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The 2011 Senior Bowl Thread (1 Viewer)

Matt Waldman

Matt Waldman

Footballguy
We just arrived in Mobile as we prepare for our annual coverage of the Senior Bowl practices. We will post practice observations as well as interviews of participants from media night on this thread. We're also providing complete practice reports for the New York Times Fifth Down Blog.

Cecil and Andrew will be doing some video casts and Ticket TV and I'll be doing audio interviews/Q&As.

Should be a fun and busy trip as always. We'll hopefully answer questions and promote discussion in here as time allows.

 
Was thinking about taking my son to a practice or two this year. He's in first grade and really got into football this year. They use to practice at my old High School which was pretty cool, but now I guess they've moved everything to Ladd Stadium.

Who are the players you are hearing will be the most scrutinized this week?

 
I'd love nothing more than to hear updates on the 6 (count 'em SIX) Huskers playing in the game. I'm a bit disappointed Prince Amukamara decided not to participate to protect his draft stock, though.

 
SpurrierisisGod said:
Was thinking about taking my son to a practice or two this year. He's in first grade and really got into football this year. They use to practice at my old High School which was pretty cool, but now I guess they've moved everything to Ladd Stadium.Who are the players you are hearing will be the most scrutinized this week?
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We'll probably learn more about who those players will be as we talk to a variety of folks here after the weigh-ins. My personal list for the 2011 Rookie Scouting Portfolio includes: QB Jake Locker: He tends to show everything you want when grading components of his game in separate compartments, but why can't he put it together consistently in games? QB Colin Kaepernick: He flashes some nice NFL skill sets, but how will he fare under center in a I-formation offense not tailored to his strengths? RB Kendall Hunter: As Lammey mentioned on the drive here, Hunter was phenomenal as a sophomore, but his last two seasons didn't support that one big year. RB Noel Devine: Garda mentioned him with particular interest. Lammey wants to see if Devine will be used this week the way they used Dexter McCluster in practice. I'm on board with that. RB Bilal Powell: According to the local Louisville paper, Powell was invited and will be here but he's not listed on the Sr. Bowl website. This tends to happen. Powell might have had the best TD run of the year with the exception of Marshawn Lynch's playoff classic. This is probably the most intriguing player I've watched this year after studying nearly 110 players on film thus far for the RSP. Speed, power, balance and excellent ball control. He doesn't give many interviews, but he'll have to this week. His story is a good one. I hope to interview him Tuesday night. The one thing I didn't see Powell really do in the Louisville offense is pass protect so I want to see what he shows here in practices. RB Roy Helu, Jr: How does his speed translate to an offense where he isn't in the spread or eight yards in the backfield behind slower-developing plays?WR Jeremy Kerley: The TCU special teams stud has the raw talent to become an NFL receiver. I want to see what he shows this week. There are others, of course, but these are the ones that come to mind at 7:00 am, 'Bama time.
 
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mcintyre1 said:
I'd love nothing more than to hear updates on the 6 (count 'em SIX) Huskers playing in the game. I'm a bit disappointed Prince Amukamara decided not to participate to protect his draft stock, though.
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I think Prince will be fine, although I did see OU's lesser known WR from Dacula, Ga. fair very well against him in the Big-12 Championship.
 
I would like to hear about Demarco Murray, Andy Dalton, Austin Pettis, and DJ Williams on top of the players mentioned by Mr. Waldman.

 
I will be curious to see how the Badgers 3 O line play. I assume they will be on the field together, and I am wondering if there years of practice may make a difference in lining up against guys on the d line who have not played together

 
Really excited to see TCU's Andy Dalton, and like Matt mentioned Noel Devine and if he's here, Powell. Should be interesting.

 
smackdaddies said:
I will be curious to see how the Badgers 3 O line play. I assume they will be on the field together, and I am wondering if there years of practice may make a difference in lining up against guys on the d line who have not played together
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Watching the o-line vs d-line drills is my favorite segment of the practices.
 
