ARTICLE: Sr Bowl day one practice recaps

[LatinMind]

Monday, January 22, 2007

Senior Bowl: Day One Practice Recap


The day started off with the weigh-ins and the big news was Troy Smith’s height. He measured in at 6’ even. While shorter then his OSU listed 6’1” its better then the rumored 5’10” or 5’11” some scouts were whispering. The first round is still doubtful for Smith and he’ll still need an excellent Senior Bowl and combine to keep his stock in the second round.

On the practice field it was a cold and rainy day. The wet football caused some problems for the offense and resulted in sloppy play, botched exchanges, dropped balls, and wobbly passes.

North coach Jay Gruden worked closely with quarterback Drew Stanton. Gruden drafted Cadillac Williams after coaching him in the 2005 senior bowl. Could Stanton have a future in Tampa Bay?

During drills Aundrea Allison and Brandon Myles displayed nice hands and made some difficult receptions.

Jason Hill was quick and showed a nice burst off the line.

Marcus McCauley showed poor footwork during drills. He has great physical tools, but needs to have a strong Senior Bowl week after a very disappointing senior season.

Adam Carriker impressed the most during today’s practice. He showed good quick moves during one-on-one drills and was in the backfield often during the full scrimmage.

Levi Brown dominated LaMarr Woodley in on-on-one drills. On two occasions, Brown pushed Woodley to the ground.

Tony Hunt had a mixed day. On the positive side, he showed his power and pushed the pile. On the negative, he showed poor hands, dropping an easy pass.

Brian Leonard received playing time at both fullback and halfback.

Observations taken from NFL Network's Senior Bowl coverage.

 

[LatinMind]

by the way i told u people not to feed on the mccauley hype the guy isnt very good.

im a fresno state homer, but i have to draw the line somewhere

 

[LatinMind]

Senior Bowl Day One - Scouts Notebook
By: Sigmund Bloom and Cecil Lammey
The weather damp and cold, making it tough to get a good handle on the QBs, who were having trouble taking snaps and throwing spirals. The WRs were also falling down a lot, although this was a good measure of who could run their routes under control.

Quarterback

Tyler Palko, Pitt - nice throw on the run, poor mechanics, throwing off back foot, throwing while falling back and throwing on off foot while scrambling, weird 3/4 release, puts ball in right spot

Troy Smith, OSU - two fumbles likely due to weather, showed a lot of confidence in leadership in huddle, on sidelines, good barking cadence, knew where he wanted to put the ball and had several good throws

Drew Stanton, Mich St - started off slow, got going and has a great delivery, perfect mechanics, over the top throwing motion, proper zip, proper touch, good ball placement, very athletic for his size

Chris Leak, Florida - Considerably shorter than Kolb or Palmer, live arm, good zip on short throws, consistently overthrew deep balls, checked down almost exclusively in drill with 4-5 receivers.

Kevin Kolb, Houston - good mobility and mechanics, did not throw many spirals, seemed to struggle

Jordan Palmer, UTEP - looks the part, almost a spitting image of his brother, good mechanics, but very inconsistent results, ball tended to float

Runningback

Kolby Smith, Louisville - good pad level, runs behind his pads, using all his forward momentum to gain maximum yardage, good short area quickness, no long speed, willing inside runner, instinctive, good day catching the ball, nice arms extended catch and great catch on fade route

Garrett Wolfe, NIU - really small, even tiny compared to other RBs, smaller than the kicker (Mason Crosby), swallowed by defense, not quick, not fast, dropped passes

Tony Hunt, PSU - runs way too upright, not in a rhythm, didn’t have a sense of urgency about him, lethargic, good hands, didn’t look ball into hands once, one run, so indecisive behind the line, Gruden says "that was indecisive as hell"

Brian Leonard, Rutgers - exceptional hands, running out every play in practice, good inside running, forward lean, kept feet moving, can run through trash at line of scrimmage, not overly fast or powerful, but willing and determined runner

Kenny Irons, Auburn - seems totally over ankle injuries, great burst and lateral movement, very live legs, very elusive

