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Practice Reports from various sources will be posted here throughout the day. First up is the North Practice report from NFLDraftCountdown.
January 22, 2008
Senior Bowl - Tuesday North Practice Scott Wright
President, NFL Draft Countdown
It was pretty overcast at Ladd-Peebles Stadium this morning but still a little warmer that it was yesterday. For the first time this week the North squad practiced in full pads today and there was a noticeable difference in the intensity, with a lot of big hits delivered throughout the session. As always there were a lot of interesting matchups today and if you're a fan of watching the big uglies in the trenches then this is your team and once again the offensive tackles were impressive.
• Yesterday USC defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis showed off his ability to wreak havoc in the backfield and today he showed he could be just as effective against the run. Ellis has looked every bit the part of a Top 10 pick so far.
• I continue to be impressed with Nebraska offensive tackle Carl Nicks, who looks like a great natural athlete despite his massive size but he is still raw and plays too high at times.
• Boston College offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus may be a very large man but he also moves his feet well.
• Indiana cornerback Tracy Porter was okay yesterday but he was even better today, jumping a route to intercept a Joe Flacco pass in 7-on-7's on a play that would have been a "Pick 6" in a real game. He also did a nice job of sticking with his guy in coverage.
• USC offensive guard Drew Radovich stood out today, playing real physical and displaying a strong initial punch and some pop.
• Penn St. linebacker Dan Connor had a mixed day. On one run play he couldn't shed a Mike Pollak block and was neutralized but later he separated Marcus Smith from the ball with a big hit in coverage.
• Once again none of the North quarterbacks really stood out. USC's John David Booty and Delaware's Joe Flacco looked pretty average and the best of the bunch today was Michigan's Chad Henne. Overall though I am still waiting for one of these guys to step up.
• Iowa cornerback Charles Godfrey had another nice day in coverage, even drawing praise from Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Ryan for his efforts in 7-on-7's.
• The nightmare continues for Oklahoma St. wideout Adarius Bowman, who seems to be dropping more balls than he is catching. Then when he finally did catch one in 11-on-11's he fumbled! At this point it's more of a confidence issue than anything else and it was clear he is very frustrated right now. New Mexico's Marcus Smith also had a couple more drops today and afterward hit the ground for some pushups.
• Michigan St. tight end Kellen Davis looked awfully good, making a nice catch in 11-on-11's and showing some aggressiveness as a blocker in positional drills.
• One of the surprises of the week for me so far has been California wide receiver Lavelle Hawkins, who followed up a strong first day with another terrific showing. Hawkins made at least a couple of impressive catches, although he had some issues with rounding off his routes.
• Purdue's Cliff Avril struggles at the point of attack and was physically dominated on more than one occasion. Granted he is going up against some excellent offensive tackles but it's becoming clear to me that his best fit at the next level will come as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme.
• The transition to linebacker continues for Bruce Davis of UCLA, although he did flash a couple of times and made some nice tackles including one in space.
• Notre Dame safety Tom Zbikowski laid a bit hit on Justin Forsett toward the end of practice.
• USC linebacker Keith Rivers is real vocal on the field and had another strong showing. On one play he got good pressure on the quarterback after avoiding a block on a blitz.
• Nevada linebacker Beau Bell got dinged up and was down on the field for a few minutes but was able to walk off under his own power.
• Michigan's Shawn Crable delivered a big hit on Owen Schmitt today.
• Oklahoma St. running back Dantrell Savage isn't very big but he showed some toughness running inside today.
• East Carolina's Chris Johnson, Indiana's Tracy Porter, Purdue's Dorien Bryant, Virginia Tech's Eddie Royal, Colorado's Terrence Wheatley and Lavelle Hawkins and Justin Forsett, both of Cal, worked as kick returners.
• Boston College's DeJuan Tribble struggled to keep up with the wideouts in coverage today.
• Michigan safety Jamar Adams did a nice job in coverage, showing the ability to hold his own against smaller, quicker wideouts.
• Kansas St. wide receiver Jordy Nelson beat USC's Terrell Thomas for a touchdown today but that may have been more of a case of Thomas struggling than Nelson excelling.
• Cal running back Justin Forsett displayed nice vision and cut-back ability today.
• Oregon St. kicker Alexis Serna showed he has 50+ yard range and he hit all of his attempts at the end of practice.
• It's a position that doesn't get a lot of attention but Indiana long-snapper Tim Bugg has been very accurate and is definitely a draftable prospect.
All in all there weren't necessarily any performances that just blew you away today but there were a lot of guys who did a solid job and helped themselves. Going forward I think the big storyline will continue to be the offensive linemen on the North team and in my four years of coming down here this is probably the most impressive group as a whole that I have seen. That's another day down for the North but there is still plenty more to come so be sure to check back for all the latest from Mobile as NFL Draft Countdown's unparallel coverage of the Senior Bowl continues.
