Senior Bowl Practice Today

[Dee Dub]

I watched the first practice today and from what I saw and heard come from Mike Mayock and Charles Davis, here are those who stood out and those who struggled. Unfortunately the NFL Network spent like 20 minutes talking about two QB's who probably will never play QB in the NFL (Kellen Moore and Russell Wilson.


Stood out---

Kendall Reyes DT UConn

Kevin Zeitler OG Wisconsin---actually handled Ta'Amu of Washington pretty well in one on ones.

Vinny Curry DE/OLB Marshall--showed explosive pass rush ability and appeared stronger than most thought

Marvin Jones WR Cal looked to be best at route running.

DeVier Posey---looks fluid and caught everything that was thrown at him.



Struggled---

Johnnie Troutman OG Penn State

Keleche Osemele OT/OG ----------struggled in pass blocking. Mayock commented that he didnt have the feet to play tackle in the NFL.

Mike Adams OT Ohio State---struggled early on in pass blocking but showed better as the day went on. Solid in run blocking. Vinny Curry ate him up a few times.

Marvin McNutt----had some drops (very uncharacteristic of him).

Alfonzo Dennard---got beat deep by Marvin Jones

[Dee Dub]

Oh and feel free to add to this....

[hawaiiansteel]

I find it interesting how two people can watch the same prospects and have different takes on whether they did well or not...


Senior Bowl practice report: Monday

Posted: Monday January 23, 2012

SI.com draft expert Tony Pauline is live in Mobile, Ala., where some of the draft's brightest talent are taking part in Senior Bowl week, the annual prospect showcase. He'll be providing live analysis from practice each day throughout the week.

4:21 p.m. CT -- Monday practice is complete for the North. Overall Marvin Jones (WR/Cal) made a great impression and delivered much more than scouts expected. Have to also be excited about Mike Adams (T/Ohio State), who justified his rising draft stock with a strong practice.

- The first practice of Tuesday starts 9:30 a.m. CT and we'll be bringing you all the goings on from the Senior Bowl!

4:17 p.m. CT -- Brad Nortman (P/Wisconsin) was kicking moon shots all afternoon. His punts were consistently flying 55-to-60 yards with great hang time.

4:05 p.m. CT -- Mitchell Schwartz (T/Cal) was forced to play center after the North's second center, Garth Gerhart (ASU) left the field with an injury. Schwartz has held his own in the early going, blocking with good fundamentals and, more importantly, displaying the ability to handle the center/quarterback snap exchange.

- Alameda Ta'amu (DT/Washington) has displayed a lot of power on the inside, consistently pushing offensive linemen off the ball and into the backfield.

- Mike Adams (T/Ohio State) looks like he's got his game on track and has been dominant in the middle part of practice.

- Brian Linthicum (TE/Michigan State) has really impressed all day. He looked very athletic during opening drills and has made several impressive catches in full scrimmage.

4:01 p.m. CT -- Senio Kelemete (G/Washington) has been incredibly athletic on the field and has stopped several top-rated pass rushers -- including Jack Crawford of Penn State -- dead in their tracks. In the full scrimmage Kelemete annihilated Vinny Curry on one play.

- Mike Martin (DT/Michigan) and Mike Brewster (C/Ohio State) have had a terrific battle all afternoon. Martin fired off several snaps and took the advantage with his first step, but Brewster adjusted and out-positioned Martin toward the end of the drill. It's been fun to watch.

- Shea McClellin (DE-LB/Boise State) spent much of his college career at defensive end but after tipping the scales at 248-pounds this morning, the coaching staff switched him to linebacker and thus far he's made the adjustment well. McClellin moves well in space, showing the ability to quickly change direction. He has a ways to go but you can tell there's something there.

3:49 p.m. CT -- Alfonzo Dennard (CB/Nebraska) has struggled. He does not show a quick backpedal and struggled transitioning to run downfield with receivers. The usually reliable Dennard has not gotten his feet underneath him yet.

- Isaiah Pead (RB/Cincinnati) has been the most elusive and creative ball carrier of the day. On one play he made two defenders miss with his ability to cut back against the grain.

- Mike Adams (T/Ohio State) is really starting to pull it together. He's used his wide frame to out-position defenders and moves his feet well for a big man.

- Michael Egnew (TE/Missouri) has looked incredibly fluid and smooth all day. He's very natural catching the ball and shows nice tight end speed.

3:46 p.m. CT -- Vinny Curry (DE/Marshall) has looked terrific in the early going. He's been matched up against Ohio State tackle Mike Adams, who has been rising up draft boards, yet he's bettered the Big Ten lineman. Curry has looked quick, athletic and fluid.

Adams reverted to holding Curry in an attempt slow him down.

