I hope that this thread can contain info from the game. I'd hoped to get it set up last week prior to the game, but didn't get a chance to. I always make it a point to see that game, but wasn't able to see the game this year. I hope that some of you did and will post your impressions about players. I'm going to post players with whom the Jets were known to have met, practice reports, and some articles regarding the game, and hope that others will post information as well.
Players with whom the Jets met at the Senior Bowl. Noah Spence, OLB, Eastern Kentucky Carl Nassib, DE, Penn State Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State Tavon Young, CB, Temple Vernon Butler, DT, Louisiana Tech D.J. Foster, WR, Arizona State John Theus, OT, Georgia Dak Prescott, QB, Mississippi State Darian Thompson, S, Boise State
http://www.nj.com/jets/index.ssf/2016/01/jets_rumors_and_buzz_from_around_the_2016_senior_b.html#incart_article_small Jets rumors and buzz from around the 2016 Senior Bowl By Dom Cosentino | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Follow on Twitter on January 29, 2016 at 2:14 PM, updated January 29, 2016 at 2:52 PM MOBILE, Ala. — A few Jets-related items picked up along the sidelines, in hotel lobbies, and around town this week at the 2016 Senior Bowl ... • The Bowles factor. It was pretty much impossible to find someone down here with a bad word to say about Jetshead coach Todd Bowles. "I love Todd," gushed one NFC assistant coach who had worked with Bowles at one of his past coaching stops. Senior Bowl Week is in part a convention of coaches looking to land jobs. But one league source said Bowles' success in 2015 created a bit of a clamor for coaches wanting to join his staff with the Jets. Bowles, in his usual understated manner, basically shrugged when asked about all that in an interview with NJ Advance Media. "It's been like that every year I've been to the Senior Bowl," Bowles said, referring to coaches prowling for work in general. "That comes with the territory." • Latest on special teams coach. There's only one major opening on Bowles' staff, but he predictably didn't show his hand with regard to hiring a special teams coach. And very few people around the Senior Bowl were willing to say much else. Bowles confirmed what had been reported elsewhere, that he had tried last year to hire Falcons special teams coach Keith Armstrong, an old friend from his Temple University days, but that the Falcons denied permission because Armstrong was under contract. Armstrong was spotted watching practice with Bowles for a bit on Wednesday, but when asked whether Armstrong was in the running or if the Falcons had granted or denied permission again, Bowles said, "[Armstrong's name] never came out of my mouth." Asked where things stood with hiring a special teams coach, Bowles said, "Working on it," adding that he expected to make a hire within the next week. "I have an idea," he said. "I have a good idea." ALSO: Q&A with draft prospect Noah Spence Spence is an ideal prospect for the Jets who landed at Eastern Kentucky after transferring from Ohio State. • Fitzpatrick contract. There's been no word of contract talks for quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, but the general feeling is that the negotiations aren't expected to take very long. Fitzpatrick wants to stay with the Jets, and the Jets want him back. That's typically a great place to start. Free agency begins March 9. It would be a gigantic surprise if Fitzpatrick doesn't have a deal before then. Linebacker drills at the Senior BowlCheck out some linebacker drills at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. • Jets contingent. The Jets were well-represented at the Senior Bowl this week. In addition to Bowles, defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers and assistant heach coach/inside linebackers Mike Caldwell were there from the coaching staff, along with general manager Mike Maccagnan, player personnel director Brian Heimerdinger, and all of the team's scouts. • Willie Colon's future. The will likely come as no surprise, but even if veteran right guard Willie Colon were to try to play again in 2016, it's doubtful the Jets will want him back. A league source said the Jets had major concerns about Colon's health last offseason before eventually signing him for the veteran minimum. Colon surprised by winning a starting job pretty much from the beginning of camp, and while he played well in 2015, he labored through injuries and finally had to shut it down and go on IR in November. Colon, who's been an excellent veteran presence since joining the Jets in 2013, will be 33 in April. He's hinted at retirement, but it may wind up being that his mind and his heart want to keep going, but that his body won't let him. MORE: What players did Jets meet with at Senior Bowl? Everyone meets with everyone. But you want to know who the Jets are talking to, and here's a list. • Calvin Pace sighting. It wasn't just the coaches and scouting personnel from the Jets down here. Longtime outside linebacker Calvin Pace was on-hand, too, both at Tuesday morning's weigh-ins and all of the practice sessions. Pace will turn 36 in October and can become a free agent. He said he'd like to keep playing, but whether the Jets bring him back—even as a backup—remains to be seen. Pace was not there in any team-related role; he apparently has a big interest in scouting and was just hanging around to check out the Senior Bowl players for himself. • Inside linebacker stuff. We know the Jets began talks with a rep for Erin Henderson about a new contract, and that three-year starter Demario Davis likely won't be back. But Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net had this to pass along about Taiwan Jones, an undrafted free agent who spent most of the 2015 season on the practice squad but was on the 53-man roster by season's end: Hearing NY Jets like Taiwan Jones & believe he could be the future replacement for David Harris. Terrific LB who ran a poor 40 • John Idzik/Terry Bradway sighting. During Tuesday's South team practice at Fairhope High School, former Jets GMs John Idzik and Terry Bradway were spotted having a long conversation on the sidelines. Bradway is now a senior scout with the Dolphins. Idzik is the special assistant to the general manager with the Jaguars.
From Walter Football http://walterfootball.com/seniorbowl2016practice.php 2016 Senior Bowl: Tuesday Practice Report - Part 1 By Charlie Campbell - @draftcampbell The South team took to a high school field in Fairhope, Alabama for their first practice of the Senior Bowl. The Jacksonville Jaguars coaching staff ran the practice and will coach them all week. The Jaguars staff had the players practicing in shells (shorts, shoulder pads and helmets). The South started the session with some install and work in individual position groups. After that, they did a few one-on-one sessions, a few periods of special teams work and a team scrimmage. Shortly after the South practice ended, the North practice began across the bridge at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The distance combined with the traffic resulted in only a third of the North practice being seen. Here is a run-down of the noteworthy players. The players who were the most impressive were along the defensive line. Of that group, the two who stood out the most were Ohio State defensive tackle Adolphus Washington and Louisiana Tech defensive tackle Vernon Butler. Washington dominated the one-on-ones with speed, power, and speed-to-power. Among the players whom he destroyed were Iowa center Austin Blythe and Washington State guard/tackle Joe Dahl. Dahl saw Washington blow by him on his first rep before bull rushing Dahl into the quarterback marker on the rematch. The only lineman who somewhat slowed down Washington was Stanford's Joshua Garnett. The Cardinal guard lost one rep as Washington flew by him, but on the rematch, he held up Washington after he managed some good penetration into the pocket. That rep was more of a draw. Washington has a first-round skill set with speed, power, athleticism and the versatility to line up in a variety of places up front. To end his collegiate career, he had an arrest for solicitation, so his interviews are critically important. His practice was tremendous. Butler was also phenomenal. He used speed to fire by Michigan State Jack Allen. Butler displayed speed-to-power to dispense Western Michigan's Willie Beavers and raced like a lightning bolt to fly by Beavers. This start serves to confirm the early round projections of Butler. He has a stout build yet is very fast. Penn State defensive end Carl Nassib was impressive in the one-on-ones. He got the better of Stanford tackle Kyle Murphy on multiple reps. Nassib was too fast around the corner for Murphy. Nassib also showed a nice ability to drop his hips to get turned to the quarterback. Illinois defensive end Jihad Ward also had a nice practice. He used speed to get by Murphy on a few snaps. Ward dropped North Dakota State tackle Joe Haeg on two reps with a swim move and a rush to the inside that caused Haeg to hold him. Murphy and Haeg really struggled to open their Senior Bowl week. Ward is an impressive athlete. Temple defensive tackle Matt Ioannidis had a quality practice. He had some good battles against Notre Dame center Nick Martin as they split some reps. Stanford guard Joshua Garnett had a win versus Ioannidis. In the team scrimmage, Ioannidis beat Beavers to get a sack of Jeff Driskel. Among the impressive linemen was Alabama defensive tackle Jarran Reed. He showed impressive power to rush through LSU guard/tackle Vadal Alexander. Reed's strength overwhelmed Missouri guard Connor McGovern in the run-scrimmage one-on-ones. In the pass-rushing one-on-ones, Reed split some reps with Arkansas guard Sebastian Tretola. One play saw Reed win with a second effort. There was another play in the running-based nine-on-nine session where Alexander pushed Reed out of his gap, but overall, Reed was rock solid throughout this practice and looks ready to contribute immediately in the NFL. Virginia Tech edge rusher Dadi Nicolas had a nice practice. He easily got the better of Alexander and Baylor tackle Spencer Drango with speed around the corner in the pass-rushing one-on-ones. Drango got revenge on some run plays when he ran over Nicolas. To start his NFL career, Nicolas looks like a situational pass-rusher. Sources say they see him in that role and a potential mid-rounder. Drango also had problems blocking BYU defensive end Bronson Kaufusi. He used a swim move to beat Drango, while Georgia linebacker Jordan Jenkins used speed around the corner to get the better of Drango. That being said, Drango was very good in the run-scrimmage one-on-ones. He was firing out of his stance and rocking defenders. For the next level, Drango looks like he needs to move inside to guard. That would help him to use more of his strengths and hide his weaknesses. Drango would definitely be a much better fit there than on the edge. Eastern Kentucky edge rusher Noah Spence had a strong first session. He split time between working with the linebackers and the defensive linemen. In the pass-rushing one-on-ones, Spence really shined as used his speed to fly around Texas Tech left tackle Le'Raven Clark on a few reps. Clark did get the better of Spence when he got his hands on the speedy defender and rode him around the pocket. Spence needs to add strength for the NFL. He is extremely dangerous when linemen don't get their hands on him as he is too quick to go by them. When they get their hands on him, Spence lacks the power to shed. He will need more developmental time in a 4-3 defense and would fit well in a 3-4 scheme. While Clark lost some reps to Spence, he had a solid first day and flashed on some other reps. Clark dispatched Baylor's Shawn Oakman by pushing him to the inside. Clark showed some quick feet to negate a speed rush from Oklahoma's Charles Tapper, but Tapper won the rematch with a bull rush. During the team scrimmage, Clark had a few good blocks downfield to help spring long runs for the offense. Michigan center/guard Graham Glasgow was one of the stars of the East-West Shrine, and he had a respectable first day at the Senior Bowl. He split one-on-one pass-rushing reps with Louisville defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins. When Rankins used a speed rush to try to run by Glasgow, the Wolverine just pummeled him into the turf with authority. On the rematch, Rankins burned Glasgow with a spin move. Still, it is impressive for a center to be able to block a defensive tackle in one-on-ones as centers are typically helping to execute a double team on a sub-package interior rusher. Glasgow is having a tremendous postseason to set his draft stock on fire. A good contrast could be seen in Missouri center/guard Evan Boehm. He was absolutely abused by Rankins with a speed rush. Alabama's Jarran Reed overwhelmed Boehm with power, and he was incapable of keeping Reed from charging down the pocket. Boehm really struggled in his first Senior Bowl practice. Kansas State offensive tackle Cody Whitehair battled well, winning some and losing some. He had wins going against Oklahoma's Charles Tapper as he stopped a spin move and held up a rush to the inside. The second one may have been called a hold. Whitehair showed some strength in a win over Maryland's Quinton Jefferson. Whitehair would be best on the inside at guard, but has the flexibility to move to tackle during a game if an injury hits his team. At the very least, he could be a valuable backup as a rookie. Of the South quarterbacks, N.C. State's Jacoby Brissett looked like the most natural passer compared to Arkansas' Brandon Allen and Mississippi State's Dak Prescott. Brissett made some nice throws downfield to place his passes well in the one-on-ones between the receivers and defensive backs.
