Who Will Shine at the Senior Bowl?

[mayoclinic]

The Senior Bowl week starts in a couple of days, with the game taking place in a week. The past 3 years the game has served as a springboard for one guy to vault into the "elite prospect" category by dominating the competition in both practice and the game: Patrick Willis in 2007, Sedrick Ellis in 2008, and BJ Raji in 2009.

Who do you think will make the biggest jump from a 2nd tier to a top prospect from the Senior Bowl week?

 

[chevss454]

Tebow has the most to gain since there are so many questions about his "fit" in the NFL. Hughes is another one who can answer some questions about his ability. Most of the others seem to have already had their strengths and weaknesses evaluated more fully.

 

[Seneschal2]

Who do you think will make the biggest jump from a 2nd tier to a top prospect from the Senior Bowl week?

Can't respond directly to the question, as I view the week of practices from a Pats slant. Here's a list of players I'm particularly interested in, most (but not all) are IMHO - legitimate Pats prospects:

OFFENSE
QB Tim Tebow - Florida

RB Anthony Dixon - Mississippi State

WR Mardy Gilyard - Cincinnati
WR Andre Brown - Citadel

OT Vladimir Ducasse - Massachusetts

OG Mike Johnson - Alabama

DEFENSE
DT Terrence Cody - Alabama
DT Dan Williams - Tennessee

DE George Selvie - South Florida
DE Jerry Hughes - TCU

LB Eric Norwood - South Carolina
LB Sean Weatherspoon - Missouri

CB Syd'Quan Thompson - California
CB Trevard Lindley - Kentucky

S Myron Rolle - Florida State

P Zoltan Mesko - Michigan

 

[mayoclinic]

I'm not sure I see anyone making a jump into the top 10 the way Ellis and Raji did. Trent Williams could if he proves that he's a LT, but I don't think he is. The DE's like Jerry Hughes and Brandon Graham could certainly improve their stock, but I doubt either one has the measurables to make it to the top 10. Tim Tebow could obviously help himself a lot, but unless Jacksonville at 10/11 is crazy enough to go for him I can't see him going that high.

The 2 guys who I could see making a big jump are the 3-4 DT's, Dan Williams and Terrance Cody. There's a lot of teams who need a 3-4 DT such as Denver at 10/11, Miami at 12, and Pittsburgh at 18. Williams has the versatility to play in other schemes, so teams like Jacksonville at 11, Tennessee at 17 could be interested. I wouldnt' be surprised if one of those 2 guys dominates at the Senior Bowl and makes a big jump.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Miami and Detroit.

EDIT: And are we now ignoring the Shrine Game this afternoon?

 

[upstater1]

Tebow
Norwood
Rolle

In that order.

Norwood may move to the mid first round by showing everyone he's a great football player. People will start to think of him like they thought of Curry last year.

Rolle has been doing a Fulbright. He could come back and wow everyone so he has a lot to gain?

Tebow, it's boom or bust. He could show some things that move him up out of the 3rd round.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

Tebow
Norwood
Rolle

In that order.

Norwood may move to the mid first round by showing everyone he's a great football player. People will start to think of him like they thought of Curry last year.

Rolle has been doing a Fulbright. He could come back and wow everyone so he has a lot to gain?

Tebow, it's boom or bust. He could show some things that move him up out of the 3rd round.

If Tebow takes over this game either with his legs or arm; then he will catapult up draft boards.

Same for DE's. If any of them proves to be a disruptive force in the opposing back field, they will catapult up draft boards.

I think this game is set up for elite defensive personnel to excel. The offenses are thrown together and have little continuity; especially in the O Line.

Whoever plays DT on the side of Cody, should have a monster because of all the attention the O Line will give Cody.

 

[PatsCanDoIt]

I picked Cody because he is ranked lower than Williams, so he has a chance to pass the Tennessee prospect.

Realistically Dan Lefevour has the most to gain. Tebow is being thrown around as a possible 1st rounder in some mocks. People expect greatness from him. He has more to lose from this point on. LeFevour has been called the Tim Tebow of the MAC and he is playing for the North team. If LeFevour outplays Tebow, then he should move up.

 

[Ochmed Jones]

I picked Cody because he is ranked lower than Williams, so he has a chance to pass the Tennessee prospect.

