Whose stock is up? USC's Kalil, LSU's Bowe among those improving their NFL draft status, according to analyst Thursday, January 25, 2007 By GARETH CLARY Sports Reporter Mike Mayock, the NFL Network's draft expert, believes Southern Cal center Ryan Kalil may be the player creating the most momentum for himself during Senior Bowl week as the April NFL draft approaches. "Ryan Kalil was a guy I knew was a good football player," Mayock said after Wednesday's South team workout at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. "I had him a late first-round, early second-round center, which is an anomaly. "I think he's been the best offensive lineman down here as far as technique. He's throwing a shutout right now. I really like the way Ryan Kalil moves, so I think he's making himself some money. He could be a first-round center." As Mayock was bragging on him, Kalil was making his way to the locker room after practice and yelled a "thank you" over the hedges surrounding the field to Mayock for his praise on the network's telecasts. "Keep it going," Mayock shouted back to Kalil. "You're pitching a shutout." Kalil, a 6-foot-3, 285-pounder, anchored the Southern Cal line as a three-year starter, including the Trojans' national championship team in 2004 and the national runner-up squad in 2005. Mayock also believes LSU wide receiver Dwayne Bowe has solidified his stock. "I think he's helped himself," Mayock said of Bowe. "He's 6-2? , 222 pounds, a great-looking kid with great speed. I think he's a natural first-round pick for a West Coast offense. "The only question I have about him is when I watch tape, he occasionally drops the football. He had two or three drops (Tuesday) in practice, but I thought he tightened it up (Wednesday). Clearly, in my opinion, he's the top-rated senior receiver in the draft." Another player catching Mayock's eye is North defensive lineman Amobi Okoye, the 19-year-old prodigy out of Louisville via Huntsville. "There's some very talented defensive linemen here," Mayock said. "Okoye has really helped himself. That kid is making some money. "I gave him a second-round grade off tape and he's a kid who could be working himself into the first round. He's really been impressive. His age is an upside for teams. He's 19 and his best football is ahead of him." Mayock also noted that North defensive end/outside linebacker Anthony Spencer of Purdue "is having a good week as a situational pass rusher." He also singled out Nebraska defensive end Adam Carriker as another player who is helping his draft status this week.
Ex-Dog Moses might move to linebacker By DAVID PURDUM The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 01/25/07 Mobile ? Like David Pollack before him, Georgia defensive end Quentin Moses might be forced to move to outside linebacker in the NFL. Moses worked one-on-one with San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Nolan after Thursday's Senior Bowl afternoon practice at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. "We just wanted to give him the opportunity to get out in space a little bit," said Nolan, who's coaching the South team. "He's athletic, and usually a guy that's built like that has the opportunity to [move to outside linebacker]. Whether he can or not will be determined on the next level." Moses showed up for Senior Bowl week a little lighter than his 250-pound playing weight. He's never played outside linebacker but said he'd be willing to give it a shot. "I love the game and just want to have the opportunity to play ball, no matter at what position they put me at," Moses said. Nolan added that most outside linebackers in 3-4 schemes entered the NFL having not played the position in college. "It's not an easy transition for a guy who's always had his hand on the ground," Nolan said. Georgia's Taylor impresses Georgia linebacker Tony Taylor is not as big as most of the other linebackers at the Senior Bowl. But the 6-foot, 234-pounder showed great instincts and drew praise from 49ers defensive coordinator Mike Singletary. Afternoon of the DBs Tennessee defensive back Jonathan Wade displayed great closing speed, making up almost 10 yards and breaking up a pass intended for Florida's Dallas Baker. Wade also prevented LSU's Dwayne Bowe from hauling in a touchdown pass, something that has rarely been done during this week's practices. Bowe has been the camp's premier receiver. Miami safety Brandon Meriweather also had a good practice Thursday. He picked off Florida's Chris Leak in the end zone. Coach pulls out all the tricks Nolan says his offensive and defensive schemes will be simple. But after being on the losing end of last year's game, he said he might have a trick or two up his sleeve. "We installed every trick play from the Boise State playbook," he joked.
