NFL Draft Countdown's Coverage
Senior Bowl - Tuesday North Practice
January 23, 2007
Scott Wright
It was still overcast and a bit cooler this morning but unlike yesterday it didn't rain which made for a much more enjoyable practice. Like the weather the quality of play on the field had improved as well and a number of players made an impression on the second go around.
At quarterback Ohio State's Troy Smith is clearly the cream of the crop and he tosses a nice ball and showed the ability make all the throws. Drew Stanton of Michigan St. was up and down and inconsistent while Tyler Palko just doesn't have a very good arm and struggled. Troy Smith is doing a great job of rehabbing his stock after that Florida game and he's making some money this week. At running back Kolby Smith of Louisville consistently stands out and has been the top running back on the team, showing a burst to kick it outside and promise as a receiver as well. Rutgers fullback Brian Leonard continues to stand out as a receiver as well, looking very smooth and natural in that aspect of the game and making me wonder if he can't be an H-Back in the mold of Chris Cooley or Garrett Mills as well. He's going to be a unique weapon for someone. In my mind West Virginia's Brandon Myles has been without question the star at wide receiver, making a number of catches again today and beating Marcus McCauley on a deep ball and Daymeion Hughes on an intermediate thrown along the sideline. This guy is definitely making a name for himself. Meanwhile Rhema McKnight of Notre Dame runs good routes but did drop a ball today and is not going to hurt anyone downfield while Scott Chandler of Iowa consistently made plays again as well. As for the offensive linemen, Levi Brown of Penn St. and James Marten of Boston College had quick feet in drills while Dan Mozes of West Virginia and Marshal Yanda of Iowa did not and Brown also moved laterally very well. Notre Dame's Ryan Harris struggled with his technique and received lots of coaching and Manuel Ramirez of Texas Tech is big, thick and looked good today. On a side note, I talked yesterday about how Marten was really playing with a nasty demeanor and going real hard and it was only a matter of time until that resulted in a skirmish and sure enough he and David Patterson got into it today with a little wrestling and head slapping action. I really like Marten's attitude and he'd have no problem fitting in with a team like the Denver Broncos. Overall the offensive line play has been extremely physical and active, which is nice to see.
Along the defensive line the story for me continues to be Amobi Okoye of Louisville, who continues to make plays in practice but concerns me with his size. He just does not look very big out there with thin legs and in my mind he's a lot closer to a defensive end than he is to a tackle physically. I had a chance to talk with Amobi after practice and he said his weight's a little low right now but that his ideal weight is 295 lbs. which he played at this year and he said it was the best he ever felt. Okoye, the youngest Senior Bowler ever, also dinged his neck a little big when he "got cheap shotted" by Dan Mozes but he said he's fine and will get him back. Okoye also said teams have spoken to him about the possibility of bulking up but in my mind there's now very little doubt that he's not a nose tackle and would be best as a 3-technique in the NFL. Cal's Brandon Mebane also looked good again today showing good power and playing with excellent leverage. Nebraska defensive ends Adam Carriker and Jay Moore both continue to make a lot of plays as pass rushers and Carriker has seen action inside at tackle as well this week. At linebacker Paul Posluszny of Penn St. is good in forward pursuit and aggressive but did not make a fluid turn in coverage. H.B. Blades of Pittsburgh looks like more of an in-the-box thumper and had some trouble when he needs to get outside to the wings but he's showed good form and technique as a tackler. Nebraska's Stewart Bradley continues to impress and showed good range to the sideline while David Harris of Michigan looked good at the line versus the run. In the secondary Eric Weddle of Utah could not keep up with Jason Hill in coverage (and he isn't exactly a blazer) so that leads you to believe the thoughts of him playing corner (at least full time) at the next level may be a little ambitious. On the other hand Virginia Tech's Aaron Rouse, who looked more like a linebacker yesterday, had no problem keeping up with Andre Allison when matched up man to man in drills. Marcus McCauley of Fresno St. has not really stood out in my eyes thus far but Josh Wilson of Maryland has, displaying a physical presence at the line and playing much bigger than his size would indicate. And finally, Colorado kicker Mason Crosby got an opportunity to show his stuff at the end of practice and was consistently hitting from 42 and 47 yards with room to spare.
As you can see there were a lot of positive performances today and the North squad seemed to hit their stride on day two for the most part. The most surprising thing may be guys who were overlooked such as Brandon Myles and James Marten making their presence felt in a big way but so far the story of the week has been Troy Smith, who in my mind is clearly emerging as the #3 rated quarterback in this draft. After a rough start the North has picked up the pace which promises to make for an interesting finish to the week.
-----
Their South practice coverage hasn't been posted yet.
