Senior Bowl game thread

Yeah. Lot of good contributors here. I could see a lot of these guys being Panthers - right now, not the OL, but honestly, coming in I didn't like what I saw of Adam Terry in practice, nor did I ever really like Willis. Hate to judge him on a few plays rather than many, but I thought Marcus Johnson got abused some.



About the DEs- I see that more as problematic blocking than anything. Swanncutt and Roth were and are good, but neither were elite coming in, and we do have Wallace making marginal starter's money. If Rucker was so shitty, why didn't Wallace play more? I guess a situational 4th end would be nice, but I don't know if I'd go with a 3rd round DE.

And as noted, agreed about KJ and I also continue to like Houston, fuck the injuries. I wanted to see a little more from Arrington, but part of that's blocking. He showed he could put up some burst and hopefully he doesn't get punished for the line.

Frye made the most of this. So did Campbell. Greene actually had as good a game statistically as Frye, but just didn't stand out.
Orton and Berlin will continue to fall.

At WR, I was a little peeved Roddy White didn't play. People keep pimping him, and I wanted a reason to start to like this guy. Gibson did that, and I had him rated higher anyway.

 

I hope you taped the game, watch it and go with your second impression!

 

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i see you upped kay-jay. overall, i was not overly impressed. he did make a nice catch i remember but he did not run with the power i expected to see.

i did tape the game but its gonna be a few days before i get to rewatch it. mostly interested in watching the OL and the defenses. there were some names that made nice plays like brimmer and patterson that i wanted to watch closer.

i watched willis on one play and he got abused when swancutt ran rite by him to the QB. doubt he has the quickness to be an OT ... certainly not on the left.

 

I had planned to watch the game and rap with you all, but a buddy invited me over to watch the game. A few hours later, I was throwing down some hold em and a 12 pak...I got drunk and broke even, plus I didn't even have to use my AK, guess you could say it was a good day? :huh:

Anywho, I wasn't real impressed with what I saw. Admittedly, I didn't get a good read on the O-lineman other than most of the OT's got punked often. OT was the position I was really wanting to look at, but other things kept drawing my attention.

Roth was dispuptive as usual, but didn't reallly MAKE alot of plays. The one thing that he needs to develop is controlled aggression. He tends to over run things a little, but it's hard to overlook his ability to get up field quickly.

Swancutt was impressive, despite all the negative placed on him. He really benefitted from this week.

Morrison was very active, looks like a player for damn sure.

Liked what I saw of Frye, give him a year or two with a good QB coach and plug him in. That would be the best scenario for his NFL success. He's not NFL ready, but he's not much of a project either.

Campbell is an effecient QB, really lacks a big arm though. Green, despite not being flashy, has prototypical NFL QB written all over him. Both of these guys could be mid-rounders to be heard from in a couple years.

None of the RB's really stood out, all really played as I expected. The exception being Herron. He showed some burst, ran right through 2 face mask that would have taken most guys down.

Not to be a homer, but the player I feel help him self the most besides Swancutt is Considine. That kid played his ass off, period! He played close to the LOS quite a bit and looked like he was playing both free and strong at different times. I actually had him as a late rounder, but he could be making a push toward 3-4th round with a good combine to back his performance here.

 

Didn't see the game but did he look like he'd make a good Cooper replacement? I have to admit that when we lost Coop and his gunning that's about the time our return coverage seemed to take a big dip. I'd also like to know if you think he might make a good immediate backup and future replacement for Minter? I know he'd be better than what we've got right now, which is nobody at all.

 

He's a FS by trade, but like I said, it did look like they played him at Strong some as well. He's just your typical blue collar Iowa kid. Put him on the field and he'll give you his best effort.
I'd take him as a FS without flinching.

He could run w/ a ST's role and I would expect him to unseed Branch at FS with little trouble. He's more instintive and a better tackler, plus he's got decent game speed and cover skills.

 

I watched it once on tape last night, and didn't see much to be impressed about, honestly. This year's contests certainly didn't have the star power of recent games, IMO. Here are my impressions, for whatever they're worth...

Morrison is a tackling machine, but didn't look like a playmaker necessarily to me. He was all over the field laterally, but didn't attack the LOS from what I saw. Maybe that's just scheme, though. (Also, it was ridiculous that he was placed on the North squad. Someone needs to take some geography lessons.)

Orton has absolutely zero touch on his passes. He only knows one way to throw -- as hard as he can. He hurt himself big time this weekend, IMO.

Greene (Georgia QB) looked thoroughly average.

Clayton (WR, Oklahoma) looked very good, and played bigger than his stature. He's a special player.

Frye (QB, Akron) didn't look too bad, but still pretty green. My gut feeling is that he's at least a 2 year project, maybe three before he's ready for prime time.