- To his credit Adams did rebound and has looked very good run blocking.

- Mike Quick (WR/Appalachian State) has struggled and looked outclassed. His routes are awfully slow and not sharp. He's also dropped several catchable throws.

- Marvin Jones (WR/Cal) has stood out in one-on-one drills. He probably runs the best routes of anyone on the North team, consistently separates from defensive backs and has made several outstanding receptions.

- Kirk Cousins (QB/Michigan State) has shown the best arm of any signal caller on the North and it's of legitimate NFL strength. He's powered the ball into the tight spots and has challenged the hands of his receivers.

3:37 p.m. CT -- It's overcast and slightly raining as the first practice of the day has gotten underway at the Senior Bowl.

- Devier Posey (WR/Ohio State) looks terrific in the early going. He's run great routes and caught everything thrown in his direction. Posey looks very fluid and natural and does not look like a player that missed most of the 2011 season.

- TJ Graham (WR/North Carolina State) a late addition to the game, has also looked good. He's made several difficult receptions and has run crisp, quick routes.

- Marvin McNutt (WR/Iowa) has struggled in the early going. He looks very stiff and has dropped a number of catchable throws.

- Though its still early, Kellen Moore (QB/Boise State) does not look good. He shows no ability to put speed on his passes and his throws have consistently been behind receivers.

10:30 a.m. CT -- The 63rd Senior Bowl kicked off this morning, as more than 100 NFL hopefuls were weighed and measured in front of the league's 32 franchises, all of which had an assortment of general managers, coaches and scouts on hand. On stage at the Mobile Convention Center ballroom were several impressive looking athletes who'll take to the field this afternoon for the initial practice of the week.

Several notable prospects were no-shows this week, mostly due to injury. Fast-rising receiver Kendall Wright of Baylor has been recovering from an ankle injury which he played with late in the year, and Wisconsin receiver Nick Toon is struggling with a foot injury. Small-school offensive lineman Amini Silatolu of Midwestern State, graded by a number of scouts as a second-day draft pick, is not in Mobile due to a hamstring injury. Trumaine Johnson, a highly rated cornerback from Montana, turned down an invitation to the Senior Bowl as he told officials he "was not ready" to participate. That has sent up a number of red flags, as the small-school prospect was graded as a potential second-round pick.

Two players from Alabama's national title winning team are mending injuries and won't be on hand, including safety Mark Barron and defensive tackle Josh Chapman.
Chapman played the last part of the season with a knee ligament injury, which he further worsened during the title contest against LSU. He's now looking at a rehabilitation process that will take at least four months.

Scouts were pleased to see the bulk of the Tide's senior prospects opting to participate in the Senior Bowl less than two weeks after the title game. Courtney Upshaw, Marquis Maze, William Vlachos and DeQuan Menzi are all on hand and ready to take the field for Monday's practice.

[url="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/tony_pauline/01/23/senior.bowl.practice.monday/index.html#ixzz1kKWsx6o7"]http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/w ... z1kKWsx6o7[/url]

[Dee Dub]

I find it interesting how two people can watch the same prospects and have different takes on whether they did well or not...

I dont think it is all that much different than what I said about Adams.

He did get beat several times by Curry but as I said as the day went on he showed better. And as I also said, I was impressed with his run blocking. I think we can all agree that when you are playing tackle and you struggle versus a speed rusher like Curry who also has power that is a a little bit of a red flag.

[Dee Dub]

And I agree with this as well....

- Alameda Ta'amu (DT/Washington) has displayed a lot of power on the inside, consistently pushing offensive linemen off the ball and into the backfield.

...however versus Zeitler this wasnt the case.

Unfortunately I didnt have the luxury of being there and being able to see everything. I could only see what NFL would show.

[hawaiiansteel]

hey DeeDub,

I wasn't calling you out on this at all, I was mainly referring to many other instances where scouts who watched practices such as at the Senior Bowl end up giving completely different assessments of a players' performance.

[Dee Dub]

BTW...Mike Mayock loves OT Mike Adams. Here are some more notes from the practice today.


No question that Georgia offensive lineman Cordy Glenn is going to be a first round choice this coming April because he is a naturally huge and gifted football player with incredibly nimble feet for a 6-5.5, 346 pound human being. Glenn also has a very even temperament to deal with the ups and downs of life as a LT and may not have to move inside to OG at the next level as he looks like he has the athleticism to handle the OT slot just fine thank you. Indeed, Glenn is going to hand out some punishment to defenders this week with his blocking efforts and he got off to a solid start today.

I still think more highly of Arizona WR Juron Criner than many people and he didn't do anything today to disappoint. At 6-2, 220, Criner is a load for smaller CBs and there were several occasions today when he was not hesitant to give his defender a little shove to gain some separation. Unless he needs a sun dial to time him when he runs the 40 at next month’s combine, I think this man has a lot of NFL potential. He showed good hands several times today and seems to locate the ball in the air very well.