Game on Louisville's Okoye impresses at Senior Bowl practices Posted: Friday January 26, 2007 1:00AM; Updated: Friday January 26, 2007 1:00AM By Tony Pauline, Special to SI.com MOBILE, Ala. -- -- The practices are finished and NFL scouts, coaches and general managers are long gone. All that's left is to play the game. Yet even before the ball is officially kicked off, the script on which players came out of the '07 Senior Bowl as winners or losers has already been written. Ten Prospects Who Exceeded Expectations 1. Amobi Okoye/DL/Louisville: Okoye was the talk of the town this week. Weighing in at a chiseled 287-pounds, he displayed tremendous quickness and athleticism from the first practice. Okoye, a bright and articulate 19-year-old, also interviewed well for the teams that spent time with him. 2. Adam Carriker/DL/Nebraska: Another front four player who was tough to block, Carriker elevated his draft stock significantly. Displaying a combination of strength and intelligence, he also came across well during interviews. 3. Dwayne Bowe/WR/LSU: The big pass catcher separated himself from the rest of the group and distinguished himself as the top senior receiver in the country. 4. David Irons/CB/Auburn: Irons capitalized on a terrific senior campaign with a great showing in Mobile. He was consistently applauded by coaches for his cover skills, hard work and ability to learn new defensive systems. 5. Michael Griffin/S/Texas: Displaying an array of talent in centerfield, Griffin made an impact every day at practice. His ball skills in coverage were outstanding as was his play defending the run. 6. Brandon Mebane/DT/California: The stout defensive tackle was unblockable for most of the week. Displaying tremendous quickness, he showed pass rush moves scouts were not aware he had. 7. Ryan Kalil/C/USC: The Trojan blocker looked great on the pivot. Holding his own against bigger opponents, he showed a lot of unexpected skill blocking in motion. 8. Aundrae Allison/WR/East Carolina: Allison impressed scouts from the first day he stepped on the field. Catching everything thrown in his directions, he also got deep behind defenders with consistency. 9. Mason Crosby/PK/Colorado: Crosby regularly put his field goals through the uprights from 50-yards or longer with plenty of room to spare. 10. Antonio Johnson/DT/Mississippi State: The big tackle showed-off his athleticism all week. More impressively, he consistently made plays up the field, something that was lacking in his college career. Five Prospects Who Failed to Meet Expectations 1. Ryan Harris/OL/Notre Dame: Continuing what was a poor senior season, Harris was beaten regularly in Mobile. At one point he was chastised by Jon Gruden for allowing a sack on Thursday. 2. Marcus McCauley/CB/Fresno State: Another who struggled in '06, McCauley was beaten with regularity all week. His performance during Thursday's no pads practice was not good. 3. Patrick Willis/MLB/Mississippi: Willis gave good effort all week and looked strong in the box. Problem was he struggled making plays out to the sidelines or in reverse. He does not resemble the first-round talent many have pinned him to be. 4. Quentin Moses/DE/Georgia: The Bulldogs pass rusher checked in much lighter than expected at 249 pounds and was handled all week by blockers. During interviews, Moses did not come off as a confident individual. 5. Troy Smith/QB/Ohio State: While Smith was accurate with his short and intermediate passes, his long throws were off. Smith did not display the ability to drive the deep pass and was rarely on the mark downfield. Senior Bowl Notes: NFL scouts are not enamored with the overall talent of this year's senior class but they were reasonably happy with the players on hand in Mobile. This years group could match the number of first-round picks which came out of last year's game; 14. The Senior Bowl is the place where the unemployed and underclassmen come to look for job interviews. Larry Coker, the recently released coach from the Miami Hurricanes, was at practice all week hoping to catch on with an NFL team. Florida Gator defensive back Reggie Nelson, who declared for the draft soon after the national title game, interviewed with several teams right through Wednesday.
