Senior Bowl: Tuesday

[NePatriots]

Here are our notes from the Senior Bowl Practice:

North Practice

South Practice

I thought Brandon Graham, Kyle Wilson (again!), and Dexter McCluster won the day.

 

[mayoclinic]

You got your links crossed.

Kyle Wilson sounds like the biggest winner do far. Every single report I have seen is glowing. He could play himself into the late 1st round at this rate.

Austen Lane still sounds good. From what I've heard, Vlad Ducasse has some work to do.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Thank you.

Ducasse and Iupati are giving me favorable impressions despite any troubles they are having in the position switches.

Carrington is looking good one-on-one, I hope to see more scrimmage and how he does in the game.

Taylor Price and the Citadel kid are making my WR shopping list.

Wilson or Ghee, I can't make up my mind!

 

[Seneschal2]

You got your links crossed.

Kyle Wilson sounds like the biggest winner do far. Every single report I have seen is glowing. He could play himself into the late 1st round at this rate.

Austen Lane still sounds good. From what I've heard, Vlad Ducasse has some work to do.

Wouldn't mind if both Wilson and Lane were available in round two.

 

[NePatriots]

You got your links crossed.

Kyle Wilson sounds like the biggest winner do far. Every single report I have seen is glowing. He could play himself into the late 1st round at this rate.

Austen Lane still sounds good. From what I've heard, Vlad Ducasse has some work to do.

Thanks Mayo-

Kyle Wilson looks like the best senior corner by far. Ghee 2nd. Wasn't impressed with Arenas at all. Syd'Quan looks like a good nickel, but he can't be on an island with that speed - I hope its just his ankle still acting up.

Vlad looked SO stiff. Strong though, if he gets his hands on you, you're done. A big if though...

 

[NePatriots]

Wouldn't mind if both Wilson and Lane were available in round two.

That would be great. I think Lane will be there, but I'm wondering about Wilson now. Ghee or Spievey would be a nice consolation prize.

 

[mayoclinic]

Vlad looked SO stiff. Strong though, if he gets his hands on you, you're done. A big if though...

Ducasse is very raw, but has tremendous potential at RT/RG. He obviously won't be a 1st round pick, and could slip to the 3rd. If Kaczur can play RG and we don't need a rookie day 1 then I think he could be a steal.

 

[mayoclinic]

That would be great. I think Lane will be there, but I'm wondering about Wilson now. Ghee or Spievey would be a nice consolation prize.

I'm hoping we won't need to address CB in rounds 1-3, so I doesn't matter. I've got Lane targeted for #53, though.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Patriots kick tires on pass rushers - Extra Points - Boston.com

Last night, the Patriots sat down with South Carolina edge rusher Eric Norwood. Tonight, they'll do the same with Michigan pressure man Brandon Graham.

-----

The good news is that this draft is full of the rush linebacker types. Norwood, the SEC's all-time sack leader, said his meeting with the team went swimmingly.

"It was a lot of board work, but I know my stuff," Norwood said. "I left thinking it was a good meeting, and I think I'd fit great in there, the type of team they have, type of structure they have. Their players don't have an ego, I don't have an ego. I think I'd fit in perfect."

-----

"I look at Lamarr Woodley every time," Graham told me. "If Pittsburgh picked me up, I'd have a little edge because I talk to Woodley every day. I ask him all the time what he does work out and prepare for what he has do. He's told me to work on my drops, work on my hips, it's all about being able to open your hips when you cover guys."

Another couple rushers to keep in mind from here -- Troy's Cameron Sheffield and Brandon Lang.

-----

Those guys aren't slated to meet with New England quite yet.

 

[mayoclinic]

Some Tuesday impressions from Wes Bunting at the National Football Post:

Ten impressions from Day 2 North practice | National Football Post

- "One defensive lineman who has kind of gone under the radar so far but is showing very well for himself is Arkansas State DE Alex Carrington. Carrington is a big, well-built kid who not only looked impressive at the weight-in Monday, but he’s displayed a good first step for his size and impressive power on his bull-rush. He’s an effective push/pull player who knows how to disengage from blocks and can consistently collapse his side of the pocket."