Monday morning weigh-in.... The Tale of the Tape


This morning was the National Combine weigh-in for players, otherwise famously known as the 'Meat Market.' Nobody blew the house away by being Charles Atlas (on steroids or not), however, there weren't any whale sightings either. Here are some numbers I thought were rather interesting.

Not counting the kicking specialists 98 position players were put through the height/weight tape process in Mobile today. Of those:

29 players were under 6-0 tall.
24 players weighed 300 pounds. or more.
All 18 offensive linemen weighed in at 300 pounds or more.
Only 6 of the 16 defensive linemen weighed 300 pounds or more.

HEAVIEST PLAYERS:
OG CORDY GLENN, Georgia 346
DT ALAMEDA TA'AMU, Washington 341
OG KELECHI OSEMELE, Iowa State 333

TALLEST PLAYERS:
OT MIKE ADAMS, Ohio State 6-7
DE QUINTON COPLES, North Carolina 6-5 3/4
OT TONY BERGSTROM, Utah 6-5 1/2

LIGHTEST PLAYERS:
WR PATRICK EDWARDS, Houston 168
WR JOE ADAMS, Arkansas 174
CB BILL BENTLEY, ULL 176
RB CHRIS RAINEY, Florida 178

SHORTEST PLAYERS:
WR MARQUIS MAZE, Alabama 5-7 3/4
RB CHRIS RAINEY, Florida 5-8 3/8
WR PATRICK EDWARDS, Houston 5-8 7/8

[url="http://www.gbnreport.com/seniorbowlreport.htm"]http://www.gbnreport.com/seniorbowlreport.htm[/url]

I believe if Juron Criner is going to be a steal in this draft. If the Steelers cant get Marvin McNutt in the 4th I would love for them to get Criner.

[Dee Dub]

Here are the official heights, weights, and arm lengths for the players at the Senior Bowl. A couple interesting things. Alameda Ta'Amu isnt as tall as he was listed at Washington. He came in at 6 ft 2.4. And Courtney Upshaw came in at 6 ft 1.4 and weighed 273. Not so sure he's gonna be able to play OLB in a 3-4? He did it Alabama but I dont know.

[url="http://www.gbnreport.com/seniorbowlhtswts.html"]http://www.gbnreport.com/seniorbowlhtswts.html[/url]

[NJ-STEELER]

i'm concocting a mock draft withegnew in it

read that he was slated to be a 1st rounder after last year (playing with gabbert)

hopefully we can land him in the 3rd

[hawaiiansteel]

2012 Senior Bowl: Practice Report

By Charlie Campbell - @draftcampbell


The North team took to the field of Ladd Peebles Stadium for their first practice of Senior Bowl on Monday afternoon. The Minnesota Vikings coaching staff was in charge of the North team and they had the players practicing in shells, shorts, shoulder pads and helmets. Typically, Tuesday and Wednesday are the full-padded sessions. To start out practice, they worked on special teams and in their individual position groups.

The wide receivers worked specifically on body control along the sideline. Appalachian State wide receiver Brian Quick is a big, athletic prospect. He needs to be developed some and work on his footwork for the NFL, but that isn't surprising considering the jump in competition. Ohio State wide receiver Devier Posey and Iowa wideout Marvin McNutt are both polished. McNutt had a fancy one-handed catch.

Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson was spinning the ball and showing a quality arm on passes. Meanwhile, Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore does not have the same arm strength, and his balls were floating a fair amount. Michigan State tight end Brian Linthicum had a bad dropped pass working with the quarterbacks. Wilson and Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins both had fumbled snaps.

After the individual period, the squad was broken into a scrimmage session of one-on-ones between the wide receivers and the defensive backs, while a nine-on-nine run scrimmage was waged on the other half of the field. Generally, the wideouts got the best of the one-on-ones. Cal wideout Marvin Jones had a quality practice. He had an impressive win against Iowa State cornerback Leonard Johnson. Jones also beat Nebraska cornerback Alfonzo Dennard on a deep post going into the end zone. Dennard almost broke the pass up but Jones showed impressive strength to hang onto the football as Dennard tried to slap it out.

Quick had a nice leaping catch along the sideline on a pass thrown off the mark, while McNutt burned Cal Poly cornerback Asa Jackson on slant route. Posey had position on Jackson on a deep ball in the front corner of the end zone, but Posey dropped the pass. Jackson did well fielding punts, but he struggled with defending the receivers.

Boston College cornerback Donnie Fletcher had a solid practice. He has some size, athleticism and strength. He made some good reads and hits on receivers in the one-on-ones.