Tuesday Practice Report - Part 2 I can't give a good comment on the North quarterbacks because the majority of practice wasn't seen, but in the team scrimmage and the seven-on-seven, North Dakota State's Carson Wentz made some nice throws. Wentz threw a pretty strike on a post route in the middle of the field to Rutgers wide receiver Leonte Carroo. Virginia cornerback Maurice Canady was a step behind Carroo, but he forced a fumble by slapping the ball out of Carroo's hands; it was recovered by the defense. The number of reps the North quarterbacks get is down because they have four signal-callers on the roster. One of those quarterbacks should have been playing at the East-West Shrine last week. There was one who stood out for that in particular. Against the better competition it was no surprise that Driskel looked more like the Florida Jeff Driskel than the Louisiana Tech version. He took some sacks and wasn't impressive as a passer. During the team scrimmage, he held onto the ball far too long. On one play, he took what would have been a coverage sack from Jihad Ward before throwing a pass to a blanketed check-down that was batted in the air, but luckily caught by a receiver. Driskel looks like an undrafted free agent. West Virginia safety K.J. Dillon laid a bone-rattling hit on a running back during the team scrimmage. It was the biggest hit of the day. Baylor defensive end Shawn Oakman did not look good. He didn't impress in the one-on-ones or in the team scrimmage. Oakman is a physical specimen, and that has led to him being overhyped, but he was not effective on Tuesday at the Senior Bowl. Conversely for the Bears, Baylor wide receiver Jay Lee had a nice practice. He caught a back-shoulder throw from Brissett for a good completion downfield with Samford's James Bradberry in coverage. Lee ran by Auburn's Jonathan Jones on a deep post for a long completion lofted in by Arkansas' Brandon Allen. It was a strong start to the week for Lee. Alabama cornerback Cyrus Jones had a rough start. He did well running with Clemson's Charone Peake downfield to break up a pass, but then Peake got over the top on him for a pretty over-the-shoulder grab. During the team scrimmage, Jones blew coverage in zone and allowed fullback Glenn Gronkowski to get wide open along the sideline for a chunk completion. Jones was mad at himself after that play. For the NFL, he looks like a backup and special teamer. Crimson Tide running back Kenyon Drake had a strong start to the week. He showed his speed when he took a dump-off pass from Dak Prescott for a long gain down the sideline. There is no doubt that Drake has a skill set for the pro game, but he had durability issues in college, so his NFL Scouting Combine medical check will be critical, and the injury concerns could really hurt his draft stock. Two small school defensive backs who could rise this week are Samford's James Bradberry and Northern Iowa's Deiondre' Hall. Hall is very physical and put a licking on a running back in the tackle box after flying over from the sideline. Bradberry had a nice hit as well. Hall was more sound in pass coverage as Bradberry allowed some receptions, but both players have a good skill set and a gritty style of play. Georgia tackle John Theus really struggled on Tuesday. His feet looked like they were stuck in concrete on speed rushes from Oklahoma linebacker Eric Striker. Striker easily blew by Theus as did other pass-rushers. Sources say that Theus has graded out as a late-rounder because he isn't strong or athletic, just big. Read more at http://walterfootball.com/seniorbowl2016practice.php#SZ24WDrG73qdmgUw.99
http://gbnreport.com/senior-bowl-tuesday/ SENIOR BOWL Tuesday By Pigskin Paul Guillemette | January 27, 2016 0 Comment by GBN Associate Editor Pigskin Paul Guillemette Under the new Senior Bowl setup today was really the first day of events open to the media and the public. Sorry for my late report, but the day began at 8 AM and I just got back to my hotel about 8:45 PM. Not complaining folks, just telling you the facts. The morning was dedicated primarily to the weigh-in session. But first Director Phil Savage gave us a rundown of who is not here this week, and why. Only 3 players flat out declined to attend. They were CONNOR COOK/QB, DeFOREST BUCKNER/DE and RYAN KELLY/OC. Since they were not claiming injuries I thought the most surprising of the three was KELLY. He is not considered an elite prospect. At best he might sneak into the 3rd Round of the April Draft. It is also a bit of a surprise because ‘Bama players are treated like gods down here, but whatever. Four seniors declined to attend because they were still rehabbing major injuries that occurred during the regular season. Those 4 were: ADAM GOTSIS/DT, KARL JOSEPH/S, WILL REDMON/CB, MAX TUERK/C. Finally, there were another 9 players who currently have injuries suffered in Bowl Games or at Performance Camps, who declined to attend the game. They are: DEVONTAE BOOKER/RB, JONATHAN BULLARD/DL, SHILIQUE CALHOUN/DE, TAYLOR DECKER/OT, JOSH DOCTSON/WR, TYLER HIGBEE/TE, WILLIAM JACKSON/CB, KOLBY LISTENBEE/WR, JORDAN LUCAS/S. Still, Savage seemed quite proud and pleased that every one of the players listed above advised the Senior Bowl of their inability to attend in advance. When healthy just abut every one of the players above might have been expected to be a Top 100 prospect. Because of a rainy weather forecast it was also announced that there would be no North morning practice on Wednesday. The practices will be held back to back in the afternoon. Might be a bit late reporting to you again tomorrow folks. But it will be worth it not to sit through a rain drenched practice session if the timing works out. My phone’s weather App says good move by Weatherman Phil. I thought the weigh-in process revealed some rather interesting results today. I have said for a couple of years now that I felt the NCAA’s drug testing programs for Human Growth Hormones and Steroids was having an affect on the size and shape of players. Some of today’s numbers seem to support those assertions of mine. The two heaviest players here were Clemson’s D.J. READER @ 340 lbs & LSU’s VADAL ALEXANDER @ 336 lbs. But neither one seemed to have a souped-up musculature. They were both just naturally large bodies. Out of 110 players who went through the measurement process yesterday, only 20 weighed 300 pounds or more. On the other extreme only 17 players weighed under 200, including the kickers. The tallest player here is SHAWN OAKMAN/DE at 6’074″ tall. The shortest guy here is DeANDRE WASHINGTON/RB at 5’077″ tall. In fact there weren’t very many short guys on the two rosters. Only 18 of the 110 players were under 6′ tall. An awful lot of lineman were in the 290 to 310 lb. range, 16 to be exact. There were a bunch of well muscled guys here, but not the preponderance of “muscle beach” alums that we used to see. I am a proud member of the “I prefer my QB to have large hands” club. Here are the hand spread numbers for all 8 QB. KEVIN HOGAN 10 1/8″ CARSON WENTZ 10″ DAK PRESCOTT 9 7/8″ CODY KESSLER 9 7/8″ JEFF DRISKEL 9 3/4″ JAKE COKER 9 1/2″ JACOBY BRISSETT 9 1/2″ BRANDON ALLEN 8 1/2″ A couple of side notes I found interesting about the QB. Former QB/BRAXTON MILLER, who moved to WR because of multiple shoulder injuries, has fairly small hands @ 9 1/8″. They would place him just above ALLEN on the list above. DAK PRESCOTT’s first name is really RAYNE, and COKER’s is really BRYANT. There were several players whose measurements really caught my eye. For instance JORDAN JENKINS of Georgia is a very highly ranked pass rusher as a pro prospect. He is kind of a tweener. His hgt/wgt numbers of 6’025″ & 257 lbs. make him a bit of a tweener as a DE or an OLB. But no matter where he lines up in the NFL his 11″ hands and 34″ arms are numbers that make NFL Scouts drool. CHARLES TAPPER/DE/OKlahoma had a very nice career for the Sooners both in setting the edge and stopping the run, and also as a pass rusher. At 6’026″ & 276 lbs. he has decent size for his position in a 4-3 scheme, but his huge hands, at 11 1/8″, and long arms, at 34″ really make him attractive to the NFL. Another player who has prototype measurements is LeRAVEN CLARK/OT/TEXAS TECH, who was a very effective LT for the Red Raiders. And his numbers help to explain his success as a blocker both in the run game as well as the passing game. CLARK stands 6’055″, and weighs 312 lbs. with a solid looking, fit body. Then add in 10 7/8″ hands, and 36 1/4″, vine-like arms and you really have something. I believe that one of the best proportioned athletes, by position may be small school standout DEIONDRE’ HALL/CB/NORTHERN IOWA. He stands 6’015″, weighs 192 lbs., has 9 1/2″ hands and 34 3/4″ long arms. Those are all excellent numbers for the position. the arm length is phenomenal. HALL might be able to scratch his ankles without bending over. This guy could be a hot riser if he performs well here this week on the Corner and then runs fast, with good agility numbers, at the Combine. Then you have a few guys with a fatal flaw or two. JAKE GANUS/LB/Georgia might be one of those with a glaring weakness. GANUS was UAB transfer after they dropped football (only to later reinstate it) who earned a starting ILB job with the Bulldogs. He had a highly productive season for UGA and got invited to the Senior Bowl. Today he measured 6’017 & 231 lbs. But he has 9″ hands and (gulp) 29″ long arms. His are the shortest arms of any non-kicker on either roster. It doesn’t automatically disqualify him as an NFL prospect, but it raises some very serious concerns. There were indeed practices for both teams this afternoon. But they were both pretty much glorified walk-throughs as the players try to show they are ready to go, and have started to digest the watered down pro play-books they have just been exposed to. Some real hitting will take place during Wednesday’s practices. I did watch the DL groups for both squads today and think we have a solid group of talented players to look at for both teams. Dallas DC and DL guru ROD MARINELLI, worked the North DL hard today and seemed to like a lot of what he saw. From a hustle and performance standpoint I think his two favorites were JIHAD WARD/DE/Illinois and SHELON DAY/DT/Notre Dame. JARRAN REED/DL/Alabama was my favorite at the South practice. He is just so powerful and unmovable that he amazes me. He weighed in at 311 lbs. this morning, but he holds his ground like he weighs 330. His power and agility remind me of HALOTI NGATA. Watching One-on-One drills at the North practice, I felt that JOSHUA GARNETT/OG/Stanford dominated his pass-rushing opponents constantly. He had his opponent on the ground,crawling toward the QB mark on multiple occasions. He is a big guy (6’044/317) with strength and good athleticism. I also thought that MAURICE CANADY/CB/Virginia looked really solid as a pass defender. He was able to stay with receivers and delivered a couple of solid hits. JORDAN PAYTON/WR/UCLA, might have been the most effective wideout for the North in limited action. Watch out for LEONTE’ CAROO/Rutgers as the week goes on. He’s very thick at 5’117″ & 217, but can really motor. Be back at you Wednesday night with more coverage, but for now… Good night from Mobile. Pigskin Paul
