2015 Senior Bowl: Ivy Leaguers Varga, Hodges show NFL physiques By Rob Rang | The Sports Xchange/CBSSports.com January 20, 2015 12:55 pm ET The week of practice at the 2015 Senior Bowl will provide NFL scouts with the best opportunity for assessing prospects, but the Player Weigh-Ins provide a valuable first impression. An impressive physique provides evidence of a player's work ethic. Just as important is learning the player's accurate heights, weights, arm length and hand size as colleges are notorious for adding inches or dropping pounds to make their players look better. That certainly wasn't the case for a pair of Ivy Leaguers. Yale's Tyler Varga may possess the most impressive build of any player in Mobile, checking in at a rock-solid 5-foot-10 (and 1/4") and 227 pounds. Harvard edge rusher Zack Hodges also gave a new meaning to the expression hitting the books. The Atlanta native measured in at 6-foot-2 (5/8"), 242 pounds, seven pounds heavier than his listed weight. The following is a quick take on players from the North Team who made positive first impressions, as well as a few who need to perform well during practices to convince scouts that they can overcome less-than-ideal measureables. T.J. Clemmings, OT, Pittsburgh: Arguably the top prospect in Mobile, Clemmings measured in a 6-foot-4 (and 5/8" inches) and 307 pounds, with nearly 35" arms (34 7/8") and big hands (10 3/8"). Clemmings' prototypical build and athleticism projects well to the next level, though scouts would like to see him play with more refined technique. Ameer Abdullah, RB, Nebraska: With the players announced alphabetically, Abdullah had the first opportunity to wow scouts and he certainly did so, showing off a chiseled physique that provided ample evidence that his game is much more that elusiveness and acceleration. At just over 5-foot-8 (and a 1/4"), Abdullah does not possess great height but his 198 pounds are well distributed. Danny Shelton, DT, Washington: Generally-speaking, it isn't a good thing to measure in shorter and heavier than expected but given Shelton's rare movement skills, it may not keep him from earning a first round selection. Shelton was listed by Washington at 6-foot-2, 334 pounds, but he checked in at Mobile just under that (6-foot-1, 3/4") and a whopping 343 pounds. Interestingly enough, Shelton pumped his fist when the scout announced his weight, perhaps indicating that he'd played this season heavier. Ty Montgomery, WR, Stanford: While Montgomery possesses a chiseled frame, he came in nearly three inches shorter than the 6-foot-2, 215 pounds he was listed by the Cardinal, measuring in at 5-foot-11 (3/4"). In a class boasting several big, athletic receivers, Montgomery needs an impressive week. Most important for Montgomery will be simply catching the ball cleanly after a senior season in which he struggled with drops. Jamil Douglas, OL, Arizona State: Douglas is listed by the Senior Bowl at tackle but he could be this year's short-arm guard convert after it was discovered that the 6-foot-4, 307 pounder possesses just 32 1/4" arms. Trenton Brown, OL, Florida: If size is what the NFL is looking for than Brown has an advantage. No one measured bigger than the Gators' behemoth, who checked in at 6-foot-8 (1/2") and a staggering 376 pounds.
