Keep any and all information in this thread. It's a big week for NFL Draft prospects as Senior Bowl Week kicks off in Mobile, AL. 2 things about the WRs from Monday that I got off of walterfootball.com: 1. Jared Abbrederis is only 6 ft (not his his listed 6' 1") but had a great start to the week http://walterfootball.com/seniorbowl2014practice.php 2. Jordan Matthews weighed in at 6' 2.5", 209 lbs and has 10 1/2" hands (the biggest measured of the WRs.
Jordan Matthews with DAT God-Tier wingspan. Also, Jordan Matthews has the same hand size as Hakeem Nicks! His stock is going to increase to the point where the Jets would have to take him at 18 - trading down could be out of the option. Jalen Saunders so small though, I remember when Saunders was working Haha Clinton-Dix in the bowl game.
Michael Sam is a player that is moving up, could be a Round 1 pick come May. Sam has all the ability to play OLB in a 3-4, great edge rusher. Would be a great addition to Rex's defense. I wouldn't mind adding another Mizzou defensive player to our roster.
You don't think he's too small? He reminds me of Melvin Ingram from a few years ago. Similar stature and build. Rex passed on Ingram, I think he does the same with Sam.
I think Ingram was more explosive and had more fluidity/bend to him. The are a similar stature though. One thing that really annoys me is that two of the pass rushers that I am very interested in, arent being put in that situation this week- Jeremiah Attaochu and Marcus Smith. Both have some real potential at 3-4 OLB, and neither will get the opportunity to play their this week.
Keep an eye on S Jimmie Ward. Some people really like him, so I decided to see what I could find on him- VERY good while covering the slot, very good ball skills, and a solid tackler.
Interesting prospects laxin, Attaochu as a 3-4 OLB may not have elite speed but he's still quick and flexible enough while bending around the edge and his strength imho is his high motor; the guy hustles. The only question I have is his power, particularly shedding blockers. This was something I saw watching him in the Music City Bowl vs. a big Ole Miss front. As for Jimmie Ward, this funky little guy I like a lot. Saw a couple of NIU gams on those ESPN weeknight Mid-America Conference telecasts (Ball State & Bowling Green). And while he's a good ball hawker, I think you're spot on with the "slot coverage" call. Attaochu could be available with the Jets second 3rd round pick, and Ward in the 5th and possibly 6th. I'd be tempted to grab Ward in the 6th if he were still available. That said, another 6th round option might be to grab (if available) CB Deion Belue (Ala.) to possibly pair alongside Milliner depending on how the Jets decide to move on Cro's contract. I'll record this game and give another look; thx for the heads up.
Attaochu is a MONSTER. Wow if you can watch his game vs. Clemson you have to. He was ferocius and I've seen him creeping up CBS's rankings for some reason.
http://www.gbnreport.com/seniorbowlreport.htm The hand size of potential QBs is thought by many to be a key number to consider, particularly for teams in cold weather climes. The SEAHAWKS have publicly acknowledged on multiple occasions that the fact that 5’10” tall RUSSELL WILSON has hand spread of over 10” was a big factor in their belief that he could play in the NFL. So based on that, let me give you QB hand sizes for these seven guys in Mobile. JIMMY GARAPPOLO 9/0” DEREK CARR 9/1” AARON MURRAY 9/1” DAVID FALES 9/2” TAJH BOYD 9/3” STEPHEN MORRIS 10/1” LOGAN THOMAS 10/6” What do all these numbers mean. Based on the current composition of NFL rosters probably not much. But they do begin to give you the shape of things as they stand heading into the week. Afternoon practices were split between the SOUTH @ Fairhope and the NORTH in Mobile. They ran back to back with no break. So my brief notes re based upon 2/3 of the South practice and 2/3 of the North session. While former Vols DT McCULLERS is the giant of the group this year, but he’s running around with big old knee brace on his left knee. And he looks stiff and upright a little hesitant to bend and turn on that knee. He just does not look 100% healthy to me. Give him credit for toughing this out. BYU OLB KYLE VAN NOY looks to be the best all-around LB in this game to me. He has excellent size at 6’3/244. He is also agile and hostile. He can stop the run, rush the passer and drop into pass coverage without skipping a beat. He made multiple plays in drills this afternoon. Expect more of the same all week long. CHRIS SMITH comes out of Arkansas as a highly decorated, pass-rushing DE. But he checked in this morning at 6’1”, 266 lbs. You just don’t find very many DE in the NFL these days that short and lightweight. But as SMITH showed in drills at practice today he is super quick, has great balance and pure athleticism to pursue the ball and/or the QB. Look for the coaches to run him a bit with the LB group this week to see how he plays standing up. Auburn DE DEE FORD is a bit like SMITH at 6’2/243. He looks an awful lot like COREY LEMONIER a 2013 Rookie with the 49’ers. He, I a close battle with SMITH, was the quickest and most athletic player in DL drills. But we’ll need to see how he compares with the LB group in my opinion. I was surprised and impressed with Arizona State DT WILL SUTTON once the contact type drills got going. He is the guy who was a cat quick DT two years ago at Arizona