2016 Senior Bowl Practice Report This is Charlie Campbell's Wednesday 2016 Senior Bowl Practice Report. Charlie is reporting live from Mobile, Ala., and he'll describe what he sees at practice and whom certain prospects talk to all week. If you want to see other 2016 Senior Bowl Reports, click the link. Follow me @walterfootball for updates, and stay tuned all week for tons of 2016 Senior Bowl coverage. 2015 Senior Bowl: Wednesday Practice Report: South Team By Charlie Campbell - @draftcampbell The South team took the field of Ladd-Peebles Stadium for their second practice of the Senior Bowl. The Jacksonville Jaguars' coaching staff ran the practice and will coach them all week. The Jaguars staff' had the players practicing in full pads. Here is a run-down of the noteworthy players. Duke safety Jeremy Cash had a phenomenal day. The physical safety was all over the field in pass coverage and also showed well as a blitzer. To get his impressive day started, Cash used his speed to burn Arkansas State tight end Darion Griswold for a sack. Cash won the rematch as Griswold lost his feet trying to keep up with the Blue Devil. In the seven-on-seven team scrimmage, Cash did extremely well at defending the deep part of the field and broke up a number of passes. He did cause a corner to drop an interception on a jump ball with a hit that jarred the ball loose and took out the receiver, but Cash had no way of knowing that and executed his assignment to break up a potential deep reception. Cash was all over the field on Wednesday, and this practice could really help his draft grade. Another standout in the non-linemen one-on-ones was Texas Tech running back DeAndre Washington. He lost a rep to Florida's Antonio Morrison and Oklahoma's Eric Striker, before a super win over Alabama's Reggie Ragland when Washington stonewalled a bull rush from Ragland. In the receiving plays, Washington torched LSU linebacker Deion Jones on an out-and-up. In the scrimmage session, Washington had some nice runs with a burst. This was an eye-opening day from Washington. Kentucky linebacker Josh Forrest had an impressive practice. He ran with Washington to break up a pass in the one-on-ones. Forrest had other impressive reps in pass coverage as well. He showed some pass-rush potential and was a physical run defender. Forrest's a sleeper prospect who is showing some three-down potential for the NFL. Ragland did well overall. He beat Northwestern's Dan Vitale with a speed-to-power rush. Ragland ran over another blocker, and was his usual physical self in the team scrimmage. In pass coverage, Ragland had an impressive rep when he ran with Vitale and then slapped the pass away. In the pass-rushing one-on-ones, Ragland lost two blitz attempts to LSU's Vadal Alexander. Despite playing outside linebacker this week, Ragland should trim down some weight to be a middle linebacker in the NFL. Oklahoma linebacker Eric Striker did well in the blitzing session. He ran over Alabama's Kenyan Drake, but TCU's Aaron Green got separation running an out route from Striker. The Senior Bowl has served to confirm that Striker has the body of a 4-3 outside linebacker. However he's natural in pass coverage and is at his best as an edge rusher. Striker will need development as a pro. Alabama running back Kenyan Drake had a nice practice on Wednesday. He had some wins in the blitz protection one-on-ones. Drake mired Deion Jones on one play, but also lost reps to Striker and Morrison. In the receiving portion, Drake burned Georgia's Jake Ganus on a crossing route. Drake also got the better of Missouri's Kentrell Brothers on a rep. This was an important session for Drake, so it was good for him that he held his own as a blocker while excelling as a receiver. With his durability issues, Drake will probably be a third-down and backup running back in the NFL. He showed he has blocking and receiving potential. In the receiver versus defensive back one-on-ones, LSU's Jalen Mills stood out as he came close to getting two interceptions. Mills jumped out routes to break up passes intended for Baylor's Jay Lee and Minnesota's K.J. Maye. Mills did get attention from trainers for what looked like an arm injury. He could have been vulnerable to an out-and-up as he is very aggressive. Lee came up with the best catch of the Senior Bowl with a one-handed leaping back-shoulder reception. Alabama's Cyrus Jones was a yard behind him yet Lee came through with a great grab on a pass off the mark. Lee is having a nice week in Mobile. Clemson's D.J. Reader and Louisville's Sheldon Rankins both had good practices. Rankins used a swim move to the outside and then inside to beat Michigan center Graham Glasgow, a rare feat over the past two weeks. Reader was a load on the inside and bulled his way into the pocket on a number of occasions. Alabama defensive tackle Jarran Reed had another quality practice. In the nine-on-nine run scrimmage, he stuffed a number of runs to the perimeter and was getting praise from the Jaguars' coaches. In the pass-rushing one-on-ones, Reed split reps with Michigan center/guard Graham Glasgow. Reed won on a bull rush, and Glasgow rode him around the pocket on a speed attempt. Reed's other wins came against Arizona State's Christian Westerman and Missouri's Evan Boehm. The Crimson Tide plugger is too strong for either of those blockers. However, Arkansas road-grading guard Sebastian Tretola stopped Reed on two bull rush attempts in impressive wins for the Razorback. Both Reed and Tretotla had good practices. Baylor tackle Spencer Drango struggled in the pass-protection one-on-ones. College teammate Shawn Oakham used speed to fire by Drango on one rep. Noah Spence burned Drango with speed off the edge twice in a row. Drango had to know what was coming and still couldn't stop it. In the team scrimmage, BYU's Bronson Kaufusi toasted him with a speed rush for a sack. Virginia Tech's Dadi Nicolas burned Drango for a sack of Jacob Coker in the team scrimmage as well. This week has made it crystal clear that Drango has to move inside to guard in the NFL. Nicolas had an impressive pass rush where he used his speed to split a double team from Texas Tech left tackle Le'Raven Clark and Alabama running back Kenyan Drake to get a sack. In the one-on-ones, Nicolas ran around LSU's Vadal Alexander for a win, but Alexander got two victories as he held up Nicolas with ease after grabbing him. Nicolas struggles when his speed rush is stopped. He has a hard time shedding blocks as he lacks strength. If lineman can get their hands on Nicolas, he's in big trouble. Building some functional strength to shed blocks will be key for Nicolas as a pro, but he is a fast edge rusher who could contribute as a situational player quickly. Duke kicker Ross Martin made a statement when he was good on a 60-yard field goal. On a cold, damp day, it was a very impressive kick. Read more at http://walterfootball.com/seniorbowl2016practice3.php#453ACKp8gORFR2t1.99
http://gbnreport.com/senior-bowl-wednesday/ SENIOR BOWL Wednesday By Pigskin Paul Guillemette | January 27, 2016 0 Comment We had an almost normal day of action here in Mobile. I say almost because practices didn’t begin until Noon. The plan to avoid the rain worked out pretty well but the skies never cleared. The high temperature never quite made 50 and 10-15 mph winds blew in from the Northwest. In other words a pretty normal January day in Mobile. Enough about the weather. NORTH PRACTICE The NORTH squad, under the guidance of the COWBOYS coaching staff had a more animated and physical practice today, with full pads of course. I feel pretty comfortable in sayIng that CARSON WENTZ/QB/N. DAKOTA STATE is the early leader in the QB competition to be the top QB prospect here. The big guy (6’5/233) showed great arm strength and good accuracy with his throwing. He can really spin the ball, yet his throws look pretty catchable to me. He is also reasonably mobile or his size. Let’s just say his starting experience in college is serving him well right now, despite the fact that it wasn’t at the D1 level. By the middle of today’s practice the squad had lost 3 players to injury. WR/LEONTE CAROO, WR/TAJAE SHARPE & OL/JOE HAEG all left the field with one of the team trainers. It looks as though all three will be out for the duration and not play in the game. The team lost LB/JOSHUA PERRY yesterday. I’d expect at least one WR to be brought in to replenish some depth there. WR/JORDAN PAYTON/CLA grabbed my attention again today with his tight pattern running and good hands. Clearly he uses his 10″+ hands very well. What he lacks in speed he makes up for in other areas of his game. I will refrain at this stage from calling him purely a possession receiver. Almost every football fan is aware of the story of BRAXTON MILLER’s conversion from QB to WR at Ohio State. He is now considered a legit Draft prospect at his new position. He has decent size at just over 6’1 & weighing 213 lbs. But his hands are not terribly large, at 9 1/8″, and he missed more than a