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It was a phenomenal week here in Mobile, Alabama. The gorgeous weather held out just long enough to make me glad I’m not in the Midwest right now. Even if rain’s in the forecast, I can’t complain about how beautiful it’s been.
Good weather brought hordes of fans to the stadium every day (admittedly to the South practice more so than the North… Thanks, Tim Tebow), but it also gave us all another reason to love watching football in January. Football in the Midwest usually entails shoveling the driveway before coming inside for the game.
All that said, it wasn’t just the weather that made me realize just how much I love this wonderful sport. I was thoroughly impressed with a lot of things this week--outside of pro-caliber players. Here are just a few:
The Senior Bowl Staff: Because it was Sideline Scouting’s first time here in Mobile, we weren’t sure what to expect. Everyone involved in the whole process was friendly, informative and helpful. From the Sideline Scouting crew, thanks a ton. It was as memorable an experience as any.
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The Brick Pit |
The Food: I don’t think I’ve ever had barbeque as mouth-watering as The Brick Pit provided for dinner Thursday night. Outside of the football activities, eating at the Travel Channel’s #80 tastiest place to chow down in America was one of the best parts of being here. The next time I make the trip back here, The Brick Pit will be one of my first stops.
The Media Hospitality: From the Kickoff Reception to the Seafood Jubilee, the media was well taken care of. There was absolutely no hassle finding parking, figuring out where events were taking place or getting our questions answered. Being here to cover the Senior Bowl events was a phenomenal experience.
I was pleasantly surprised and impressed by several players as well. I came in with high expectations for certain players, and almost no expectations for others. Some guys completely changed my perception of them. Here is a list of players that really helped their case this week:
Mike Iupati: I already knew Iupati was good. Seeing him play in the Humanitarian Bowl against Bowling Green confirmed that. This week, Iupati made me cross the “good/great” line, and I don’t plan on crossing back over. He’s big, he’s physical, he’s in great shape… Iupati has great feet and has shown this week he can hang with the best of the best. I’m convinced he’ll be the next in line to steal the crown as the best guard in football somewhere down the line. His ability to play tackle is still suspect, but as good as Iupati has looked, I’m not going to limit his potential. He’s a stud.
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John Jerry |
John Jerry: If Jerry gets his hands on a defensive lineman, don’t expect them to get around him very often. He worked extremely hard this week, and will have people talking at draft time. He’s not a huge name, but he’s a huge guy. At 332 lbs., he’s big enough to move defenders and still agile enough to be a great pass blocker. Apart from Iupati, Jerry was the most impressive offensive lineman here.
Kyle Wilson: Wilson showed all week that he can cover just about anyone. He has speed. He has great footwork. He has fluid hips and the desire to get better. He has my vote as one of the three best corners in the draft this year. Scouts were raving all week about his coverage abilities and he’s always been a solid tackler. As long as he doesn’t get hurt or blow half a dozen coverages Saturday, he’s going to come out of Senior Bowl week with a big thumbs-up from scouts.
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Sean Weatherspoon |
Sean Weatherspoon: If you went to the North practices just for entertainment value, chances are you ended up watching Weatherspoon most of the week. He’s as fun to watch as he is talented, and he has a great personality to boot. Weatherspoon is a vocal leader, a producer and a natural talent, and I look forward to watching him on Sundays. Weatherspoon has the speed to play outside, the physicality and toughness to play inside, and the voice to fire up a defense.
Alex Carrington: Carrington caught my attention at weigh-ins and then caught my attention at practice day after day. He used his speed and athleticism to get around the edge and make some of these tackles look silly this week. Being from Arkansas State, Carrington may have come in as a relative unknown, but people are going to know his name in April. He was one of the best defensive linemen in Mobile this week.
Austen Lane: Coming from Murray State, Lane had to prove he could hang with the big boys -- and he did. Lane showed impeccable speed and used his height (6’6”) to his advantage in disrupting the passing game. He has the perfect mix of size and speed to get into the backfield and cause problems for opposing offenses.
Dexter McCluster: If I had never seen McCluster play, I’d still like this guy. Of all the news conferences this week, McCluster provided the most entertainment at the podium. That being said, he’s as fun to watch on the field as he is to listen to on stage. McCluster is fast. He’s really fast. His acceleration off the line is superb and has so much versatility that he can catch as well as he can get to the edge from the backfield. He can play tailback, receiver (both split out and in the slot), and also showed some looks from the wildcat. Oh yeah… he’s a heck of a returner as well. He’s a sure-fire second rounder.
Myron Rolle: Being a Rhodes Scholar is impressive. Being as ripped as he is after taking a year away from football is miraculous. Rolle didn’t skip a beat this week and showed that he deserves an early-round pick. His feet still look great and his hands are soft as butter. Rolle really had scouts talking this week, and he’s one guy I’d love to see in my team’s colors next year… although I can’t really say which team I’m referring to.
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Brandon Graham |
Brandon Graham: Graham played on a Michigan team this year that didn’t end with the record they probably had hoped for. Regardless, he’s getting what he wanted out of Senior Bowl week. He’s looked terrific and has had everyone talking. We’ve had him as a first rounder for a while, and that isn’t going to change now. He’s powerful and versatile, and the comparisons to former Wolverine LaMarr Woodley have not stopped. Scouts think he could be as good -- or better than -- Woodley at the next level.
Patrick Robinson: This is the second Florida State defensive back that grabbed my attention this week. He grabbed it, and he held on tight. Next to Kyle Wilson, Robinson stood out as the best cover corner here in Mobile. He cuts quick, has great feet, good hands, a great attitude and a desire to get better every day. I would not be surprised if he came off the board as the second cornerback drafted this year.