State, who then added about 20 pounds. to his frame. He looked out of shape and slower when I saw him in action last fall. But today he was beating blockers on a regular basis, primarily with quickness. I’m still think he’d be better losing about 10 lbs. off his new 315 lb. frame. But I must admit he did not look like a fat guy to me today. None of the QB group really stood out to me for the South today. In fact I was a bit disappointed in the inconsistency of Eastern Illinois QB JIMMY GAROPPOLO, who was at the Shrine Game last week and should have looked sharper than his counterparts who haven’t played in a while. I always say let’s give these guys until Wednesday to learn some plays and get into the swing of things. So far now… I felt the pain of Oklahoma G/C GABE IKARD on Monday. He comes off a full week of practice and game at the Shrine venue as a late addition to the South squad. His reward was a move to OG today in pass pro drills. It was a tough go, but giving it the old college try at a new slot can’t hurt and has a couple more days to show improvement. Good like GABE. Fresno State TE MARCEL JENSEN State is an incredible physical specimen at 6’5, 264 lbs. He’s also the owner of 10 1/8” hands and 34 ¼” long arms. But on day one the results of his play were mixed. He ran well and got some separation, but he had trouble on multiple occasions holding on to throws. Jumping in the car, my companions and I hustled across the Bay to Ladd-Peebles Stadium to catch the second half of the NORTH practice. Wisconsin MLB CHRIS BORLAND only measured in at barely 5-11, but was impressive in every drill I watched. He found the ball on a regular basis, and had an interception and a fumble recovery. And the fact that he only measured in at 5’11 may not hurt him all that much as many scouts actually expected him to be closer to 5’10. He’s still a tad shorter than the NFL norm, but with his instincts and hard work he could find the success as a pro of guys like ZACH THOMAS and/or LONDON FLETCHER. I was disappointed in the poor throwing mechanics and lack of accuracy from Clemson QB TAJH BOYD on Monday. He has a tendency to drop down and just sling the ball at times. And as a result he missed several relatively open receivers. He’s a team leader and has a strong arm when he throws with proper mechanics, but he looks to me like a guy who is going to need patience and a guru QB coach to succeed at the next level. Same story for Virginia Tech QB LOGAN THOMAS who was his frustratingly erratic self this afternoon. He’ll make a couple of really nice throws, followed by a play where you wonder if he sees the field very well at all. He’s still a big, talented TE trying to learn to play QB in my opinion. He’s not made much progress overall as a QB the past two seasons. The question may become whether, and when, some NFL team decides they have the ability to harness the stallion and teach him the nuances of being a top level QB. We’ll see how he progresses this week. Minnesota DT RA’SHEDE HAGEMAN really showed some dominance in one-on-one pass-blocking drills today. He overpowered and/or blew by several linemen. He didn’t totally defeat everyone every snap, but the flashes were many and eye catching. Toledo RB DAVID FLUELLEN spent a good deal of the 2013 season banged up, missing all or parts of games. But he looked pretty healthy today and showed what an all-around RB he can be. He’s not a blazer, not is he a power back. But he glides quickly to the hole and then burst through it for good yardage. He is also very smooth slipping out into short space and catching the ball. After watching him pull in several deep throws I would have to say than Northwestern WRKAIN COULTER is a pretty smooth athlete for a guy who played mostly QB at Northwestern. He seemed to run some nice patterns and his hands look dependable. He could make his mark here and set himself up for a big COMBINE if he times well in he 40 there. The best pass catching TE of Day 1 was JACOB PEDERSEN of Wisconsin. The 6’3, 242 lb. TE/H-B candidate made some very nice extension catches. He looks to be pretty much in the mold of TEXANS TEs OWEN DANIELS and GARRETT GRAHAM. Blocking is not his forte, but opening up the middle of the field with crossing routes is. The coaches put in considerable Special Teams work on their punt units this afternoon. So it gave me a chance to pull out the Pigskin Paul stop watch and check out hang times and distance for KIRBY VAN DER KAMP. There is no way to put it other than to say he was incredibly inconsistent on his first day of punting here in Mobile. When he drops the ball correctly and gets full keg extension he hits them far and high. I have a bunch of 40-45 yard punts, with hang times of 4.5 to 272 seconds. But he also had several efforts of less than 4 seconds and 40 yards. Erratic would be he best word to describe his efforts overall.
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/...l-10-observations-from-mondays-north-practice It's always interesting to read these reports. This guy has WR Robert Herron looking good, while in another report by a different scout from a different site, he said Herron was fast but looked awkward and couldn't catch a cold.
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/...l-10-observations-from-mondays-south-practice Rang says OL Billy Turner could be a top 100 pick, while another scout on another board said he would be a Day 3 project. Gotta love it.
