. Eric Kettani- Navy = Eric is a more versatile fullback then Fiammetta with more quickness. He plays with a very high motor and being from the Naval academy it isn't too much of a surprise. Him and Fiammetta will make NFL rosters next season.

Wide Receivers

Risers-

1. Brian Robiskie - Ohio State = Robiskie showed that his father's position as Atlanta Falcon receivers coach has made a difference in his game. His route running was the best on either squad, and his hands were as good as anyone's. Brian showed a solid grasp of the position and was clearly the most polished receiver here. The question with him is his ability to get separation from defenders with his lack of great speed. Running great routes and understanding the position will make up for that and he will develop into a solid possession receiver at the next level.

2. Patrick Turner -Southern Cal = Turner is 6'5" 221 and came into the week with a huge void in his production throughout his college career. I'm not sure what happened at USC, but here he showed what you would expect from a man with his amazing size. He screened off defenders in the air using his big body, caught the ball at its high point, and had good body control. I'm not sure what makes this guy any different then former teammate Dewayne Jarrett who has been a huge disappointment with the Panthers, but if he has that drive to get better everyday hes a definite first day pick.

3. Mike Wallace - Ole Miss = Wallace had a good week of practice, but the game is where he showed his game changing speed. Wallace was the recipient of Pat White's touchdown throw, Wallace blew by CB Deangelo Smith on the play for the touchdown. Wallace who is 6'0" 189 can be a very good slot WR at the next level. He has separation speed, good hands, and is a tough player.

Fallers

1. Derrick Williams - Penn State = As a receiver, Williams showed he has trouble getting in and out of his breaks effectively. He showed mediocre ball skills and average hands all week. He tries to use his body to catch the ball more then his hands. Gameday he put on display his game changing ability in the return game which is where i see him making an impact on the next level.

 

[Jaz]

Looks like there is a good bit of DB depth in this years draft. I've said it before but the best value towards the end of the 2nd is possibly a CB or S which depending on what we do with Lucas could be a definite possibility. Not seeing the D-lined depth.