Senior Bowl

Big Derty · Jan 24, 2007

Who should we be watching, who are the top prospects that attended.

I am watching it now on NFLNW. Anyone have any thoughts on who to keep an eye out for??

Murrell2878 · Jan 24, 2007

Here's some notes from the last couple of days

First impressions
Early winners and losers as the Senior Bowl kicks off

Posted: Tuesday January 23, 2007 7:22PM;
Updated: Tuesday January 23, 2007 7:31PM
By Tony Pauline, Special to SI.com

MOBILE, Ala. -- Amidst the cold and occasional rain, the 2007 Senior Bowl kicked off on Monday morning. One of the most important weeks of scouting leading up to April's draft, the majority of the NFL's head coaches and general managers are in Mobile to scout the nation's top senior talent.

Here's a breakdown of those who've impressed and those who have not the past two days.

Risers
• Dwayne Bowe/WR/LSU: The Tigers' big possession wide out has caught everything thrown his way during the first two practices. Bowe has shown soft, natural hands yet at the same time a mean streak when he must battle for the reception.

• David Irons/CB/Auburn: Over shadowed by his brother (Kenny) throughout college, Irons has stood tall here in Mobile. He has shown the ability to shutdown opponents and has battled hard every day. His efforts have been commended by the coaches and Irons has significantly improved his draft stock.

• Antonio Johnson/DT/Mississippi State: The big athletic tackle has far and away been the best lineman on the South team. Johnson has been quick off the ball and tough to stop. He has bull-rushed defenders off the line or finessed his way past them. NFL scouts always knew Johnson had great potential and he's starting to show it at the Senior Bowl.

• Adam Carriker/DL/Nebraska: If Johnson is the best defensive lineman on the South then Carriker is the best one on the field to date. Carriker has also been impossible to stop, displaying a great combination of power, speed and smarts.

• Tony Hunt/RB/Penn State: Hunt surprised everyone by checking in a little heavier than expected at 239 pounds. Yet that seems to have positively affected his game. Hunt has been a monster carrying the ball on the inside and equally productive as a blocker.

Sliders
• Joe Newton/TE/Oregon State: The big tight end has looked slow and sluggish. And while he's effectively caught the ball, most of his receptions have come no more than five yards off the line of scrimmage. To make matters worse Newton's blocking has been subpar.

• Fred Bennett/CB/South Carolina: A terrific athlete, Bennett is struggling with his football skills in Mobile. Slow to react, Bennett has gotten beat a number of times and seems to be doing too much thinking and not enough playmaking.

• Marcus McCauley/CB/Fresno State: McCauley has been beaten like a drum the past two days. Consistently giving up deep receptions, McCauley has also allowed numerous catches in underneath coverage.

• Ryan Harris/OL/Notre Dame: While fundamentally sound, Harris has not shown the bulk or strength to stay with Senior Bowl players, never mind NFL stars. Used at both tackle positions, he's been pushed off the ball all week.

• Tyler Palko/QB/Pittsburgh: A try-hard passer with solid short-range accuracy, Palko has not displayed the arm strength or physical stature to play at the next level.

Senior Bowl Notes: After pulling out of the game late in the process, Brady Quinn of Notre Dame stepped in front of a small gathering of the media here Sunday night. Quinn explained the injury was a bursar sac in his right knee and was recommended to sit this one out by renowned orthopedist Dr. James Andrews. While many are still skeptical about the whole situation Quinn hung around for two days and interviewed with NFL teams, facing the music. Another player drawing the ire of NFL scouts for pulling out of the contest is offensive tackle Joe Thomas of Wisconsin. Thomas explained he felt he had nothing to gain playing in the Senior Bowl. Scouts on hand remarked all Thomas had to do was look at the performance of D'Brickashaw Ferguson from a year ago. One so good it solidified Ferguson as a top-four pick.
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Ups and downs
'Bama's Darby rises in Mobile; WVU's McLee falters

Posted: Wednesday January 24, 2007 8:25PM;
Updated: Wednesday January 24, 2007 8:37PM

By Tony Pauline, Special to SI.com

MOBILE, Ala. -- Wednesday at the Senior Bowl is always the most important practice of the week. The fields are lined with more scouts, coaches and general managers than any other day of the week. And as has been the case since Monday, a number of players are watching their draft stock rise while some are seeing it slide.

Here's the breakdown:

Risers
• Ken Darby/RB/Alabama: After a bitterly disappointing campaign Darby took advantage of his final opportunity to play football in front of NFL scouts. Explosive carrying the ball, he broke several long runs and was tough to bring down.

• Michael Griffin/S/Texas: The Longhorn defensive back has been exceptional in both pass coverage and run defense. A rangy centerfielder who makes plays in every direction, Griffin has constantly been around the ball all week.

• Martrez Milner/TE/Georgia: Another athletic tight end from the Bulldog program, Milner has looked sharp catching the ball all week. Running good routes, he's displayed the speed to break into the secondary and his blocking has improved.

• Arron Sears/OL/Tennessee: Sears is finally putting it together after a rocky start. Controlling opponents, he's showed a lot of strength and versatility as well. Sears' play in Mobile could vault him into Round 1.

• Eric Weddle/DB/Utah: The versatile defensive back started making a lot of plays on the ball Wednesday. Truly a hard-working player, he broke up several passes and was constantly around the action.

Sliders
• Kevin McLee/OLB/West Virginia: The hard-working Mountaineer linebacker has given a lot of effort all week but just can't matchup with the players in Mobile. McLee is slow to the sidelines and has been consistently blocked from the action.

• Kolby Smith/RB/Louisville: A physical specimen, Smith has not stood out in any aspect this week. Looking like an ordinary ball carrier, his blocking has also been lacking the few times he lined up at fullback.

• Kareem Brown/DT/Miami-Fl: After a good start to the week Brown's play has come down to earth. Unable to disengage from blocks, he's been easily tied up at the point by opponents the past two days.

• Tim Duckworth/G/Auburn: The interior blocker has not showed much in the way of balance, movement skills or footwork. The strength of his game, the ability to knock defenders off the ball, has also been lacking.

• Chase Pittman/DE/LSU: Pittman has given effort but the undersized and slow defensive end has not made many plays this week.

Senior Bowl Notes: There were two replacement players today as Delaware tight end Ben Patrick filled in for the injured Clark Harris of Rutgers while running back Thomas Clayton of Kansas State did the same for Garrett Wolfe of Northern Illinois. Both players distinguished themselves and had scouts talking. Clayton showed a lot of power and speed carrying the ball, beating some of the North's top linebackers around the corner. Patrick, meanwhile, made several great stabs throughout the day. Numerous players are starting to come around, shaking off the rust after not playing football in a number of weeks. Marcus McCauley, who was getting burnt with regularity in the early practices, made several positive plays at cornerback. Ditto for Virginia Tech safety Aaron Rouse who had a nice interception in practice.
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Murrell2878 Lets go JETS!
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Murrell2878 Lets go JETS!
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