I love when the senior bowl people start rolling into town. The number of limos skyrockets and my kids love it.

Haven't done it in a while, and don't know where they go anymore, but you used to be able to head downtown at night and catch some good crowds at the bars. May try to do that this week. We were going to go tailgate (not the game) but not sure if we will this year. Good times.

 
Any impressions from the weigh in? Seems like Devine checked in much smaller than expected (reminds me a bit of what happened with Desean Jackson). Some good arm lengths on the highly ranked OT's, Castonzo in particular at 35 1/4. Nebraska players seemed to check in right around their expected weights/heights. Pierre Allen's got crazy long arms at 35 3/8, tied for longest at the event so far.

 
Kendall Hunter is my guy to watch. He's a guy that could skyrocket up the draft boards. Really love this kid.

 
I saw a report earlier today that Daniel Thomas pulled out of the senior bowl but it didn't say why. Anyone know the reason?

 
Two WR's stood out to me today. Titus Young (Boise St) and Vincent Brown (SDSU). I had not heard much about Brown but was very impressed with his hands.

 
quick thoughts after the north practice....full reports coming to Draftguys and NYTimes 5th down blog----

Vincent Brown may be the best receiver here. Reminds me of Reggie Wayne, although he won't be drafted that high. Great body control, looks in passes, comes back to the ball, makes the tough catch, route running is very precise, can get separation, strong hands.

Kendall Hunter is very fun to watch! Great stiff arm play with defender all over him in the backfield, initial juke didn't work but then he just stiff armed him to the ground and broke through the hole. Very shifty, good shake and bake moves.

DeMarco Murray has really impressed me too. Looked solid at the weigh in, and could add a few more pounds of muscle...frame is not maxed out. Fluid runner who doesn't lose much speed when changing direction.

Colin Kaepernick looked better dropping back than I thought he would. Sees the field well and generally makes good decisions with the football. Also had a QB draw that he gained lots of positive yards on.

More thoughts from me, Waldman, and Garda coming soon!

 
Too bad Jernigan couldn't play. He would've ripped this game a new one.

I'm curious about the skill position guys. Titus Young, Jeremy Kerley, Vincent Brown, Leonard Hankerson, and Ronald Johnson have all shown some flashes in games.

 
Thought this was interesting from WalterFootball

Titus Young, WR, Boise State

Wow. I don't want to overreact to one day of practice, but it's going to be difficult not to. Titus Young was breath-taking on the practice field, blowing by defensive backs at will and breaking ankles with deadly jukes. He looks like a hybrid between DeSean Jackson and Mike Wallace.

I also read that Titus had a few drops, but that was coming from McShay so who knows..McShay did rave about his route running. We may have a contender for the #3-4 WR in this draft

 
DansRams said:
Thought this was interesting from WalterFootballTitus Young, WR, Boise State Wow. I don't want to overreact to one day of practice, but it's going to be difficult not to. Titus Young was breath-taking on the practice field, blowing by defensive backs at will and breaking ankles with deadly jukes. He looks like a hybrid between DeSean Jackson and Mike Wallace. I also read that Titus had a few drops, but that was coming from McShay so who knows..McShay did rave about his route running. We may have a contender for the #3-4 WR in this draft
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I can add to this report because I was at the weigh-ins and the North practice. In fact, I was at the fence following the receivers from drill to drill. I agree that Young was quick, fast and had nice feet, but Todd McShay was right; he dropped the football. In fact, he dropped it frequently. He dropped an out, a drag route and a slant route and all were thrown well enough that they passed through his hands. He did have some nice moments in drills, but when he was in coverage in scrimmage-like conditions he dropped more passes than he caught. Of course, this is Day One so it doesn't mean that he stinks. I just want to provide more context to this report DansRams relayed from WalterFootball. As far as DeSean Jackson, I was seated beside two NFC player-personnel (scouts) men during the weigh-in and this is the exchange I heard: Scout 1: "Hopefully he weighs more than 165."(Senior Bowl attendant on stage announces Young's weight at 174)Scouts 1 & 2 in unison: "mmm-hmmm."Scout 1: "All I've got to say is DeSean Jackson."
 
