Draft Breakdown » Features

Tebow among QBs not throwing at Combine

Will Spencer — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 18:38:47 +0000

It was announced today that Tim Tebow will not be throwing at the NFL Scouting Combine this week. This puts Tebow in the same category as Sam Bradford, Jimmy Clausen, Colt McCoy and Dan LeFevour, who also will not throw in Indianapolis.

Reports indicate that Tebow is working hard on his throwing motion and will display his new and improved mechanics at his Pro Day event. Some are starting to beat the Tebow drum a little louder now with his attempt to change his mechanics. If Tebow does show an improvement in his throwing motion, we can be sure that some folks in the media will be starting with the “1st round pick” talk again. After a poor Senior Bowl performance, most got off the Tebow bandwagon and actually weren’t afraid to say something negative about one of the most respected players in college football history.

If Tebow does show improvement in his throwing motion, my hope is that people stay grounded when evaluating his draft stock. Mechanics are extremely hard for a quarterback to change. Many forget that Florida brought in a QB specialist before the 2009 season to work with Tebow and help his mechanics. It was clear that the work with the specialist didn’t do anything to change his throwing motion as it was exactly the same as before.

Tebow continued to work on his throwing motion while at the Senior Bowl. If you watched him in quarterback drills or warm ups, his throws were slow and deliberate, but his mechanics were better. Watching that even had me saying, “maybe he’s gonna get it.” The issue came in team drills and the actual game. When Tebow was under any type of pressure, he wasn’t able to think about his throwing motion and just had to get the ball out. During those times, the terrible mechanics returned. This was even more apparent during the game where his elongated throwing motion led to a fumble.

It’s also important to remember that throwing at a pro day event isn’t a true indication of whether or not he’s changed his mechanics. Think about it. Tebow will be throwing on the practice field he’s used for the past four years. He’ll be throwing to his wide receivers that he already has chemistry with. There’s also no set amount of throws that he has to make. The pro day events are run entirely by the hosting team, so Tebow can throw as much, or as little as he wants.

The fact of the matter is, it’s a good sign that Tebow is working on his mechanics. He knows it’s an issue and he wants to improve it. However, teams aren’t going to draft a player that has so much work to do in the first round. First round picks are usually reserved for NFL ready players that can make an immediate impact on their team. If Tebow does show improvement with his mechanics, I think that will probably lock him into a 2nd round selection on draft day. Members of the media and Tebow supporters will probably say that he should be considered as a first round pick with any improvement to his mechanics, but I don’t think NFL scouts will agree. Game tape is the most important evaluation tool when preparing for the NFL draft and the tape doesn’t lie. Workouts help, but they’re only a small piece of the puzzle.

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Evaluating the 40 yard dash

Shane Hallam — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 20:53:52 +0000

One of the most debated aspects of the predraft process is the 40 yard dash. At the NFL draft combine starting on February 27th, over 300 prospects will run on the track at Lucas Oil Stadium to show off their straight line speed. The result will be a sharp increase in numerous stocks and a decline in others. Why do two runs in February completely change the perception of three to four years of tape? The utilization of the 40 yard dash has come under much criticism in recent years of how scouts and General Managers utilize a number to choose one player over another who has been more productive throughout his college career. That being said, there are definite ways to analyze 40 times to learn more about prospects.

How does a 40 yard dash help scouts?

The most important aspect of the 40 is that it places all prospects on a level playing field to test straight line speed. No matter if a player went to Hillsdale, Rice, or Florida, this type of test gives scouts a quantifiable number to equal the playing field. Take for example Pro Bowl rookie Johnny Knox who came out of Abilene Christian. It was pretty obvious from watching the tape that Knox was playing at a higher level than his opponents. He was bigger, faster and stronger than the defenders at Tarleton State and Northwest Missouri State. But how did scouts know if that speed would translate at the NFL level? Was he a rare prospect in terms of speed or did he simply have middle of the road speed that looked better on film? When Johnny Knox ran a 4.34 at the combine last year, it validated the scouts that loved his film. It shows that he was faster than Penn State’s Derrick Williams or Florida’s Louis Murphy. It leveled the playing field, rose Knox’s stock, and allowed the Bears to make a more informed decision. An even bigger example is Tennessee Titan RB Chris Johnson. At the time of the pick, most criticized Titans General Manager Mike Reinfeldt for the pick since he made a major mistake on a similar runner the year before (more on that later). Chris Johnson came out of East Carolina University and put up over 1400 yards and 17 TDs his Senior year. Many didn’t think his body would hold up in the NFL or that his speed was no more than a Reggie Bush or Julius Jones type of runner. But when Johnson came out with a 4.24 and a faster 40 time than highly touted runner Darren McFadden, Johnson vaulted himself into the first round. All he has done is rushed for over 3,200 yards in only two seasons of work. The 40 time can be a useful tool in identifying these prospects who aren’t from major programs and compare them to those we see play against the “big boys.” Even with some bigger name prospects who look slower on film but run a fast 40 time, coaches know the ceiling of the players speed. If a Strength and Conditioning Coach can help these players hit their max speed in pads, then the sky is the limit. It is only one piece of the puzzle, but as speed becomes more of a factor in the NFL, the 40 yard dash will have a large impact on the draft process.

When can you use the 40 yard dash TOO much?

Many people criticize scouts and GMs for taking these 40 numbers and massively moving a players stock based solely on these two runs at the combine. If a scout has watched four years of tape, held interviews, and seen the player at All-Star games, should scouts use the 40 time to exponentially increase or decrease the stock of a player? Probably not. In 2007, the Tennessee Titans drafted an unknown player named Chris Henry out of Arizona in the 2nd round. Henry was a back-up running back for the Wildcats who didn’t even notch 1,000 yards total in his three years of play. Why was he drafted so high then? 40 time. Henry posted a 4.33 at the combine that year, which was faster than Adrian Peterson or Marshawn Lynch. The Titan’s fell in love with the speed and drafted a player with no blocking skills or vision. Two years later, Chris Henry is out of the league and the Titans would make a wiser decision the next year. It would be remiss to not mention the wide receiver situation last year. Darius Heyward-Bey was a fringe first round pick based on high upside and athleticism. After posting a 4.30 at the combine, Heyward-Bey began to endear himself to the teams, specifically Al Davis and the Oakland Raiders. We all know the story by now, the Raiders at #7 passed on top WR prospect Michael Crabtree for Heyward-Bey and if his rookie year is any indication, the outlook is not bright. It seems that when teams drastically increase a player’s value while ignoring tape, the results could be dire.

How should the 40 time be used?

The 40 time needs to be used as a conservative measure to validate the tape scouts are seeing and answer questions about speed for prospects where questions still remain. It can be used to open eyes about new prospects, but should not be used to overvalue a prospect. Also, when comparing 40 times from the present to years past, remember that the site of the combine has changed. Last year was the first year at the new Lucas Oil Stadium and the track seemed to be a little bit slower than it was in the RCA Dome. Keep this in mind when looking at the 40 times below for my predictions of this year’s times. Hopefully General Managers and scouts will take in all the information and make the most informed decisions for their franchises.

2010 Combine 40 Yard Dash Predictions

*Note: predictions based on game tape, Lucas Oil track speed, and previous year’s results

Quarterback:
Sam Bradford – 4.82
Jarrett Brown – 4.51
Daryll Clark – 4.57
Jimmy Clausen – *will not run the 40*
Armanti Edwards – 4.49
Mike Kafka – 4.61
Dan LeFevour – 4.66
Colt McCoy – 4.75
Tony Pike – 4.92
Jevan Snead – 4.95
Tim Tebow – 4.72

Running Back:
Jahvid Best – 4.40
LeGarrette Blount – 4.58
Anthony Dixon – 4.65
Jonathan Dwyer – 4.56
Toby Gerhart – 4.60
Montario Hardesty – 4.55
Trindon Holiday – 4.34
Stafon Johnson – 4.49
Ryan Matthews – 4.45
Dexter McCluster – 4.42
Joe McKnight – 4.41
C.J. Spiller – 4.37
Ben Tate – 4.51
Keith Toston – 4.53

Wide Receivers:
Danario Alexander – *will not run*
Arrelious Benn – 4.43
Dezmon Briscoe – 4.58
Dez Bryant – 4.39
Riley Cooper – 4.42
Eric Decker *Will not run*
Jacoby Ford – 4.36
Mardy Gilyard – 4.45
Brandon LaFell – 4.52
Taylor Price – 4.40
Andre Roberts – 4.55
Jordan Shipley – 4.47
Golden Tate – 4.53
Demaryius Thomas – *Will not run*
Blair White – 4.54
Damian Williams – 4.50
Jeremy Williams – 4.49
Mike Williams – 4.46

Tight Ends:
Nate Byham – 4.78
Dorin Dickerson – 4.66
Ed Dickson – 4.71
Garrett Graham – 4.68
Jimmy Graham – 4.63
Jermaine Gresham – 4.70
Ron Gronkowski – 4.75
Aaron Hernandez – 4.65
Michael Hoomanawanui – 4.80
Anthony McCoy – 4.73
Dennis Pitta – 4.72
Andrew Quarles – 4.76

Offensive Line:
Ciron Black – 5.51
Charles Brown – 5.12
Bryan Bulaga – 5.16
Bruce Campbell – 5.07
Selvish Capers – 5.25
Anthony Davis – 5.23
Vladimir Ducasse – 5.28
Mike Iupati – 5.31
Mike Johnson – 5.35
Russell Okung – 5.32
Maurkice Pouncey – 5.41
Rodger Saffold – 5.37
Jared Veldheer – 5.02
Ed Wang – 5.48
Trent Williams – 5.35

Defensive Line:
Tyson Alualu – 4.93
Alex Carrington – 4.87
Terrence Cody – 5.48
Jermaine Cunningham – 4.81
Carlos Dunlap – 4.75
Junior Galette – 4.73
Thaddeus Gibson – 4.72
Brandon Graham – 4.90
Everson Griffen – 4.81
Greg Hardy – 4.95
Jerry Hughes – 4.93
Arthur Jones – 4.97
Sergio Kindle – 4.81
Gerald McCoy – 4.94
Koa Misi – 4.78
Derrick Morgan – 4.75
Jared Odrick – 4.91
Jason Pierre-Paul – 4.69
Brian Price – 5.01
Ricky Sapp – 4.69
George Selvie – 4.89
Ndamukong Suh – 4.95
Dan Williams – 5.05
Linsey Witten – 4.90
Corey Wootton – 4.99
Jason Worilds – 4.84

Linebacker:
Pat Angerer – 4.86
Navorro Bowman – 4.75
Donald Butler – 4.77
Rennie Curran – 4.80
Sean Lee – 4.83
Rolando McClain – 4.73
Roddrick Muckelroy – 4.79
Eric Norwood – 4.81
Brandon Spikes – 4.78
Daryl Washington – 4.75
Sean Weatherspoon – 4.78

Secondary:
Nate Allen – 4.54
Javier Arenas – 4.52
Larry Asante – 4.58
Eric Berry – 4.48
Morgan Burnett – 4.56
Chris Chancellor – 4.58
Kam Chancellor – 4.62
Perrish Cox – 4.54
Dominique Franks – 4.49
Brandon Ghee – 4.51
Joe Haden – 4.46
Kareem Jackson – 4.49
Chad Jones – 4.47
Reshad Jones – 4.58
Myron Lewis – 4.50
Trevard Lindley – 4.60
Taylor Mays – 4.45
Kyle McCarthy – 4.55
Devin McCourty – 4.47
Akwasi Owusu-Ansah – 4.50
Patrick Robinson – 4.48
Myron Rolle – 4.58
Amari Spievey – 4.52
Earl Thomas – 4.51
Syd’Quan Thompson – 4.55
Alterraun Verner – 4.57
Donovan Warren – 4.53
Kyle Wilson – 4.44
Major Wright – 4.52

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2010 Pro Day Schedule

Will Spencer — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 20:41:56 +0000

More schools will be added as their dates are announced. We’ll be attending a few of these, so check back soon!

Wednesday, March 3
Buffalo, Florida International, Lindenwood

Thursday, March 4
Baylor, Florida Atlantic, Kansas State, Missouri, Syracuse, Wyoming

Friday, March 5
San Diego, South Florida

Monday, March 8
Alabama A & M, Central Washington, Northern Colorado, Troy, Utah, Alabama A & M

Tuesday, March 9
Auburn, Arkansas-P.B., Central Arkansas, Central Oklahoma, Howard, Indiana, Indiana-PA, North Dakota State, N.W. Missouri, Oklahoma, Tuskegee, Virginia Military, Western Michigan

Wednesday, March 10
Alabama, Brown, California, California-Davis, Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oklahoma State, Rutgers, Texas A&M, Washington

Thursday, March 11
Alabama-Birmingham, Boston College, Furman, Idaho, Kent State, Nebraska, Ohio, Oregon, Stephen F. Austin, UTEP

Friday, March 12
Arizona, Eastern Washington, Jacksonville State, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon State, Purdue, TCU, Urbana

Saturday, March 13
San Diego State

Monday, March 15
Air Force, Albany State, Clark, Eastern Michigan, Georgia Tech, Montana

Tuesday, March 16
Bowling Green, Delaware, Eastern Kentucky, Georgia, Morgan State, Norfolk State, Pittsburgh, Toledo

Wednesday, March 17
Arkansas State, Arkansas Tech, Carson-Newman, Florida, Fresno, Hampton, Illinois, Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Michigan State, Penn State, Tennessee, William & Mary

Thursday, March 18
Florida A & M, McNeese State, Middle Tennessee State, Nicholls State, Richmond, Temple, Virginia, Virginia Tech, West Virginia

Friday, March 19
James Madison, Minnesota, Missouri State, North Carolina Central, N.W. Louisiana, Northwestern State, Tennessee Tech, Tulane, Vanderbilt

Monday, March 22
BYU, Iowa, North Carolina A&T

Tuesday, March 23
Iowa State, North Carolina, Notre Dame, South Dakota State, Western Illinois

Wednesday, March 24
Central Michigan, Connecticut, Jackson State, Nevada, North Carolina State, North Texas State

Thursday, March 25
Akron, Catawba, Central Florida, East Carolina, Massachusetts, Murray State, Northern Arizona

Friday, March 26
Arizona State, Boise State, Delta State, Miami (Fla.), Northern Illinois, Tennessee-Martin, Wake Forest, Wilfrid Laurier

Monday, March 29
Newberry, Texas-Kingville

Tuesday, March 30
Coastal Carolina, Houston, Texas Southern (at Houston), Texas State, UCLA

Wednesday, March 31
Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Carolina State, USC, Texas

Thursday, April 1
Hawaii

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Interview: Patrick Robinson

Will Spencer — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 08:11:04 +0000

Robinson is a bit of an enigma for scouts. On tape, there are games where he is absolutely dominant. Other times, he can disappear. Robinson came into the Senior Bowl as possibly the 2nd rated corner on most folks board, but I’m not sure if he lived up to those expectations. Patrick took some of his time out to sit down and talk with me during Senior Bowl week about what his favorite coverage is and what receiver gave him the toughest time in practice.