January 22, 2008
Senior Bowl - Tuesday North Practice Scott Wright
President, NFL Draft Countdown
It was pretty overcast at Ladd-Peebles Stadium this morning but still a little warmer that it was yesterday. For the first time this week the North squad practiced in full pads today and there was a noticeable difference in the intensity, with a lot of big hits delivered throughout the session. As always there were a lot of interesting matchups today and if you're a fan of watching the big uglies in the trenches then this is your team and once again the offensive tackles were impressive.
• Yesterday USC defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis showed off his ability to wreak havoc in the backfield and today he showed he could be just as effective against the run. Ellis has looked every bit the part of a Top 10 pick so far.
• I continue to be impressed with Nebraska offensive tackle Carl Nicks, who looks like a great natural athlete despite his massive size but he is still raw and plays too high at times.
• Boston College offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus may be a very large man but he also moves his feet well.
• Indiana cornerback Tracy Porter was okay yesterday but he was even better today, jumping a route to intercept a Joe Flacco pass in 7-on-7's on a play that would have been a "Pick 6" in a real game. He also did a nice job of sticking with his guy in coverage.
• USC offensive guard Drew Radovich stood out today, playing real physical and displaying a strong initial punch and some pop.
• Penn St. linebacker Dan Connor had a mixed day. On one run play he couldn't shed a Mike Pollak block and was neutralized but later he separated Marcus Smith from the ball with a big hit in coverage.
• Once again none of the North quarterbacks really stood out. USC's John David Booty and Delaware's Joe Flacco looked pretty average and the best of the bunch today was Michigan's Chad Henne. Overall though I am still waiting for one of these guys to step up.
• Iowa cornerback Charles Godfrey had another nice day in coverage, even drawing praise from Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Ryan for his efforts in 7-on-7's.
• The nightmare continues for Oklahoma St. wideout Adarius Bowman, who seems to be dropping more balls than he is catching. Then when he finally did catch one in 11-on-11's he fumbled! At this point it's more of a confidence issue than anything else and it was clear he is very frustrated right now. New Mexico's Marcus Smith also had a couple more drops today and afterward hit the ground for some pushups.
• Michigan St. tight end Kellen Davis looked awfully good, making a nice catch in 11-on-11's and showing some aggressiveness as a blocker in positional drills.
• One of the surprises of the week for me so far has been California wide receiver Lavelle Hawkins, who followed up a strong first day with another terrific showing. Hawkins made at least a couple of impressive catches, although he had some issues with rounding off his routes.
• Purdue's Cliff Avril struggles at the point of attack and was physically dominated on more than one occasion. Granted he is going up against some excellent offensive tackles but it's becoming clear to me that his best fit at the next level will come as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme.
• The transition to linebacker continues for Bruce Davis of UCLA, although he did flash a couple of times and made some nice tackles including one in space.
• Notre Dame safety Tom Zbikowski laid a bit hit on Justin Forsett toward the end of practice.
• USC linebacker Keith Rivers is real vocal on the field and had another strong showing. On one play he got good pressure on the quarterback after avoiding a block on a blitz.
• Nevada linebacker Beau Bell got dinged up and was down on the field for a few minutes but was able to walk off under his own power.
• Michigan's Shawn Crable delivered a big hit on Owen Schmitt today.
• Oklahoma St. running back Dantrell Savage isn't very big but he showed some toughness running inside today.
• East Carolina's Chris Johnson, Indiana's Tracy Porter, Purdue's Dorien Bryant, Virginia Tech's Eddie Royal, Colorado's Terrence Wheatley and Lavelle Hawkins and Justin Forsett, both of Cal, worked as kick returners.
• Boston College's DeJuan Tribble struggled to keep up with the wideouts in coverage today.
• Michigan safety Jamar Adams did a nice job in coverage, showing the ability to hold his own against smaller, quicker wideouts.
• Kansas St. wide receiver Jordy Nelson beat USC's Terrell Thomas for a touchdown today but that may have been more of a case of Thomas struggling than Nelson excelling.
• Cal running back Justin Forsett displayed nice vision and cut-back ability today.
• Oregon St. kicker Alexis Serna showed he has 50+ yard range and he hit all of his attempts at the end of practice.
• It's a position that doesn't get a lot of attention but Indiana long-snapper Tim Bugg has been very accurate and is definitely a draftable prospect.
All in all there weren't necessarily any performances that just blew you away today but there were a lot of guys who did a solid job and helped themselves. Going forward I think the big storyline will continue to be the offensive linemen on the North team and in my four years of coming down here this is probably the most impressive group as a whole that I have seen. That's another day down for the North but there is still plenty more to come so be sure to check back for all the latest from Mobile as NFL Draft Countdown's unparallel coverage of the Senior Bowl continues.