Ken Darby, Alabama - uncreative straight ahead runner on the few carries I saw

Lorenzo Booker, Florida St - Exceptional quickness and speed, very electric and sudden compared to Darby and Irons

Wide Receiver

Paul Williams, Fresno St - Blends in athletically as opposed to standing out at Shrine Game, didn't seem serious, joked around on sidelines, maybe not paying attention

David Clowney, Virginia Tech - Drop after drop after drop, very fast, not elusive, but slippery, See also: Todd Pinkston

Rhema McKnight, Notre Dame - Consistent, good concentration, looked ball into hands, good routes, opens his body to QB to create as big a target as he can. not overwhelming athletic, but very consistent

Jason Hill, Washington St - good hands

Brandon Myles, West Virginia - lots of drops

Dallas Baker, Florida - L-O-N-G arms, does better when he has to reach full extension for a ball much like Plaxico Burress, not physical in route running, easily redirected, but responded well to coaching when this was pointed out. Let the passes thrown straight at him get to his body. Hangs in air, great leaper

Dwayne Bowe, LSU - very impressive physique, but quick, fast, and athletic for a solidly built guy, very under control and crisp in his routes and showed good hands. Drew a lot of praise from the coaches

Chris Davis, Florida St - Looks like a slot receiver type, good running crossing routes, showed good hands, some toughness/physicality for a smaller WR

Courtney Taylor, Auburn - body caught, sometimes lazy in routes, didn’t seem to have good quickness or hands. Flashed some speed and some toughness on a few plays, but was one of the poorest performing South WRs.

Chansi Stuckey, Clemson - Quick and fast, but was not as impressive as Higgins, who is a similar type of WR. Got pushed around early in routes

Johnnie Lee Higgins, UTEP - Very fast, very quick, very athletic, and strong for a smaller WR. stood out. speed to separate on deep routes

Other

Adam Carriker, DE, Nebraska - Nasty, fiery, mean, lots of pop

Rufus Alexander, LB, Oklahoma - stuck to RB in coverage

Aaron Ross, CB, Texas, Michael Griffin, S, Texas - both had ints by reading plays well

Brandon Meriweather, S, Miami - Had scintillating INT by cutting in front of Joe Newton, who looked open when the ball was thrown, didn’t respond to coaching well

Martrez Milner, TE, Georgia - terrific adjustment on poorly thrown ball, took hit from Griffin and held on

Kevin Payne, DB, Louisiana-Monroe - terrible day, got yelled at to finish out plays and seemed to be slow and out of it

Fred Bennett, CB, South Carolina - big, strong, physical, aggressive, and showed speed to boot

 

[Cochese]

Isnt Jay Gruden the AFL coach?

 

[LatinMind]

Isnt Jay Gruden the AFL coach?

pretty sure they meant john. but the letter J? lol

 

[theogt]

NFL Draft Countdown's Coverage:

North Practice

January 22, 2007
Senior Bowl - Monday North Practice
Scott Wright
President, NFL Draft Countdown

The ominous looked shady this morning and sure enough the rain came about half way through the North's first practice, sending the sparse group of scouts in attendance running for the covered portion of the bleachers. The product on the field mirrored the weather, with some bright spots were sprinkled into an afternoon of somewhat sloppy play as the prospects practiced in shells (just their helmets and shoulder pads) today.

At quarterback this is definitely one of the more talented groups we've seen in a while yet nobody really managed to stand out on the first day. Troy Smith probably looked the best, showcasing a strong arm and good accuracy. The running backs also failed to make a major impression but there were a few notable moments. Northern Illinois' diminutive Garrett Wolfe made a real nice catch against air on a deep ball, possibly answering some of the questions about his ability to help as a receiver out of the backfield. Rutgers fullback Brian Leonard ran hard and seemed to make a positive impression on Jon Gruden while Kolby Smith of Louisville also lined up as a fullback at times. This group of wide receivers definitely lacked a standout today but both Rhema McKnight of Notre Dame and Brandon Myles of West Virginia had their moments. On the flip side of that coin Virginia Tech's David Clowney dropped a couple of balls and struggled a bit. Iowa tight end Scott Chandler was one of the few offensive players to make a big impression, coming through with a number of nice plays in the passing game and displaying good balance. As for Clark Harris of Rutgers, let's just say that if he runs better than a 4.8 I'll be surprised. The offensive lineman definitely had their moments and it seemed like the largest crowd was gathered around "The Pit". James Marten of Boston College struggled with speed rushers but he displayed a nasty attitude and a killer instinct that resulted in a number of pancakes including one against Victor Abiamiri. Marten really has the mentality you look for in an offensive lineman! Iowa's Marshal Yanda also more than held his own against a very talented group of North defensive ends and Manuel Ramirez of Texas Tech got the best of Amobi Okoye in a matchup that I witnessed.

