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Updated: Jan. 25, 2006, 11:09 AM ET
Tuesday's buzz: Ferguson, Moss stand outESPN.com
MOBILE, Ala. -- The practice tempo picked up Tuesday, as both teams went in full pads for two-hour sessions at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. There was far more contact in the day's practices, but Wednesday is typically the most physical practice session of the week.
Here's the buzz from Tuesday's Senior Bowl practices:
Around the North practice
Michael Robinson's woes at the quarterback position continued during Tuesday's practice. Instead of splitting up his practice time by taking some repetitions at wide receiver and/or running back, Robinson continued to work exclusively behind Jay Cutler (Vanderbilt) and Charlie Whitehurst (Clemson) as the third quarterback on the North roster.
At this point, it's safe to say that Robinson has little to no chance of developing into a contributor at the quarterback position in the NFL. He lacks the arm strength, accuracy and overall mechanics to play the position. It's too bad he has missed out on the opportunity to impress NFL personnel officials with his athleticism at other skill positions.
Several NFL teams have graded Robinson out as a prospect that will need to change positions in order to play at the next level. Most teams project Robinson as a wide receiver or running back, while a couple teams also threw in the possibility of playing the safety position because of his strength and toughness. Robinson definitely deserves a look as a return specialist.
• Michigan WR Jason Avant is usually a sure-handed receiver, but he dropped a couple catchable passes during Tuesday's practice session. As a possession receiver with just adequate size and speed, Avant needs to be more consistent catching the football the rest of the week.
Lori Young/ESPN.com
D'Brickashaw Ferguson has exhibited quickness and balance at the Senior Bowl.• Virginia OT D'Brickashaw Ferguson, who is arguably the top-rated prospect playing in this year's Senior Bowl, turned in an impressive all-around performance Tuesday afternoon. He lacks ideal bulk and is not an explosive blocker at the point of attack, but he shows rare quickness, lateral movement, body control and balance. He consistently erased Boston College DE Mathias Kiwanuka during pass rush drills and pile-drove Kiwanuka to the ground on one passing play during the team session.
• Boston College's Will Blackmon continued to work exclusively at the cornerback position during practice Tuesday. He showed marked improvement after a slow start that could be attributed to rust on Monday. However, Blackmon is a far better fit at the wide receiver position in the NFL than he is at cornerback. There's no denying Blackmon's athleticism, but he seems to lack natural instincts as a cover corner. With just adequate top-end speed, Blackmon cannot afford many of the late breaks that he gets in coverage.
• Oregon RB Terrence Whitehead, who fumbled during unit drills on Monday, continued to struggle during Tuesday's practice. Whitehead does not show great burst as a runner and was also rag-dolled on a couple occasions when attempting to take on blitzing linebackers during protection drills.
• Pittsburgh OG Charles Spencer has been one of the most impressive interior offensive linemen in practices so far this week. However, one scout that covers his region says he could slip a bit on draft weekend because of concerns regarding his ability to pick up NFL offensive schemes.
• Colorado P John Torp had a much better practice session Tuesday. He possesses good leg strength and showed solid directional skills during his punting drills. Torp is a late-round prospect in a class that does not boast many draftable kicker/punter specialists.
Around the South practice
Miami WR Sinorice Moss stood out as one of the best players on the field during Tuesday's practice for the South squad. Moss is grossly undersized (5-foot-8, 183 pounds), but his speed and quickness are outstanding.
Lori Young/ESPN.com
WR Sinorice Moss has displayed his explosiveness at the Senior Bowl.With so many of the drills featuring receivers working one-on-one in space against defensive backs, Moss was able to showcase his explosiveness more than usual. He has also impressed with his ability to pluck the ball on the run and quickly get upfield. Moss' marginal size may still keep him out of the first round, but he has proven a lot of doubters wrong during his first 48 hours in Mobile.
• Auburn wide receivers Ben Obomanu, Devin Aromashodu and Anthony Mix have fared relatively well thus far. Obomanu is the least talented of the three, but he still has decent size and hands as a late-round prospect. Aromashodu ran very good routes during practice, but he has a tendency to let the ball get into his pads rather than catching it away from his body with his hands. Ironically, Mix was the least productive of the three as a senior at Auburn, but he has been the most impressive through the first two practices. Mix lacks great burst out of his breaks as a route runner, but he is a smooth athlete for such a massive receiver. He also has big, soft hands that he has showcased when catching the ball in traffic.