floridamike said:
Keep an eye out for this guy.. http://seniorbowl.com/playerinfo.asp?ID=368

Late round gem for someone. Best thing to come out of ECU since CJ. Wicked after-the-catch moves and power. Probably won't put up a great 40 but his stop and go and side to side stuff is sick.
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Dwayne adjusted well to passes in drills and as a blocker he actually put a defender on the ground with excellent initially contact with his pads, but he was repeatedly told to get his hands inside the defender so he doesn't get flagged for holding. In scrimmage-like drills, he dropped a couple of passes in coverage that he should have caught and juggled a third until fell out of bounds, catching it with one hand.

He is definitely a nice athlete and I'm looking forward to seeing more of him (in addition to games of his I will be watching).

 
We're putting the final touches on a collaborative article on the Day One weigh-in and North practice for the New York Times Fifth Down Blog. We also interviewed nine prospects, which we'll eventually make available in various forms this week and next:

Lammey and Garda (video):

OT Nate Solder, CU

RB Kendall Hunter, OSU

RB Da'Rell Scott, Maryland

WR Vincent Brown, SDSU

Me (audio)

RB DeMarco Murray, OU

QB Jake Locker, Washington

RB Bilal Powell, Louisville

RB Roy Helu, Jr., Nebraska

QB Colin Kaepernick, Nevada

 
Matt Waldman said:
Skeletore Eh said:
I saw a report earlier today that Daniel Thomas pulled out of the senior bowl but it didn't say why. Anyone know the reason?
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Lammey asked a couple of people, but they didn't know why. We'll continue to ask until we find out, or someone else does.
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Kansas State RB Daniel Thomas has pulled out of the Senior Bowl due to a hamstring injury.

The injury isn't known to be severe, but it's disappointing after Mike Mayock ranked Thomas as the second best tailback in the 2011 class -- behind Mark Ingram -- in his initial draft rankings this weekend.
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Link.
 
Matt Waldman said:
We're putting the final touches on a collaborative article on the Day One weigh-in and North practice for the New York Times Fifth Down Blog. We also interviewed nine prospects, which we'll eventually make available in various forms this week and next:Lammey and Garda (video):OT Nate Solder, CURB Kendall Hunter, OSURB Da'Rell Scott, MarylandWR Vincent Brown, SDSUMe (audio)RB DeMarco Murray, OUQB Jake Locker, WashingtonRB Bilal Powell, LouisvilleRB Roy Helu, Jr., NebraskaQB Colin Kaepernick, Nevada
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:glee:
 
How did Niles Paul look in the WR drills? Inconsistency still plaguing him?

seems like he'll contribute to a team for sure, but will he be more than a WR4/ST'r?

 
I would really appreciate it, if you could keep me posted on Bilal Powell. Just the 3 games I saw him play, I was very impressed. Thanks in advance!!

 
TopDawg said:
I would really appreciate it, if you could keep me posted on Bilal Powell. Just the 3 games I saw him play, I was very impressed. Thanks in advance!!
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Brother, I'm right there with you. I think he's terrific and I had the good fortune of interviewing him. He normally doesn't do interviews and when I asked one of the hosts to request an interview on my behalf, he initially declined. But he quickly changed his mind and came over to see me. Knowing he doesn't give out interviews I thanked him for making the exception tonight and told him I wasn't trying to ask him any questions he wasn't comfortable with (I'm not trying to do a cutting edge profile or delve deep into his personal life, I just want to talk about the skill of being a running back with him). He was reserved and shy, but pleasant. When I set up one question by indicating that I wasn't asking him to brag about himself, his body language perked up as if he felt like I understood why he doesn't do interviews (he's very religious). Later in the interview, I asked him to talk to me about what he liked about hitting someone and he was almost boyish (in his reserved way) as he described what it feels like to lower his pads into a player in the hole (he was a safety in high school until he was a senior). I didn't see him on Day One, but I will see him Day Two. Can't wait to fill you guys in. I expect him to get on the radar with less knowledgeable people in the media.
 