Matt Jones looked lost the whole game at WR, except for that last touchdown when he made a nifty little move on the defender in the end zone. You would think there's got to be some kind of fit for a 6'6" 240 pounder who runs a 4.4 forty, but I honestly don't know what it would be.

Sproles looked explosive, but I still have my doubts as to whether he'll ever be anything more than a return specialist and occasional change-of-pace back. He might be the next Warrick Dunn, he might not.

The South's OL looked bad overall, and I was really disappointed not to see either of the OL candidates we've been tossing around (Jamaal or Elton Brown) playing (Yes, I'm aware that J. Brown would've been on the North squad).

So I spent most of the time focusing on my hometown boy Logan Mankins. I thought it strange he was projected as a G, and considering how badly the South's tackles were getting beaten, I would've liked to have seen Mankins get a shot on the outside. Oh well. Overall I thought he did a good job in straight up blocking. His pass blocking technique looked very good to me, and his run blocking looked good, too. He was quick off the line, and usually ended up blocking at least 2, if not 3 defenders. By my count, he at least 4 pancakes. His game did get sloppy toward the end, which was disappointing. Also, whenever he was asked to pull, he looked lost once he got to where he was going. He probably wasn't used to pulling, though. I don't think Fresno State ever pulls it's offside OT's. He appeared strong, especially in pass protection -- locked onto his man and completely stoned him. He also worked well in double teams with the center.

 

>>Morrison is a tackling machine,

Doesn't look the third round target will be enough for him. Dammit.

He tackles with authority, that's what you want. You feel him after the hit, and know he'll be their next time.

 

Scott Wright
President, NFL Draft Countdown

Helped Themselves
1. Mark Clayton, WR, Oklahoma
Has everything you look for except top size.
2. Cadillac Williams, RB, Auburn
Firmly established himself as a premier prospect.
3. Reggie Brown, WR, Georgia
Could go as high as the top of round two now.
4. Marcus Spears, DE, L.S.U.
The best defensive lineman in attendence.
5. Matt Roth, DE, Iowa
Was a terror rushing the passer all week long.
6. Demarcus Ware, DE, Troy
Showed he has what it takes to be a DE in the pros.
7. Khalif Barnes, OT, Washington
A tremendous athlete who may have been the top OL in Mobile.
8. Darren Sproles, RB, Kansas St.
Went from a late round pick to a mid-rounder.
9. Matt Jones, WR, Arkansas
Clearly showed he has what it takes to play WR.
10. Fred Gibson, WR, Georgia
Has everything you look for physically and impressed.
11. Charlie Frye, QB, Akron
Looked good in practices and then was the game MVP.
12. Michael Roos, OT, Eastern Washington
Sleeper prospect who showed he can play with the best.
13. Taylor Stubblefield, WR, Purdue
Doesn't have great size but he just gets the job done.
14. Bryant McFadden, CB, Florida st.
May have been the best corner in attendence.
15. Joel Dreessen, TE, Colorado St.
Could be one of the top tight ends drafted.



Hurt Themselves
1. Wesley Britt, OT, Alabama
Another broken leg raises major durability questions.
2. Corey Webster, CB, L.S.U.
Looked very raw and did not show well all week.
3. Michael Boley, OLB, Southern Miss
Very undersized and it really showed this week.
4. Dan Orlovsky, QB, Connecticut
Did not step up and have the big week he needed.
5. J.J. Arrington, RB, California
Failed to capitalize on a strong senior season.

 

Scott Wright
President, NFL Draft Countdown

This year’s Senior Bowl practices were attended by over 700 general managers, head coaches, assistant coaches, scouts and other front office personnel from the 32 National Football League teams, making Mobile the week-long host to a one-of-a-kind NFL Coaches Convension. If you are a fan of the Draft there is really no better venue to see this many top pro prospects all in one place and for those of you who can swing it I strongly recommend making the trip in future years because the entire week is definitely a Draft-niks dream come true.

This game is a great opportunity for players to increase their draft stock by performing well in front of a collection of potential employers and while there were a number of impressive players here this week the one who really stood out in my mind was Oklahoma wide receiver Mark Clayton. Throughout the week of practices Clayton consistently showed excellent route running ability, great hands, the speed to separate and the dynamic quickness that makes him such a terror after the catch. His size is worrisome since he measured in at just 5-9 but he is going to be a steal for some team in the late portion of round one or early portion of round two who is willing to overlook his lack of stature.

The following is a position-by-position breakdown of my thoughts from the week:

Quarterbacks

I kept an eye on this group throughout most of the week and while no one really made a huge impact in practice the three guys who I thought performed best were Jason Campbell of Auburn, David Greene of Georgia and Charlie Frye of Akron, who came through with an MVP performance in the actual game. I was not all that impressed with Kyle Orton of Purdue and he will definitely need some development before he is ready to make an impact in the NFL while Dan Orlovsky of Connecticut did not stand out much and saw his stock drop. Brock Berlin of Miami (FL) lacks the size and arm you look for and is a late round pick at best and more likely an undrafted free agent.

