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Senior Bowl Dish: The good, the bad and the ugly
Jan. 29, 2006 Print it
By War Room scouts
The Senior Bowl is the premier all-star game for college seniors hoping to make the jump to the NFL. Not only is it an opportunity to play the game on a big stage with arguably the best college talent in the country, it is also a weeklong introduction to the pros. Players work with NFL coaches, meet league scouts and staffers, and spend a week in practices learning what it takes to play at the next level.
Some players make an easy transition and take the opportunity to raise their draft stock. But for those who struggle in January at Mobile, the experience can cause an emotional and financial setback that is sometimes hard to overcome.
Here are five players who helped themselves this week in Mobile, and five who hurt themselves.
Five who helped themselves
Virginia OT D'Brickashaw Ferguson dominated all week. But before you write his ticket to Canton, he did show that he is human, getting beat inside by Alabama DE Mark Anderson in the game on Saturday. Ferguson loses patience at times and will get caught lunging at defenders and overcommit on his blocks. He must play with confidence, but trust his athletic ability and not be afraid to wait for the defender to come to him. That being said, he is clearly among the cream of this year's draft crop.
Many scouts and football people see Ohio State OLB A.J. Hawk as the top LB in this draft. But Iowa's Chad Greenway did his best to try to change that perception this week. He is an outstanding instinctive football player with 4.5 speed and plays every bit that fast. He is a tremendous athlete. His final place in the draft will depend heavily on his performance at the combine and pro day workouts. But he is clearly a Top Ten talent who will go no later than the middle of the first round.
You've no doubt heard the axiom, "Never judge a book by its cover." Well, those words never rang truer than in the case of Georgia OG Max Jean-Gilles. He failed the "look test" terribly on Monday, but that all changed once the pads went on. He dominated the interior of the line all week and is a tenacious blocker. He is easily the best OG in the draft and should not last past the 25th pick in the first round.
While we're on the offensive line, we should mention Ohio State OC Nick Mangold, who was considered by many to be the top center in the draft entering the week. He did nothing to dispel those thoughts. He plays with a mean streak and is an intelligent player who has the ability to start as a rookie in the NFL. He had a good week in Mobile and leaves as the No. 1 OC on most scouting lists.
Clemson's Tye Hill will be in a dogfight with Virginia Tech's Jimmy Williams for the top CB spot in this draft. Scouts agree that Hill looked really good this week and showed no noticeable negatives. He has great speed, but not track speed. He has a football player's body and plays with good awareness in coverage. He is a solid top 15 pick, but could go higher.
Five who hurt themselves
WR Derek Hagan of Arizona State had some critical drops throughout the week and lacks elite speed. He came to Mobile as a potential first rounder, but has seen his stock drop dramatically and may now be as low as a mid-third rounder.
Boston College DE Mathias Kiwanuka started off well on Tuesday. Matched up with Ferguson for most of the week, though, Kiwanuka clearly lost that battle. Now, Ferguson has dominated many a DE during his college career, and the expectation is that he will dominate many in the NFL. Kiwanuka came into the Senior Bowl considered the best pass rusher in the draft by some scouts, but struggled to gain separation all week. He was clearly outmatched against a superior talent like Ferguson, so there is now some question as to how he will handle the higher level of competition in the NFL. To make matters worse, Kiwanuka was thrown to the ground by his former high school and college teammate, OT Jeremy Trueblood, in a moment of frustration. Kiwanuka hurt his shoulder as a result and did not play in the game, turning a bad week into a terrible week depending on the seriousness of his injury.
No one had a worse week than Trueblood. He lost tremendous ground as his weaknesses were exposed. He relies too much on his size, has poor footwork and lacks the agility to set up his blocks properly. He cheats, grabs and holds. He had the incident with Kiwanuka during the week, and then was ejected from the game for sparring with Tennessee DE Parys Haralson. Once thought to be a potential late first-rounder, Trueblood is now in a freefall.
It was a bad week for BC. Will Blackmon is a jack-of-all-trades, but a master of none. His versatility is a plus, but he shows no first day skills at any position. He came to the Senior Bowl as a WR, but Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher believes that his best chance in the NFL is as a CB in a Cover Two scheme. He lacks the high-end speed to play in man coverage on an island. He got no work at receiver and muffed a punt badly in the game, leading to a turnover and a touchdown. He may now fall out of the first day altogether.
New Mexico WR Hank Baskett did not help himself amongst what is generally considered a weak WR class. Baskett had trouble getting separation at the line and didn't run by anyone, though he runs a 4.5 40. He didn't particularly impress with his pass-catching ability, either. Once thought to be a late second or early third round selection, he is now a late third-rounder at best and could fall out of the first day.
Others who helped themselves
Miami WR Sinorice Moss showed a nice burst of speed and scored a TD in the game … DE Manny Lawson of NC State has evolved into a top stand-up pass rusher in a 3-4 defense. He'll go in the second round as a hand down lineman, but if he runs well, he could move up the board … Pitt OG Charles Spencer played OT this season, but is more of a natural OG. He had a strong week, and the coaches and scouts like his versatility. They see him as a guard in the NFL. He should be a high second round or possibly low first round selection … Colorado TE Joe Klopfenstein had a good week and a better game, but he is not athletic enough to go too high in this draft. However, he is a solid day one selection … ILB D'Qwell Jackson of Maryland helped himself, but his options may be limited in the first round because of his position and size bias. But with the Tampa Two defense being so prevalent in today's NFL, he could remain in the first round. He's not Jonathan Vilma or Takeo Spikes, but he is smart, has good character, and plays bigger and faster than his measurables suggest.