few balls thrown his way this afternoon. Several went right through his outstretched hands. But he also showed that he can be a speedy, elusive runner after the catch. In essence I’d rank him as a solid prospect, with potential, who will require some patience for the team that drafts him on Day 3. Though slightly undersized JACK ALLEN/OC/Michigan St is a very skilled technician, and a feisty competitor. During one-on-one drills he seldom allowed his man to cleanly get past him, even if it meant they both went down in a heap. At his size (6’014″/297) he’s best suited to be a brawler in some kind of zone blocking scheme. He’s going to be a tough guy to find the perfect scenario for. But with his approach he’ll play somewhere in the NFL. I seriously doubt that his frame will accommodate any significant additional weight. What you see is what you get with this young man. I was a bit taken aback Tuesday, when JASON SPRIGGS/OT/Indiana weighed in at only 301 lbs. on a 6’056″ frame I was a bit concerned. But what I saw today makes me more comfortable moving him back into Round 1 as a prospect. He uses his long arms (34 1/8″) to direct and hold off rushers. He was matched against another of my favorite players in JAHID WARD on multiple occasions and kept the QB spot clean. He also moves well off the ball in the running game very effectively as well. SPRIGGS is looking like the real deal so far this week. CARL NASSIB/DE/Penn State really came on in his senior year in college to lead D1 in sacks. He looked very long at the weigh-in at 6’067″ with 34 1/2″ long arms. But he is also pretty lean at only 273 lbs. Today at practice he looked like a spinning top in one-on-one drills, using spin moves in both directions to totally confuse blockers. I was also surprised at how fast he is out of his stance, keeping low for a man his size. He may be limited in run defense, but he’s going to be a major force against the pass. I will curious to see how he fairs against the run in actual game action. COWBOYS DL coaches and DC ROD MARINELLI are just loving the high energy motor displayed by low-slung (6’006″) former Domer SHELDON DAY/DT. He weighs a solid 286 lbs. and is showing good strength but even better quickness. He had great success in college with his energy, quickness and low target running. He’s looking solid so far, but cannot really win very many of his one-on-one battles with long armed blockers. The DB who caught my attention most often today was CB/DEIONDRE’ HALL of small school N.Iowa, which has turned out some solid pro players in he past decade. HALL is quite the physical specimen primarily with his length. He got his hands on a couple of throws today and was able to knock the ball away from the intended receivers. He’s getting fooled at times but his long range potential is undeniable. SOUTH PRACTICE The practices were piggy-backed to save time today, although COWBOYS Owner JERRY JONES found time to hold court with reporters as his coaches were departing the field with their players. The most outstanding player I saw today was OT/LeRAVEN CLARK #62 of the South squad. He shows an incredible combination of size and athleticism even within this impressive group of over 100 athletes collected here. He gets incredibly low in his stance and just explodes at the snap. He has long arms (36 1/4″) which he uses to move defenders around and keep off his body. He shoots to the second level on running plays. He looks to me like a player who could be an instant starter at the pro level next Fall. Just about everything he has done in the first two days here has been impressive. BRONSON KAUFUSI/DE/BYU #95 looks to be CLARK’s counterpart on the Defense. He’s almost as long as SHAWN OAKMAN and a lot thicker and stronger. During scrimmage work I saw him just blow past OT/THEUS to the outside and push the QB out of the pocket. He’s a physical specimen and is punishing people in drills right now. I was also quite impressed with his personality during a general conversation we had on Media Night. KAUFUSI looks like a solid 4-3 DE with some solid pass-rush ability. Another defender looking very effective early on is SS/KEVIN BYARD/MTSU #20. He packs a wallop when he tackles someone and high-pointed a slightly under-thrown ball for an INT in action today. He’s been a ballhawk his entire college career and displays the ability to be effective against both the run and the pass. Kicker ROSS MARTIN put on a solid demonstration of Field Goal kicking in today’s practice session. He does not have a booming leg, but he uses his short stature to good advantage in keeping his form consistent. He was making everything out to the 50 yard range, but i would point out that he had the strong wind at his back. I personally think the coaches did that on purpose to boost his confidence and the team’s morale. JERRELL ADAMS/TE/South Carolina had a very solid day today. He has decent size at 6’5/244, and has shown some solid blocking technique. He looks to be running some nice routes but has seen many balls coming his way yet.His hands are a bit small (8 3/4″) but his 34″ arms provide a nice catching area target for his QB. STERLING SHEPARD/WR #3 continues to be the cat quick receiver we all saw at Oklahoma. He is double quick seems to be open every time I look up. He tends to body catch a lot, even though his 9 1/8″ hands might explain that a bit. He looks to be a very strong candidate to play as a slot receiver. I’m hoping we get to see him in punt return duty this week. I find LB/JOSH FORREST who is seeing duty primarily in the MLB slot a very interesting player. He is a nice combination of size and speed who seems to find the ball well. He looks good in pursuit. I’d also like to see him on the outside a bit. He may end up being a rising prospect over the next few months. Despite what many around me were murmuring I am still a fan of SPENCER DRANGO/Baylor. He appears to lack the quickness to hold up at the LT slot at the next level. In fact he may just need to convert inside to OG. He’s strong enough to handle infighting with a NT, and after playing on the outside in college, he should have more than enough quickness to pull and get to second level blocks from the inside. I thought he looked stronger in 2015 than he had previously. GIven the OL group here I think he’ll have to play outside all week. We may learn more about him at the Combine at the end of February. As a bit of a side note during 11-on-11 reps at QB BRANDON ALLEN tucked the ball and ran on three straight plays. It was understandable given the pocket collapsing around him constantly, but not what coaches are looking for overall this week. He needs to learn how to throw away the ball and move on to the next down. It was exciting however and he was quite effective on the run. Here’s hoping for a bit nicer day on Thursday and the chance to check out a few other players I am interested in, as well as those that catch my attention out of the blue. Good night from Mobile. Pigskin Paul
2015 Senior Bowl: Wednesday Practice Report: North Team By Charlie Campbell - @draftcampbell http://walterfootball.com/seniorbowl2016practice2.php The North team took the field of Ladd-Peebles Stadium for their second practice of the Senior Bowl. The Dallas Cowboys' coaching staff ran the practice and will coach them all week. The Cowboys' staff had the players practicing in full pads. Dallas' staff kept the players going at a good pace and at a reasonably physical level. Here is a run-down of the noteworthy players. North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz had a quality practice. He has the best arm of any signal-caller at the Senior Bowl. Wentz threw some ropes in the short to intermediate part of the field. His deep balls were a bit off, but part of that stems from working with unfamiliar receivers. In the team scrimmage, Wentz hit a nice pass downfield along the sideline in a window between coverage to Cincinnati wide receiver Chris Moore. One of Wentz's best deep balls led Moore into the end zone past two defenders, but the Bearcats receiver had the pass fall off his fingertips. Wentz dropped in a nice over-the-shoulder reception to Iowa tight end Henry Krieger-Coble. Even though Wentz didn't start a lot of games in college, he shows nice feel with a catchable ball that isn't always a fastball. He can put air underneath it and drop it in softly for his receivers. Compared to many college quarterbacks entering the pros, Wentz looks much more natural working under center when making his drop. He has a nice basis of footwork and mechanics for the NFL. With two-thirds of his important practices over, Wentz is having a strong week at the Senior Bowl. Ohio State wide receiver Braxton Miller had an excellent practice. He showed a tremendous release off the line against corners using speed and strength. That created instant separation for him. On a crossing route, Miller burned Oklahoma State cornerback Kevin Peterson. Minnesota's Eric Murray had to hold Miller to keep him from getting vertical. The defensive backs really struggled to contain him. When Miller gets the ball in his hands, he's really dangerous as he has a burst to accelerate downfield and is very elusive. After practice, Miller spent time fielding punts, and he could be a multi-dimensional weapon as a receiver, runner and returner. With his quarterback experience, he makes a wildcat set even more dangerous. Miller is not the typical quarterback-turned-receiver; he is a pure football player. I think Miller is going to be more like Hines Ward than Matt Jones. Murray had a mixed practice. He had an impressive breakup to slap the ball out of Chris Moore's hands. However, Murray was grabbing too much with receivers on some other plays and will need to work on that for the NFL. On Wednesday, Penn State defensive end Carl Nassib really had an excellent session. He did very well in the pass-rushing one-on-ones as showed some quickness and power, plus variety in his pass-rushing moves. Nassib got started by blowing by Stanford offensive tackle Kyle Murphy around the corner. In a rematch, Murphy stopped a bull rush. Nassib got the better of Indiana's