loose circuits said:
How did Niles Paul look in the WR drills? Inconsistency still plaguing him?seems like he'll contribute to a team for sure, but will he be more than a WR4/ST'r?
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At the weigh-in, he had a noticeably developed set of lats that made him look heavier than he was. He looked more like a fleet-footed TE to me, excepted he was clearly a WR. He actually had a good day today, getting deep separation on a streak down the right flat about 35-40 yards in length, veering outside to catch the ball over his outside shoulder in the end zone. However, I can see why you wonder about his inconsistency. In drills he slightly juggled the football more than a few times. Nothing really notable, but something that hints at what you mention. I think he tips off his breaks a bit because his breaks seemed exaggerated rather than economical, but he was also praised a few times for his sharp change of direction.
 
Kimbo Slice said:
Matt Waldman said:
Skeletore Eh said:
I saw a report earlier today that Daniel Thomas pulled out of the senior bowl but it didn't say why. Anyone know the reason?
Click to expand...
Lammey asked a couple of people, but they didn't know why. We'll continue to ask until we find out, or someone else does.
Click to expand...
Kansas State RB Daniel Thomas has pulled out of the Senior Bowl due to a hamstring injury.

The injury isn't known to be severe, but it's disappointing after Mike Mayock ranked Thomas as the second best tailback in the 2011 class -- behind Mark Ingram -- in his initial draft rankings this weekend.
Click to expand...
Link.
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Thanks. Honestly, I'm a little glad he's not there because he's a known quantity. I'd rather see more of other backs.
 
Matt Waldman said:
TopDawg said:
I would really appreciate it, if you could keep me posted on Bilal Powell. Just the 3 games I saw him play, I was very impressed. Thanks in advance!!
Click to expand...
Brother, I'm right there with you. I think he's terrific and I had the good fortune of interviewing him. He normally doesn't do interviews and when I asked one of the hosts to request an interview on my behalf, he initially declined. But he quickly changed his mind and came over to see me. Knowing he doesn't give out interviews I thanked him for making the exception tonight and told him I wasn't trying to ask him any questions he wasn't comfortable with (I'm not trying to do a cutting edge profile or delve deep into his personal life, I just want to talk about the skill of being a running back with him). He was reserved and shy, but pleasant. When I set up one question by indicating that I wasn't asking him to brag about himself, his body language perked up as if he felt like I understood why he doesn't do interviews (he's very religious). Later in the interview, I asked him to talk to me about what he liked about hitting someone and he was almost boyish (in his reserved way) as he described what it feels like to lower his pads into a player in the hole (he was a safety in high school until he was a senior). I didn't see him on Day One, but I will see him Day Two. Can't wait to fill you guys in. I expect him to get on the radar with less knowledgeable people in the media.
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Matt, really appreciate the information, and I look forward to your Day Two reports. Very interesting on the Bilal Powell interview. :kicksrock:
 
If you guys have any notes on Roy Helu, I'd love to hear them. He's been one of my favorite players for NU for the last several years. Soft spoken and a real team player.