• On the opposite end of the spectrum, New Mexico wideout Hank Baskett has looked overwhelmed during his first two outings. Baskett is a big receiver that dominated the mid-major level of competition in college, but his marginal route-running skills have been exposed against the faster, more instinctive defensive backs at the Senior Bowl this week. Baskett has good top-end speed for his size, but he takes too long to build speed and is entirely too stiff when getting in and out of his breaks, which gives defensive backs the time they need to diagnose the route and jump it. Unfortunately for Baskett, his week has been a classic example of why these all-star game practices can be so valuable to talent evaluators.
Auburn LB Travis Williams has stood out as the quickest linebacker on both rosters so far during this week's practices. Williams has bulked up to 217 pounds and is showing impressive fluidness and speed. He could be of great value to a team using a smaller defensive scheme (like the Colts and Buccaneers) as an early Day 2 pick.
NC State's Manny Lawson is another player that has improved his draft value so far this week. Lawson is an undersized defensive end that will fit best as a 3-4 outside linebacker in the NFL. He has bulked up a bit (240 pounds) from his smaller senior season playing weight, but he is still showing the explosive initial quickness and closing burst that made him one of the nation's most dangerous pass-rushing weapons during the last few seasons. Lawson caught the attention of scouts Tuesday when he simply ran by Miami OT Eric Winston, who is widely regarded as one of the most mobile pass blockers in this year's draft class.
Ironically, Louisville's Elvis Dumervil, who was the nation's sack leader in 2005, was unable to generate much of a rush against Winston during individual and unit drills. Dumervil is also an undersized end, but he does not show the same fluidity that Lawson has in order to make a smooth move back to the linebacker position. Dumervil's marginal height and lack of elite top-end speed have been exposed more than expected so far this week.
Scouts Inc. provided today's Senior Bowl buzz.
http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft06/insider/news/story?id=2305051
Tuesday's buzz: Ferguson, Moss stand outESPN.com
MOBILE, Ala. -- The practice tempo picked up Tuesday, as both teams went in full pads for two-hour sessions at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. There was far more contact in the day's practices, but Wednesday is typically the most physical practice session of the week.
Here's the buzz from Tuesday's Senior Bowl practices:
Around the North practice
Michael Robinson's woes at the quarterback position continued during Tuesday's practice. Instead of splitting up his practice time by taking some repetitions at wide receiver and/or running back, Robinson continued to work exclusively behind Jay Cutler (Vanderbilt) and Charlie Whitehurst (Clemson) as the third quarterback on the North roster.
At this point, it's safe to say that Robinson has little to no chance of developing into a contributor at the quarterback position in the NFL. He lacks the arm strength, accuracy and overall mechanics to play the position. It's too bad he has missed out on the opportunity to impress NFL personnel officials with his athleticism at other skill positions.
Several NFL teams have graded Robinson out as a prospect that will need to change positions in order to play at the next level. Most teams project Robinson as a wide receiver or running back, while a couple teams also threw in the possibility of playing the safety position because of his strength and toughness. Robinson definitely deserves a look as a return specialist.
• Michigan WR Jason Avant is usually a sure-handed receiver, but he dropped a couple catchable passes during Tuesday's practice session. As a possession receiver with just adequate size and speed, Avant needs to be more consistent catching the football the rest of the week.
Lori Young/ESPN.com
D'Brickashaw Ferguson has exhibited quickness and balance at the Senior Bowl.• Virginia OT D'Brickashaw Ferguson, who is arguably the top-rated prospect playing in this year's Senior Bowl, turned in an impressive all-around performance Tuesday afternoon. He lacks ideal bulk and is not an explosive blocker at the point of attack, but he shows rare quickness, lateral movement, body control and balance. He consistently erased Boston College DE Mathias Kiwanuka during pass rush drills and pile-drove Kiwanuka to the ground on one passing play during the team session.