Realistically Dan Lefevour has the most to gain. Tebow is being thrown around as a possible 1st rounder in some mocks. People expect greatness from him. He has more to lose from this point on. LeFevour has been called the Tim Tebow of the MAC and he is playing for the North team. If LeFevour outplays Tebow, then he should move up.

We did the Central Michigan-Troy bowl game a few weeks ago and Levi Brown was very impressive at QB for Troy. I think he outplayed Lefevour and if not for a special teams breakdown by Troy, Lefevour might not have gotten back on track in that game.

 

[mayoclinic]

Actually, I think one guy who could benefit tremendously from the game is USC safety Taylor Mays. He would have been considered a to 10 pick a year ago, and is now a mid-late 1st round pick. A dominant performance could boost him back up, perhaps into Al Davis territory.

 

[NePatriots]

I'll go with AJ Edds and O'Brien Schofield... two under-the-radar types that could sneak into the late 2nd round with a great performance.

 

[DocE]

I think Iupati is a good choice for a guy who could see his draft position improve significantly at the Senior Bowl. This will be his first experience against top tier talent, and if he could dominate a Dan Williams or Terrence Cody in the one on ones...he could become a lock for the first round. If Iupati shows the feet that make scouts think he could play tackle...he could have a Branden Albert type assention up draft boards (college guard projcets to tackle).

Dan Williams is another guy in the late first/early second round mix who could really help himself.

I like Mayo's pick of Taylor Mays a lot. The coaches at USC always claimed that Mays didn't make a lot of plays because of the scheme they played and what they asked him to do. During the Senior Bowl practices, there will be no hiding Mays. We will find out about his coverage abiltiy (good or bad) and maybe even get a better read on his feel for the game. I don't have a lot of faith in Mays after watching him this year, but a good Senior Bowl week (coupled with a great combine) could get him back in some top 10 projections.

 

[TealSox]

If the question is "who will shine at the Senior Bowl", I think it will be Dexter McCluster.

First of all, he has tremendous speed. While he might not have a ton of big runs, I would anticipate him being able to break at least one long run. A couple long runs might be enough for him to shine over the rest.

Second, he will likely be a factor on special teams (as a return specialist), at running back and in the passing game, as he is capable of motioning out wide to create mismatches. Basically, he will have more opportunities to shine.

Third, he has great hands, as a converted wide receiver. Coupled with his speed, he could easily take a pass or two down the field for big gains. Showing off those hands, along with the speed, will cause him to shine brighter than other skill players.

Lastly, there is a chance that he will be used in a wild cat type offense. Given the currently love affair with the wildcat, he could really join the bandwagon if he can do it as effectively as he did at Ole Miss.

 

[NePatriots]

I will be changin my answer to Austen Lane, DE, Murray State (just got an invite). Who knows how high he could rise with a dominant performance -- the only knock on him has been sub-par competition.

 

[upstater1]

What about Taylor Mays at OLB in the 4-3?

A 230 pound guy that runs fast and hits hard? May be something to think about for one of these teams.

 

[Markchris524]

Anthony Dixon or Timmy Tebow

 

[BritPat]

I will be changin my answer to Austen Lane, DE, Murray State (just got an invite). Who knows how high he could rise with a dominant performance -- the only knock on him has been sub-par competition.

Lane got an invite?

Great news.

By the way, TFY Draft is reporting Charles Scott, Charles Brown, Brandon LaFell, Jerry Hughes and Trent Williams all missing from today.

 

[mayoclinic]

I will be changin my answer to Austen Lane, DE, Murray State (just got an invite). Who knows how high he could rise with a dominant performance -- the only knock on him has been sub-par competition.

Wow, me to. He's listed on their roster at 6'7" 220#. Can't wait to see where he actually weighs in.

Damn, I want this kid to fly under the radar. Ain't going to happen.

 

[BritPat]

What about Taylor Mays at OLB in the 4-3?

A 230 pound guy that runs fast and hits hard? May be something to think about for one of these teams.

Box, Mayo and myself have all opined the same over the last few months. He has show-cased no ability as a Safety, but might have shown enough to be able to play WLB in the Tampa 2.

Kam chancellor may be the same, although he looked good enough in coverage on Saturday evening to suggest he may be able to play Safety at the next level.

 

[BritPat]

Voted for Weatherspoon by the way. People seem to be pushing him out of the first round because of positional value but he is a top 20 talent in his own right.