Jared Odrick: Odrick had scouts talking earlier this week. He was arguably the most consistent defensive tackle in Mobile, making plays every day. He showed that he could get good penetration and get to opposing quarterbacks with consistency. Odrick also practiced with a non-stop motor this week (as he always has), showing a lot of intensity. He may have worked his way into the late first round with his performances this week.
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Jarrett Brown |
Jarrett Brown: Although Brown was somewhat inconsistent this week, he showed the strongest arm of any quarterback here. He made some terrific throws, threading the needle between defenders and finding receivers everywhere on the field. He still needs to show he can be consistently accurate, but I was pleasantly surprised with him this week. Brown is also very mobile and has shown he can scramble when he can’t find an open receiver. Tony Pike looked good, but Brown stood out. He may be a work in progress, but Brown definitely has NFL potential.
Geno Atkins: Atkins has always shown versatility (playing defensive tackle, defensive end and linebacker), but he really solidified his ability to play three technique in practice this week. He’d be a great fit as a 4-3 defensive tackle or a 3-4 defensive end in the NFL -- a spot he claims to be most comfortable with. Atkins really impressed scouts this week by displaying a good rip move and the ability to get in the backfield by splitting defenders or rushing off the edge.
Donald Butler: Butler’s a player that came in a bit under the radar this week, but with the frequency he was in the backfield during practice, it’s hard to not notice him. Butler showed the best instincts of any linebacker this week, showing flashes of great athleticism as well. He has a good mix of speed and size and he showcased it this week for scouts in the stands. I’m a believer. Look for his stock to skyrocket in the coming months.
As much as I like some of those guys, there were also players I was not impressed with. Some of these guys were never very high on my list. Some of them hurt their case this week during weigh-ins and practice.
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Vladimir Ducasse |
Vladimir Ducasse: Ducasse’s stock has been rising as of late, but he didn’t do himself any favors this week. His lateral footwork did not look good and got beat too many times to show that he can be a serviceable tackle in the NFL. At his size (326 lbs.), Ducasse would be better suited to play guard in the NFL. He’s no longer looking like a second-round tackle prospect.
Taylor Mays: Coming into this week, I was convinced Mays is the second best safety in this year’s draft class. I was even more convinced after weighing in at 6’3” 231 lbs. In spite of that, Mays seemed to do everything he could to change my mind-- and the minds of many scouts in the stadium. He has great physical tools. He’s extremely fast, extremely athletic, very big and muscular and he loves to hit. After what I saw this week, he fits the profile to play linebacker. His coverage skills are so sub-par that I couldn’t imagine him playing center field for any NFL team. He can make plays and has good hands, but his footwork is terrible and his hips are too stiff to stay with receivers on cuts. He’s also too timid in coverage and seems to have poor instincts. I look for him to fall into the late-first or early-second round range.
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Terrence Cody |
Terrence Cody: I won’t say that I was completely disappointed in Cody. He looked bad at weigh-ins and still hasn’t proven he can be a three-down nose tackle in the NFL. If team’s are looking for a run-stuffer at the defensive tackle position, he’s looking like a prime candidate. At the same time, I can’t see Cody warranting a first-round pick based on stamina concerns. Considering the money first-round picks demand, is a two-down nose tackle really worth it? I think some teams may answer “Yes,” but I’m not sold on him. He’s a run-stuffer, but he didn’t show me enough this week to impress me in the least.
Trevard Lindley: If Lindley doesn’t run well at the combine, he could drop to the sixth or seventh round range. He looked nonchalant and complacent all week and played way too soft to make me feel he’ll be anything more than a fourth or fifth corner in the NFL. Lindley has good height and big hands, but he’s thin (178 lbs.) and showed no ability to be physical or jam well at the line. He’s taking a big hit in the rankings after this week.
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Tim Tebow |
Tim Tebow: You either love Tebow or you hate him. After this week, it’s hard to love the idea of him as an NFL quarterback. He looked really bad this week. His motion is just too long. This was a great week for Tebow to raise his draft stock, but it didn’t happen. He airmailed too many balls and left too many passes wide of the mark. He may be a good guy, but he didn’t show he can be a good NFL quarterback this week.
Garrett Graham: Graham weighed in a little on the light side (234 lbs.), which raised some concerns early on. As expected, Graham looked weak in blocking drills and dropped some passes this week he should have caught. Several other tight ends looked better than Graham and it’s going to show in April when he falls into the fifth round.
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Sean Canfield |
Sean Canfield: Although Canfield improved every day, he didn’t do enough to make scouts forget how bad he looked Monday. His arm strength is suspect and he made some poor decisions at practice. Scouts were audibly displeased with Canfield and his ability to play quarterback at the next level. He put up good numbers at Oregon State this year, but didn’t impress this week.
Mitch Petrus: Defensive linemen consistently ran right through Petrus this week. When run blocking, Petrus rarely pushed anyone back. In one-on-one drills, Petrus got beat more often than he should have and weighing in at 304 lbs, he should have shown more lateral quickness and sturdy footwork than he did this week. Although I didn’t have high expectations for Petrus coming into this week, he did nothing to show me he warranted a move up the draft board.
This week was a great eye-opener on so many levels, and we have a lot of people to thank for making this a great experience. This experience was invaluable and we look forward to being back here next year for another great Senior Bowl. Be sure to check back later for our game preview and follow us throughout the game Saturday as we will be doing live blogging throughout the game. Thanks for following!
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