Jason Spriggs with quickness and a spin move before winning the second rep as he dipped and ripped underneath Spriggs to get leverage. Nassib used a bull rush to go through Western Michigan's Willie Beavers for a few wins. In the first team scrimmage, Nassib used a spin move to break free from Harvard's Cole Toner to get a sack. In the final team scrimmage, Nassib put a cap on his impressive practice by getting the corner on Murphy for a sack. For the NFL, Nassib isn't a blinding edge rusher with elite speed around the corner. He is a physical, high-effort, quick and developed defender with a nose for the quarterback. His best fit would come as a left defensive end in a 4-3 defense to go against right tackles. Louisiana Tech defensive tackle Vernon Butler continued his strong Senior Bowl. He used speed rushes to get the better of Washington State tackle/guard Joe Dahl on two reps. Butler easily walked back Iowa center Austin Blythe into the quarterback marker with powerful bull rushes. Butler is showing his special skill set and validating the early round projections. Ohio State defensive tackle Adolphus Washington had tremendous Tuesday practice, destroying the offensive linemen. A day later, he was good, but not as dominant. Washington used speed and a spin move to fly by Michigan State center Jack Allen. Allen won the rematch when Washington tried to get low and fire by him, but Allen pushed him into the turf. Washington used power and speed to win against Dahl, but Dahl earned a draw in the rematch by stopping Washington after some initial penetration. While the offensive lineman did better against Washington on Wednesday, he still is very quick, strong, and athletic for an interior defensive lineman. Dahl really struggled in this practice. On top of losing reps to Butler and Washington, Illinois defensive end Jihad Ward was too fast for him on two reps in the one-on-ones. As a guard or tackle, Dahl's issues with speed rushers will be exposed. He needs development. Notre Dame center Nick Martin had an impressive day. He stood up two bull rushes from Penn State defensive tackle Austin Johnson. Martin did well in other reps and in the team scrimmage. With the exception of Michigan's Graham Glasgow, Martin has more power in his base than the other center prospects in Mobile. Stanford offensive tackle Kyle Murphy and Virginia Tech edge rusher Dadi Nicolas are feast-or-famine players. They either look great and win decisively, or they look terrible in defeat. Murphy's good reps saw him mirror Utah State's Kyler Fackrell. In the team scrimmage, Michigan State defensive end Lawrence Thomas torched Murphy for a sack. Thomas also beat him in the one-on-ones. Thomas had an eye-opening practice. Nicolas won some one-on-one reps and got pressure in the team scrimmage, but he struggled in the one-on-ones when his speed rush was stopped. He has a hard time shedding blocks as he lacks strength. If lineman can get their hands on Nicolas, he's in big trouble. Building some functional strength to shed blocks will be key for Nicolas as a pro. Notre Dame defensive tackle Sheldon Day and Louisville defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins also had good practices. Each one flashed in the pass-rushing one-on-ones. Day also had a tackle for a loss in the team scrimmage. They both had good battles with Stanford guard Joshua Garnett. The defenders split the reps as Garnett held his own against bull and speed rushes. Ohio State tight end Nick Vannett had a bad practice. In the one-on-ones, he wasn't getting separation from linebackers in man coverage -a terrible sign for a tight end - and he had a dropped pass. Vannett looks more like a blocking tight end and isn't a multi-dimensional threat. Read more at http://walterfootball.com/seniorbowl2016practice2.php#GllEQJVEeBvv4f0j.99
2015 Senior Bowl: Thursday Practice Report: South Team By Charlie Campbell - @draftcampbell http://walterfootball.com/seniorbowl2016practice5.php The South team took the field of Ladd-Peebles Stadium for their third practice of the Senior Bowl. The Jacksonville Jaguars' coaching staff ran the practice, and had the players practicing in full pads. Jacksonville's staff ended practice about a half hour early. Between stretching and warmups, there wasn't a lot of practice time to gather useful information. Here is a run-down of the noteworthy players. Alabama linebacker Reggie Ragland was heavier than expected at the weigh-in as he was just shy of 260 pounds, but this week, he showed he still moved well at the weight. In the receiving one-on-ones, Ragland allowed a short completion, but he was right there to make a tackle. Many linebackers would have been smoked. Ragland is a versatile defender, but for the NFL, his best bet would be to slim down and play middle linebacker. With his toughness, instincts and tackling ability, Ragland has the skill set to be a first-round pick. There were some fun battles to watch between Michigan center Graham Glasgow and Alabama defensive tackle Jarran Reed. It was very impressive that Glasgow could go head-to-head and get wins with Reed because many centers would need guard help to block Reed. Glasgow held up Reed on a bull rush on one rep long enough for the quarterback to get a pass out. Reed got the better of Glasgow on a spin move and on a bull rush, but Glasgow came back to earn a few draws after giving up some initial push. Reed needs to develop more pass rush for the NFL, but this week validated that he's worthy of a top-25 pick. Glasgow has had a phenomenal two weeks to really put his draft stock on the map. He looks like a second-day talent in the 2016 NFL Draft. Eastern Kentucky outside linebacker Noah Spence performed well in the one-on-ones. Spence used his speed to easily blow by Georgia tackle John Theus. Spence exposed how Theus is slow out of his stance. Given that Spence is below 250 pounds, he doesn't fit a 4-3 defense and will have to be a 3-4 outside linebacker. Theus did better with wins against BYU tackle Bronson Kaufusi as he stopped a couple of bull rushes. With his lack of quickness, athleticism, and strength, Theus is a late-round pick. Texas Tech left tackle Le'Raven Clark had an interesting practice. In the one-on-ones, he did well with two wins against Baylor defensive end Shawn Oakman. Virginia Tech's Dadi Nicolas got the better of Clark on a speed rush. During the team scrimmage, Clark did well as he had two bone-rattling blocks on LSU linebacker Deion Jones. One came on a reverse, and the other on a screen pass to spring Minnesota running back K.J. Maye for a touchdown. In the 2-minute drive, Clark was very good blocking at Nicolas, among others. In an obvious passing situation, Clark used his speed and length to protect the edge and give his quarterback a clean blind side. Overall, Clark has a lot of athletic potential, but he needs to get coached up to be viable NFL starter. Oakman hasn't had an impressive week. Not only did he lose those reps to Clark, he looked bad losing his feet with one rep and his lack of lower body development was apparent. Oakman did a get a win over Kansas State guard/tackle Cody Whitehair, but he also lost to Whitehair when a bull rush went nowhere. Whitehair has struggled with power in the past, so Oakman not moving him was disappointing. Overall, Oakman looks like a mid-rounder who has been vastly overhyped by some in the media. One lineman who had a bit of a rough start on Tuesday but progressed after that was Arkansas guard Sebastian Tretola. He did well with two wins over Clemson nose tackle D.J. Reader. In the team scrimmage, Kaufusi flew by LSU's Vadal Alexander. Kaufusi is best in space and can struggle to shed blocks. In the red-zone scrimmage, LSU safety Jalen Mills dropped an easy interception on a pass that floated right to him in the corner of the end zone from Alabama quarterback Jacob Coker. Samford corner/safety James Bradberry had a phenomenal hit when he crunched Oklahoma wide receiver Sterling Shepard. It looked like Shepard was injured, but it turned out he was just winded and rattled from the hit. It was a nice play by Bradberry to fly over and punish Shepard in the middle of the field. N.C. State quarterback Jacoby Brissett had a nice practice. In the red-zone scrimmage session, he ran in three touchdowns after scrambling from the 5- and 10-yard line. He also threaded a needle by defenders to Southeast Missouri wide receiver Paul McRoberts on a slant. In the 2-minute drill, Brissett had a good drive moving the ball downfield. He hit a chunk completion to Baylor wide receiver Jay Lee to move the ball for a short field goal. Brissett hasn't wowed this week, but Thursday was his best session. McRoberts had a good practice as well. He showed nice hands on a shoestring catch. In the receiving one-on-ones, McRoberts had a pretty over-the-shoulder catch after getting separation from Middle Tennessee safety Kevin Byard. McRoberts made the most of his Senior Bowl opportunity to open some eyes on Thursday. Read more at http://walterfootball.com/seniorbowl2016practice5.php#xU6Wr0hepHC8ketW.99