• Boston College's Will Blackmon continued to work exclusively at the cornerback position during practice Tuesday. He showed marked improvement after a slow start that could be attributed to rust on Monday. However, Blackmon is a far better fit at the wide receiver position in the NFL than he is at cornerback. There's no denying Blackmon's athleticism, but he seems to lack natural instincts as a cover corner. With just adequate top-end speed, Blackmon cannot afford many of the late breaks that he gets in coverage.
• Oregon RB Terrence Whitehead, who fumbled during unit drills on Monday, continued to struggle during Tuesday's practice. Whitehead does not show great burst as a runner and was also rag-dolled on a couple occasions when attempting to take on blitzing linebackers during protection drills.
• Pittsburgh OG Charles Spencer has been one of the most impressive interior offensive linemen in practices so far this week. However, one scout that covers his region says he could slip a bit on draft weekend because of concerns regarding his ability to pick up NFL offensive schemes.
• Colorado P John Torp had a much better practice session Tuesday. He possesses good leg strength and showed solid directional skills during his punting drills. Torp is a late-round prospect in a class that does not boast many draftable kicker/punter specialists.
Around the South practice
Miami WR Sinorice Moss stood out as one of the best players on the field during Tuesday's practice for the South squad. Moss is grossly undersized (5-foot-8, 183 pounds), but his speed and quickness are outstanding.
Lori Young/ESPN.com
WR Sinorice Moss has displayed his explosiveness at the Senior Bowl.With so many of the drills featuring receivers working one-on-one in space against defensive backs, Moss was able to showcase his explosiveness more than usual. He has also impressed with his ability to pluck the ball on the run and quickly get upfield. Moss' marginal size may still keep him out of the first round, but he has proven a lot of doubters wrong during his first 48 hours in Mobile.
• Auburn wide receivers Ben Obomanu, Devin Aromashodu and Anthony Mix have fared relatively well thus far. Obomanu is the least talented of the three, but he still has decent size and hands as a late-round prospect. Aromashodu ran very good routes during practice, but he has a tendency to let the ball get into his pads rather than catching it away from his body with his hands. Ironically, Mix was the least productive of the three as a senior at Auburn, but he has been the most impressive through the first two practices. Mix lacks great burst out of his breaks as a route runner, but he is a smooth athlete for such a massive receiver. He also has big, soft hands that he has showcased when catching the ball in traffic.
• On the opposite end of the spectrum, New Mexico wideout Hank Baskett has looked overwhelmed during his first two outings. Baskett is a big receiver that dominated the mid-major level of competition in college, but his marginal route-running skills have been exposed against the faster, more instinctive defensive backs at the Senior Bowl this week. Baskett has good top-end speed for his size, but he takes too long to build speed and is entirely too stiff when getting in and out of his breaks, which gives defensive backs the time they need to diagnose the route and jump it. Unfortunately for Baskett, his week has been a classic example of why these all-star game practices can be so valuable to talent evaluators.
Auburn LB Travis Williams has stood out as the quickest linebacker on both rosters so far during this week's practices. Williams has bulked up to 217 pounds and is showing impressive fluidness and speed. He could be of great value to a team using a smaller defensive scheme (like the Colts and Buccaneers) as an early Day 2 pick.
NC State's Manny Lawson is another player that has improved his draft value so far this week. Lawson is an undersized defensive end that will fit best as a 3-4 outside linebacker in the NFL. He has bulked up a bit (240 pounds) from his smaller senior season playing weight, but he is still showing the explosive initial quickness and closing burst that made him one of the nation's most dangerous pass-rushing weapons during the last few seasons. Lawson caught the attention of scouts Tuesday when he simply ran by Miami OT Eric Winston, who is widely regarded as one of the most mobile pass blockers in this year's draft class.
Ironically, Louisville's Elvis Dumervil, who was the nation's sack leader in 2005, was unable to generate much of a rush against Winston during individual and unit drills. Dumervil is also an undersized end, but he does not show the same fluidity that Lawson has in order to make a smooth move back to the linebacker position. Dumervil's marginal height and lack of elite top-end speed have been exposed more than expected so far this week.
Scouts Inc. provided today's Senior Bowl buzz.
http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft06/insider/news/story?id=2305051
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