The North defense definitely fared a whole lot better than their offensive counterparts and while Louisville's Okoye is not physically opposing and did struggle at times he showed some flashes and displayed outstanding leadership qualities, pumping up his teammates on multiple occasions. Brandon Mebane of Cal, made a number of nice plays and displayed good leverage while Ohio State's Quinn Pitcock had his moments as well. Outside at end the guy who made you take notice wasn't one of the big names but rather Jay Moore of Nebraska, who got the better of Ryan Harris more often than not. Overall though this star-studded group of ends did not dominate the way I thought they would. In the secondary you can already see a battle developing between Leon Hall of Michigan and Daymeion Hughes of Cal and while both made their fair share of plays today I'd declare Hughes the winner by a hair. At safety Aaron Rouse of Virginia Tech struggled with his footwork and looked more like a linebacker than defensive back today. One of the most impressive defensive backs on the field was definitely Eric Weddle of Utah, who was intense, showed some leadership qualities and made a number of nice plays versus the run that drew positive notice from the coaches. Say what you want about him but Weddle is simply a football player and the type of guy who will help some team one way or another. On special teams Maryland punter Adam Podlesh showed off a booming leg and the ball makes a nice loud thud as it comes off his foot. Unfortunately due to time constraints and the weather I did not get to see much of the linebackers so I'll be sure to make them a priority tomorrow.

Despite the lack of a real eye-opening performance on either side of the ball it was a good first day overall and there should be some excellent matchups throughout the rest of the week, especially between the offensive and defensive linemen. If I was going to single out the day's top performers the names that would immediately come to mind are Daymeion Hughes, James Marten, Scott Chandler, Jay Moore, and Eric Weddle but something tells me others are going to emerge as the week progresses. So day one for the North is officially in the books and while it may not have quite lived up to expectations I am confident that will all change tomorrow and with any luck the weather will follow suit.

 

[theogt]

NFL Draft Countdown's Coverage:

South Practice

Scott Wright
President, NFL Draft Countdown

With the North and South practices being held simultaneously scouts had to make a choice between the two and it looks like most opted to drive the 20 miles or so to Fairhope Stadium for the South. Unlike the North the South squad practiced in full pads and had a hard-hitting, energetic session. The weather held up pretty well for the most part and didn't interfere with practice too much, although the natural field was not in as good of shape as the turf over at Ladd-Peebles and it had an effect on the players.

At quarterback Houston's Kevin Kolb stood out from the pack but he also had stretches where he would struggle as well. Jordan Palmer of U.T.E.P. displayed good mechanics and a smooth delivery while Chris Leak seemed to be a natural passer but sailed some of his deep balls. Auburn's Kenny Irons had great accelerations and an outstanding burst upfield while Lorenzo Booker of Florida St. was quick with great speed and showed what a good receiver he is out of the backfield. Kenneth Darby of Alabama was the least impressive of the bunch and although he was a tough inside runner he looked slow and lacked explosiveness. Perhaps the star of the entire day, on either side of the ball, was L.S.U. wide receiver Dwayne Bowe. A physical wideout who presents the quarterback with a big target, Bowe has good hands and displayed excellent concentration. Also impressive was Johnnie Lee Higgins of U.T.E.P., who ran smooth routes, showed great speed and quickness and was terrific when it came to leaping ability and body control. Chris Davis of Florida St. ran very good routes, was aggressive and attacked the ball and also worked as a punt returner. At tight end Georgia's Martrez Milner did a surprisingly good job as a blocker against his college teammate Quentin Moses and also made some nice catches. Along the offensive line Central Michigan's Joe Staley was athletic and displayed excellent feet in pass pro while Arron Sears of Tennessee was quick off the snap and played with good pad level. Justin Blalock of Texas saw action at both tackle and guard as expected while Georgia Tech's Mansfield Wrotto, who most are projecting inside, played right tackle for the most part.