 
mcintyre1 said:
If you guys have any notes on Roy Helu, I'd love to hear them. He's been one of my favorite players for NU for the last several years. Soft spoken and a real team player.
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I spent a fair amount of time on the sideline where I could see RBs and WRs working. The RBs ran four or five back-specific, drills. The first was with five small cones placed no more than three feet away from each other in a straight line and the runners had to carry the ball while weaving through each cone as the RB coach tried to knock the ball away. Helu's feet weren't the quickest of the North Squad, but he had no real deficiencies with this drill, either. The second drill involved the rectangular pads that look a little like speed humps on the ground. The backs ran through these as quickly as possible, cut to their right and stiff arm a dummy. On the next round they ran the opposite direction through the pads and cut to the left and stiff armed the dummy. Helu was praised for his ability to keep his knees high and get through the pads quickly. Another drill with the rectangular pads involved laying two rows of pads spaced apart from each other in a way that looked like this: X>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>The X was the running back coach and he would place himself somewhere to begin the drill and then ask the runner to press the hole towards him as they approached the first row and then cut away from him to a specific direction he pointed to as they cleared that first row. The only two backs in the group that did this particularly well on a consistent basis today were Murray and Hunter. Helu, Scott and Marecic could not manage to make the tight cut back in the hole at least once. I think Helu did it the second time. Helu did alright catching the ball in receiving drills. He used his hands but he did drop a deeper route when a pass' trajectory sent him into a part of the field where another drill was happening. In scrimmage drills, Helu had more difficulty getting outside on designed plays than the other backs and when he found holes between the tackles he got wrapped quicker than all but Marecic. Lammey told me he noticed Helu make a very deliberate, two-footed leap over a defender rather than hurdle over the pile, but I didn't see that particular play. I think Cecil felt he didn't appear very instinctive on that particular run. I thought Helu was pretty engaging during my interview with him. He had a good sense of humor and he did a good job of explaining his favorite play and what went through his mind. He also said the biggest thing he learned as a college player came this year and the lesson was about teamwork. Cecil likes to describe Helu as a "momentum runner," because his speed tends to be more noticeable as he gets moving, but the acceleration isn't as strong as other backs we've seen. I'm still figuring out where I stand on Helu's game because I've watched two games of his and neither were overly impressive. He can be a tough runner and if he gets downhill without any obstacles, he has the long speed to make big plays. I'm still waiting to see the short area acceleration and more sophistication with his decision making.
 
Matt Waldman said:
New York Times Piece No.1
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Thanks Matt and Cecil :thumbup:

To me this continues to look like a draft that people will more and more recognize as a deep class of very good rb's that has been downgraded due to a perceived weak to average class because of the lack of elite prospects. The Kendall Hunter and D Murray reports looked good. I was especially happy to hear that Murray has room to add another 10-15 to his frame. He is a totally different prospect at 225-230...especially if he adds strength and bulk to his legs. I was actually hoping to hear that Hunter could add 5-10 as well, but at 5'7, his 199 weigh in is not bad. Another 5lbs should be enough.

On the fantasy front, my guess is this class will continued to be underrated. There are SO many who could be draft in the 2-3rd round that I think the class as a whole will slide in the draft. NFL teams will know they have choices that will fall to them, so they can address another position and address rb in the "next round". This will cause a peception challenge as fanatsy players will look at some of these guys and judge them for falling to the 3rd or even 4th round, when in fact they are slipping due to an over supply of rb's in the draft as well as the NFL....nothing an 18 game schedule can't take care of :goodposting:

Back to Hunter and Murray, at this point I think both are likely 2nd round picks in the NFL draft that will be good pros and nice ff options, especially in PPR. I wouldn't be shocked if either of them went to the Rams as a compliment to, and potential future replacement of Jackson.

Thanks again, Matt, Cecil and team...great report during my favorite time of the year for dynasty football...besides the season of course :D

 
Other Day 1 notes not in the piece:

- At the weigh in, one of the NFC scouts next to me exclaimed, "Day-um!" as he recorded the measurements of WR Courtney Smith (6-4, 200) and looked at the kid's chiseled physique.

- When BC LB Mark Herzlick (sp?) walked onto the stage for his measuring, another NFC scout said, "it's so unfortunate." I took this comment as if he felt the illness the LB had cost him something. Whether that is his draft stock, an opportunity to get drafted, or some physical prowess that he had before, I don't know. All I know is that he looked like a well-trained athlete standing in his shorts.