2015 Senior Bowl: Thursday Practice Report: North Team By Charlie Campbell - @draftcampbell http://walterfootball.com/seniorbowl2016practice4.php The North team took the field of Ladd-Peebles Stadium for their third practice of the Senior Bowl. The Dallas Cowboys' coaching staff ran the practice and will coach them all week. The Cowboys' staff had the players practicing in full pads. Dallas' staff kept them going at a good pace and at a reasonably physical level. Here is a run-down of the noteworthy players. North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz had his best practice of the week. He showed his arm talent with some rifled balls and lofted-in passes. Wentz threw open wide receivers, and scouts praised a number of his passes to me. In the team scrimmage, Wentz lofted in a beautiful rainbow downfield that his receiver had hit off his finger tips. Scouts said a NFL receiver would have run under it for a completion. During the seven-on-seven red-zone session, Wentz threw some dimes. He fired a fastball by some defenders to hit Ohio State tight end Nick Vannett between the numbers, but Vannett dropped the pass, which was intercepted on the deflection. Wentz shrugged it off to throw open Michigan State wide receiver Aaron Burbridge in the end zone. In the final team scrimmage, Wentz hit Burbridge again over the shoulder of Maurice Canady for another score. Wentz has shown improvement each day and has done a lot to his draft stock in Mobile. The other player who has received a ton of attention this week has been Ohio State wide receiver Braxton Miller. He had another good practice, showing his speed, physicality, and natural football-player skills. He outfought Minnesota's Eric Murray for a touchdown in the one-on-ones. Murray knocked Miller's helmet off, and Miller took exception to that. Miller has natural explosion and is a real offensive weapon. This week has been tremendous for Miller. Northern Iowa cornerback Deiondre' Hall has had a good week. He showed nice coverage to run with Miller on a corner post into the end zone. Hall went up and batted the pass away from Miller. Hall is a physical gritty defender, and sources say he has some Richard Sherman bulldog in him. In the 2016 NFL Draft, Hall could go on Day 2. Murray is a physical corner who fights hard. He will have to watch pass interference calls in the NFL. In the one-on-ones. Burbridge got the better of him. Murray would be best in a zone system. Virginia cornerback Maurice Canady got picked on Thursday. Receivers were getting separation from him, and he showed a lack of feel. Sources have said they have Canady graded for the third day of the 2016 NFL Draft. A prospect who has gotten some hype is Southern Utah safety Miles Killebrew. He passes the eyeball test, but as a player, he needs work. Killebrew took some false steps that left him out of position on a number of plays on Thursday. He lacks instincts and feel. Sources say that they were unimpressed with Killebrew in his team interviews as well. One source said Killebrew reminds them of Sabby Piscitelli, a busted second-round pick by Tampa Bay out of Oregon State in the 2007 NFL Draft. Conversely, West Virginia safety K.J. Dillon hasn't gotten much attention, but sources have been impressed with his hitting ability. That continued on Thursday as he rocked some ball-carriers on a number of plays. In the game on Saturday, don't be surprised if Dillon is a physical force. Two Notre Dame players stood out with excellent practices. Defensive tackle/end Sheldon Day was firing into the backfield all day. He has an excellent get-off and blockers really struggle to get a hold of him. Day is a tweener end/tackle, but he is a penetrator who looks like a potential difference-maker at the point of attack if he's used in the right way. Notre Dame center Nick Martin continued his strong week with an impressive practice on Thursday. He had two superb reps to stop Louisiana Tech's Vernon Butler in the one-on-ones. Martin stood up a bull rush as Butler got too high. He kept Butler away from the marker later after some initial penetration. This week has shown that Martin has good technique and should be ready to compete quickly in the NFL. Butler came back to have some impressive wins against Michigan State's Jack Allen. Butler flew by Allen on one play and then quickly bull rushed him straight down the pocket. Ohio State defensive tackle Adolphus Washington had a solid day. He got it started by making a nice play to get off a block and stop a run in the run scrimmage. In the one-on-ones, he did well, but wasn't as dominant as he was on Tuesday. Washington used a fast spin move to beat Stanford guard Josh Garnett. Garnett got a win on the first rep by keeping him out of the backfield. They split two more reps with Garnett stopping a spin move cold, and then Washington bulling Garnett into the marker. Shortly later, Washington State's Joe Dahl rode Washington around the pocket on one play. Washington showed excellent speed to power to push Allen into the quarterback marker. Washington's interviews were important, but on the field, he took care of business this week. Stanford tackle Kyle Murphy had some rough days earlier in the week, but he was much better on Thursday. He had impressive wins against Michigan State's Lawrence Thomas in the one-on-ones. Ohio State tight end Nick Vannett has really struggled this week. He has dropped passes and struggled to get separation in man coverage. Vannett looks like a pic for Day 3 rather than a second-day candidate. Ohio State safety Tyvis Powell had an interception in the team scrimmage as he read the eyes of USC quarterback Cody Kessler. The Trojan quarterback floated a pass downfield and Powell easily broke over for an interception. Kessler's lack of arm strength was very apparent on that play. Read more at http://walterfootball.com/seniorbowl2016practice4.php#LD9iUc6wUrXsumWG.99
http://gbnreport.com/senior-bowl-thursday/ SENIOR BOWL THURSDAY - Part 1 By Pigskin Paul Guillemette | January 28, 2016 Today was day three of team practices, and the final ones of the week. I was very surprised to see so few NFL personnel people in the stands this morning at LADD-PEEPLES Stadium. Given that these were full pad practices, I expected that NFL folks would stick around through today. Some teams still had a strong presence while many had just a couple of scouts on hand. I saw TED THOMPSON of the Packers perched under the goal posts watching carefully at both practices. CHIEFS GM JOHN DORSEY, is clearly a chip off the old block. He and many of his guys were still around as I ran into them during lunch. NORTH PRACTICE It was still fairly cold, with no sun in sight, and winds whipping around the stadium. But a little bit of football practice and most of the cold was forgotten. With practice time being split between 4 QB this year it has been rather difficult separating one from another, except in the case of CARSON WENDT who has clearly separated from the other QB for the North. I watched the other three QB, but really couldn’t decide on one. There has been an interesting twist to North practices under HC JASON GARRETT. During several breaks in the practice schedule the team forms a circle and some kind of limited participation competition takes place between selected players, very similar to one-on-one drills. All teammates gather around the selected players and cheer them on in their battles. It’s a team building exercise, as well as a competition reinforcement that I remember from my high school football days. But I have not seen it at this level before. I’ll bet PETE CARROLL does this in Sea Hawks practices. Unfortunately one of my favorite players at this game disappeared half way through practice; JIHAD WARD/DE/Illinois. I found out at tonite’s presser that he hurt a wrist, but the severity of the injury is not known yet. Ironically, the injury probably is a result of one of WARD’s best qualities. I have seen him dozens of times grabbing a player’s jersey to cast them aside. Here’s hoping he can play Saturday but I won’t hold my breath. I have been surprised this week with the quickness and strength that MATT IOANNIDIS/DT #90. MATT checked in at 303 lbs. which was about 15 more than he was listed at during Temple’s 2015 season. My first response was to expect him to be a tad slow. Not the case from what I have seen so far. He is really responding to coaching from DL/DC ROD MARINELLI. He’s winning most of his battles out on the practice field. After the slew of injuries that I have mentioned in the last two days the North squad has been reinforced. The following players have been added to the North roster: #19 DJ FOSTER/RB Arizona State #5 ED EAGAN/WR NW Louisiana State #88 GERONIMO ALLISON/WR Illinois Some of you will no doubt remember that ALLISON was a standout in the Shine Game last week. He should be a great addition to the North roster. The team;s QB certainly looked like they enjoyed targeting him at this morning’s practice. During an 11-on-11 session at this practice it looked like the KENNETH DIXON show. The RB from Louisiana Tech did it all today. He was effective at running hard for a TD. He also looked very natural catching a couple balls. he shows great hands as a receiver. And he lit up a couple of DL who got into the backfield trying to sack his QB. The only real question most of us have about DIXON long term is how much tread he has left on his tires. He had a lot of touches in his college career, but that’s another story for another day. Watch for him to make some big plays in the game. Had a nice conversation with S/MILES KILLEBREW #25 as he warmed up before practice. He’s a really fir looking athlete (6’016/219) who played smaller college football at SOUTHERN UTAH. He is considered a top small college prospect and looks solid with decent cover skills and a penchant for coming up and delivering a blow to ball carriers. Watch for him to make a big play or two in the game as well. NICK VANNETT/TE Ohio State #81 shared a lot of playing time on a loaded Ohio State roster loaded with talent. But he clearly looks to be the best all-around TE in this game to me. he is solid as a blocker at 256 lbs. He is also a long target (6’056) with soft 10″ hands. He’s probably at the top of a weak and thin TE group. He is a legit inline TE, IMO. On the negative side OL/AUSTIN BLYTHE #63, is clearly over-matched as I watch him in blocking drills. He’s 6’022, 291 lbs.with 30 1/4″ arms. He is just being bull-rushed to death by the North DT as a group. He just cannot handle these bigger guys. I’m sure he has been taught excellent technique by the Iowa coaching staff, but he doesn’t appear to have a chance at all as a pro other than in a zone blocking scheme as an Interior OL career back-up. IN the midst of practice CB/DEIONDRE’ HALL #20 seemed to have an emotional meltdown while covering WR/BRAXTON MILLER. Besides pushing and shoving he unleashed some profanity laced trash talking. Caches and teammates eventually managed to calm him down. At the end of practice I spent a few moments talking with relatives of RB/TYLER ERVIN #7. They traveled all the way from California to watch him play in this game. Pretty neat!