Spencer: How’s your Senior Bowl experience been so far?

Robinson: It’s been good. It’s been fun so far.

Spencer: Was this something that you knew right away you’d play in if you were invited?

Robinson: Oh yeah. I knew right away.

Spencer: What is it about the Senior Bowl that is so appealing to you?

Robinson: It’s a huge game for me to showcase how good I am. That’s, for the most part, what I think it is.

Spencer: What would you say is the strongest aspect of your game?

Robinson: Being able to play man to man. Man to man, alone on that island.

Spencer: Do you prefer playing press-man or off-man?

Robinson: It doesn’t really matter to me. If they want me to press, I’ll press. If they want me to sit off a little bit, I can do that too. I have no preference.

Spencer: Do you think you’d be better in a man coverage system than a zone coverage system?

Robinson: I wouldn’t say that. But I’m more used to man.

Spencer: Is there anything in particular that the coaches have been trying to work with you on this week?

Robinson: Well, in my press technique, my stance was a little wide. That’s something I can correct right away, but that was it for the most part.

Spencer: What are you looking forward to for the rest of the week?

Robinson: Making more plays. Making a lot more plays.

Spencer: Looking at the receivers you’ve been matching up against, who has stood out to you as a strong opponent?

Robinson: Riley Cooper. He’s a guy that never quits on the ball. If you get a good jam on him, he’s still fighting to get open and try to catch the ball. He’s a tough guy.

Spencer: Thanks a lot for your time tonight.

Robinson: Alright, thank you, too.

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Interview: Jimmy Graham

Will Spencer — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 07:41:18 +0000

A one year wonder or the next Antonio Gates? That’s what scouts are wondering as they break down the tape of Miami tight end Jimmy Graham. A former basketball player, Graham only played his senior season for the Hurricanes but produced at a relatively high level. At just under 6′7″, Graham is a huge target and he feels that his best aspect is his ability to catch the ball in the red zone. Jimmy talked to me about working out with Ed Reed of the Baltimore Ravens and how that helped his play as well as what he’s trying to show scouts while at the Senior Bowl.

Spencer: With all the extra fan attention around Tebow this week, has it been a distraction at all?

Graham: No, not at all. Whenever you go to college at Miami, you kind of learn to ignore all the distractions real quick. I’m actually training with Tebow at D1, too.

Spencer: Was the Senior Bowl something you knew right away you’d attend if invited, or was it something you had to think about?

Graham: Of course. 100% I was coming. First, it’s an honor to only play one year and be invited to this. It kind of showed me that hard work does pay off. So being invited to the best all-star game in the nation really meant a lot to me. So I was definitely gonna come up here. It also gives me an opportunity for scouts to see me play another game and also see me practice and how hard I work. So that’s the big reason I came here.

Spencer: Have you noticed noticed any differences running with the Dolphins coaching staff as opposed to “The U’s” coaching staff?

Graham: Oh yeah. They’re fairly similar in how they coach. We run a pro offense. Mark Whipple, you know, he’s very professional and Randy Shannon’s a tough coach just like they are. The Dolphins are one of those old school staffs. They tell you like it is and you better do it. I really respond well to that so far, it’s been great.

Spencer: What would you say you’re the most confident in about your game?

Graham: My ability to stretch the field. I’m 6′6, well, I thought I was 6′7″ (Graham measured in at 6′6 3/8″). But I run a 4.5 40, so I’m able to get on safeties really fast and I’m able to open it up. But the biggest part of my game that I’m the most confident in is my red zone play. I think I’m unstoppable in the red zone and I don’t think anyone can do anything to stop me in the red zone.

Spencer: What area of your game do you really want to show the scouts improvement in this week?

Graham: The little techniques. I’ve really been working on techniques as far as pass blocking and stuff, which showed up today. I’ve been working my tail off the last two weeks on that stuff. I was kind of thrown in and it was like, “Jimmy, just get open!” or “make sure he doesn’t hit anyone else but you.” So a big part has just been learning the techniques of everything and it’s definitely coming together.

Spencer: What other player on your side of the ball has really stood out to you this week?

Graham: Tim Tebow. The kid’s a competitor. That’s the biggest thing about him, he’s competitive. He’s confident and he’s a leader. He always makes sure he’s the first one in there and he always lets everyone know what they’re supposed to be doing. He is a leader and I’ve had the opportunity to work out with him for the last two weeks and it’s been fun.

Spencer: What about defenders you’ve matched up against? Who’s standing out to you?

Graham: During a stretch play, I had to get out on Taylor Mays and we took each other to the ground. So I’d have to say him because that was pretty physical.

Spencer: I’m also writing some articles for the Ravens, so what would it be like if you were to be drafted by Baltimore?

Graham: It’d be amazing. First off, because I feel that half of their team is from “The U.” I had the opportunity to learn from Ed Reed this summer. He was kind of teaching me coverages, teaching me how not to give away what I’m about to do. He’s a very smart safety so that was really cool. I think I could really help out the Ravens, stretch the field and help them in the red zone. I’m a pretty big target so just throw it up and I’ll get it.

Spencer: Thanks a lot Jimmy and I look forward to following you through the draft process.

Graham: Thanks a lot.

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Interview: Danario Alexander

Will Spencer — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 22:57:12 +0000

A physically imposing player at 6′4 5/8″ and 221 lbs, Danario Alexander led the nation in receiving yards for 2009. The Senior Bowl was his opportunity to show the NFL that he could play with the big boys. Unfortunately, an injury slowed him down at the end of the week and he wasn’t able to shine in the game as he would have hoped. What stood out most to me while watching Alexander during practice was just how hard he was working. I could tell that Danario was doing everything possible to make his routes crisper and he wasn’t afraid to put his body on the line for passes. I sat down with Danario early in the week at the Senior Bowl and we talked about what he wanted to show in Mobile and what players he hopes to emulate once he’s in the league.

Spencer: Overall, how has your Senior Bowl experience been?

Alexander: It’s been pretty good. It’s a different type of deal. I’m walking around and I’m always getting pulled different directions by scouts or whatever. So it’s a pretty big deal for me right now.

Spencer: So you’ve had a chance to talk to all the NFL teams?

Alexander: Yeah, I’ve been interviewing with guys every time I’m in the lobby. I’ve had at least 20 meetings already which is kind of crazy. I’ve got more lined up when I get back tonight.

Spencer: Any particular teams showing a little more interest than others?

Alexander: It’s kind of hard to tell at this point. They all basically want to know the same things. They want to know about your history and everything about your life. And they’re asking me about my knee a lot.

Spencer: How is the knee, by the way?

Alexander: It’s doing pretty good. Doing pretty good.

Spencer: What’s the oddest question the scouts have asked you so far?

Alexander: I haven’t really got to the weird questions yet. Everything’s been pretty basic so far.

Spencer: While you’ve been in practice, what corners have given you the toughest time in passing or team drills?

Alexander: I think the guy from Boise State [Kyle Wilson]. He’s pretty good. He’s a smart player. He can sit on a lot of routes and we’ve been running a lot of comebacks, so he doesn’t sit on those, but he’s a pretty good player.

Spencer: Looking at your side of the ball, who has impressed you on offense this week?

Alexander: I think Jacoby Ford. I think he’s really showing his talents. He caught a lot of balls today. He’s shown everyone that he can play for a small guy.

Spencer: What would you say is the strongest aspect of your game?

Alexander: Being physical. Catching the ball and after the catch. Yards after the catch is a big thing for me. I try to get to the endzone every time I catch the ball.

Spencer: Do you have a specific route you like to run or a particular area of the field that you like to work?

Alexander: I actually like to work the middle. A lot of guys catch the ball and look around but I like to catch the ball and get up field as fast as I can. And you can make a lot of guys miss like that.

Spencer: You led the nation in receiving yards this year, you have all the physical attributes scouts look for, so does it bother you that you aren’t being mentioned along side players like Dez Bryant as the top wide receivers in this class?

Alexander: That’s something I can’t focus on too much. I’ve gotta come out and have a good week this week and put my name out there. I’m pretty sure the scouts see what they need to see. So I’ve just gotta play my best right now to show everyone that I can play.

Spencer: So how important do you think this week is for your draft stock?

Alexander: It’s very important. I’ve gotta come out and show everyone that I can run routes and catch balls and that I’m an all around receiver.

Spencer: What would you say you have to work on the most?

Alexander: Probably just coming out of my breaks a little quicker. Everything else is pretty much polished and good for me right now.

Spencer: Did you have a particular NFL team that you follow or is it going to be “whatever team drafts me, I’m gonna love!”

Alexander: Pretty much, but I grew up a Cowboys fan. I grew up around that area but right now, I’m a fan of every team until draft day.

Spencer: Do you have a particular wide receiver that you grew up watching and tried to model your style of play after?

Alexander: I kind of like watching Moss and T.O. I kind of want to try to mix those two guys and be somewhere in the middle. Be able to catch those deep balls and be as explosive as T.O. is.

Spencer: What are you looking forward to the most in the draft process?

Alexander: I’m looking forward to hearing my name on draft day, of course. That’s my dream. I’ve been playing football my whole life and for them to call my name on draft day, that’d be the biggest thing for me.

Spencer: Thanks a lot Danario, I appreciate your time.

Alexander: Thanks.

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Interview: Jared Odrick

Will Spencer — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 08:31:58 +0000

Versatility is the word that comes to mind when I watch Jared Odrick play. Odrick showed throughout his career at Penn State that he can be a disruptive force along the defensive line and he displayed the ability to line up as a 4-3 defensive tackle or 3-4 defensive end while at the Senior Bowl. Jared and I talked about where he fits in best in the NFL and how he found out about his Senior Bowl invitation. Read below for the transcript of our conversation.

Spencer: So far, how’s your Senior Bowl experience been?

Odrick: It’s been good. Busy. With all the testing, interviews and practice. But it’s been an experience so far.

Spencer: Have you had a chance to sit down with any NFL teams yet?

Odrick: Yeah, yeah. Quite a few.

Spencer: What’s the oddest thing the scouts have asked you so far?

Odrick: I really haven’t been asked anything out of the ordinary yet, but I know they’re coming. I know those questions are coming.

Spencer: When you were invited to come play at the Senior Bowl, was there ever a doubt in your mind that you’d participate? Or was it something you had to give a lot of thought to?

Odrick: In terms of an invitation, I’d go to my d-line coach, Coach Johnson. I’d go up to him and ask him, ‘Hey, I’ve got something from other all-star games. Should I respond, should I give an answer, what should I do?’ There was a time where he was like ‘we’ll have our talk, we’ll have our talk,’ and he kept pushing it off. I think he was withholding the invitation that I got, I think because he wanted me to work for it like I did in my Senior year. I think that’s the way it came off, but I never asked. I think he received it, he just never told me about it. He just wanted to wait for the right time. But the day I got it was the day I responded.

Spencer: Who’s the toughest lineman you’ve had to face so far this week?

Odrick: Toughest? There was a pretty tough double team I had to face today between [Mike] Iupati and Sam Young. I pride myself in handling double teams and facing them head on and either trying to split them or hold them. But it was pretty tough today. I lost my footing and those two guys got the best of me.

Spencer: Turning to your side of the ball, who have you been playing beside that has really stood out to you?

Odrick: Cal, [Tyson] Alualu. He’s really good with his hands. Very good with his hands, shedding people. I’ve watched him a few times on TV but I was more impressed here in person. But I’ve been playing beside Cam Thomas of North Carolina, so I can’t really watch him. But I’ve been watching Alualu and been really impressed.

Spencer: What would you say is the strongest aspect of your game that you’d bring to an NFL team?

Odrick: It’s hard to talk about yourself because I always think that I have so much to work on.

Spencer: Well look at it this way. If a team was watching you on film, how would they game plan against you?

Odrick: Double team me. I think that’s one thing. I’m the type of player that commands a double team. I guess that’s one thing I would write down if I was a scout. There’s not many times throughout a game that I’m not double team. There wasn’t many times throughout my whole Senior season. I think I’m the type of player that left in single blocking, I’m gonna disrupt plays or go make a play. So I’d probably have to say that.

Spencer: Where do you think you’d fit in best in the NFL? A one gap defensive tackle or a 5 technique in a 3-4 defense?

Odrick: I’d say a 3 or a 5 technique. I think I can play in multiple schemes, to tell you the truth, and I’ve been hearing the same thing from NFL teams. So it will be interesting to see where I eventually land.

Spencer: Jared, I appreciate you taking your time out to talk to me.

Odrick: Thank you.

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Interview: Dan Williams

Will Spencer — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 07:36:03 +0000

No interior defensive lineman helped themselves as much during the Senior Bowl as Dan Williams of Tennessee. Williams showed the strength and versatility to play several spots along the defensive line which will probably land him somewhere in the late first round on draft day. I had the chance to talk to Dan after practice early in the week. Here’s the transcript of that conversation.

Spencer: What are you initial impressions of the Senior Bowl?

Williams: First thing, I was just excited to be here. It’s just a huge honor, just being invited. There’s been a lot of great players here before me and I want to try to keep up with the tradition that the Senior Bowl has of sending guys to the next level.

Spencer: Has there been anything in particular the coaches have had you working on?