2015 Senior Bowl: Auburn's Sammie Coates steals show at South weigh-in By Dane Brugler | NFLDraftScout.com Senior Analyst January 20, 2015 12:43 pm ET One of three redshirt juniors eligible to play in Mobile this week, Auburn WR Sammie Coates started the week strong with an impressive weigh-in on Tuesday morning. Listed at 6-foot-2 and 201 pounds at Auburn, he measured 6-1 (3/8”) and 213 pounds on the Senior Bowl stage, showing off his cut, muscular physique. Coates was 12 pounds heavier than his listed weight at Auburn, but it appeared to be all muscle on his lean, defined frame. Coates also impressed with his arm length (33 1/2”), which was better than several of the offensive tackles on the South roster like LSU's La'el Collins (33 1/4"), Colorado State's Ty Sambrailo (33 1/8”) and Alabama's Austin Shepherd (32 3/4"). Expected to run well too, Coates has the size/speed combination that will create buzz, but he needs to show more consistency as a route runner and hands-catcher in order to be drafted as high as his measureables suggest. Other weigh-in notes from the South team: Arkansas DE Trey Flowers was only 6-2 (1/4”), but his wingspan was gigantic at 84 (1/4”), easily the best out of the defensive prospects on the roster. Although he isn't an elite speed rusher off the edge, Flowers' ability to cast a wide net with his length is a big reason he's so effective as a run defender. Missouri DE Markus Golden measured well at 6-2 (1/4”) and 255 pounds, but his 31-inch arms were much shorter than expected. The ideal length that scouts look for in defensive linemen is 33-inches or higher so I wouldn't be surprised if Golden stands up and practices at linebacker this week. Regardless of the measureables, he is a well-rounded player who loves to compete Northern Iowa RB David Johnson looked like a linebacker during his weigh-ins with a tall (6-0 (3/4”) tapered frame with good length (31 3/8”) and hand size (9 5/8”). As a productive pass catcher, Johnson is a candidate to play a hybrid H-back role at the next level. UCLA DE Owa Odighizuwa appeared better suited for a bodybuilder competition with his shredded body type and head-to-toe muscle definition. He measured 6-3 (1/2”) and 266 pounds with huge hands (11 1/8”) and ideal length (33 1/8”). Odighizuwa was definitely one of the "winners" of the South squad during weigh-ins. Colorado State OT Ty Sambrailo has good numbers on paper at 6-5 (3/4”) and 309 pounds with adequate arm length (33 1/8”), but his body type wasn't impressive with most of his weight in his stomach and chest. This reflects his tape, which suggests he might need a full year in a NFL weight and conditioning program until he has the requisite functional strength needed to hold up on the edges.
Ty Montgomery, WR, Stanford: While Montgomery possesses a chiseled frame, he came in nearly three inches shorter than the 6-foot-2, 215 pounds he was listed by the Cardinal, measuring in at 5-foot-11 (3/4"). In a class boasting several big, athletic receivers, Montgomery needs an impressive week. Most important for Montgomery will be simply catching the ball cleanly after a senior season in which he struggled with drops. WHAT!? lol.
Looking at him in the 1-1 drills now, he may want to consider a switch to RB. He's done it before in college in spot duty. He is a player that's good with the ball in his hands but doesn't have very good ball skills.
Matt Miller @nfldraftscout · 1h1 hour ago Best arm here so far is Garrett Grayson. My guy after Mariota.
I read that and I thought "bless college athletic departments for their promotional enthusiasm!" That's why the combine exists. I cannot for the life of me remember where I read this but an NFL DB was getting interviewed a long time ago and he said film didn't help him all that much, he always needed to size the opponent up when they lined up on the line of scrimmage to get a feel for just how imposing he really was. He said he played against a 6' guy in college that was beasting in the East and he was really worried about playing against him and then this short little guy lined up opposite him and he relaxed. Wayne Chrebet caught 3 TD's that day.
TJ Clemmings is a guy we should consider at 6. Has a future at LT. I love Abdullah, one of my favorite running backs in the class. If Gailey becomes our OC, I would expect the Jets to look at him. I wouldn't mind taking a flier on Grayson in the third if he there. Tyler Varga is the guy I want playing FB for us, he is a bruiser. Runs hard, tough to tackle, great blocker. Shelton I think will be a very good pro. If we put a tender on Harrison and a team like Cleveland picks him up he would be the guy to replace Harrison.
http://www.ganggreennation.com/2015/1/22/7871193/draft-news-jets-showing-interest-in-qb-bryce-petty Jets are scouting Bryce Petty
I really like TJ, his stock is on the rise. I just don't have him rated as a top 6 player yet, but he's getting close. Chan may convince Maccagnan to sign Spiller, instead of drafting Abdullah. If the Jets want Grayson, they will have to get him at the top of Rd 2. In fact, some needy Team could get back into late Rd 1 and grab him. Everything is up in the air, without any FA signings yet.
And with the surprise pick of the NFL draft the raidas select Sammy Coates, leaving Cooper available for the Jets to select. I ways thought Coates was going to be the better WR, put him on Alabama instead of Cooper and he would be another Sammy Watkins. Personally I don't want Cooper at 6, to many good receivers we can grab with a 3rd round pick.
Coates reminds me of a poor man's T.O.; a big play threat who drops a lot of balls, this week not included. Not a fan of drafting a WR early; we should have done that last year. However, given the choice between Coates and Cooper, I would take the latter. Although, Coates has the ideal size speed ratio you want, Cooper is a lot more reliable. Given our QB situation now and potentially, reliability is more important.