- "Massachusetts offensive lineman Vladimir Ducasse is a good-looking prospect with a lot of upside, but he’s about as raw as they come. He’s a guy who consistently gets overextend out of his stance and will easily lose balance with his footwork. There’s no doubt he has the physical skill set to play in the league, but he’s going to need a good bit of time to develop."

- "Another guy who has failed to impress is Wake Forest cornerback Brandon Ghee. Ghee is a good-looking defensive back, but he isn’t flexible in his drop, struggles to keep his pad level down in coverage and has a tendency to open up prematurely. He has not faired well in man coverage this week."

- "Boise State cornerback Kyle Wilson continues to shine, showcasing impressive physicality off the line in press while maintaining his balance and quickly closing on the football. Looks like the nation’s top senior corner."

 

[mayoclinic]

Some Tuesday buzz from TFYdraft:

- "Several scouts in attendance have stamped USC tight end Anthony McCoy with a first round grade. The same can be said about UMass offensive tackle Vladimir Ducasse who could slide into the late part of the frame."

- "Several sources have told that Alabama junior linebacker Rolando McClain really wanted to stay with the Tide for his senior season but did not see eye-to-eye with coach Nick Saban, which gave him the impetus to leave."

- "Sources have told us that the injury which befell Illinois guard Jon Asamoah yesterday was a rotator cuff. The severity was not spoken about."

Senior Bowl Buzz: Tuesday PM

 

[mayoclinic]

Some comments from ESPN's Scouts Inc.:

- "Michigan DE Brandon Graham already has emerged as the leader of the North defense. Graham is quick with good upper-body strength and technique. He never stops working, either. His motor is just ridiculous."

- "Idaho's Mike Iupati is clearly the best offensive lineman on the North roster. He is quick, powerful, balanced and nasty. He struggled when moved to tackle and might fit best at guard in the NFL, but he is good enough to consider late in the first round."

- "Iowa LB A.J. Edds did a good job of jamming and rerouting Wisconsin TE Garrett Graham during seven-on-sevens but stumbled when forced to turn and run, so we're a little concerned about his man cover skills."

- "Alabama NT Terrence Cody has to show the endurance to be effective for the entire practice. He looked pretty bad while weighing in at 370 pounds, and there are enough concerns about his weight and discipline that his stock could start taking a big hit."

Scouts Inc.: The pads are on and the intensity is ramping up on Day 2 at the Senior Bowl. - ESPN

 

[mayoclinic]

Tuesday North practice notes from Scott Wright at NFLdraftcountdown:

- "Idaho OG Mike Iupati has long been one of my favorite prospects in this class and he certainly validated my faith in him today. When lined up inside at guard Iupati was dominant, stonewalling Mike Neal on consecutive reps and also shutting down D’Anthony Smith. I have always believe Iupati was capable of playing tackle at the next level but after today I now have some doubts. While lined up outside at left tackle Iupati really struggled, getting run over by Alex Carrington and almost ragdolled by Tyson Alualu. Even so, there is no doubt in my mind that Iupati is going to be an elite guard in the NFL and in my opinion he is a legitimate first round talent. That is exactly what Iupati looked like in Mobile today."

- "Another guy I was really looking forward to seeing in person was Massachusetts OT Vlad Ducasse but I came away less than impressed. Early on I felt Ducasse looked a little heavy-footed in drills. Later he was easily beat by Brandon Graham on an inside move while playing left tackle and when he got some reps at guard D’Anthony Smith got the best of him on back-to-back reps. Ducasse appears to be the type who can dominate once he gets his hands on you and based on this practice I’d say there is a good chance his pro future will be inside at guard."

- "Michigan DE Brandon Graham was outstanding today. Graham doesn’t look the part out there but he consistently got the best of every blocker he was matched up against and drew an audible response from the crowd with a terrific spin move."

- "One player who surprised me was Arkansas State DE Alex Carrington. A small school sleeper, Carrington flashed on a number of occasions. At different points Carrington ran right over Zane Beadles and Mike Iupati, which is no small feat." At 6' 5 1/2" 284# a possible developmental 5 technique guy?