Williams: Just trying to get the base defense they have. Just trying to get us used to it and the language they use. We’re from all different parts of the country and we’re just trying to learn the plays and learn everything so we can start playing fast.

Spencer: Who’s been the toughest guy you’ve faced on the offensive line this week?

Williams: Of guys I’ve went against, I’d say Mike Johnson of Alabama. We went against each other in the pass rush [drills] today and he won one and I won one. I’m just trying to figure everybody out and go against everybody the rest of the week so I can continue to get better.

Spencer: Anyone on defense stand out to you this week?

Williams: Oh yeah. We’re starting to get together out here and get to know each other. We’re pushing guys, especially in one on ones. I’d say Jeff Owens (Georgia) had a couple good pass rushes today. We’re all living off each other out here. And especially today, one who showed me something was Antonio Coleman (Auburn). He went up and over big Ciron Black from LSU in pass rush drills, so he did impress me today.

Spencer: Is it a distraction at all here with all the attention Tebow is getting from the local fans and media?

Williams: Not really. You have one purpose and everyone has that purpose. You’re trying to improve their draft stock and trying to impress these NFL scouts, coaches and GMs.

Spencer: Thanks a lot for your time, Dan and good luck this week.

Williams: Alright man, take it easy.

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Draft Strategies

Brandon Clark — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 06:21:00 +0000

What would you do?

You’re facing a defining situation. Whatever player you draft, has to be a star. Anything less than a star player will be a bust as the number one selection. This pick should define the look of a pitiful franchise and keep you from drafting in the top-5 next season, hopefully keep you out of the top-10. If you are one of the people with heavy input on this pick, then it could cost you your job in 3 years. This pick could turn out to be Jamarcus Russel. You can’t have that. You better not pass up on that player drafted late in the first that ends up better than everyone else (Ray Lewis, pick 26-1996), even though a Lb will probably never go first overall.

How does your Big Board shake out?

Is it strictly based off talent or is affected by need? Are you going to draft the B.A.P. (Best Available Player), regardless of need? Will you put a premium on positions that have less depth in this draft? Will you reach for that “Franchise QB” that could put your career and your team in motion for the next 10-12 years? He could also cost you your job. It’s a lot of money for some 22 year old that’s never played a down in the NFL. Maybe you draft the guy that agrees to the cheapest contract because your owner forced you. We’ll ignore that for this article.

Let’s go through some scenarios.

BAP

The Best Available Player route should do fine for anyone. You’ve spent months pouring over film and you’ve made your Big Board in order of talent. You know for a fact that this guy is the best single talent in the draft. If he doesn’t fit your scheme, you change your scheme. He’s that good. Take the guy with #1 next to his name on your board. That simple.

LLTF

Least Likely to Fail. This is understandable. You see your Big Board and maybe their is a quarterback at the top, but you have a terrible offensive line. This new quarterback wouldn’t last behind that line. No one would. So you draft a Left Tackle, even though the LT was 3rd on the Big Board that you made based off of talent, the line took priority. This is a smart move, but you maybe could’ve traded back and recouped draft picks.

In the even that you were not able to trade back, well you did what you could. You got a guy that you and your scouting department have determined to be a 8-10 year starter at a pivotal position in football. Unfortunately, the draft is about acquiring value and you left some on the table for your opponent to get. What if that was Peyton Manning? I hope you drafted Johnathon Ogden.

QB

Oh, this one’s fun. The QB, the one that will save us all. Does this certain QB have “it”? This is one of the hardest decisions in sports: Determining if the young, college kid that has all the tools can transition into an elite player at the most important position in sports. Peyton Manning had all the tools but lacked elite arm strength. The Colts drafted him over Ryan Leaf, who had the strength. I think they did it because of Peyton’s mind for the game and willingness to compete. He is elite in both of those areas. You are thinking about taking a QB first overall. He will be thrown into the game week 1. There’s at least a 90% chance of that happening. Will he take too much of a beating behind your line? Can he make your WR’s better? Chances are that you drafting first overall means your WR’s aren’t the best. Can this kid handle the media pressure? He’ll be on Sports Illustrated. He’ll be expected to resurrect this team within a year (not my expectations, but fans are impatient on average). Has he ever failed before? Can he bounce back from these failures? It’s a big decision. Does QB take precedence over all-out talent? The Rams face that decision this year. QB or Ndamukong Suh (DT from Nebraska)?

My Take

I take talent. I would never want to see the talent I passed on be superior to the talent I drafted. That makes me a BAP guy.

Draft Strategies

Inside-Out

If you’re smart, you draft lineman before WR’s. Inside the lines to the outside the lines. Put a premium on hard to find line positions such as LT and RE (right end). Draft a top-notch C over a slot WR. Patriots Pro-Bowl WR Wes Welker went undrafted to the Dolphins. Speed is available later but the truly good lineman aren’t.

On another note, the truly elite RB’s are almost always first rounders, but if you have an elite line and a pretty good RB-you are praised for your drafting skills. The Jets line in 2009 was amazing and 3rd round rookie Shonn Greene looked every bit amazing running behind it in the playoffs. Point proven.

Outside-In

This is how former Lions GM Matt Millen drafted, and probably still would. Calvin Johnson was drafted in the top-5. He has top-5 talent. I’m a big fan of him. I think he can have Randy Moss type impact. The problem is that when you’re drafting in the top 10 for consecutive years in a row, you are doing something wrong.

EX:

2005: Lions select WR Mike Williams of USC at 10th overall

2006: Lions select LB Ernie Sims of Florida State at 9th overall

2007: Lions select WR Calvin Johnson of Georgia Tech at 2nd overall

2008: Lions select RT Gosder Cherilus of Boston College at 17th overall(original pick was 15th, before trades)

2009: Lions select QB Matt Stafford of Georgia at 1st overall

Four out of five years, the Lions found themselves drafting in the top-10. They didn’t draft the premium guys that could turn the franchise around. Draft Linemen or the QB you really believe in. Draft “Inside-Out”.

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2010 Senior Bowl Photos – Game Day

Will Spencer — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 21:35:07 +0000

*Photos by Mark Rutkowski*

**All photos are property of Draft Breakdown and the publication or use of these photos without the consent of Will Spencer of Draft Breakdown is prohibited.**

Click Here to return to Draft Breakdown’s Senior Bowl coverage page!

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2010 Senior Bowl Photos – Friday

Will Spencer — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 21:19:00 +0000

*Photos by Mark Rutkowski*

Click Here to return to our Senior Bowl coverage page!

**All photos are property of Draft Breakdown and the publication or use of these photos without the consent of Will Spencer of Draft Breakdown is prohibited.**

Click Here to return to Draft Breakdown’s Senior Bowl coverage page!

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Texas vs. The Nation practice reviews

Will Spencer — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 21:32:11 +0000

Our friends at Draft Guys are providing outstanding coverage of the Texas vs. The Nation game LIVE from El Paso, Texas. Since we couldn’t make both the Senior Bowl and the TvN game, we’ll bring you some highlights of Draft Guys coverage of the practices and game.

Wednesday’s practice was cut short by the weather, as the rain and wind were whipping around the field in El Paso. The players did not scrimmage as they usually do on Wednesday, so let’s review the week of practice from the Texas vs the Nation game.

Risers

These are players who helped their draft stock in El Paso.

Ryan Perrilloux(QB – Jacksonville State, LSU transfer) is very athletic, but scouts loved the way he threw the football in practice. Perrilloux proved that he could scan the field while dropping back, and was very coachable during the week. He’s arguably the best Wildcat QB in this draft.

Jason Harmon(TE – Florida Atlantic) wowed scouts with his great hands. Harmon has the body control to turn and catch most any pass thrown his way. He’ll likely be an H-back at the next level.

George Johnson(DL – Rutgers) had a great week of practice and showed a tireless motor (and mouth) when working in the pit. He has an array of pass rushing moves, and gets off the line of scrimmage in a hurry with a quick initial burst.

Clay Harbor(TE – Missouri State) is a natural hands catcher. He gets his head around quickly when turning back for the football, and is capable of picking up yards after the catch.

Click Here to read the rest of the story from Draft Guys!

Click Here to return to Draft Breakdown’s Texas vs. The Nation page.

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Texas vs. The Nation: Nation Roster

Will Spencer — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 21:04:28 +0000

Quarterbacks
Jonathon Crompton – Tennessee
Tim Hiller – Western Michigan
Rusty Smith – Florida Atlantic

Running backs
Toney Baker – North Carolina State
Dominique Lindsay – East Carolina
Mike Rinfrette – Wake Forest
Alfonso Smith – Kentucky
Curtis Steele – Memphis
Chris Zardas – UMass

Wide Receivers
Marcus Easley – Connecticut
Brett Hamlin – Buffalo
Donald Jones – Youngstown State
Scott Long – Louisville
Preston Parker – North Alabama
Juamorris Stewart – Southern

Tight Ends
Dedrick Epps – Miami
Jason Harmon – Florida Atlantic
Steve Maneri – Temple

Offensive Linemen
Eddie Adamski – Northern Illinois
Will Barker – Virginia
Zipp Duncan – Kentucky
Tyler Eastman – Maine
Derek Hardman – Eastern Kentucky
Joe Hawley – UNLV
Kyle Jolly – North Carolina
Dennis Landolt – Penn State
Jerail McCuler – North Carolina State
Vladimir Richard – Tennessee
Jared Veldheer – Hillsdale

Defensive Linemen
Alex Daniels – Cincinnati
Tommie Duhart – Pittsburgh
Brandon Gilbeaux – Syracuse
Travis Ivey – Maryland
George Johnson – Rutgers
Andre Neblett – Temple
Jay Ross – East Carolina
Will Tukuafu – Oregon
EJ Wilson – North Carolina

Linebackers
Josh Hull – Penn State
Simoni Lawrence – Minnesota
Alex Joseph – Temple
Arthur Moats – James Madison
Blaze Soares – Hawaii (also long snapper)
Adrian Tracy – William & Mary
Nathan Triplett – Minnesota

Cornerbacks
Phillip Adams – South Carolina State
Marshay Green – Ole Miss
Sam Shields – Miami
Quintez Smith – Shaw
AJ Wallace – Penn State
Marcell Young – Jackson State

Safeties
Kendrick Lewis – Ole Miss
Nick Polk – Indiana
Shann Schillinger – Montana
Robert Vaughn – Connecticut
Aaron Webster – Cincinnati

Special Teams
Brent Bowden – P – Virginia Tech
Aaron Pettrey – K – Ohio State

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Texas vs. The Nation: Texas Roster

Will Spencer — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 20:47:12 +0000

Quarterbacks
Levi Brown – Troy
Thaddeus Lewis – Duke
Ryan Perrilloux – Jacksonville State

Running backs
AJ Cooley – Shorter College
Keithon Flemming – West Texas A&M
Trindon Holliday – LSU
Deji Karim – Southern Illinois
Jamie McCoy – Texas A&M
Dennis Morris – Louisiana Tech

Wide Receivers
David Gettis – Baylor
Kevin Jurovich – San Jose State
Zurial “Jeff” Moturi – UTEP
David Nelson – Florida
Jared Perry – Missouri
Kelton Tindal – Newberry (SC)
Stephen Williams – Toledo

Tight Ends
Clay Harbor – Missouri State
Gerald Harris – Ole Miss

Offensive Linemen
Michael Aguayo – UTEP
Chris Campbell – Eastern Illinois
Erik Cook – New Mexico
Ramon Harewood – Morehouse
Nick Howell – USC
Casey Knips – South Dakota State
Andrew Lewis – Oklahoma State
Kevin Matthews – Texas A&M
Nic Richmond – TCU
J’Marcus Webb – West Texas A&M
Marlon Winn – Texas Tech

Defensive Linemen
Charles Alexander – LSU
Danny Batten – South Dakota State
Adrian Davis – Arkansas
Sean Lissemore – William & Mary
Jimmy Saddler-McQueen – Texas A&M-Kingsville
Brandon Sharpe – Texas Tech
Emmanual Stephens – Ole Miss
Lorenzo Washington – Alabama

Linebackers
Junior Galette – Stillman
Travis Goethel – Arizona State
Larry Hart – Central Arkansas
Tim Knicky – Stephen F. Austin
Boris Lee – Troy
Albert McClellan – Marshall
Patrick Trahan – Ole Miss

Cornerbacks
Cornelius Brown – UTEP
Marcus Brown – Arkansas State
Chris Hawkins – LSU
AJ Jefferson – Fresno State
RJ Stanford – Utah

Safeties
Jonathon Amaya – Nevada
Lucien Antoine – Oklahoma State
Da’Mon Cromartie-Smith – UTEP
Jordan Lake – Baylor
Quentin Scott – Northern Iowa

Special Teams
Josh Arauco – K – Arkansas State
Mike Brandtner – P – Iowa State
Clint Gresham – LS – TCU

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Senior Bowl Blog: Final Stock Report

Will Spencer — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 07:53:06 +0000

After the full week of practices and the game, here’s a look at some of the folks that helped, or hurt their draft stock with their performance at the Senior Bowl.

Stock UP

Dexter McCluster – RB/WR – Ole Miss
McCluster showed his versatility this week, returning kicks, lining up as a slot receiver, running back and even taking snaps from a Wild Cat formation. McCluster showed that he’s an explosive playmaker and his size isn’t as much of a concern as folks may have initially thought.

J.D. Walton – C – Baylor
Walton did a tremendous job in line drills this week, holding his own against a strong group of interior defensive lineman like Terrence Cody and Dan Williams. Walton emerged as the top senior center in this draft, in my opinion.

Dan LeFevour – QB – Central Michigan
The biggest question around LeFevour was whether or not he could play with top talent. He showed this week that he can. While his practices weren’t the best, he really shined in the game, showing the ability to make NFL throws and displaying mobility and athleticism.

Tony Pike – QB – Cincinnati
Pike might have had the most consistent play of any quarterback in Mobile and that certainly helps his cause. While he needs to gain some weight, he showed the potential to develop into a quality NFL quarterback and a potential starter after some time in the league.