- The Bengals didn't run as great of a practice as the Lions staff in 2010, but they did do their best to maintain a quicker pace. I felt like they spent more time than necessary with basic 11-man offensive drills where the offense came to the line and practice a cadence and a snap, but we'll see whether this was just a first-day thing.

- Ricky Stanzi was by far the worst performer of the North QBs. Not only were his wide open receivers missed on deeper passes, but he consistently opted for check-downs on drills where there was only a defensive secondary on the field against him.

- Kendall Hunter looked like the kind of back that could at least be used in tandem with another starting-caliber guy in the NFL. He's short, but he isn't small. He's also noticeably quick.

- If you ever go to Mobile. We highly recommend Saucy Q as a lunch or dinner stop. The smoked sausage is fantastic.

 
Any word on Christian Ponder? Isn't this an important week for him to show what condition his arm is in?

Also, will you be doing any writeups on the defensive side of the ball, especially the LB and secondary?

 
Also, are scouts looking at Mike Pouncey as a center? I didn't know with all of the snap issues he had at UF if pro teams were looking at him as a guard instead.

 
JaxBill said:
Any word on Christian Ponder? Isn't this an important week for him to show what condition his arm is in?Also, will you be doing any writeups on the defensive side of the ball, especially the LB and secondary?
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Ponder is on the South Squad. Our first opportunity to see him will be this afternoon. He was probably the best-conditioned quarterback at the weigh-in, but not much else I can tell you.
 
Couple thoughts, echoing some of what Cec & Matt have said:

- off one day, Vincent Brown is the goods. Great feet, great routes, good hands. Literally juked a guy into the ground on one route.

- Locker looks shaky. Hard to say off one day when the WR & QB are building chemistry but he floated some passes he shouldn't have. There were times when it was just 7 on 7 drills no pressure and he missed open guys. Something to watch.....

- Holy crap Devine was light. Will they use him like Mccluster?

- Titus Young - like Locker, maybe it was chemistry but as matt said he dropped more than a few. But looks the part, ran good routes. We'll see how it goes today.

- Kendall Hunter looked very good.

really looking forward to Dalton, Powell, Devine on the S team, and seeing more from Hunter, Locker and company on the North squad.

I'll have a day one diary up at Draftguys later on today.

 
Matt Waldman said:
TopDawg said:
I would really appreciate it, if you could keep me posted on Bilal Powell. Just the 3 games I saw him play, I was very impressed. Thanks in advance!!
Click to expand...
Brother, I'm right there with you. I think he's terrific and I had the good fortune of interviewing him. He normally doesn't do interviews and when I asked one of the hosts to request an interview on my behalf, he initially declined. But he quickly changed his mind and came over to see me. Knowing he doesn't give out interviews I thanked him for making the exception tonight and told him I wasn't trying to ask him any questions he wasn't comfortable with (I'm not trying to do a cutting edge profile or delve deep into his personal life, I just want to talk about the skill of being a running back with him). He was reserved and shy, but pleasant. When I set up one question by indicating that I wasn't asking him to brag about himself, his body language perked up as if he felt like I understood why he doesn't do interviews (he's very religious). Later in the interview, I asked him to talk to me about what he liked about hitting someone and he was almost boyish (in his reserved way) as he described what it feels like to lower his pads into a player in the hole (he was a safety in high school until he was a senior).

I didn't see him on Day One, but I will see him Day Two. Can't wait to fill you guys in. I expect him to get on the radar with less knowledgeable people in the media.
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:thumbup: I like Powell too. He'd probably be more hyped if he was not Kragthorpe'd earlier in his career.I posted about him in the dynasty prospects thread as a player who I thought was being underrated and posted a link to this video -- I assume this is the run that you mentioned earlier in this thread (versus Cincy): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHte388tz4A

 
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