- "Penn State DT Jared Odrick was pretty impressive. A great technician, Odrick is very quick and also showcased nice rip and spin moves."

- "Murray State DE Austen Lane is quick but had trouble once blockers got their hands on him. At one point Ed Wang was able to effectively neutralize his bullrush." I project Lane to weakside OLB, where that's less of an issue.


Draft Countdown's Senior Bowl Coverage - 1/26/10 North Practice Report

 

[Defsoul]

- "Murray State DE Austen Lane is quick but had trouble once blockers got their hands on him. At one point Ed Wang was able to effectively neutralize his bullrush." I project Lane to weakside OLB, where that's less of an issue.

I remember that bullrush. It was the second time that Lane got up against Wang. Lane beat Wang pretty bad on the first rush using his speed, but was handled by Wang on the bullrush. As Mike Mayock stated, Wang can handle power but will struggle with speed of the edge, so the decision to bullrush Wang was probably not a good one.

 

[mayoclinic]

Here's some Tuesday winners and losers from GBNreport:

- "The best little story of the day just may have been Ole Miss RB/WR Dexter McCluster. Despite being barely 165 pounds, McCluster played mostly RB at Ole Miss, but has been working primarily at WR in Mobile. And while new to the position, McCluster showed real quickness out of his breaks and the speed to outrun DBs while also making several tough catches, although he also dropped a couple of easy ones. Former Ole Miss teammate Shay Hodge was also very crisp in and out of his cuts and showed smooth hands, while Cincinnati WR Mardy Gilyard, who struggled at times on Monday was much improved today as he showed a nice burst coming out of his breaks. Florida WR Riley Cooper, though, may want to rethink his decision this week to give up baseball and concentrate on football as he dropped as many passes as he caught. Fortunately for Cooper, who did make one remarkable one-handed grab, they don‘t flash a big ‘E‘ on the scoreboard for every muff. Meanwhile, hands weren‘t the problem for receivers Dorin ****erson of Pitt, Danario Alexander of Missouri, and Andre Roberts of the Citadel none of whom got much in the way of separation, although the former two were able to outmuscle smaller DBs to make grabs across the middle. "

- The most interesting experiment of the week to date has seen Idaho OG Mike Iupati, who dominated inside, get some reps at LT. Iupati, though, struggled a little in moving laterally on the outside. Meanwhile, it was back to reality for UMass G/T Vlad Ducasse, one of the stars of yesterday’s North practice as he really struggled to stay with quicker D1A athletes. In fact, it was a tough day all-around for the offensive linemen, who to be fair are at a disadvantage in those one-on-one pass drills. Other offensive linemen who appeared to struggle today included Utah G/T Zane Beadles, Tennessee OT Chris Scott and Notre Dame C Eric Olsen. At the same time, though, LSU OT Ciron Black, C/G Jeff Byers of USC, Ole Miss G/T John Jerry and Arizona State OG Shawn Lauvao were solid enough. Black, for example, showed better than expected lateral movement and change of direction skills, although he still looks awfully squat for a LT prospect. "

- "Arguably the most impressive players on either squad today were a pair of North DEs in Brandon Graham of Michigan and Arkansas State’s Alex Carrington. Graham, in particular, dominated one-on-one pass rush drills as he exploded off the snap, got great leverage as he kept his pads low, used his hands effectively to disengage and showed some nice spin moves. Graham who isn’t all that tall or bulky, though still needs to prove he can hold up against the run, but his pass-rush credentials certainly have gotten a boost this week. Meanwhile, the rangy Carrington has been something of a revelation. Not considered to be all that fast, Carrington has shown a better than advertised first step and has used his long arms to knock surprised OTs off balance. Best guy on the field was Michigan DE Brandon Graham who was unblockable in one-on-one pass rush drills. Same story for emerging Arkansas State DE Alex Carrington who showed a nice combination of strength and agility. Cal combo DE/DT Tyson Alualu also was tough to block all day. Alualu lacks natural explosion, but is a high-energy guy who is built low to the ground, gets good leverage and keeps his feet moving. Auburn tweener DE Antonio Coleman also got some real pressure on occasion, but lacks the strength to make much headway if he doesn’t beat his man off the snap."