Pt. 1 http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/sto...l-mccullers-will-sutton-south-practice-roster 2014 Senior Bowl: Jimmy Garoppolo edges Derek Carr in South team practice Published 4 hours and 48 minutes ago Last updated 4 hours and 48 minutes ago Eric Galko Sporting News Players were in full pads at Senior Bowl practices Tuesday, so linemen worked at 100 percent in the trenches and the featured quarterbacks had an opportunity to separate themselves from their peers in front of scouts. The “winners” of the day for the South practice were QB Jimmy Garoppolo, RB Antonio Andrews, OG Jon Halapio, DT Daniel McCullers, DE Dee Ford and CB Jaylen Watkins. Quarterbacks -Jimmy Garoppolo edged Derek Carr for quarterback of the day on the South squad. Garoppolo has the quickest set-up and release of all the Senior Bowl quarterbacks, which is actually an advantage and a disadvantage in an all star setting. He doesn’t get ideal depth in his drop backs (a very fixable issue). That affected the timing with his receivers during the first half of practice. However, he adapted and by the time 7-on- 7’s were underway, he’d established much better timing with his wideouts. -Derek Carr’s velocity, especially in the gusty wind, was once again impressive. When it comes to arm strength, he really has no competition on among the South QB contingent. Carr also looked very athletic in an escape drill in which quarterbacks must drop back and spin out of trouble before rolling out and hitting a 12-yard out on the move. His habit of dropping his back shoulder and fading away, however, was magnified in this drill. His accuracy inconsistencies stem from these types of mechanical issues that have plagued him for much of his college career. -David Fales had quite the challenge as the wind affected his accuracy a bit more than the other quarterbacks. Fales is an above average athlete but next to Carr and Garoppolo, he moves noticeably slower in everything he does. Much credit goes to Fales for competing this week, but it’s not exactly an ideal set up for a guy whose timing, touch and anticipation are his best throwing qualities. Running Backs -Keep an eye on Western Kentucky’s Antonio Andrews as a back who could have an early impact on an NFL team. He was easily the best back from both squads during blitz pickup drills, showing the strength to absorb contact and ride defenders away from the quarterback. He caught the ball well again today and showed patience and burst in the team session. The Hilltopper does all the little things but he must continue to prove that he’s beyond the fumbling issues he had in college. Wide Receivers/Tight Ends -Former SEC standout Jordan Matthews had a rough day at the line of scrimmage, struggling to fight through press looks. Matthews is an extremely coachable player, but his lack of burst off the line of scrimmage hurt the timing of routes and allowed defensive backs to stay in the lurch. More overachiever than I expected coming into the event, Matthews finished every reception by running to the end zone. As a route runner, his pad level, footwork and body control out of the break were impressive, but Matthews is more of a backup receiver at the NFL level. -Tulane’s Ryan Grant also had difficulty getting by the press coverage during practice. However, he ran routes with outstanding body lean and a low center of gravity to transition cleanly out of breaks. His hands were the softest of the South group, snatching receptions away from his frame. He’ll need to improve at the line of scrimmage but Grant appears ready to contribute out of the slot for NFL teams. -Former Texas Longhorn Mike Davis had a bit of a streaky practice, burning cornerback Chris Davis on a double move “sluggo” pattern—and then dropping a simple out pattern. He’s not bothered by contact early at the line of scrimmage and arguably was the best receiver against press looks. Still, even when he’s won at the line, cornerbacks are able to recover at the route break due to his inability to plant and redirect explosively at the top of his pass patterns. -Alabama native Kevin Norwood won’t be able to play outside right away in the NFL, but he’s clearly a gifted athlete with size, speed and leaping ability. Although he remains raw, his physical tools make him worth drafting and developing. Offensive Linemen -It was a rough day for the South offensive linemen, as the pass rushers and interior defensive line threats did them no favors. The best of the bunch was Florida OG Jon Halapio, who was the only lineman to slow Daniel McCullers during drills today. With powerful hip thrust upfield and working hard to keep his hands inside, Halapio had ample success working as a power blocker and generating push upfield. -Fellow interior lineman Gabe Jackson entered the week as the 2014 draft’s top interior offensive lineman, but has been inconsistent. He’s a thick, strong-handed, powerful blocker, but he struggled shuffling laterally versus quicker interior rushers. In one-on-one situations, Jackson has the strength and power to win, but he hasn’t been a dominant force this week. -North Dakota State’s Billy Turner entered the week with a lot of buzz, including from Optimum Scouting. It was thought that he could emerge as a Top 40 pick with a strong week. He’s been able to show his powerful hands and ability to drive downfield as a power run blocker, but he struggled mightily in his kick slide in pass protection, getting abused a handful of times by Dee Ford and Chris Smith. Teams likely will consider moving him to guard, where he could thrive, but keep an eye out this week to see if he can improve and cement his offensive tackle projection. -Morgan Moses of Virginia looks the part of an NFL offensive tackle, and his kick slide is adequate to go along with the length he possesses to have success on the edge. However, his ability to track his blocks downfield along with struggles against bull rushers at times could cause concerns for teams. Wesley Johnson of Vanderbilt showed he’s likely not an NFL tackle, but could provide quality depth across the line. In a zone blocking scheme, Johnson could be a developmental starter. Finally, Travis Swanson was the clear best center, and despite some struggles in one-on-ones with Will Sutton and Daniel McCullers, Swanson has shown he’s a future NFL starter on the inside.