Running Backs

There was little doubt who brought the star power this week and Cadillac Williams of Auburn did not disappoint, showing the type of dynamic playmaking skills that could make him a Top 10 overall pick in the NFL Draft. Cedric Houston of Tennessee is a guy I have liked all along and was impressive while Kay-Jay Harris of West Virginia showed some flashes and could be a steal if he can stay healthy. Darren Sproles of Kansas St. continues to overcome his extreme lack of size and improved his stock while Noah Herron of Northwestern was much better than I had expected. On the flip side J.J. Arrington of Cal did not stand out much and guys like Nehemiah Broughton of The Citadel, Will Matthews of Texas, and Zach Tuiasosopo of Washington didn’t make much of a ripple either. Who guy who drew a lot of interest from scouts was Manuel White of U.C.L.A. so don’t be surprised to see him come off the board earlier than expected come April.

Wide Receivers / Tight Ends

In addition to Clayton two other wide receivers also made their marks this week and they happen to hail from the same school, the University of Georgia. Reggie Brown and Fred Gibson are both tall and lanky and have the ability to make the difficult play seem routine and made themselves a lot of money this week. Both look like solid first day picks at this point with Brown a potential late first or second rounder on the heels of his impressive showing this week. Matt Jones of Arkansas also did a great job and while he is still getting by on pure athleticism at this point he definitely has the ability to make the move to wideout at the pro level and could be a Ed McCaffrey-type with the proper development. Another guy who really surprised me was Taylor Stubblefield of Purdue, who doesn’t have the physical tools you look for but catches everything thrown his way and was seemingly making something happen every time I saw him. Northern Colorado sleeper Vincent Jackson showed that he has the tools to play receiver at the next level but is still very raw and will need a lot of work while Brandon Jones of Oklahoma and Craphonso Thorpe of Florida St. showed flashes. Courtney Roby of Indiana started slow but came on as the week advanced while Craig Bragg of U.C.L.A. and Roydell Williams of Tulane showed the type of ability that would lead you to believe that they could be solid #3 or #4 wideouts at the professional level. And lastly, Airese Currie of Clemson came in late as an injury replacement for Roddy White and showed some speed but wasn’t able to distinguish himself much in limited opportunities.

At tight end Joel Dreessen of Colorado St. had a nice week and helped himself, showing the skill set to project as a nice H-Back prospect in the mold of a Chris Cooley at the next level. He isn’t going to be a dynamic weapon like Tony Gonzalez of Antonio Gates but as a #2 pass catching option he should excel and I now see him as a solid mid-round pick. Cody McCarty of T.C.U. looked very good to me and did a nice job both as a receiver as well as a blocker and should move up a little while Alex Smith of Stanford looked solid but didn’t have the type of standout week I and most were expecting from someone being considered as a potential late first round pick. And finally, Alex Holmes of USC did little to impress me either as a pass catcher or blocker and if he is drafted anytime before the final couple of rounds it will be too high in my mind.

Offensive Line

Another player who I really liked was Michigan offensive guard / center David Baas, who does an excellent job in a small area and is going to be able to step in and start for the team that drafts him very early on as a rookie. What I like most about him though is his attitude and demeanor because the guy is just nasty. When I asked him which position he preferred to play he said he didn’t care, it’s all physical and you just hit somebody. The guy is simply a football player through-and-through. Another player who really impressed was OT Khalif Barnes of Washington, who showed tremendous athleticism and was named by numerous defensive lineman as the top blocker in attendance. Jeremy Parquet of Southern Miss also showed a lot of improvement and helped himself while Marcus Johnson of Ole Miss and Adam Snyder of Oregon impressed with their versatility and Jason Brown of North Carolina showed why he is one of the top centers in the Draft. A couple of guys who some thought could project to tackle at the next level showed they are much better inside where they are still top prospects so look for Logan Mankins of Fresno St. and Evan Mathis of Alabama to be among the top guards drafted. A sleeper prospect who really impressed was Michael Roos of Eastern Washington and he is now a solid mid-round pick while Chris Myers of Miami (FL) displayed the versatility that should make him a valuable backup at the pro level. Adam Terry of Syracuse was slowed by an injury but was physically imposing, Ray Willis of Florida St. and David Stewart of Mississippi St. struggled with speed and are only a right tackles and may even be guards in the pros. Of the two Wisconsin guards in attendance Dan Buenning was the most impressive while Jonathan Clinkscale didn’t really help himself and center Junius Coston of North Carolina A&T didn’t do much to distinguish himself during the week. Two players who were added late as injury replacements, Justin Geisinger of Vanderbilt and Mike Watson of West Virginia, didn’t have much of an opportunity to showcase themselves.