Jan. 29, 2006 Print it
By War Room scouts
The Senior Bowl is the premier all-star game for college seniors hoping to make the jump to the NFL. Not only is it an opportunity to play the game on a big stage with arguably the best college talent in the country, it is also a weeklong introduction to the pros. Players work with NFL coaches, meet league scouts and staffers, and spend a week in practices learning what it takes to play at the next level.
Some players make an easy transition and take the opportunity to raise their draft stock. But for those who struggle in January at Mobile, the experience can cause an emotional and financial setback that is sometimes hard to overcome.
Here are five players who helped themselves this week in Mobile, and five who hurt themselves.
Five who helped themselves
Virginia OT D'Brickashaw Ferguson dominated all week. But before you write his ticket to Canton, he did show that he is human, getting beat inside by Alabama DE Mark Anderson in the game on Saturday. Ferguson loses patience at times and will get caught lunging at defenders and overcommit on his blocks. He must play with confidence, but trust his athletic ability and not be afraid to wait for the defender to come to him. That being said, he is clearly among the cream of this year's draft crop.
Many scouts and football people see Ohio State OLB A.J. Hawk as the top LB in this draft. But Iowa's Chad Greenway did his best to try to change that perception this week. He is an outstanding instinctive football player with 4.5 speed and plays every bit that fast. He is a tremendous athlete. His final place in the draft will depend heavily on his performance at the combine and pro day workouts. But he is clearly a Top Ten talent who will go no later than the middle of the first round.
You've no doubt heard the axiom, "Never judge a book by its cover." Well, those words never rang truer than in the case of Georgia OG Max Jean-Gilles. He failed the "look test" terribly on Monday, but that all changed once the pads went on. He dominated the interior of the line all week and is a tenacious blocker. He is easily the best OG in the draft and should not last past the 25th pick in the first round.
While we're on the offensive line, we should mention Ohio State OC Nick Mangold, who was considered by many to be the top center in the draft entering the week. He did nothing to dispel those thoughts. He plays with a mean streak and is an intelligent player who has the ability to start as a rookie in the NFL. He had a good week in Mobile and leaves as the No. 1 OC on most scouting lists.
Clemson's Tye Hill will be in a dogfight with Virginia Tech's Jimmy Williams for the top CB spot in this draft. Scouts agree that Hill looked really good this week and showed no noticeable negatives. He has great speed, but not track speed. He has a football player's body and plays with good awareness in coverage. He is a solid top 15 pick, but could go higher.
Five who hurt themselves
WR Derek Hagan of Arizona State had some critical drops throughout the week and lacks elite speed. He came to Mobile as a potential first rounder, but has seen his stock drop dramatically and may now be as low as a mid-third rounder.
Boston College DE Mathias Kiwanuka started off well on Tuesday. Matched up with Ferguson for most of the week, though, Kiwanuka clearly lost that battle. Now, Ferguson has dominated many a DE during his college career, and the expectation is that he will dominate many in the NFL. Kiwanuka came into the Senior Bowl considered the best pass rusher in the draft by some scouts, but struggled to gain separation all week. He was clearly outmatched against a superior talent like Ferguson, so there is now some question as to how he will handle the higher level of competition in the NFL. To make matters worse, Kiwanuka was thrown to the ground by his former high school and college teammate, OT Jeremy Trueblood, in a moment of frustration. Kiwanuka hurt his shoulder as a result and did not play in the game, turning a bad week into a terrible week depending on the seriousness of his injury.
No one had a worse week than Trueblood. He lost tremendous ground as his weaknesses were exposed. He relies too much on his size, has poor footwork and lacks the agility to set up his blocks properly. He cheats, grabs and holds. He had the incident with Kiwanuka during the week, and then was ejected from the game for sparring with Tennessee DE Parys Haralson. Once thought to be a potential late first-rounder, Trueblood is now in a freefall.
It was a bad week for BC. Will Blackmon is a jack-of-all-trades, but a master of none. His versatility is a plus, but he shows no first day skills at any position. He came to the Senior Bowl as a WR, but Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher believes that his best chance in the NFL is as a CB in a Cover Two scheme. He lacks the high-end speed to play in man coverage on an island. He got no work at receiver and muffed a punt badly in the game, leading to a turnover and a touchdown. He may now fall out of the first day altogether.
New Mexico WR Hank Baskett did not help himself amongst what is generally considered a weak WR class. Baskett had trouble getting separation at the line and didn't run by anyone, though he runs a 4.5 40. He didn't particularly impress with his pass-catching ability, either. Once thought to be a late second or early third round selection, he is now a late third-rounder at best and could fall out of the first day.
Others who helped themselves
Miami WR Sinorice Moss showed a nice burst of speed and scored a TD in the game … DE Manny Lawson of NC State has evolved into a top stand-up pass rusher in a 3-4 defense. He'll go in the second round as a hand down lineman, but if he runs well, he could move up the board … Pitt OG Charles Spencer played OT this season, but is more of a natural OG. He had a strong week, and the coaches and scouts like his versatility. They see him as a guard in the NFL. He should be a high second round or possibly low first round selection … Colorado TE Joe Klopfenstein had a good week and a better game, but he is not athletic enough to go too high in this draft. However, he is a solid day one selection … ILB D'Qwell Jackson of Maryland helped himself, but his options may be limited in the first round because of his position and size bias. But with the Tampa Two defense being so prevalent in today's NFL, he could remain in the first round. He's not Jonathan Vilma or Takeo Spikes, but he is smart, has good character, and plays bigger and faster than his measurables suggest.
