Senior Bowl: Thursday

[VrabelMayeWin]

If by high you mean a 2nd round pick, I agree with you - I think it would take a lot for Carrington to go that high. But I suspect he will slip back a bit. Jarron Gilbert (with whom I think Carrington compares favorably) was touted as a possible 1st round pick but slipped back to #68 in the 3rd. And Lawrence Sidbury was touted by some as moving up to the 2nd round last year, and ended up dropping back to the 4th round (#125). I see Carrington going somewhere in that range, which might be a reasonable gamble if we get some picks in the right vicinity.

Right, in the first two rounds it's hard to see us taking a project especially with how deep this draft is. Now, if we took a shot at someone like this in the 4th round or even the 3rd (if we get one) that would be different.

I can't wait to see some updated mocks - some seniors seem to have really helped themselves (like Iupati and Wilson) but with all the juniors they may not be up quite as high as the excitement of this week would suggest.

 

[mayoclinic]

I can't wait to see some updated mocks - some seniors seem to have really helped themselves (like Iupati and Wilson) but with all the juniors they may not be up quite as high as the excitement of this week would suggest.

I would agree with that. Senior Bowl fast risers often tend to slip back a little bit afterwards. It's still almost 3 months to the draft, and prior to FA and the combine. I don't think Iupati's or Graham's stock can get any higher than it is right now, not to mention guys like Kyle Wilson and Alex Carrington.

 

[VrabelMayeWin]

Good stuff, as usual, from Risdon at RealGM :

RealGM Football: Wiretap Archives: Thursday Senior Bowl Notes (North)

Blount is sounding like an interesting mid round pick if we want to get younger at RB. Plus good reports on Odrick and Ducasse.

Interesting note about Risdon, he had Iupati ranked #8 in the draft (including Juniors) back on 1/20 :

http://football.realgm.com/src_twel...p_103_nfl_draft_prospects_of_2010_version_30/

 

[mayoclinic]

Very interesting and could signal a change in style for the Green Bay defense. Small quick CB's are a BB specialty.

Here's a totally different report from ProFootballWeekly suggesting the Packers could be targeting a safety in the 1st round:

ProFootballWeekly.com - Packers thinking about safety first in draft?

 

[mayoclinic]

Here's Tony Pauline's best and worst of Senior Bowl week:

- "Best Offensive Player in Mobile. Dexter McCluster/RB/Mississippi: McCluster presented himself as the jack-of-all-trades in Mobile and someone who mastered all the applied trades. He was explosive carrying the ball, making defenders miss and creating yardage while also running hard on the inside. He was also a game-breaking pass catcher who sprinted past opponents down the sidelines. All that's left is for McCluster to showoff his return abilities during the game. He's improved his draft stock at least 30 slots and could now hear his named called as soon as the early portion of Round 2."

- "Best Defensive Player in Mobile. Alex Carrington/DE/Arkansas State: Carrington came to Mobile with a complete game, which caught scouts off guard. He was fast and powerful, the latter which answered questions about his playing strength. Scouts loudly applauded Carrington each day at practice. Coming into the week he was a mid-round choice. As Senior Bowl practices end Carrington leaves a top-60 pick."

- "Most Disappointing Player in Mobile. Taylor Mays/S/USC: For Mays the week turned into a potpourri of skills he's likely to struggle with in the NFL; he'll struggle handling man-to-man coverage assignments and struggle making plays sideline-to-sideline as a true NFL centerfielder. Mays is still a legitimate prospect for the next level but the limitations he displayed this week will reduce the number of teams wanting to acquire him in April.

- "Most Disappointing Player in Mobile: Honorable Mention. Eric Norwood/LB/South Carolina: Norwood's inability to make plays in coverage all week was alarming. He looked like a fish out of water trying to stay with running backs and tight ends down the field. Like Mays, he has a place at the next level, yet the number of NFL systems Norwood can line up in has been reduced."