At defensive end Tim Crowder of Texas displayed quick feet and awesome lateral movement while Quentin Moses of Georgia had a good burst upfield but you get the impression that he might be better off as a 3-4 outside linebacker. Inside Kareem Brown of Miami (FL) showcased a nice bull rush but he doesn't have a big repertoir of pass rush moves while DeMarcus "Tank" Tyler looked big but that's about it. The linebacker who stood out most was Earl Everett of Florida, who flowed to the ball and showed nice range. Patrick Willis of Ole Miss did a real good job in coverage while Buster Davis of Florida St. struggled in that regard, although he was the general of the defense. As expected Tony Taylor of Georgia showed his outstanding coverage skills. In the secondary Brandon Meriweather of Miami (FL) intercepted a pass and made some big hits, Michael Griffin of Texas closed on the ball well while Auburn's David Irons looked solid in man coverage and really helped himself in the eyes of scouts. And finally, Baylor punter Daniel Sepulveda kicked some high, booming punts and also did a nice job with his directions attempts.

Unlike their competition it seemed like there were many more standouts on the South roster today, especially at the skill positions. We will see if that remains the case throughout the rest of this week but as of right now you'd have to say the South won this battle, although the war is not over. Regardless of whether or not the opposition picks it up this South team is going to be very fun to watch because they have a lot of talent on both sides of the ball. The scary thing is that a lot of their top players failed to really make their mark today so if they start playing up to their potential as the days go by this team may be scary.

 

[Hostile]

Monday, January 22, 2007

Senior Bowl: Day One Practice Recap


The day started off with the weigh-ins and the big news was Troy Smith’s height. He measured in at 6’ even. While shorter then his OSU listed 6’1” its better then the rumored 5’10” or 5’11” some scouts were whispering. The first round is still doubtful for Smith and he’ll still need an excellent Senior Bowl and combine to keep his stock in the second round.

I will admit it, I am shocked. I'd have bet money on under 6.

 

[LatinMind]

I will admit it, I am shocked. I'd have bet money on under 6.

i thought so too, looks are deceiving

 

[Avery]

Mark my words, Eric Weddle is the second coming of Steve Tasker.

 

[cowboys19]

From all reports, and scouting reports, Higgins Jr sounds alot like Steve Smith of the Panthers

 

[WoodysGirl]

This is good stuff...

Bump to break up the monotony of the coaching threads.

 

[VACowboy]

Is Higgins projected as a first-round prospect?

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Is Higgins projected as a first-round prospect?

more 2nd round, but you never know

 

[superpunk]

Higgins is an exciting prospect. I wouldn't mind taking fliers on Palmer and Kolb either.

If Parcells were here I'd almost guarantee we'd draft Leonard.

 

[Zaxor]

Adam Carriker impressed the most during today’s practice. He showed good quick moves during one-on-one drills and was in the backfield often during the full scrimmage.

this guy might be worth a look see

 

[StanleySpadowski]

this guy might be worth a look see

He's one of the few first day guys that could be a 3-4 DE.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Mark my words, Eric Weddle is the second coming of Steve Tasker.

Oh, I love Weddle Avery. You know I got thing for all those Utah players. I hate em during the season but once there playing days are over for the Utes, I like to see them do well. This kid I love. Just a real joy watching him play football these past few years. Just one of those kids you like to see do well if you know what I mean.

 

[YosemiteSam]

Anyone who drafts Troy Smith to play QB should be immediately fired and ban from ever even attending or watching NFL games on TV.

Brandon Myles, West Virginia - lots of drops

This has Jerry Jones draft pick written all over it. The name fits and he drops the ball alot. :laugh2:

 

[YosemiteSam]

I will admit it, I am shocked. I'd have bet money on under 6.

He had heel implants. You know, like some people get... buttock... Yeah, buttock implants. :