LeGarrette Blount – RB – Oregon
Blount had an outstanding week and may have helped himself the most of anyone. After an almost full year suspension, Blount returned for a bowl game for Oregon and played well. However, he appeared slow and a bit sluggish to me and showed a lot of improvement at the Senior Bowl. Blount showed quicker feet than I expected and ran with a lower pad level than before. He doesn’t go down on first contact and he’ll make a nice complimentary back for an NFL team.

Joique Bell – RB – Wayne State
One of the small school guys that I wanted to see play among top tier talent, Bell more than held his own. Bell might have been the most impressive overall running back on both teams this week and gave scouts a reason to go back and look closer at his game tape. Bell will be closely examined during the combine and private workouts, but helped his stock as much as any player out there this week.

Dorin Dickerson – TE – Pittsburgh
Dickerson really impressed me this week. For a guy that was a fullback, who moved to tight end, who played at the Senior Bowl officially as a wide receiver, I’m not sure scouts could expect much more from him. Dickerson has the blocking abilities of a full back and displayed wide receiver like hands at times during practice, showing enough versatility that an NFL team will find a way to get him on the field.

Mike Iupati – G – Idaho
Iupati got off to a great start at the Senior Bowl, having his arms measured at 35″. He was able to use that wingspan along with his strength in blocking drills, easily being the best lineman on the field. Even though he was beat a few times in drills, he always bounced back and corrected his mistakes. A lot of upside for this guy.

Nate Allen – S – South Florida
Nate might have been the most impressive safety on the field this week, and that’s saying something with the talent that was on display. Allen is a big, physical guy and showed the ability to lock up with receivers one on one. With several talented junior safeties declaring, Allen helped himself a lot this week with a strong showing.

Perrish Cox – CB – Oklahoma State
Cox faught hard to be the 2nd rated corner in this class and came close to doing so. Cox looked good in man on man drills and had several interceptions in practice. It appeared that there wasn’t a wide receiver that Cox wasn’t able to cover in Mobile.

Jared Odrick – DT – Penn State
The entire North defensive line was VERY impressive, but Odrick stuck out to me. He continued to show his high motor and did a good job using his hands to get off the blockers. Odrick did well in double team drills, proving even more that he should be able to play a 5 technique in a 3-4 defense.

Brandon Graham – DE/OLB – Michigan
Hands down the most dominate player on the field. Graham was a terror off the edge and no offensive lineman for the South squad could block him during the game. Graham ended up being the MVP of the game with 2 sacks and a forced fumble, and probably assured himself as a top 20 pick come draft day.

Sean Weatherspoon – LB – Missouri
“Spoon” was a fun guy to watch this week as he became an instant leader for the North squad. The coaches had him playing at middle linebacker and he made the transition quite well. Weatherspoon flowed to the ball well, did a nice job dropping into coverage and even excelled on special teams coverage for the North.

Daryl Washington – LB – TCU
Similarly to Weatherspoon, Washington was playing in a different position for the North team. Daryl played inside linebacker at TCU but lined up outside in the North’s 4-3 defense. Washington did a very nice job, covering tight ends surprisingly well as well as coming up big in run support.

Kyle Wilson – CB – Boise State
To me, Wilson may have locked down the 2nd corner spot in the draft. Wilson played very physically, using his body well when able to play press coverage and showed a willingness to come up in run support. Wilson matched up well with every receiver he faced, doing an equally nice job in zone and man coverages.

Chris Cook – CB – Virginia
While he wasn’t the best cover corner on the field, Cook may have been the most physical. At 6′1″ 212 lbs, Cook will certainly be tried out by NFL teams as a safety as well and that may end up being his best position. Either way, the physical nature of his play all week grabbed the attention of NFL scouts.

Stock DOWN

Tim Tebow – QB – Florida
Tebow proved to the world what some of us weren’t afraid to say earlier….he just doesn’t look like an NFL quarterback. He had a lot of trouble playing under center during the first part of the week and his mechanics looked as poor as ever. The elongated delivery really stuck out as his passes took forever to get to their intended target and he was even stripped during his windup during the game.

Ciron Black – OT – LSU
Black was absolutely ABUSED by Brandon Graham during the game as he just wasn’t able to block him. He showed that he doesn’t have the footwork to play left tackle in the NFL as speed rushers will take advantage of him all day long.

Danario Alexander – WR – Missouri
I was hoping for a lot more from Alexander but an injury slowed him down at the end of the week and during the game. Alexander started off strong but wasn’t able to finish and concerns over his injury history will certainly continue to come up as the draft gets closer.

Trevard Lindley – CB – Kentucky
Lindley looked lost to me all week. I’m not sure if he didn’t care or if he just can’t focus but he seemed to be off in his own world during practice. Lindley had a little bit of hype coming into the Senior Bowl and that is now long gone.

Syd’Quan Thompson – CB – California
Another corner I was hoping to see something from only left me wanting more. Thompson had a few flashes during practice, but mainly looked average in coverage. Thompson also missed the game with a groin injury.

Taylor Mays – S – USC
Mays really needed a good week as he saw his stock take a huge hit after a lackluster senior season. Mays continued going for the big hit instead of wrapping up the ball carrier and had a hard time gathering his feet, flipping his hips and getting to the ball while in deep coverage. Though he did have an interception during the game, the quarterback telegraphed the play to the point that a high school defensive back could have read the play.

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Interview: Brandon Graham

Will Spencer — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 06:45:23 +0000

Probably the best player at the Senior Bowl practices and in the game, Michigan DE/OLB Brandon Graham was a force on the field. Graham won the Senior Bowl MVP award after recording two sacks and a forced fumble in the dominate win for the North team. I had a chance to talk to Brandon a few times during the week. Here’s the first transcript of our first conversation.

Spencer: What’s your Senior Bowl experience been like so far?

Graham: The tempo is fast and I expected it. That’s all I’ve been practicing for. I feel like I did good today. I was kind of sad because one of my boys, O’Brien Schofield, tore his knee up today. So he won’t be participating no more. I talked to him for a minute and told him that I’m gonna keep him in my prayers and I’ll keep going for him. Stuff happens for a reason, so you just have to keep fighting.

Spencer: Did you plan all along to play in the Senior Bowl if you were invited, or was it something you had to really think about?

Graham: No, it’s always an honor to get invited somewhere. Especially for what you’re doing. It’s like an accomplishment and a privilege, like they say and I appreciate it.

Spencer: What are you trying to show scouts while you’re here?

Graham: Just trying to show that my motor’s always going. I love football and I just wanna make plays and sack the quarterback.

Spencer: You’ve matched up against some pretty good offensive lineman out here. Who has given you the toughest time in practice?

Graham: Uh, I forgot his name…from UMass.

Spencer: Ducasse?

Graham: Yeah, Ducasse. I’ve only seen him in team drills, but not in one on one. I did see the one from Virginia Tech (Wang).

Spencer: What about on your side of the ball. Who’s impressed you so far?

Graham: Jared Odrick. That boy’s a good player and he’s got a motor, too. He always keeps going and I can’t wait to see him in the game.

Spencer: Where do you think you fit in best in the NFL? Do you think you’re a 3-4 outside linebacker or do you feel confident you can play 4-3 defensive end at the next level?

Graham: I don’t really wanna say because I’m willing to do 4-3, 3-4, it doesn’t matter. I like linebacker a lot. I’ll say it like that. But I’ll play wherever the coaches want me to play.

Spencer: Do you feel pretty comfortable dropping into coverage?

Graham: Oh yeah. I feel real good. I’ve been working on my hips, working on my drops every day in practice for Michigan. It’s almost the same but it’s a little different. With a little coaching from NFL guys, I believe I’ll get it done.

Spencer: Is there a difference working with an NFL coaching staff than with the staff at Michigan?

Graham: It’s almost the same. Since they’re teaching all basic kind of stuff, it’s kind of the same. But the intensity is there, the way they do it in practice, But they’re NFL guys, so of course they’re better than college guys. But at the same time, I believe it’s all the same thing so you just have to buy into it.

Spencer: Did you grow up with a favorite NFL player?

Graham: Ray Lewis. That’s my guy. I try to just go hard like him. He works out so hard from everybody I hear. I just see him out there and it shows out there on the field. That’s what I wanted to be. I wanna show how hard I put in to it, how much hard work I put into it, so I just appreciate this opportunity.

Spencer: What would it be like to get drafted by the Ravens and play next to your childhood idol?

Graham: Hey, they would love Brandon Graham. I would bring the passion for the game and you’d just know that you have 100% coming.

Spencer: What would it be like for you having Ray Lewis behind you and Terrell Suggs on the other side?

Graham: That’d be nice right there. That’s scary. First off, not only is Ray Lewis a great player, he’s a mentor. He’d teach me a whole lot. That’d be a good fit, just on the football stand point. I’ve never met him as a person but I keep hearing good things about him.

Spencer: What are you looking forward to the most throughout the rest of the draft process?

Graham: I’m looking forward to tomorrow and then the Senior Bowl. Then running in the 4.5s. I’m trying and I’m working. I’m excited because I like when people doubt me. That’s just a challegenge and I like challenges and I’m gonna try to fulfill it. And if I don’t, then I gave it my all and that’s all I can say.

Spencer: One thing we can’t doubt is your ability to get to the quarterback. What goes through your head as you come around the corner and have the QB in your sights?

Graham: Hey, get out of my way. You better get out of my way because I’m coming.

Spencer: Thanks a lot for your time, Brandon.

Graham: No problem!

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Senior Bowl Blog: Gameday

Will Spencer — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 20:35:33 +0000

Depth Charts

Final rosters have been updated and here are the official depth charts for the Senior Bowl.

North Offense

WR: Jacoby Ford — Mardy Gilyard — Donald Jones
LT: Ed Wang — Vladimir Ducasse
LG: Zane Beadles — Shawn Lauvao
C: Eric Olsen — Matt Tennant
RG: Mike Iupati
RT: Sam Young — Thomas Welch
TE: Ed Dickson — Garrett Graham — Mike Hoomanawanui
WR: Taylor Price — Dorin Dickerson — Danario Alexander
QB: Tony Pike — Sean Canfield — Dan LeFevour
FB: Rashawn Jackson — Cory Jackson
RB: Joique Bell — LeGarrette Blount — Lonyae Miller

South Defense

LE: Alex Carrington — Tyson Alualu
DT: Jared Odrick — Cam Thomas
DT: Mike Neal — D’Anthony Smith
RE: Brandon Graham — Austen Lane
OLB: AJ Edds, Koa Misi — Justin Cole
MLB: Sean Weatherspoon — Donald Butler — Phillip Dillard
OLB: Daryl Washington — Phillip Dillard — Sean Weatherspoon
LCB: Kyle Wilson — Brandon Ghee
RCB: Devin McCourty — Chris Cook — Syd’Quan Thompson
SS: Larry Asante — Terrell Skinner
FS: Kurt Coleman — Kyle McCarthy

North Special Teams
PK: Brett Swenson
P: Zoltan Mesko
H: Tony Pike — Zoltan Mesko
LS: Mike Windt
PR: Mardy Gilyard — Jacoby Ford — Kyle Wilson
KR: Mardy Gilyard — Devin McCourty — Jacoby Ford

North Offense

WR: Riley Cooper — Andre Roberts — Shay Hodge
LT: Ciron Black — Selvish Capers
LG: Mike Johnson — Mitch Petrus
C: Jeff Byers — JD Walton
RG: John Jerry — Ted Larsen
RT: Chris Scott
TE: Anthony McCoy — Colin Peek — Jimmy Graham
WR: Jeremy Williams — Joe Webb
QB: Tim Tebow — Jarrett Brown — Zac Robinson
FB: Anthony Dixon — John Conner
RB: Dexter McCluster — Ben Tate — Stafon Johnson — Roy Upchurch

South Defense

LE: Brandon Lang — CJ Wilson — Antonio Coleman
DT: Dan Williams — Lamarr Houston — Jeff Owens
DT: Terrence Cody — Geno Atkins
RE: Cameron Sheffield — George Selvie
OLB: Eric Norwood — Dekoda Watson
MLB: Jamar Chaney — Roddrick Muckelroy
OLB: Daryl Sharpton
LCB: Perrish Cox — Javier Arenas — Trevard Lindley
RCB: Patrick Robinson — Jerome Murphy
SS: Myron Rolle — Harry Coleman
FS: Taylor Mays — Nate Allen

South Special Teams

PK: Leigh Tiffin
P: Matt Dodge
LS: Morgan Cox

Pre-game Experience

We spent the first several hours before game day walking around and visiting with tailgaters. We gave away a ton of free drink koozies, which worked out well on a chilly day. It was kind of cool to be walking around later in the day and see our site logo all over the place. Fans from all the major college teams of the south were out in full force. Usually, Alabama fans dominate the tail gates but this year, Florida fans gave them a run for their money. We met some great fans, some of which were casual, others were a bit crazy. You’ll see some of them when we get our Senior Bowl pictures up later on. Everything from Superman capes with a “T” for Tim Tebow instead of the “S” to fans covered in blue and orange paint. This Senior Bowl was different and like him or not, Tim Tebow is the reason for that.

Before the game started, I ran into Syd’Quan Thompson in the tunnel, and saw that he wasn’t wearing his pads. I asked him what was up and he said that he tweaked his groin. During player introduction, I stood on the field with the South team as they were being introduced. The feeling in the air was electric and the players were very focused. Every player that was from Alabama was welcomed with roars from the crowd, even the place kicker, Leigh Tiffin. However, no player received a bigger welcome than Tim Tebow, of course. That was the loudest I have ever heard Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

Game Story

From the opening kick off, the North team set the tone. Dexter McCluster received the kick and Missouri LB Sean Weatherspoon slipped through blockers and made an outstanding tackle. The first drive for the South team, led by Tim Tebow, was indicative of the rest of the night for the South; unproductive. The North team dominated the game from the opening kick off to the final snap, winning 31-13.

On the offensive side, Cincinnati WR Mardy Gilyard was the star of the day. He finished the game with 5 catches for 103 yards and a touchdown in the victory. Gilyard had an up and down week, but really came alive once the game started. He abused Alabama CB Javier Arenas on a deep route, catching a 32 yard touchdown pass from Dan LeFevour in the 4th quarter.