- "Boise State CB Kyle Wilson had another solid day as he showed has smooth hips with the ability to transition from backpedal to sprint without losing speed. Fellow CBs Syd’quan Thompson of Cal and Devin McCourty have created some of their own this week. Thompson lacks exceptional recovery speed, but is very physical and breaks crisply on everything in front of him, while McCourty has shown good quickness and instincts. It was also a pretty good day for South Florida FS Nate Allen who was able to run with just about every wideout he challenged in press coverage. "

Great Blue North Draft Report

 

[BelichickFan]

I would love McCluster for Faulk's role except I think he's just too small to be a good blocker (I read one recap of him being run over). If he can hold up blocking, I would love the guy.

 

[dryheat44]

Carrington certainly looks like he could be the prototypical elephant. I'll be interested to see his speed and agility times come the combine. Hopefully, his mind is also agile enough to grasp BBs defensive concepts.

 

[Peachhead]

Here's some Tuesday winners and losers from GBNreport:

- "The best little story of the day just may have been Ole Miss RB/WR Dexter McCluster. Despite being barely 165 pounds....

- "Arguably the most impressive players on either squad today were a pair of North DEs in Brandon Graham of Michigan and Arkansas State’s Alex Carrington.

Although he's tiny I'm liking the idea of McCluster in a Pats uni as primarily a kick and punt returner and a 4th or 5th WR. Sort of like Josh Cribbs from Cleveland.

Carrington is starting to get my attention too.

 

[mayoclinic]

Here's some notes on the Tuesday South practice from Scott Wright at NFLdraftcountdown:

- "The most impressive performance that I saw all day was turned in by Georgia DT Geno Atkins, who was basically unblockable. Atkins only weighed in at 286 pounds and that is a concern but there are also positives that come along with that lack of bulk. Atkins is extremely quick, firing off the snap, getting skinny through the line, splitting the double-team and exploding into the backfield. Atkins was absolutely blowing by offensive linemen and he could be a perfect fit as a three-technique in a 4-3 scheme at the next level." Atkins supposedly embarrased Alabama OG Mike Johnson.

- "Tennessee DT Dan Williams isn’t flashy but he is very consistent and had a very solid day. In particular Williams showcased his strength and a nice bullrush. One of the highlights of the 1-on-1’s was watching Williams battle John Jerry to a draw."

- "Alabama NT Terrence Cody is an immovable object in the middle. Stamina is a concern and he isn’t explosive but when it comes to natural strength and holding ground at the point of attack few stand out more than “Mount Cody”. When Cody gets into his stance it’s almost like a scene from a movie, where the big, nasty football player lines up in slow motion with a menacing look on his face. Say what you want about Cody but there is just no denying that he is a very unique prospect."

- "USC S Taylor Mays often gets criticized for not making enough big plays in the secondary but based on what I saw today his hands can’t be blamed for the lack of interceptions. Mays is a tad stiff and tends to rise out of his backpedal while transitioning but he appeared to have soft, natural hands."

- "Miami (FL) TE Jimmy Graham showcased his leaping ability and ball skills today, although he will still drop some easy passes. One real positive in regards to Graham is that he seems to be eager to learn and is taking coaching well."

- "Ole Miss’ Dexter McCluster has been one of the best players at this year’s Senior Bowl. Working at both running back and wide receiver today, McCluster continues to run tough for such a little guy and also had a nice diving catch on a long ball from Tim Tebow. McCluster is making himself some money in Mobile."

Draft Countdown's Senior Bowl Coverage - 1/26/10 South Practice Report

 

[BritPat]

Although he's tiny I'm liking the idea of McCluster in a Pats uni as primarily a kick and punt returner and a 4th or 5th WR. Sort of like Josh Cribbs from Cleveland.

Carrington is starting to get my attention too.

If McCluster carries on performing the way he has, and runs a 4.3 at the combine (which is what he's told one interviewer he expects to do), he'll be long gone by round 4.

EDIT: Mis-read your post, I thought you'd said you would draft him in the 4th or 5th round. Apologies.