http://gbnreport.com/senior-bowl-thursday/ SENIOR BOWL THURSDAY - Part 2 By Pigskin Paul Guillemette | January 28, 2016 SOUTH PRACTICE As an initial observation for this practice I want to comment on the Punters here in Mobile this year. There is no doubt in my mind that they do not compare to the two guys I saw at the Shrine venue last week. I put the stop watch on both RILEY DIXON #22 North and ALEX KINAL #38 South and never clocked a punt hang time at over 5.0 seconds. I also seriously doubt they will both average 49+-yards per punt like MONDAY/KASER did last Saturday. We will have to take into account the fact that Ladd-Peebles is a very windy venue, but overall I would seriously doubt that either of these two players will be drafted. Some roster changes have been necessitated by injuries to the South Squad as well in recent days. Gone to injury are SHELDON RANKINS/DL, JAKE McGEE/TE & CONNOR McGOVERN/OG. Added to the roster have been TE/DARION GRISWOLD #84 and DT/JAVON HARGRAVE, who both played key roles at the SHRINE venue last week. I watched LSU giant OL/VADAL ALEXANDER #74 carefully in practice today. He measured in at 6’053/334 lbs. with 34 1/4″ long arms. His potential would seem to be unlimited, but his current level of play shows some serious deficiencies as a potential pro. He’s a bit slow reacting to pass rushes and plays way to upright, especially given his height to begin with. Watching him in practices this week leads me to agree with those who see him as more likely to succeed inside at OG. But his potential is still very high. THis is an impressive athletic specimen. KENTRELL BROTHERS/LB #10 had an incredibly productive career at Mizzou. He was pretty much a tackling machine. Watching him in practice drills I would attribute much of his success getting to the ball to being very light on his feet and having the ability to explode to the ball. He also looks to be solid in coverage work, once again to his quick feet. He covers a lot of ground in a short period of time. We have reached a stage in practice where guys are clearly becoming familiar with their mates and practice opponents. The best example of this came in watching 1-on-1 between linemen. The pattern of the day was seeing a DL beat the OL on the first snap, and then seeing opposite result on the next step. It happened time after time with neither unit, or individual, winning more battles than they lost. My conclusion is that these guys are ready for a game and new opponents to oppose. NOAH SPENCE/DE/#97 is the player who was kicked out of the Ohio State program and resurfaced at Eastern Kentucky. He had an exceptional season in 2015 and has been flashing his pass-rush ability in every practice. He’s quicker than strong, but appears to have good upper body strength to work over OT. More than a few folks watching the talent this week think he will have a monster impact rushing North QB on Saturday afternoon. Late add DJ READER/DT #94 from Clemson has proven once again that he is a load to try to move out of the middle along the line-of-scrimmage. He caught my eye in the National Championship game against Alabama. He’s low slung at 6’030″ tall, and weighs a whopping 340 lbs. He is just about impossible for Interior OL to move when he sets his feet and stands his ground. He’s been pushing OL around all week. Another small school WR seems to be emerging as another athlete with a lot of pro potential. PAUL McROBERTS/WR #88 from SE Missouri made several excellent catches today. At least two of them that I saw were with defenders all around him. His long arms (33 1/2″) and good sized hands (9 3/4″) make his potential enticing. Now he seems to be showing some of that potential. Like many small school receivers in the last decade or so, it may require patience from his pro team, but the upside could be very high. I have been intrigued from Day One here with Georgia’s JORDAN JENKINS #59 who was a sack master during his Bulldogs career. His size and athleticism are providing South coaches with a multiple position weapon who may well cause some defensive headaches to the North in Saturday’s game. He has played DE most often, but at 6’025″ tall and 257 lbs. there are serious concerns about his ability to act as full-time DE. We’ll probably know more about his likely pro position after his speed and quickness are tested at the Combine. Some believe he is quick enough to stand up in a 3-4 scheme at OLB. 11″ hands and 34″ long arms are very appealing and attractive for the scheming minds of Defensive Coordinators around the NFL. You Draftniks need to keep your eyes on this player on the weekend. The practice week has concluded other than private walk-throughs on Friday. I’ll find some time Friday afternoon to put together my All-Practice Week team. Good night from Mobile folks. Pigskin Paul
2016 Senior Bowl: Friday Rumor Mill By Charlie Campbell - @draftcampbell With all the general managers, coaches and scouts in attendance for the Senior Bowl, there is a lot of chatter going around. Here are some of the highlights from the rumor mill on Day 5. In speaking with sources, one can expect the Jacksonville Jaguars to have a draft that is heavy on defense. That isn't surprising, as the Jags played in a lot of shootouts last year. Second-year starter Blake Bortles showed massive improvement under new offensive coordinator Greg Olson. Bortles had the second-most touchdown passes in the NFL with 35 while throwing for 4,400 yards. The focus of the offseason will be upgrading the Jaguar defense that allowed teams to build leads in a lot of games and put Borltes in comeback mode on a nearly weekly basis. In the first round of the draft, it sounds like Jacksonville's initial preference is to go with a pass-rusher over a cornerback. That could be considered surprising with 2015 third-overall pick Dante Fowler coming back from his ACL tear. However, Fowler is an unknown commodity who may need time to develop, and who knows if his injury will have a hangover into what is essentially his rookie season. Thus, taking another end to go on the other side from him could make sense. Potential targets include Oregon's DeForest Buckner and Ohio State's Joey Bosa. Of course, sources also say that a shutdown corner is in play. If the Jaguars had equally graded prospects available at corner or edge rusher, the inclination is towards the latter. One offensive lineman who has some fans in the scouting community is Texas Tech left tackle Le'Raven Clark. He has the body for left tackle in the NFL to go along with some quickness and athleticism. However, Clark is inconsistent. He can look great on some plays, and completely clueless on others. Scouts say that Clark is all potential at this point. They feel his technique needs a lot of work, but they love the tools he has. Sources feel he would be a great fit in a zone scheme or Chip Kelly's offense. These scouts have given Clark second-day grades. Another offensive lineman whom sources like is Kansas State left tackle-turned-guard Cody Whitehair. For next season, teams like Whitehair's versatility to be their sixth offensive lineman who is a capable game-day backup at guard or tackle. Teams really value those swing sixth offensive lineman, so Whitehair looks safe on Day 2. Whitehair needs to get stronger, and teams feel he has the potential to develop into a starting guard. In speaking to coaches that attended the Senior Bowl, the only quarterback who truly impressed them was North Dakota State's Carson Wentz. The other quarterbacks were all viewed as being backup quality. Teams really liked Dak Prescott in the team interviews and feel he has excellent football character. He could go in the top half of Day 3. Alabama quarterback Jacob Coker is viewed more as a late-rounder. They feel he has a long wind-up and is a statue in the pocket. One coach said that Coker is a poor man's Mike Glennon. Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan has some fans with teams. They feel that he may never be an effective starter, but they do believe that he could be a good backup quarterback. They like his intelligence and feel he will pick up their playbook quickly. Sources from a playoff team said they would consider taking Hogan as soon as the third-round to upgrade their backup signal-caller. The Los Angeles Rams are clearly in the quarterback market and sources say their favorite signal-caller right now is Carson Wentz. Perhaps as the process gets further along, Cal's Jared Goff will rise in the eyes of the Rams, but it looks very likely that the Rams would have to trade up to land either Goff or Wentz as they won't get out of the top 10 and to LA's pick at 15. Sources with the Redskins say the team really liked Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper last year. They said it would have been a really hard decision between Cooper and Brandon Scherff because they loved both of them. Oakland made Washington's decision for them when they took Cooper, and that wasn't a surprise as the Redskins expected Cooper to be off the board. I thought it would be interesting to ask some opposing coaches their view on some of the recent draft picks and how they're looking in terms of development. A few AFC coaches said that Houston Texans edge defender Jadeveon Clowney is downright scary. They feel that if Clowney can stay healthy, he is going to be a nightmare and one of the best defenders in the league. They said the tapes he put together late in the season against the Patriots and Bills were incredible. Sources said that Clowney could be better than the Raiders' Khalil Mack, which is pretty incredible because those same sources said they believe that Mack will be a Hall of Famer. They said Mack is out of this world. Jaguars running back T.J. Yeldon is in a similar status to Clowney. Opposing teams think Yeldon could be a tremendous NFL running back and has the skill set to be a top-10 runner in the league, but staying healthy is the big challenge for Yeldon, who was dinged up as a rookie and throughout his time at Alabama. Of the young quarterbacks, a few AFC coaches said that Derek Carr and Marcus Mariota are going to be super signal-callers. They feel that each one has the potential to be on a similar level to Aaron Rodgers. Conversely, one general manager that it is insanely stupid that Teddy Bridgewater was in the Pro Bowl. They felt he didn't play anything close to a Pro Bowl level; same with Tyrod Taylor. Read more at http://walterfootball.com/seniorbowl2016rumors5.php#4r3KL4cXL7rW09OR.99