Sean Weatherspoon was one of the most impressive players on defense. Weatherspoon, affectionately referred to as “Spoon,” was solid on defense and in special teams. The Lions coaching staff had “Spoon” playing middle linebacker, even though he played outside linebacker for Missouri. Not only was Sean always around the ball carrier, he was clearly the leader on a very talented North team defense. Sean kept the North team fired up on the sidelines and was observed dancing in between plays.

Tim Tebow failed to impress in the game, fumbling twice and never looking comfortable in the pocket. On one play in the 4th quarter, Tebow was stripped while he was in his throwing motion, highlighting just how elongated his delivery is. He was unable to make plays with his feet, rushing four times for only four yards. Tebow’s longest completion was only 11 yards as he never appeared to have any chemistry with this receivers. Tebow has solidified the negatives that scouts have pointed out and did not help his stock in the game.

If you were following along with my posts and Tweets all week, you could tell that Brandon Graham was my favorite player. Graham dominated in practice and continued that trend in the game tonight. The defensive end from Michigan made OT Ciron Black look like he was wearing cement shoes as he ran by him with ease, registering two sacks and a forced fumble for the North. Graham looked exactly as he did throughout his career at Michigan; always in the backfield and always going at full speed.

Central Michgan QB Dan LeFevour had a pretty solid outing, showing mobility and displaying a variety of throws. Though one of his passes to the sideline hung in the air like a blimp, he bounced back. LeFevour finished the game going 5 of 10 for 97 yards and one touchdown, adding another touchdown with his legs.

After the game, Weatherspoon gathered the North players into a huddle at the center of the field, telling them he would see them all again soon, and leading them in a “North Side!” cheer. I then talked with both Mardy Gilyard and Sean Weatherspoon of the North squads. I could tell during the game that both of them were the leaders of the North squad, but it really showed when I spoke to them. Both Gilyard and Weatherspoon, at separate times, both described how the North squad came together as a team. “When we first came here, we was like this (showing his hand open); five single fingers. A whole bunch of individuals,” said Gilyard after the victory. “When we came in on Wednesday, we took all those fingers and went like this (making a fist). We made a mighty fist. And I just told them, look at the scoreboard. A mighty fist can deliver a serious blow.” When I talked to Sean Weatherspoon aftewards, he said almost exactly what Gilyard told me.

Looking back at today’s game, it was kind of nice how things worked out. All week I’ve been talking about how physical the North defensive players are and how impressive Brandon Graham has been. Lucky for me, the game worked out where the South only scored one touchdown and Brandon Graham was the game’s MVP. It was a pretty one sided affair as the South just wasn’t able to compete well with the North defense.

Check back soon for a full report of who helped their stock this week in Mobile, and who showed that they might not have what it takes to play in the NFL.

Check back soon and be sure to follow us on Twitter, @draftbreakdown, for up to the minute updates from the Senior Bowl. View our time line for how quick we’re getting updates out.

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Interview: Dexter McCluster

Will Spencer — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 07:11:49 +0000

One of my favorite guys at the Senior Bowl has been the speedy all-purpose back, Dexter McCluster. Dexter has stolen the show in Mobile and is really flashing his explosiveness when the ball is in his hands. I had the chance to sit down with Dexter and talk about his Senior Bowl experience and how he thinks he’ll be utilized at the next level. Continue reading below for the full transcript of our conversation.

Spencer: Alright, I’m just gonna throw it out there. How often do you get mistaken for Lil’ Wayne?

McCluster: All the time man. All the time. Some people come up to me and are like ‘Are you Lil’ Wayne?’ I’m like, ‘Nah, I’ve got the gap, he’s got the grill’ (pointing to his teeth), so I’m good.

Spencer: What’s your Senior Bowl experience been like so far?

McCluster: Ah man, it’s been great. Coming in to it, people told me about it but you can never imagine something like this. It’s a once in a life time type deal. So I’m enjoying it, enjoying talking to everybody, including you, (laughs) and all the teams. Practice is great. It’s fast tempo and everything is just going. We’re learning with NFL coaches, so you can’t go wrong.

Spencer: What have the coaches been talking to you about or wanting to see from you on the practice field?

McCluster: Well, they wanna really see me do more special teams. I had been pushing to do that in college but they gave me that deal of ‘we don’t wanna get you hurt, we wanna keep you fresh because you’re kind of the engine of this team.’ So I was just like, just let me loose, let me do it. But they’ll let me do it now in the Senior Bowl. They wanna see me play slot receiver, which I know I can, I’ve just got to show them that I can do it. But pretty much I’ll be every where, so I’ll be ready.

Spencer: You’re kind of a jack of all trades, but what’s your favorite thing? Do you like to run the ball more, catch more, return more, what do you prefer?

McCluster: I’ll say this. I like the ball in my hands early. I feel like I can make some good decisions with it in my hands early.

Spencer: What’s the best thing that you bring to the table for an NFL team? If I’m a scout and you can tell me one thing about your game to make me draft you, what would that be?

McCluster: I would say my heart, my passion and my dedication. My heart is so big, man. A lot of people come to me all the time and say ‘You’re 165 pounds, how do you do it?’ And I look at them and tell them, you know what? I’ve got the heart of a lion. I’m not scared of nobody. I’m gonna compete and go toe to toe with you and we’ll see what happens.

Spencer: Was there ever a doubt in your mind that you’d participate in the Senior Bowl, or was this something that you really had to think about before making a decision?

McCluster: It’s another opportunity to compete and just show that I’m an all around player. You may look at me and think that I’m on the small side but at the end of the day, I’m gonna show you that I’m a big guy.

Spencer: What does the success of smaller backs like Chris Johnson, Maurice Jones-Drew and Ray Rice do for you and your draft stock?

McCluster: It helps me out. Just seeing them have that type of success at the next level just shows that, you know what, I can do that too.

Spencer: Are there any particular NFL players that you like to model your game after?

McCluster: You just said one, Chris Johnson, and Barry Sanders. That’s my man right there, man.

Spencer: What are you looking forward to the most throughout the draft process?

McCluster: I’m looking forward to just showcasing my abilities. Just letting them know that I’m an all around football player. That’s what I’m looking foward to.

Spencer: Have you had a chance to interview with any teams yet?

McCluster: I have. It’s been good. I’ve sat down with the Buccaneers, talked to them a little bit. Of course the Dolphins, since they’re coaching us and a couple more people. It’s been good. I’m just getting some feedback from them and them feeling me out and me feeling them out, and hopefully building a relationship with them.

Spencer: What are scouts saying to you about how they’d like to use you for their team in the NFL?

McCluster: Slot receiver and returner. Some of them say, maybe we can use you as a change of pace back, which I’d have no objections. So if they ask me, where do I see myself in the NFL, I say, ‘I see myself where ever you put me.’

Spencer: Do you have any particular draft day goals? Is it important for you to be drafted in a certain round?

McCluster: Yeah, you always wanna go first round. That’s been my goal, that’s my passion. So I’m gonna keep working at it and see what happens. If it doesn’t happen, whatever round I’m in, I’m gonna make sure I stay with it.

Spencer: What kind of 40 time do you think you’ll run at the Combine?

McCluster: In the 4.3 range.

Spencer: Thanks a lot Dexter, I really appreciate your time.

McCluster: No, thank you, man.

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Interview: Mardy Gilyard

Will Spencer — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 06:37:21 +0000

During Senior Bowl week, I had the pleasure of talking with Cincinnati WR Mardy Gilyard. Mardy was great and very vocal about his abilities and how things are going during Senior Bowl week. We talked about everything from Tim Tebow to Santonio Holmes, and he was very complimentary of the Detroit Lions coaching staff. Continue reading below for the full transcript of my chat with Gilyard.

Spencer: What’s your overall impression of the Senior Bowl so far?

Gilyard: Like I said the first day, everybody here is real.Back at school you play a lot of guys that go to smaller schools and can’t compete. But everybody here in NFL ready. The DBs are good, all the guys I’m going against are good. Everybody’s working hard to adapt to the speed of the game because mostly everybody out here is fast. These last couple of days I’ve just noticed that the North team, man, we’re starting to come together.

Spencer: What have you been learning from the Lions coaching staff while you’ve been here?

Gilyard: Oh man, it’s like, what haven’t they worked on with us? Coach Jefferson and Coach Todd (Downing), both of those guys are just excellent. They don’t shoot it to us sideways, they give it to us straight forward. Regardless of whether you like it or not because there’s times where we definitely don’t like what’s coming out of their mouths. But, it’s not for us to like those guys, it’s for us to get better and be successful in the league and those are the kind of coaches we need. So I just want to say kudos to Coach Jefferson and Coach Todd (Downing) for just getting us right. They’re starting to get us right and we’re getting better and better every day. I’ve probably learned more in the last couple days from these guys than I’ve learned in a while from playing the game of football. So those guys are working us.

Spencer: What’s the one thing you’ve been able to improve that the Lions staff has been able to help you with?

Gilyard: My route running. They’re helping me understand the route running and the route tree as it pertains to the NFL level. I’m able to get in and out of my breaks a little bit better. They’re just working on the fundamentals and mechanics of being a wide receiver with me and it’s helping me a lot.

Spencer: This Senior Bowl is a little bit different with all the extra attention on Tim Tebow. Is it a distraction for you or are you just trying to stay focused on your game?

Gilyard: Well, it isn’t a distraction for us because he’s on the South team. I can imagine how those guys on the South team feel though. Nobody here is getting attention for anything. It’s the Tebow show. He’s a rock star. I mean, you have other top guys in the game like myself, Stafon Johnson of USC, Taylor Mays of USC, Devin McCourty of Rutgers, [Kyle] Wilson of Boise State, I could name on and on. Asante from Nebraska, I could go on and on. My man Vladimir from UMass. I could go on and on and on about great players that are here, but you would never know. Probably no one is hearing about them because it’s Tebow’s show down here. He’s a rock star. You see little kids in the lobby with helmets on and his jersey on playing play football. I was listening to the radio yesterday down here in Mobile and even fans are tired of hearing about Tebow. They’re calling into radio shows saying ‘can we hear anything about any other athletes?’ But on the North side, we don’t get caught up in that because he’s not a part of our team. But I honestly feel bad for the guys on the South team because they aren’t getting credit for anything.

Spencer: I agree with you but I can tell you this. I don’t think the NFL scouts are paying as much attention to Tebow as the media is. They’re watching guys like you. Now looking at your game, what would you say is the strongest aspect of your game?

Gilyard: I’m versatile. I can come in immediately and help a team on special teams. I can play my role under those veteran receivers and learn the game a little bit better and also help those guys as a receiver as well. I’ve shown that I can go outside, I can play inside in the slot and I’ve shown my ability as a kick returner and a punt returner. So the main thing I can bring to the table is just being a versatile player.

Spencer: Are there any current NFL players that you model your game after?

Gilyard: Santonio Holmes. Everybody in Cincinnati kind of calls Santonio my twin, as funny as that sounds, because we just favor each other so much the way we play the game. I can’t explain it. Even in the Super Bowl when Santonio caught that ball, I remember a fan had a picture of Santonio and me on the sidelines in the Orange Bowl. It showed his picture with the catch and both feet in bounds in the end zone and then it shows me and my one foot down, over at the Orange Bowl. So it’s just little things like that. Every time he does something people are like ‘Hey Mardy, you see your twin on TV?’ And of course, both of us are from Florida, so that kind of falls into play. Santonio when to Ohio State and I was at Cincy, so it’s nice. It’s nice to just follow somebody like that because I take so much from the game from watching him and he probably doesn’t even know I watch him like that. But just watching that guy and enjoying the game. I enjoy watching what he does. I like it…it helps me do a lot of things.

Spencer: Before the play starts and you’re looking across the line of scrimmage at the defensive back, what’s going through your head?

Gilyard: I don’t even look at the DB at first. I actually scan my triangle and I kind of take a glimpse at the DB. I take a glimpse at the linebacker to see where he is. I’ll take a glimpse at the corner and kind of see where everyone is at. Then I focus in on the corner after I get my reads from my triangle. And of course, I’m really a noise talker out there. You’d never think that from seeing me off the field. The game’s mental too as well. If you can get in that guy’s head before the snap comes off, then you’ve won half of the battle right then. The best thing about corners is, and Deion Sanders is a prime example, he was really patient. So if you can get a corner to be impatient, then definitely you can win as a wide receiver. That’s what good wide receivers do, they get corners to be impatient. So if I can get them to get their concentration off of focusing on me and try to get them focusing on the personal level of what they can and can’t do to me, then that’s when I’ve got them.

Spencer: Are you working out anywhere in particular coming up to the Combine?

Gilyard: Yeah, I’m working out with Cliff Marshall down in Naples with Ignition.

Spencer: Mardy, I appreciate you taking your time out for me and I wish you the best of luck this week and in the Draft!

Gilyard: No problem!

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Senior Bowl Blog: Friday

Will Spencer — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 04:40:08 +0000

Walk through practices

Today was a very uneventful day at the Senior Bowl. Both teams were on the field for one hour each having walk through practices. Players didn’t even wear helmets in the walk-throughs and the tempo was very light and relaxed. Not sure why, but not even the media was allowed on the field after practices this morning, so no post practice interviews today.

I learned today that Missouri WR Danario Alexander is sitting out and may be missing the game with a hamstring injury. We didn’t see him at practice yesterday but were unable to find out why. **EDIT** I’ve heard that Alexander’s injury is a knee injury now and that he plans on playing in the game.

Tonight was “meet the players” night at the Mobile Convention Center and fans came out in full force to see their favorite players. In fact, the Senior Bowl staff stated that fans started lining up as early as 4:30 in the morning to see Tim Tebow. When we took a ride by the Convention Center at around 12:30 pm, the line was out the door already. With a heavy rain and a Mardi Gras parade (which was canceled), we didn’t risk heading back over there to see the final crowd.

Tonight I’ll be working on getting some of these interview transcripts up and we’ll be giving live Twitter updates from Ladd-Peebles Stadium tomorrow starting at around 12:00 CST.

Check back soon and be sure to follow us on Twitter, @draftbreakdown, for up to the minute updates from the Senior Bowl. View our time line for how quick we’re getting updates out.