I'm with you in that I don't want a WR with the 6th pick. In regards to Coates, it's always a little difficult to judge these guys in college because in comparison to Alabama, who in a down year for them still had a better team than most other college programs. Auburn really did not have a stacked team this year and Coates only had something like 30 receptions for 700 yards, I can't imagine what he would do if they had a little more talent. Coates is going to be an excellent and productive WR in the NFL. JMO Who do you want the jets to select?
Here's my observations from the South practice yesterday: They started off the South team practice saying the scouts are raving about 90 Gabe Wright DT 6'2 290 Auburn SEC and 95 Grady Jarrett DT 6'0 290 Clemson ACC. 3 Josh Harper WR 6'1 184 Fresno State MWC had a few nice routes in one-on-ones to get open and make the catch. 14 Nick Marshall QB 6'1 210 Auburn SEC is practicing as a CB. He started his college career at Georgia as a CB (I didn't know that). 18 Sammie Coates WR 6'2 200 Auburn SEC did well in one-on-one drills catching the ball in contested situations. 22 Tyler Lockett WR 5'11 175 Kansas State Big 12 created separation at will. Very impressive. Of course he was very productive at Kansas State with bad quarterbacking for four years but he showed he can do it consistently against the best. 23 Anthony Jefferson S 6'1 190 UCLA Pac-12 was up and down in the drills, he looked terrible on one coverage, completely dusted, but had what Mayock called "the best rep of the day" against 4 Phillip Dorsett WR 5'10 185 Miami ACC 27 Ladarius Gunter DC 6'2 198 Miami ACC was awesome... Awesome... on his first two one-on-one reps and then grabbed on the third. I can't see him getting out of the 4th round, more likely taken in the third I think. 28 Imoan Claiborne DC 5'11 187 Northwestern St. LA FCS was pretty impressive for an FCS guy. Was probably one of the top 3 corners at the South practice 31 D'Joun Smith DC 5'10 190 Florida Atlantic C-USA got beaten pretty regularly. I was disappointed. After last season (2013) I was looking forward to watching him this year since he had so many picks. He was hurt a bit this year and didn't show much in the games and now didn't look great at practice either. 33 Markus Golden DE 6'2 260 Missouri SEC was only shown for one rep in the pit but he got beaten badly by the RT. They mentioned his lack of arm length hurting him in these drills and he is likely an OLB only. I hope they show him more because I like what he did in the games a lot and was considering him as one of the players I'd like the Browns to draft but if he consistently gets beaten like that I'll rethink it. 42 Stephone Anthony ILB 6'2 245 Clemson ACC was only shown in one rep for any drill covering RB out of the backfield and he made an awesome break on the ball and knocked the pass away. At this point I was really ticked because my guys were playing too well and are going to get drafted too high. I'm still hoping he makes it into the 4th. 46 Clive Walford TE 6'4 263 Miami ACC was pretty much unstoppable in the pass game. He was getting wide open and catching the ball, running away from defensers. 54 Owamagbe Odighizuwa DE 6'3 270 UCLA Pac-12 At this point I want my Browns to draft him with our second 1st rounder. He is so strong and explosive. 91 Preston Smith DE 6'6 267 Mississippi State SEC looked in a lot better shape than when he played during the season. 95 Grady Jarrett DT 6'0 290 Clemson ACC did not look good in one-on-ones. Was not strong enough. 96 Joey Mbu DT 6'3 312 Houston AAC showed a lot of strength but also pushed the blocker's helmet off in frustration in one-on-ones. Don't need the penalties.