One of the most impressive players on Monday for the North team was Arizona State wide receiver Gerell Robinson. He beat Johnson in the one-on-ones, and got the better of Fletcher with a beautiful one-handed catch reaching back behind his body. In the 11-on-11 full team scrimmage, Robinson was moving the chains for the offense. He was very effective running the short to intermediate slant. He beat Oklahoma cornerback Jamell Fleming on a comeback route. After making the catch, Robinson dodged Fleming's reach to break free downfield for a good gain. It wasn't all good for Robinson, as he dropped one slant pass. Overall he was a real challenge for defensive backs and Robinson made his presence felt.

The defensive and offensive linemen battled in one-on-ones, and the defensive linemen had the better overall day. Here is a scorecard of some of the one-on-one action:
Connecticut defensive tackle Kendall Reyes beat Wisconsin guard Kevin Zeitler with a speed rush followed by a swim move.

Zeitler came back to end the session by winning two reps against Washington nose tackle Alameda Ta'amu. He stonewalled two bull rushes as the thick Zeitler is very good at anchoring. The way to beat Zeitler is with speed, as bull rushes tend to go nowhere.

Michigan defensive tackle Mike Martin and Ohio State center Mike Brewster split four reps with each getting two victories. Brewster rode Martin around the pocket on the first try, while Martin bull rushed Brewster into the quarterback marker on the rematch. The next rep saw Brewster hold off Martin long enough for a pass to be thrown. The final rep had Martin blasting Brewster back and rocking the center onto his heels. That let Martin jet by him to get to the marker.

Boise State defensive tackle Billy Winn battled Penn State guard Johnnie Troutman. Winn lost the first rep as Troutman held him off long enough. They had a draw on another rep where Winn got some charge before being stopped. Winn beat Utah guard Tony Bergstrom with a speed rush.

Bergstrom lost two reps to Virginia defensive end Cam Johnson. He burned him with speed rushes to the inside. Johnson had a good practice overall. He also beat Iowa State offensive tackle/guard Kelechi Osemele with some speed rushes to the inside. Osemele was at right tackle. Johnson would start to the outside before darting by Osemele to the interior.

Cincinnati defensive tackle/end Derek Wolfe had two draws going against Ohio State offensive tackle Mike Adams. Each rep saw Wolfe push the pocket before being stopped short of getting to the marker. Wolfe split two reps with Zeitler. Wolfe won with a speed rush and lost when he tried to bull rush Zeitler.

Adams split two battles with Marshall defensive end Vinny Curry. The first time saw Adams get a hold of Curry, and he was unable to shed the block. The rematch had Curry getting low around the edge and turning the corner to get by Adams.

Washington offensive tackle Senio Kelemete won two reps against Penn State defensive end Jack Crawford. The first rep saw Kelemete stop a bull rush dead on. The second attempt was a speed rush that Kelemete mirrored well.

There were some impressive wins in the line play during the team scrimmage. Vinny Curry and Cam Johnson had good rushes in the 11-on-11 battles. Curry had Russell Wilson sacked on one play after he beat Kelemete on a speed rush around the corner. Johnson beat Osemele on a speed rush with Osemele at right tackle. In judging by the first day, Osemele is misfit at tackle and should move inside to guard. Michigan defensive tackle Mike Martin got blown up by a bump block from Troutman and Zeitler. The big offensive linemen put Martin into the turf hard. That is a hard block to beat in the NFL and can give a lot of defensive tackles fits, but beating that block can separate the men from the boys.

To conclude practice, the teams worked on punts. Wisconsin punter Brad Nortman had a good day and was getting good hang time. The Vikings coaches praised Nortman. Nebraska linebacker Lavonte David did well as a personal protector for the punter, while Michigan State safety Trenton Robinson was a gritty and effective gunner. Cincinnati running back Isaiah Pead, North Carolina State wide receiver T.J. Graham and Cal Poly cornerback Asa Jackson returned the punts. None of them muffed a kick.

There were some other brief notables from the Monday practice: Washington running back Chris Polk and Boise State running back Doug Martin looked good, but it can be tough to read when tackles aren't being made. Russell Wilson and Kirk Cousins look like better prospects than Kellen Moore. Moore's arm is seriously lacking. Wisconsin guard Kevin Zeitler spent some time after practice working on snapping the ball with the Vikings coaching staff. Many NFL guards are required to learn some center in case of injury. A late add to the Senior Bowl is Arkansas State linebacker Demario Davis. He had a solid debut with some good plays in pass coverage in the team scrimmage.

[url="http://www.walterfootball.com/seniorbowl2012practice2.php"]http://www.walterfootball.com/seniorbow ... ctice2.php[/url]