Click Here to return to Draft Breakdown’s Senior Bowl coverage page!

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Senior Bowl Blog: Thursday

Will Spencer — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:17:41 +0000

North Team Practice

The crowd today at North practice was much smaller than usual as most scouts and NFL personnel have already left Mobile. The players weren’t in pads today, wearing helmets and shorts for the duration. Though there was no contact, it was a good day to examine some fundamentals of each player, like footwork, body control and hands. Here’s our notes from this morning.

LeGarrette Blount looked smooth in bag drills this morning. Good body control and quick feet made him stand out among the other backs.

Dan LeFevour was throwing the ball with more zip today than he has all week. Hopefully he can continue do that in the game on Saturday as that’s been my biggest concern with him.

Tony Pike looked smooth throwing the ball today. He showed leadership in drills, clapping his hands and yelling for the receivers to hustle up to the line. In 7-7 drills, he had some very sharp throws, including a bullet strike to Ed Dickson in the endzone.

Taylor Price is very up and down. I’m not buying into him like McShay is at this point. Though he’s flashed some potential, he’s dropping too many balls for me to consider him an early round pick at this point. He’s doing a good job getting separation in coverage and made a nice move on Brandon Ghee in 7-7 drills.

Donald Jones, the WR from Youngstown State, is someone I’m really looking forward to see playing on Saturday. He’s flashing some route running ability and is doing a good job of catching with his hands, not letting the ball into his body.

Virginia CB Chris Cook continues to impress me. He’s very physical as a corner and isn’t afraid to put his body on the line to break up the pass. Cook had a very impressive interception while covering Mardy Gilyard in the end zone today off a Sean Canfield pass.

Brandon Ghee continued his relatively solid performance getting some decent break ups in 7-7 drills.

Rutgers CB Devin McCourty looked good in press coverage today during 7-7 goal line drills. He was able to keep Jacoby Ford from getting a clean release on a few occasions.

Thomas Welch recieved praise from coaches often and displayed quick feet, good change of direction skills, and for such a tall player played with good leverage. He kept his pad level low, bent at the knees and kept his elbows in. His stock is clearly on the rise and was a great late addition.

Sam Young - In cone drills really rounded off and the Lions O-Line Coach (George Yarno) didn’t seem happy with him. He hasn’t had a very good week.

Mike Iupati – He is impressively quick for a man of his size and eally got around the cones quickly, showing great agility. His base is solid and he plays with great pad level.

Shawn Luavo – Had a poor outing this morning. In the position drills he looked very slow and was playing too far over his body (almost like he was falling forward). This is what we call a heavy-legged waist bender. He rounded off on all of the cone drills. Might be successful in a run based offense as mauling gaurd but he isn’t athletic enough to pull and is poor in pass protection.

Zane Beadles – Looked very quick and played well in the positional drills.

Ed Wang – Goofy, but in a good way. Fun guy to be around. His footwork looked a little sloppy in the cone drills. He did have good knee bend but he didn’t really drive with his legs.

Vladamir Ducasse – Didn’t really impress as much this morning as he had the rest of the week. He had slow change of direction skills in the cone drills and when asked to finish out the drill running straight ran on an angle. Still has a very powerful base and impressed overall, but agility is a question. He might be best suited as a Guard.

Eric Olsen – average morning. looked a little slow at times.

Matthew Tennant – Quick feet, solid base, good hip movement. His upper body is his only question but he does play with good leverage to make up for it.

As for teams talking to players after practice, there really wasn’t much activity for that. As stated earlier, most scouts have already left Mobile to review practice film and start their full analysis of players. I also missed the very end of practice as I was in the middle of an phone interview on ESPN Radio Oklahoma’s “Sports Morning” show.

South team practice coming up later today, but it’s expected that they’ll be in shorts as well with more fans than scouts present.

South Team Practice

The final real practice for the South team drew the usual crowd, but just the like the North practice, only a limited number of scouts attended. The South players were wearing shorts and helmets, just like the North practice and the tempo seemed just as light. Lots of work on special teams today and team drills.

Alabama TE Colin Peek and Ole Miss WR Shay Hodge didn’t participate in practice today. They were on the field with the team, but didn’t participate in drills.

Before the start of practice, USC TE Anthony McCoy was off to the side with Dolphins TEs coach George DeLeone. McCoy was getting extra instruction on the correct way to line up in a three point stance and how to explode out of that stance for blocking. McCoy later showed that he was listening to Coach DeLeone as he had perfect form in his blocking during team drills.

Former QB and current WR from UAB, Joe Webb, was doing a good job in team drills today. He’s pretty physical and has a good frame at 6′3″ 223 lbs. Webb uses his body well to shield the defender from the ball, something that some receivers never develop. He’s still very raw and it shows. He took an awful angle to try and block for Dexter McCluster on an outside run.

Tim Tebow continued to be unimpressive to me. Though he’s got a handle on the snaps now and his footwork is looking pretty good, there’s just nothing that wows me about his passes. Tebow will occasionally throw a very pretty deep ball, but it’s the routine throws that he has the most trouble with. The out passes take a tremendously long time and he missed on a few easy short throws today. On the other hand, Tebow threw an absolute strike down the seam to Anthony McCoy in team drills and did an excellent job in play action passes….especially ones that led to bootlegs. Tebow was also seen joking with Florida State CB Patrick Robinson, jokingly blocking him well after the play.

Jarrett Brown and Zac Robinson both seemed pretty timid throwing the ball today. While the South team secondary does a great job in coverage, both Brown and Robinson held onto the ball too long and didn’t attempt tight throws. I also wonder if Brown sees the whole field while he’s out there as he missed open receivers on several plays today. Jarrett did have a nice strike to Andre Roberts for a touchdown, splitting two defenders in tight coverage.

Miami TE Jimmy Graham had a nice catch in the end zone during goal line drills, but dropped an easy one later in practice. He looked exceptionally fluid, catching balls and running precise routes.

There was a lot of trouble with the South defensive ends today against the outside run. George Selvie, Cameron Sheffield and CJ Wilson did poor jobs setting the edge against the rush and staying at home. Selvie bought a great play action fake from Tebow, allowing the QB to roll easily to the outside. Cameron Sheffield got caught chasing the ball up field and was burned on a reverse.

Anthony Dixon of Mississippi State stuck out today among the South team running backs. Dixon looked pretty nimble hitting the hole and squeezing through tight gaps.

Antonio Coleman sniffed out a trick play in which a toss to Brandon Tate was meant to be thrown back to quarterback Zac Robinson. Coleman didn’t buy it and stayed right beside Robinson, forcing Tate to stop his throw and attempt to run with the ball.

Riley Cooper caught some good passes today along the sidelines, but he appeared to cut his route short on a deep pass from Jarrett Brown that looked very catchable. Riley made some plays later in the practice, especially in the end zone. Cooper does a good job fighting for the ball when it’s in the air.

Tulane WR Jeremy Williams muffed a kickoff return in drills.

In 7-7 drills, Patrick Robinson looked pretty sharp. He stayed tight in coverage on Joe Webb, tipping a Zac Robinson pass into the air and then intercepting it. However, he also was burned by Riley Cooper in the corner of the end zone where he didn’t turn back and look for the ball while it was in the air, allowing Cooper to make an easy catch.

Trevard Lindley has yet to impress me this week. Joe Webb made him look silly on a comeback route that was easily caught.

Dekoda Watson made an outstanding play on a pass while covering Jimmy Graham, breaking up a pass from Zac Robinson in the end zone.

Dexter McCluster continues to impress. Even though he’s already short, he still runs low to the ground, making him an even smaller target to tackle. McCluster completely disappears behind offensive lineman, making it very difficult for the defense to see him. Dexter also is showing just how fast he really is, when running at 3/4 speed, he still out runs his blockers in kick return drills.

Harry Coleman does a nice job coming up in run support for a safety. He can make his way through traffic and find the ball carrier pretty well.

Auburn RB Ben Tate dropped a very easy short pass today, making me wonder even more about his abilities to catch out of the backfield.

Punter Matt Dodge was getting great hangtime and height on his punts. He’s had a quiet, but solid week.

John Jerry was listening well to coaching in the positional drills and rarely made the same mistake twice. However, he does look a little weak in the lower body.

Mike Johnson looks very strong and compact, received a lot of praise from the coaches.

Chris Scott got some praise as well for his knee bend and punch.

JD Walton impressed yet again. He displayed nimble feet, great knee bend, and a really strong first punch. He has made himself a lot of money this week.

Selvish Capers looks very athletic and has a great kick slide. He looks comfortable, but his run blocking and push is still questionable.

Just like in the North practice, most players didn’t meet with scouts afterward today. However, I did overhear that JD Walton, the C from Baylor, has a private meeting with the Indianapolis Colts tonight.

Check back soon and be sure to follow us on Twitter, @draftbreakdown, for up to the minute updates from the Senior Bowl. View our time line for how quick we’re getting updates out.

Click Here to return to Draft Breakdown’s Senior Bowl coverage page!

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Senior Bowl Blog: Wednesday

Will Spencer — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 19:17:09 +0000

North Team Practice

This morning’s North team practice was filled with excitement and energy from the players and coaches. As usual, Missouri LB Sean Weatherspoon led the charge on this, keeping his team mates fired up after every big hit. Lots of cheers and yelling from the players throughout practice as their intensity remained high. I saw numerous head coaches this morning, including Ravens HC John Harbaugh, Seahawks HC Pete Carroll, Steelers HC Mike Tomlin, Bucs HC Raheem Morris, Rams HC Steve Spagnolo, Falcons HC Mike Smith and 49ers HC Mike Singletary.

There were a few additions to the roster: Cory Jackson, Maryland FB, Thomas Welch, Vanderbilt OT, and Donald Jones, WR Youngstown State.

I started the practice by watching the defensive linemen drills. There were several scouts from the Saints, Redskins, Jaguars, rams and Eagles watching as well as Rams HC Steve Spagnolo, Falcons HC Mike Smith and Bengals DC Mike Zimmer. As usual, Brandon Graham looked terrific. He was really flashing his speed and athleticism in the bag drills. Austen Lane struggled early. He really seems raw as a pass rusher, but does have the physical tools to play the position. Jared Odrick and Tyson Alualu struggled with their footwork, looking out of control at times. They made up for it later in team drills though, looking tough in the trenches.

Turning my attention to the linebackers, Sean Weatherspoon looks very good, as usual. Something I hadn’t noticed before in teams drills is that the North is playing Spoon at MLB, and he seems to be doing very well. Donald Butler of Washington has a tendency to get a little high when back pedaling for coverage, but had a solid day overall. Koa Misi displayed pretty good footwork at the linebacker spot for a guy that was a full time defensive end at Utah. TCU OLB Daryl Washington has impressed me. He’s all over the field in coverage, displaying speed that is good enough to run with most tight ends and running backs. Washington is also a physical player, always getting a nice pop on the ball carrier.

Here are some other notes from this morning’s North Practice:

Sean Weatherspoon was playing very fast and was moving from sideline to sideline with ease. He did have some problems in his drops (not getting back fast enough) and let a few balls get over his head because of this. He also got inside Vladamir Ducasse on one running play and anchored well. Weatherspoon was playing MLB in the Lions Staffs 4-3 defense. He played pretty well and he might have a future there.

Tony Pike had a disapointing morning. He was late on a few balls, one that ending up getting intercepted by Chris Cook (Virginia) on a pass to Mardy Gilyard. He looked very awkward on his rollouts and most of the balls he threw on the run were down at the receivers knees.

Syd’Quan Thompson had an up and down day. Sometimes he stayed right in the receivers hip pocket in coverage, other times he was left behind. Syd was beat deep by Pitt TE Dorin Dickerson today, something that cannot happen at the next level.

Brandon Ghee has a solid performance today. He made several good plays on the ball and was rarely out of position in coverage. Ghee did have one play where he tried to wrap up Dorin Dickerson around the head and Dickerson just stuck his head down and ran right by him. He needs to tackle lower, especially on someone with the strength and body control of Dickerson.

Danario Alexander had an outstanding day running routes. He seems crisp in his route running and really worked the middle of the field well. Danario also showed some physicality by fighting defensive backs for the ball, and usually winning. He ran some of the best routes of the day and got separation deep, which is something that was questioned before this week. He also has great body control and knows how to shield the defender from the ball. He is making himself a lot of money this week and is a legitimate 2nd round pick right now.

Chris Cook had a very good day in coverage. He’s showing that he’s a physical defensive back that will stick his head in on tackles and fight for the ball. During team drills, he read Tony Pike like a book and jumped an out route pass to Mardy Gilyard, intercepting it with ease.

Dorin Dickerson had one of the best days out there. When passes come near him he just clamps down on the ball, snagging it out of the air. Dickerson also had a fantastic over the shoulder catch on a deep pass from Tony Pike, in which he beat Syd’Quan Thompson.

Jacoby Ford had a nice day of practice and he’s showing that he may be a versatile receiving threat. He caught passes all over the field, including a nice deep pass from Tony Pike.

LeGarrette Blount had another strong outing. He’s really playing well out there when he runs between the tackles. First contact just will not bring this guy down. He looked quick on his feet and was patient but quick through the hole. He ran less upright than we’re used to seeing, which is a good sign.

In team drills, Brandon Graham was impressive again. He’s continuing his trend from college of always being in the backfield as he’s just too quick for most of the North team blockers.

Ed Dickson was also impressive today as a receiver/route runner. He showed outstanding body control on a few tough catches.

Mardy Gilyard didn’t have too many catches this morning, but he ways always going 100% and was giving a good effort blocking down the field.

Mike Iupati had a good practice and showed great quickness in short areas. On one play he pulled offensive right and completely took two defenders out of the play.

Joique Bell caught several passes from out of the backfield today, showing sure hands and quickness to the outside. Bell also has a nice juke move while in open space.

Sean Canfield placed a beautiful ball over the head of Brandon Graham who was in coverage on the play. He didn’t take too many snaps today, but overall he impressed.

Vladimir Ducasse was moved around the offensive line today, and we saw him pull from the left tackle position. Ducasse had the speed to get all the way back to the right side and block down field for the ball carrier.