2016 Senior Bowl: Thursday Rumor Mill By Charlie Campbell - @draftcampbell http://walterfootball.com/seniorbowl2016rumors4.php With all the general managers, coaches and scouts in attendance for the Senior Bowl, there is a lot of chatter going around. Here are some of the highlights from the rumor mill on Day 4. Sources say that Ohio State defensive end Joey Bosa is in play for the San Diego Chargers at the third-overall pick. Bosa isn't a great fit in a 3-4 defense, but the Chargers feel he is a versatile player whom they could move around. San Diego could move him around as a five-technique defensive end and a standup rush linebacker. Young edge rushers Melvin Ingram and Jeremiah Attaochu played well in 2015, and the team is excited about their development, but adding a third pass-rusher and tough run-defender could appeal to San Diego as they need to improve their defense next season. Obviously, the Rams are in search of a solution to the quarterback position this offseason and have other needs to address like wide receiver. Another potential hole to fill will be cornerback if Janoris Jenkins and/or Trumaine Johnson aren't re-signed. Jenkins will see a lot of interest from other teams, so retaining Jenkins isn't a slam-dunk for Los Angeles. The Rams will have E.J. Gaines coming back from an injury that cost him 2015, but if they lose both free agent cornerbacks that could put the position in play for their first-round pick. In speaking with Rams sources, they have a higher grade and preference for Florida cornerback Vernon Hargreaves over Florida State's Jalen Ramsey. A cornerback whom some sources really like is Northern Iowa's Deondre' Hall. Scouts say they love his length and toughness. Hall is a physical corner who doesn't shy away from flying into the tackle box to make tackles. Every year, some small-school corners rise in the lead up to the draft to be second-day picks. Hall could be a prime candidate for that this year. Colorado State wide receiver Rashard Higgins was one of the early entry players who probably should have gone back to school. Sources really like his route-running, reliable hands, and quickness to get open. Plus, Higgins was very productive the past two seasons. However, Higgins is very thin and sources say that is going to hurt his draft grade. If Higgins were thicker and heavier, he could be a second-round pick. Sources say that Higgins is probably more likely to go in the 3-5 range. Two players who have not done well in the team interviews are Eastern Kentucky's Noah Spence and Southern Utah's Miles Killebrew. Spence had off-the-field issues at Ohio State and Eastern Kentucky with a year long suspension, transfer, and arrest for public intoxication. Teams weren't impressed with how Spence answered their questions. They also said that Killebrew did not come off well in the interviews. Both players will need to get better in a hurry with the Combine and pre-draft visits just weeks away. On Monday, we talked about how some teams were very critical about how Penn State head coach James Franklin handled quarterback Christian Hackenberg. Over the past few months, there have been media reports questioning Hackenberg as a teammate and suggesting he was disliked in the Penn State locker room. A few weeks back, we caught up with a former teammate, Tampa Bay Buccaneers left tackle Donovan Smith. Smith who disputed those claims. This week, I spoke with Carl Nassib and asked him about the reports that Hackenberg was a bad teammate and disliked in the locker room. Nassib was stunned and his jaw hit he floor. He couldn't believe it. "Interesting, I had not heard that. Really?" said Nassib. "That is false. No. That is definitely speculation. Christian is a great player and a great teammate." Nassib is known as a high-character hard worker who was beloved by Franklin and former head coach Bill O'Brien. Thus, when Nassib responds in that fashion it carries some weight. Everybody around the league expects the Denver Broncos to use the franchise tag on linebacker Von Miller, but if he somehow hits free agency, expect the Jaguars to make a big play for Miller. Jacksonville has a ton of money available and they badly need a difference-maker on the defensive side of the ball. If Miller isn't slapped with the tag, the Jaguars are willing to overpay to get him to come to Jacksonville. Read more at http://walterfootball.com/seniorbowl2016rumors4.php#ACehIFLOSr2FF2HH.99
2016 Senior Bowl: Wednesday Rumor Mill By Charlie Campbell - @draftcampbell http://walterfootball.com/seniorbowl2016rumors3.php With all the general managers, coaches and scouts in attendance for the Senior Bowl, there is a lot of chatter going around. Here are some of the highlights from the rumor mill on Day 3. Sources told me that at the East-West Shrine, Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan met with every quarterback for an hour. At the Senior Bowl, Maccagnan has continued his quarterback scrutiny, as he had a formal meeting with North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz. Clearly, New York isn't banking on Bryce Petty being the starter of the future and they are doing their homework on the other signal-callers. The Jets also have scouting hard the edge-rushers. Sources say they had a formal meeting planned with Virginia Tech outside linebacker Dadi Nicolas on Tuesday night. A pass-rusher coming off the edge has been a need for the Jets after Quinton Coples didn't pan out. New York also had a formal meeting with Louisiana Tech defensive tackle Vernon Butler. It is hard seeing them use another first-round pick on that position, but perhaps it could be in play if Muhammad Wilkerson leaves and Sheldon Richardson faces further discipline in the form of suspensions. Sources say the Tampa Bay Buccaneers love Florida State cornerback/safety Jalen Ramsey. They view him as a play-making defensive back who could be a tremendous cornerback or safety in the NFL. They feel he is an Alpha Dog defender and would be ecstatic to land him in the 2016 NFL Draft. While the Bucs love Ramsey, they don't expect him to get to their pick at No. 9 overall. With other needs to address on the roster, it sounds unlikely that Tampa Bay would trade up for Ramsey. Florida cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III is getting some consideration from Tampa Bay, but in speaking with sources, the Buccaneers sound lukewarm on Hargreaves. In speaking with sources, the Lions love Vernon Butler. They've shown a ton of interest in him and it makes perfect sense as Detroit needs to bolster the interior of their defensive line. If Butler continues to have a strong week here in Mobile, he could be firmly in play for the Lions' first-round pick. The Bears are interested Houston cornerback William Jackson, but unfortunately for Chicago, Jackson was unable to participate in the Senior Bowl because of an injury. Chicago is in the market for cornerback help, and Jackson is coming off a huge senior year. Perhaps the Bears will target Jackson on Day 2. In speaking with sources, the Texans plan on being active in free agency. Last year wide receivers Nate Washington and Cecil Shorts signed one-year contracts, so replacing them with some speed complements for DeAndre Hopkins could be one direction they go. Other areas that Houston could definitely address would be a veteran quarterback, running back, tight end, and offensive line help. Really all positions on the offense are potential options for the Texans looking to improve. One team that hasn't been discussed being in the quarterback market is the San Diego Chargers. They signed Philip Rivers to an extension, and with the regime on the hot seat, nobody has projecting San Diego to take a quarterback. However, Rivers is 34 and they could get a nice draft pick for the veteran. Sources with the Chargers say the team loves North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz. If the Chargers have a shot at Wentz, San Diego will have to consider taking Rivers heir apparent and seeing what they can get for Rivers. Although Rivers contract could make trading him difficult. Read more at http://walterfootball.com/seniorbowl2016rumors3.php#0uXCFGugpqhjI1pb.99