One final comment: "NFL scouts and general managers were disappointed in the overall talent on this year's Senior Bowl roster. Just one player, Penn State's Jared Odrick, leaves the week as a certain first-round choice. This compares to last year when 11 veterans were selected in the opening round. Several top prospects that were invited to play bypassed the event thinking it would do more harm than good to their draft ranking. History has proven them wrong as players from B.J. Raji to Marcus Trufant to Philip Rivers all benefitted from good performances at the Senior Bowl. NFL scouting departments will also not take kindly to the fact many of these players purposely avoided competing head-to-head with some of the nation's best."

Dexter McCluster, Taylor Mays among best/worst of Senior Bowl practice - NFL - SI.com

 

[mayoclinic]

Thursday South practice notes from Scott Wright at NFLdraftcountdown:

- "One of the highlights of the Senior Bowl week is the chance to see ‘tweeners get work at other positions. Today South Florida’s George Selvie, Auburn’s Antonio Coleman, both Brandon Lang and Cameron Sheffield of Troy and Georgia’s Geno Atkins were taken aside and put through some linebacker drills. It would be wrong to form any definite opinions about their ability to potentially transition to the new position based on five minutes of evidence. However, my initial impression was that Selvie looked the most natural, followed by Lang, then Coleman and Sheffield. As for Atkins, let’s just say he did the linebacker drills like a defensive tackle."

- "Florida State S Myron Rolle continues to impress. Today in a drill where two defensive backs simultaneously backpedal before eventually breaking forward and catching a ball Rolle was teamed with Taylor Mays. It was clear that the former Seminole transitioned much quicker than the more highly-touted Trojan. The other thing that has struck me about Rolle this week is how quiet and emotionless he is on the field. The kid is very workmanlike and just goes about his business."

- "After not seeing much from South Florida’s Nate Allen this week for one reason or another he did jump out at me today. Allen showed the ability to stay low in his backpedal and, as expected, displayed soft hands."

- "Miami (FL) TE Jimmy Graham looked awfully fast with nice acceleration."

- "As a return man Ole Miss’ Dexter McCluster catches the ball very cleanly. I was also amazed at how quick he is. It’s like watching a waterbug out there on the field. Nobody at this game goes from zero to sixty faster than McCluster."

- "Florida St. CB Patrick Robinson had a nice day. In 7-on-7’s Robinson intercepted a tipped pass from Zac Robinson that was intended for Joe Webb. In 11-on-11’s Robinson gave up a reception to Riley Cooper but immediately stripped the ball."

- "On a play in 11-on-11’s USC S Taylor Mays showed terrific range, taking a good angle and cutting off Dexter McCluster on the sideline."

Draft Countdown's Senior Bowl Coverage - 1/28/10 South Practice Report

 

[Warren94]

Here's Tony Pauline's best and worst of Senior Bowl week:

- "Best Offensive Player in Mobile. Dexter McCluster/RB/Mississippi: McCluster presented himself as the jack-of-all-trades in Mobile and someone who mastered all the applied trades. He was explosive carrying the ball, making defenders miss and creating yardage while also running hard on the inside. He was also a game-breaking pass catcher who sprinted past opponents down the sidelines. All that's left is for McCluster to showoff his return abilities during the game. He's improved his draft stock at least 30 slots and could now hear his named called as soon as the early portion of Round 2."

- "Best Defensive Player in Mobile. Alex Carrington/DE/Arkansas State: Carrington came to Mobile with a complete game, which caught scouts off guard. He was fast and powerful, the latter which answered questions about his playing strength. Scouts loudly applauded Carrington each day at practice. Coming into the week he was a mid-round choice. As Senior Bowl practices end Carrington leaves a top-60 pick."

- "Most Disappointing Player in Mobile. Taylor Mays/S/USC: For Mays the week turned into a potpourri of skills he's likely to struggle with in the NFL; he'll struggle handling man-to-man coverage assignments and struggle making plays sideline-to-sideline as a true NFL centerfielder. Mays is still a legitimate prospect for the next level but the limitations he displayed this week will reduce the number of teams wanting to acquire him in April.

- "Most Disappointing Player in Mobile: Honorable Mention. Eric Norwood/LB/South Carolina: Norwood's inability to make plays in coverage all week was alarming. He looked like a fish out of water trying to stay with running backs and tight ends down the field. Like Mays, he has a place at the next level, yet the number of NFL systems Norwood can line up in has been reduced."