Both Rashawn Jackson and Cory Jackson had good days at FB. They were physical, made some good blocks and even caught some balls out of the backfield.

Zoltan Mesko didn’t have his best day. But it’s ok, he has the coolest name in the world. Some of his punts were just straight line drives and he didn’t have many long kicks. He did manage to get some good hangtime, however.

Thomas Welch, on his first day, had a pretty good practice. A lot of tall guys can struggle with leverage but he has good knee bend and really gets under the defender. He could be someone to watch for in the coming days.

Tyson Alualu plays like a little kid out there, but in a good way. He is very energetic and always pumped up. He packs a very powerful punch.

Speaking of energetic, North Carolina’s Cam Thomas really does enjoy yelling. I’m almost worried he isn’t breathing enough out there and that he might collapse. He grunts and screams before during and after the play. He seems to have strong hands, but he isn’t very quick or fast. Might have potential as a NT.

As for what teams were talking to players after practice today, we observed the following:

Houston Texans: Thomas Welch, Mike Iupati, Lonyae Miller
Cleveland Browns: Kurt Coleman, Thomas Welch
New York Jets: Mike Windt
Baltimore Ravens: Syd’Quan Thompson, Joique Bell
Kansas City Chiefs: Syd’Quan Thompson
Detroit Lions: AJ Edds (were working Edds out as a long snapper off to the side – I know they’re coaching but this was odd to me)
Atlanta Falcons: Donald Jones
St. Louis Rams: Mike Neal, Sean Weatherspoon
Washington Redskins: Austen Lane
Jacksonville Jaguars: Vladimir Ducasse
Oakland Raiders: Phillip Dillard

South Team Practice

When we arrived at South practice today, the first person I spotted was New York Jets HC Rex Ryan. Moments later, Rex was joined by his brother, the Browns DC Rob Ryan. Talk about an interesting pair to watch!

The South practice didn’t seem nearly as up tempo as the this morning’s North team. The intensity was lacking but the talent wasn’t. Here are some players notes from the practice.

Kentucky CB Trevard Lindley still looks lost out there. He’s running with the first team but it just appears like he doesn’t care in drills. He’s been caught not paying attention by the coaches, so I have to question his concentration and work ethic. Lindley certainly has all the skills you could ask for but hasn’t lived up to my expectations so far this week.

Perrish Cox had a terrific day. He looked very smooth in his footwork during defensive back drills, had an effective jam in the press coverage drills and was making plays during team drills. Cox picked off two passes in a row from his former team mate, Zac Robinson.

Shay Hodge was impressive as a wide receiver. He’s not the fastest player, but he seems to be doing all the little things right. Hodge also has sure hands and good body control when going up for off target passes. Hodge was also the best wide receiver today at getting off the line in press coverage, fighting through the jam with ease.

Javier Arenas and Nate Allen both excelled in the press coverage drills today. Though Allen is a safety, his jam at the line is very effective. Arenas stays in the hip pocket of most receivers during man coverage.

Florida WR Riley Cooper wasn’t nearly as impressive today. He has a very, very hard time getting off of press coverage and creating separation today. Cooper’s hot streak clearly leveled off and he’s looking more and more like a possession receiver.

Terrence Cody still looks like an immovable object, keeping single blockers and double teams in their place at the line of scrimmage. He doesn’t get much penetration, but he certainly clogs up the holes.

Geno Atkins had another solid day rushing the passer, as did Troy’s Cameron Sheffield. Both were in the backfield consistently in pass rush drills.

George Selvie looked a little better to me today, especially at the point of attack. He’s playing with better leverage, keeping his hips low and exploding up and into the blocker with his arms extended. In one particular drills, Selvie bull rushed Tennessee’s Charles Scott, planting him on his back.

Auburn’s Antonio Coleman had a sick inside move today on Selvish Capers, shooting directly to the backfield in pass rush drills. On the very next play, Capers responded with a pancake block on Coleman.

Ole Miss’ John Jerry was playing a lot at left tackle today and his footwork for the position is not the best. He was slow in his kick slides, getting beat by the outside pass rush consistently. Jerry was beat by CJ Wilson on several occasions during drills.

Ciron Black looked much better playing right tackle than left. Footwork just isn’t there for the left side.

Georgia defensive lineman Jeff Owens looked pretty good in pass rushing drills. Owens has a nice swim move and was able to get by Arkansas G Mitch Petrus twice in a row.

Lamarr Houston was also showing off a nice swim move, leaving Eric Larsen back at the line of scrimmage. Houston had some concentration issues, jumping off sides three times in a row from not watching the ball.

JD Walton really impressed me as a blocker today. He did a solid job against Lamarr Houston and even Dan Williams. Walton plays with a lot of strength and while he’ll get a little high in his blocks, he does a good job with hand placement on the rusher.

Kicker Leigh Tiffin was somewhat inaccurate. He missed a few easy field goals in the special team drills today. However, his pre-practice kickoffs were powerful.

West Virginia QB Jarrett Brown had a pretty good day. He’s a little raw as a passer but has tremendous physical abilities. His passes will get off target at times but he’s showing a strong arm with decent mechanics. Brown is also a pretty mobile guy, but he’s going to be a developmental type.

Zac Robinson had a rough day throwing the ball looking very off target at times. As we said earlier, he threw two interceptions in a row to Perrish Cox in team drills.

Tim Tebow actually looked pretty decent today. There were no real issues with snaps and his deep passes are still looking pretty, though they tend to get a bit too much air under them. Tebow is still struggling to speed up his delivery, but does a solid job of throwing on the run from outside of the pocket.

Once again, Dexter McCluster was dominate on the field, looking just as explosive as he has all week. Dexter even took some direct snaps in a “Wild Cat” formation, looking even more versatile. This will certainly help McCluster’s stock and what a better team to be coached by this week than the Dolphins.

After practice, we kept an eye out for what teams were talking to players on the field. With all the fan fare there, less scouts actually came onto the field after practice than usual. It’s also pretty common for scouts to start leaving Mobile tonight and tomorrow as most of the intense scouting is complete.

Kansas City Chiefs: Kurt Coleman, John Conner
Baltimore Ravens: Javier Arenas, Mitch Petrus, Roddrick Muckelroy
Oakland Raiders: Antonio Coleman
San Diego Chargers: Roddrick Muckelroy
St. Louis Rams: Morgan Cox
Jacksonville Jaguars: Shay Hodge
New York Jets: Joe Webb
San Fransisco 49ers: Jeff Byers
Dallas Cowboys: Roddrick Muckelroy

North team practice starts tomorrow morning at 9:30 CST. Tomorrow is the last day in pads for players, so it’s one of the last chances they have to make a good impression on scouts.

Check back soon and be sure to follow us on Twitter, @draftbreakdown, for up to the minute updates from the Senior Bowl. View our time line for how quick we’re getting updates out.

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Senior Bowl Blog: Tuesday

Will Spencer — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:45:09 +0000

North Team Practice

Today started the normal practice sessions, both of which will be held at Ladd-Peebles Stadium here in Mobile. It was a packed house (though not nearly as packed as yesterday’s South practice) and there was plenty of action to watch. I spotted several head coaches at the practice including Broncos HC Josh McDaniels, 49ers HC Mike Singletary, Falcons HC Mike Smith and Steelers HC Mike Tomlin. Also attending was former Redskins HC Jim Zorn, who I saw chatting it up with a Seahawks staff member. I also spotted Bengals DC Mike Zimmer as well as Bears OL coach Mike Tice.

I watched a lot of the defensive line for the North team today, which has a lot of talent. Of course, I wasn’t the only one there watching the defensive linemen. Scouts from the Jaguars, Redskins, Seahawks, Giants, Rams and Ravens were all watching intently. Lions assistant defensive line coach Kris Kocurek was keeping the d-line players fired up and running the practice with a lot of intensity. Michigan DE/OLB Brandon Graham really stood out here. He has a very quick first step and gets to the backfield quickly. Purdue DT Mike Neal also stood out to me. He might see his stock really rise this week after a strong performance at the East-West Shrine game and a strong performance here. Neal stays nice and compact when he moves, and he can be a bit of a wrecking ball in the trenches.

When watching the North linebackers, the first thing that stands out is Sean Weatherspoon. This guy is a leader. Sean is constantly getting the other LBs fired up and keeping everyone on task. He also likes to talk some trash on the field, but backs it up. Spoon flowed to the ball well in team drills, showing an ability to wade through the garbage and get to the ball carrier. He seems to quickly diagnose running plays and does a more than adequate job in coverage.

I wasn’t impressed by the quarterbacks out there today. Dan LeFevour really has a weak arm, putting no zip on his passes. He’s not “Graham Harrell” bad, but it’s not good. Pike might have been the most impressive of the North group and he completed a nice deep pass to Mardy Gilyard.

Ed Dickson, the TE from Oregon, really stood out to me in team drills. He’s an outstanding receiver and goes up to get the football in traffic. If he can continue to work on his blocking abilities, he’s going to climb draft boards.

Wake Forest CB Brandon Ghee had an up and down day, but made one particularly solid play. On a deep pass thrown by Sean Canfield, Ghee stayed with the receiver in his route, turned and found the ball at the right time, and almost pulled in an amazing one handed interception. Ghee has the fundamentals down but I’d like to see him improve in the press coverage area.

Wide receivers Mardy Gilyard of Cincinnati and Danario Alexander of Missouri were really bringing their A-game today. Both were diving for passes and going the extra mile to impress the scouts. They’re practically polar opposites as far as receiver types, but are showing their skill sets well. Both are also showing the willingness to be a downfield blocker for the run game.

LeGarrette Blount, RB from Oregon really impressed me today. He seems a bit quicker than in Oregon’s bowl game and ran with solid power. Blount was hitting the hole hard and certainly doesn’t shy away from contact. On one occasions, Blount burst through the line, heading straight for Ohio State DB Kurt Coleman. Coleman attempted to tackle him head on and basically bounced off of Blount.

Speaking of running backs, I am very impressed with Wayne State running back Joique Bell. Bell showed some versatility, catching the ball out of the backfield and running both between and outside the tackles. On one play, Bell got the hand off, made one cut and hit the hole, taking it the distance for a touchdown.

TCU LB Daryl Washington looks to be solid in pass coverage as he was able to stay with the athletic TE Ed Dickson on numerous occasions, and had the ball skills to break up some passes.

One of the most exciting events to watch for me is what most refer to as “The Pit,” where pass rushers match up against offensive lineman. Today was impressive. The North defensive line is clearly more talented than their offensive line and the defense was grabbing the attention of scouts. Michigan’s Brandon Graham put a sick spin move on Utah’s Zane Beadles, leaving him blocking nothing but air. The move actually made scouts go “oooohhh!!!” Cal DL Tyson Alualu engaged the massive Mike Iupati, and threw him to the ground like a rag doll. Ipuati didn’t have a good day, in my opinion. He was beaten by several players, including Graham, Alualu and Carrington. Alex Carrington of Arkansas State planted Iupati on his rear in the pit, also making the scouts respond.

After a very impressive practice, I observed the following players talking to these NFL Teams:

Browns: Jared Odrick, Chris Cook, Vladimir Ducasse, AJ Edds, Zane Beadles
49ers: Jared Odrick
Eagles: Jared Odrick, Justin Cole, LeGarrette Blount
Vikings: Mike Hoomanawanui
Chiefs: Mardy Gilyard
Bengals: Mardy Gilyard (WR Coach Mike Sheppard)
Patriots: Sean Weatherspoon
Panthers: Garrett Graham
Chargers: Garrett Graham, Tyson Alualu
Redskins: Koa Misi, Danario Alexander
Titans: Kyle Wilson
Saints: Terrell Skinner
Ravens: Brandon Graham (Vince Newsome)

Funny story about Graham. Yesterday, Graham told me that his favorite player is Ray Lewis and talked about how amazing it would be to play on the Ravens defense. When Graham met with Vince Newsome of the Ravens, Graham seemed very excited saying, “Man, thank you! I’ve been WAITING on the Ravens!”

After talking with a few players, I have interviews lined up with Mardy Gilyard, Mike Hoomanawanui, Joique Bell, Ed Dickson and Kyle Wilson.

South Team Practice

Now on to my South practice report. As usual, several NFL head coaches were in attendance. I spotted Steelers HC Mike Tomlin, 49ers HC Mike Singletary, Bucs HC Raheem Moris, Ravens HC John Harbaugh, Falcons HC Mike Smith, and Texans HC Gary Kubiak. Along with Harbaugh was basically the entire front office for the Ravens; GM Ozzie Newsome, Director of Player Personnel Eric DeCosta, OC Cam Cameron and DC Greg Mattison. The Ravens have always relied heavily on the Senior Bowl in drafting their players and they had their eyes on one in particular; Riley Cooper, Florida WR.

Cooper had a pretty solid day and is really starting to generate some buzz. While he dropped a couple passes during practice, he really appears to be the complete package. Cooper runs smooth routes and gets in and out of his breaks quickly. He might have had the catch of the day, catching an over the shoulder deep pass from Tim Tebow with one hand while tip-toeing on the sideline. That made the Ravens staff take notice. Cooper is certainly helping his cause here and told reporters after practice that he is officially giving up baseball.

The other player of the day had to be Ole Miss RB/WR Dexter McCluster. This kid can flat out play. Dexter lined up at both WR and RB throughout practice and shined at both spots. McCluster made the other catch of the day, a long pass from Tebow that was a bit overthrown, but Dexter dove and caught the ball. On several occasions, I witnessed McCluster completely leave defenders behind while running routes. He basically schooled Perrish Cox, Javier Arenas and Jerome Murphy on different occasions. McCluster told me last night that his ideal position to play would be slot receiver, but he just wants the ball in his hands. He’s proving that size doesn’t matter as much as some think. Some people can just play.

The other receivers for the South team looked solid at times as well. Joe Webb, a former QB that is playing WR for the first time, certainly has some potential. He caught some nice passes but is clearly raw as a receiver. Shay Hodge of Ole Miss looks fairly solid overall, catching most passes that came his way in drills.