North practice 1 Jeff Luc ILB 6'0 251 Cincinnati AAC looked good in team drills but bad in one-on-one coverage drills 3 Jamison Crowder WR 5'9 175 Duke ACC didn't show as well as yesterday, guys were actually having success covering him 4 Adrian Amos S 6'0 215 Penn State Big Ten had another very impressive day in coverage. Nobody was getting open on him and he was covering receivers. 9 Devin Smith WR 6'1 198 Ohio State Big Ten had trouble getting open in the short routes. They were only running the short/intermediate routes with him since they know he can go deep. Made a nice move on a WR screen in team drills for a good gain. 28 Ameer Abdullah RB 5'9 190 Nebraska Big Ten and 33 Jeremy Langford RB 5'11 206 Michigan State Big Ten both got destroyed in pass protection drills 66 Max Garcia OC 6'4 307 Florida SEC looked good against Shelton again... he's been the only guy to really handle him. He's impressed me the last two days. 68 T.J. Clemmings OT 6'5 305 Pittsburgh ACC just got beat over and over. Looks like a likely busto 1st rounder. 71 Carl Davis DT 6'4 315 Iowa Big Ten has been almost as impressive as Shelton. Very tough to block. 76 Donovan Smith OT 6'5 340 Penn State Big Ten has had mostly good reps but had a couple bad ones. They showed him a lot. I'm interested to see where he goes. They have been playing him at LT but Mayock says he thinks he's a RT. 77 Laken Tomlinson OG 6'3 325 Duke ACC is just a big fat guy it seems. The announcers liked what they saw from him but I didn't think he was anything great. 78 Rob Havenstein OT 6'8 330 Wisconsin Big Ten was actually very impressive. Nobody was getting by him. Very long guy. I'm going to watch some more Wisconsin and see how he is in the run game because he doesn't look very strong. 81 Vince Mayle WR 6'3 219 Washington State Pac-12 has been very unimpressive all week. 82 Justin Hardy WR 5'11 186 East Carolina AAC has been pretty consistent the couple days but doesn't look like anything special IMO. 91 Henry Anderson DE 6'5 295 Stanford Pac-12 showed really good quickness. Was a 3-4 DE for Stanford and was an adequate block eater but probably not suited for that in the NFL unless he gets a lot bigger. Showed ability to play DE in a 4-3 though. 94 Za'Darius Smith DE 6'6 263 Kentucky SEC is having a tough time this week after showing well in the Shrine game. He really highlights the difference in talent level between the two games. 95 Danny Shelton DT 6'1 339 Washington Pac-12 has been dominant and playing with a lot of energy. I think he's going to be a top 5 pick with JAX and WAS picking that high. I could see OAK, too, if they decide not to take Cooper. 98 Hau'oli Kikaha DE 6'3 260 Washington Pac-12 keeps showing those great hands to fight off blocks. 99 Nate Orchard DE 6'4 255 Utah Pac-12 beat Clemmings around the edge and with a bull rush. He's showing well. JMObservations.
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/...rowder-stands-tall-among-north-team-receivers NFLDraftScout.com 2015 Senior Bowl: Crowder stands tall among North team receivers By Dane Brugler | NFLDraftScout.com Senior Analyst January 20, 2015 10:22 pm EST Although he wasn't impressive during the weigh-ins, Duke's Jamison Crowder redeemed himself on the practice field Tuesday when it mattered and looked like the best receiver on the North squad. He has the athletic skill set and frame that draws comparisons to Saints 2014 first-round pick Brandin Cooks. Measuring 5-foot-8 and 174 pounds, Crowder doesn't have the size ideal for the NFL, but his short-area quickness and start/stop ability are above average, making defenders miss in space. He showed that burst on the practice field at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, beating press with his sudden quickness and creating space out of his breaks. And although he has tiny hands (8 3/8), Crowder, who is the ACC's all-time leader in catches, has natural ball skills to pluck away from his body with reliable hands. The North squad has several talented receiver prospects on the roster like Stanford's Ty Montgomery, Ohio State's Devin Smith and Baylor's Antwan Goodley. But Crowder might be the best of the bunch and should have a productive NFL career in the right role, likely in the slot and as a return man. Notes from Tuesday's North practice: Sticking with the receiver position, Ty Montgomery entered the season with first round buzz, but he has yet to take the next step in his development as a receiver. During Tuesday's practice, he consistently fought the ball and looked rigid in his routes, showing tendencies that reflect his game film. Montgomery is an exciting return man with home run potential with the ball in his hands, but what position does he play in the NFL? His best NFL comparison might be a slightly better version of Josh Cribbs. Miami (Ohio) cornerback Quinten Rollins entered the week with plenty of buzz, but Tuesday's practice showed that while talented, he's still understandably unpolished on the football field. With only one year of college experience under his belt, Rollins has plenty of work to do with his technique and comfort on an island. But during one-on-one drills, he played with confidence and never backed down, showing athleticism, aggressiveness and the raw ability that could make him the top senior defensive back drafted. Tuesday was a mixed bag from Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty, who needs a positive week to prove he is the top senior quarterback in this draft class. For a player inexperienced in a pro-style system, he did a nice job taking snaps under center and did an adequate job with his footwork in his drops. However, Petty's accuracy and timing were off, something that could be the result of undeveloped chemistry between him and his targets. Nonetheless, he needs to show consistent improvement each day in practice.