One final comment: "NFL scouts and general managers were disappointed in the overall talent on this year's Senior Bowl roster. Just one player, Penn State's Jared Odrick, leaves the week as a certain first-round choice. This compares to last year when 11 veterans were selected in the opening round. Several top prospects that were invited to play bypassed the event thinking it would do more harm than good to their draft ranking. History has proven them wrong as players from B.J. Raji to Marcus Trufant to Philip Rivers all benefitted from good performances at the Senior Bowl. NFL scouting departments will also not take kindly to the fact many of these players purposely avoided competing head-to-head with some of the nation's best."

Dexter McCluster, Taylor Mays among best/worst of Senior Bowl practice - NFL - SI.com

wow.. good stuff nice find... Thank you for posting.

 

[Snake Eyes]

I would agree with that. Senior Bowl fast risers often tend to slip back a little bit afterwards. It's still almost 3 months to the draft, and prior to FA and the combine. I don't think Iupati's or Graham's stock can get any higher than it is right now, not to mention guys like Kyle Wilson and Alex Carrington.

Mayo,

Given Mayo's performance this past week would you still chose Spiller over him if they were both available at 22? Also, where do you think we should make a go for Carrington, assuming you'd want him?

 

[mayoclinic]

Mayo,

Given Mayo's performance this past week would you still chose Spiller over him if they were both available at 22? Also, where do you think we should make a go for Carrington, assuming you'd want him?

Sorry, not sure who's performance you are thinking about, since Mayo wasn't in the Senior Bowl. Do you mean Graham? Iupati? Dan Williams? Jared Odrick?

Right now the top 15 on my post-Senior Bowl draft board looks something like this:

1. Rolando McClain, ILB
2. Ndamukong Suh, DE - not a snowball's chance in hell of getting him, though
3. Joe Haden, CB - only if Bodden not re-signed or re-placed
4. Carlos Dunlap, DE/OLB
5. CJ Spiller, RB
6. Dan Williams, DT/DE
7. Brian Bulaga, OT
8. Jason Pierre-Paul DE/OLB
9. Mike Iupati, OG
10. Brandon Graham, DE/?LB - I like him mainly as a potential SILB
11. Everson Griffen, DE/OLB
12. Terrance Cody, DT
13. Brian Price, DE/DT
14. Jared Odrick, DE - though he could move ahead of Price if Price looks like a pure DT
15. Bruce Campbell, OT (he could also possibly move up a few spots)

I rate Dunlap just ahead of Spiller, but there's only 1 Spiller in the draft and some good alternatives to Dunlap, so if I had 2 firsts close together (like 19 and 22) and both were on the board I'd probably take Spiller first and pray Dunlap lasts, unless I had specific information that some team in-between was targeting Dunlap.

I think Carrington would be a good value any time in the 3rd round or later. Tony Pauline calls him a top 60 pick, but I suspect he'll slip back a bit between now and the draft, as Jarron Gilbert did last year. I'd like to get a better feel as to whether he would project to 3-4 DE (with another 10+ lbs. weight) or to 3-4 strongside OLB (with 10 lbs. less weight) before making more of a call. If the latter, and we missed out on Dunlap, I'd try very hard to get him.

 

[Snake Eyes]

Sorry about that, Iupati, I meant.

I'm thinking that with his stock so high that might be the best reason not to go for him provided you can get a Mike Johnson and give him some fine tuning.

 

[upstater1]

I wonder if they're thinking Norwood is now suited for a ILB run stuffer role ala Ted Johnson.

If so, he'll be there in the third round.

 

[mayoclinic]

I wonder if they're thinking Norwood is now suited for a ILB run stuffer role ala Ted Johnson.

If so, he'll be there in the third round.

I've always felt that's where he's best suited. And I think he'll end up going early 3rd round.

Note that no one judged Brandon Graham this week in terms of how he played in space and how he could cover TEs, areas where Norwood was criticized. Graham dominated as a DE, but there's still no good proo that he can play in space and do all the things we require of our OLBs.