John Jerry, the offensive lineman out of Ole Miss had a tremendous day. He just kept beating pass rushers, constantly pushing them to the ground. He clearly showed that he has the strength to handle his own in the trenches and is catching the eyes of scouts.

Terrence Cody is also a forced to be reckoned with. It’s almost impossible for a single blocker to move Cody out of the hole and sometimes double teams don’t even work. He’s an ideal NT in the NFL and will demand double teams on any running play. While he’s clearly out of shape, he has the talent to be dominate in the NFL if he can develop a stronger work ethic.

Geno Atkins from Georgia looked very quick in the pit today. He was shooting the gap in double team drills and getting a nice arm rip in one on one blocks. Atkins has been hustling all week so far and is starting to get some attention in a talented group of defensive linemen.

Looking toward the defensive backs, Javier Arenas and Nate Allen both stuck out to me in the one on one drills. Arenas made good plays on the ball while staying tight in coverage. He might be small, but he knows how to get his hands in there and break up the pass. Even though Allen is a safety, he still covered well in the man on man drills. He has the speed and athleticism to stay with receivers and decent ball skills as well.

Eric Norwood impressed me again. He is a physical player that seems to really enjoy contact. Norwood is a hard hitter and is showing good play recognition skills. Look out for Norwood the rest of the week. I think his stock is rising.

Well, I guess I have to talk about what is being referred to as “The Tebow Show.” Tim actually made some improvements today. Though it was reported that he has strep throat and is on IVs, he didn’t play as poorly as he did on Monday. Tebow had less trouble with the snap from under center and had some nice deep passes. However, he looked pretty awkward all day. During early passing drills, I think Tebow must have been so focused on his mechanics that he slowed down his delivery even more and it just looked odd. His tempo picked up during team drills but maybe it was just the sickness holding him back. Either way, he still hasn’t shown any improvement on his mechanics and is having serious trouble putting zip on his sideline passes. That could really hurt him when he works out for NFL teams. He’s not passing as well as other QBs that are here, so he’ll need to step it up a bit.

Speaking of the Tim Tebow show, I was lucky enough to interview Cincinnati WR Mardy Gilyard. One of the things we talked about what all the attention Tebow is getting. Gilyard told me that players are getting tired of all the attention towards Tebow and that he feels bad for the other players on the South team because they’re being overshadowed. I’ll have the transcript of this interview up soon.

After practice, I made my rounds trying to see what teams were talking to what players. I had the chance to line up interviews with South Carolina LB Eric Norwood and Florida WR Riley Cooper. They’ll be coming later this week. Here’s what I saw from the NFL teams:

Jaguars: Patrick Robinson
Vikings: Anthony Dixon
Patriots: Darryl Sharpton, Roddrick Muckelroy
Browns: Daryl Sharpton, Roddrick Muckelroy, Leigh Tiffin, Jeff Byers, Geno Atkins, Ben Tate, Jarrett Brown, Nate Allen
Saints: Anthony Dixon
Chargers: Eric Norwood, Cameron Sheffield, Perrish Cox
Chiefs: George Selvie, Jarrett Brown (also saw them having a sit down with Gilyard at hotel later)
Redskins: Perrish Cox
49ers: Perrish Cox
Rams: Matt Dodge, Eric Norwood, Dan Williams
Ravens: Matt Dodge, Eric Norwood
Titans: Jerome Murphy, Taylor Mays
Raiders: Daryl Sharpton, Eric Norwood
Cowboys: Ben tate
Eagles: Jeremy Williams, Nate Allen, Dan Williams, Jarrett Brown

Time to pick up Rob from the airport. Expect even more coverage tomorrow now that there will be two of us! North practice starts in the morning and I’ll be working on getting some of these interview transcripts done tonight.

Check back soon and be sure to follow us on Twitter, @draftbreakdown, for up to the minute updates from the Senior Bowl. View our time line for how quick we’re getting updates out.

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Senior Bowl Blog: Monday

Will Spencer — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 20:18:14 +0000

Well, today has been a busy day at the Senior Bowl. A ton have people have shown up from NFL teams as well as more media. This place is in full frenzy mode right now as the weigh-ins were this morning and practice starts in about 45 minutes.

There were some changes to the roster today. LSU WR Brandon LaFell, Oklahoma OT Trent Williams and TCU DE Jerry Hughes have decided not to participate in the Senior Bowl. All of which, in my opinion, are bad choices. Each were fringe first round guys and a strong performance here could have put them over the top. The current official rosters are in: North Team Roster, South Team Roster.

The Weigh-in

The weigh-ins took place this morning, or what everyone likes to call “The Meat Market.” Players are paraded into a room full of NFL scouts and media wearing just their underwear. Players get their arms and hands measured and heights and weights are recorded. This also gives the scouts an opportunity to see what kind of body type the players have. Are they physically fit? High body fat composition? Full results from the weigh in can be found here: North Team Results, South Team results.

Scouts from all 32 NFL teams were attending the weigh-ins this morning. Also attending were 49ers head coach Mike Singletary, Bucs head coach Raheem Morris and Hall of Famer “Mean” Joe Greene. Here are my observations from the weigh-in:
– Terrence Cody resembled his former team mate, Andre Smith, in physical makeup. However, I think Cody may have actually dropped a little weight and he weighed in at 370 lbs.

– Myron Rolle has a very impressive physique, especially considering he was out of football for over a year. He’s absolutely ripped.

– Perrish Cox was measured at 5′11 2/8″, bringing him below the 6′0″ height the school listed him as.

– Taylor Mays was impressive as well, measuring 6′3″ flat and weighing 231 lbs. Long arms and big hands, too.

– Dexter McCluster measured in at a hair over 5′8″ and weighed 165 lbs, but I think 100 of those pounds are his heart. More on that later.

– Selvish Capers looks lean and athletic, especially for his 6′6 5/8″ 304 lbs frame.

– Mardy Gilyard measured in at 5′11 5/8″, weighing 179 lbs. Cincinnati listed him as 6′1″ 187 lbs.

– Jared Odrick put on some pounds, but in a good way. He measured at just over 6′5″ and weighed 301 lbs.

– Mike Iupati has freakishly long arms, 35″ to be exact. At 6′5″ 325 lbs, long arms are an even bigger plus.

– Vladimir Ducasse is imposing, measuring in at 6′4 5/8″ and weighing 326 lbs.

South Team Practice

After the meat market, the first day of practices got under way. Because of the morning being tied up with the weigh-ins, both the North and South team practiced at the same time. The North team practiced at Ladd Peebles Stadium, where the game will take place and the South practiced in Mexico. Okay, it wasn’t that far away, but it felt like it on the drive to Fairhope stadium.

As I pulled into the parking lot for South practice, I realized this wasn’t an ordinary practice. The Senior Bowl allowed the general public to watch this practice and they came out of the wood work to see Tebow play. Because the fans filled the stands, NFL personnel and the media had to stand on the sidelines to watch. This made for a VERY packed house. Fans cheered any time Tebow connected on a pass and cheered even louder when Alabama head coach Nick Saban walked into the stadium. Former Alabama great and current NFL GM Ozzie Newsome and Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin were also in attendance.

For all of the hype created about Tebow working on his game with a specialist (wait, didn’t we hear that before?), his game sure didn’t look much difference. Tebow had a lot of trouble getting the snaps from under center. There were times where I watched him fumble 3-4 center exchanges IN A ROW. Tebow clearly looks uncomfortable under center as even when he does get the snap right, he pauses and stands straight up before he takes his drop. Tebow also had his regular problems throwing the ball. His windup motion hasn’t shortened at all and he had a lot of trouble connecting on the deep routes. Tim, you’ve got a few more days to impress scouts. Your personality will only take you so far.

The Miami coaching staff led practice with a lot of intensity, keeping on players to hustle and to pay attention while resting. They’re really putting the South players through the ringer.

South Florida defensive end George Selvie looked weak at the point of attack while doing drills in the pit. He needs to develop more upper body strength and get a better initial “pop” when engaging blockers.

Troy defensive end Brandon Lang, on the other hand, showed a solid initial pop. Lang was aggressive with blockers in the pit drills and held his own against several different offensive linemen.

Terrence Cody also looked good in pit drills, looking strong and pushing the blocker back into the pocket on a regular basis.

Dan Williams of Tennessee OWNED Jeff Byers in the pit drills, knocking him back on multiple occasions and making it look all too easy. Dan also controlled the line of scrimmage in team drills. His stock is continuing to rise.

South Carolina OLB Eric Norwood loves to hit and it shows. He put good shots on several ball carriers in drills and doesn’t hesitate to stick his head in there on every possible tackle. Seemed to always be in the pile when he was on the field.

Taylor Mays might have had the hit of the day. Mays showed his speed and range, covering almost half of the field going after a deep pass intended for the Citadel’s Andre Roberts. When Mays got to Roberts, he got there with authority. Mays layed Roberts out making the ball pop loose. I still feel that Mays has been over-analyzed by scouts and the media and should still be considered a top prospect.

Dexter McCluster might be small, but he’s not afraid of contact. He was lined up a lot as a running back and didn’t try to run around defenders, like some smaller running backs do. I plan on keeping a close eye on Dexter. He’s certainly exciting to watch.

Oklahoma State CB Perrish Cox had a great interception on Jarrett Brown that would have been taken back for a touchdown.

When Tim Tebow was rolling out of the pocket, he was chased down by Florida State OLB Dekoda Watson. Watson yelled at Tebow “Just like old times,” while chasing him down.

One NFL Scout was overheard calling the amount of fans showing up for practice “the Tebow effect.”

After practice, I was able to talk to Dan Williams for a few minutes. Williams said that he wasn’t phased by all the extra attention on Tebow and that Mike Johnson of Alabama was the toughest blocker he faced today. I’ll have the full text of my interview with Williams up later.

While I was talking to Williams, scouts were busy chatting it up with various players. Here are some of the teams I saw talking to certain prospects:

George Selvie talked with a scout from the San Diego Chargers

Garrett Graham talked with several Cleveland Browns scouts and then Minnesota Vikings scouts

Brandon Lang talked with Houston Texans scouts and then Chargers scouts

Taylor Mays had a long, private chat with a Carolina Panthers scout and then had a talk with a scout from the Bucs

Antonio Coleman talked with a scout from the Houston Texans

Dan Williams spoke to scouts from the Bucs

After talking to Williams, I attempted to leave the South practice. That’s right, attempted. It took me about 45 minutes just to get out of the parking lot, leaving me with little between practice and Media Night.

Media Night

Media night was a success. I was able to interview the following players: Brandon Graham, Danario Alexander, Jared Odrick, Patrick Robinson, Jimmy Graham and Dexter McCluster. I also arranged to speak with Sean Weatherspoon. All of them had a lot to say. Graham talked about his confidence to get to the quarterback, Odrick talked about his versatility and how he found out about his Senior Bowl invite and McCluster was all energy. Dexter McCluster is easy to like and is a real spark plug. You can just tell how much he loves the game and he doesn’t shy away from any contact on the field, or questions in an interview. Full transcripts of these interviews will be up soon!

**Though I wasn’t there to see it, Wisconsin DE/OLB O’Brien Schofield tore his ACL today in practice after a devastating block by Vladimir Ducasse. Keep your head up O. **

Tomorrow I’ll be bringing you coverage of both the North and South practices. After getting to chat with Brandon Graham and Danario Alexander of the North team, I’m excited to see them in action.

Check back soon and be sure to follow us on Twitter, @draftbreakdown, for up to the minute updates from the Senior Bowl. View our time line for how quick we’re getting updates out.

Click Here to return to Draft Breakdown’s Senior Bowl coverage page!

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Senior Bowl Roster: South Team

Will Spencer — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 20:11:51 +0000

Listed below is the current Senior Bowl roster for the South squad as of Monday, January 25th. We will post any changes to this roster as we find out. Click here to see the North roster.

No.	Name	Pos.	School
2	Roy Upchurch	RB	Alabama
3	Shay Hodge	WR	Ole Miss
3	Jerome Murphy	DB	South Florida
4	Myron Rolle	DB	Florida State
5	Nate Allen	DB	South Florida
5	Joe Webb	WR	UAB
7	Andre Roberts	WR	The Citadel
10	Zac Robinson	QB	Oklahoma State
11	Riley Cooper	WR	Florida
13	Stafon Johnson	RB	USC
15	Tim Tebow	QB	Florida
16	Jarrett Brown	QB	West Virginia
17	Perrish Cox	DB	Oklahoma State
20	Jeremy Williams	WR	Tulane
21	Taylor Mays	DB	USC
22	Jamar Chaney	LB	Mississippi State
22	Dexter McCluster	WR	Ole Miss
23	Patrick Robinson	DB	Florida State
24	Harry Coleman	DB	LSU
24	Anthony Dixon	RB	Mississippi State
28	Javier Arenas	DB	Alabama
32	John Conner	RB	Kentucky
32	Trevard Lindley	DB	Kentucky
33	Lamarr Houston	DL	Texas
36	Dekoda Watson	LB	Florida State
38	Roddrick Muckelroy	LB	Texas
40	Eric Norwood	LB	South Carolina
42	Matt Dodge	P	East Carolina
44	Ben Tate	RB	Auburn
50	Darryl Sharpton	LB	Miami
52	Antonio Coleman	DL	Auburn
53	Jeff Byers	OL	USC
55	JD Walton	OL	Baylor
55	Dan Williams	DL	Tennessee
56	Geno Atkins	DL	Georgia
58	Ted Larsen	OL	North Carolina State
62	Morgan Cox	DS	Tennessee
66	Mitch Petrus	OL	Arkansas
69	Selvish Capers	OL	West Virginia
70	Ciron Black	OL	LSU
77	John Jerry	OL	Ole Miss
78	Mike Johnson	OL	Alabama
79	Chris Scott	OL	Tennessee
80	Jimmy Graham	TE	Miami
84	Colin Peek	TE	Alabama
86	Anthony McCoy	TE	USC
90	Cameron Sheffield	LB	Troy
91	Brandon Lang	DL	Troy
93	CJ Wilson	DL	East Carolina
95	George Selvie	DL	South Florida
99	Leigh Tiffin	K	Alabama

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