Senior Bowl notes

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dead_poet
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Senior Bowl notes

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Monday (Be sure to check out all three pages): http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/cfb/4 ... onday?pg=1
Derek Carr - In today's drills Carr looked like he was the most accurate and had strongest arm as a passer. He looked pretty good dropping back from under center. He consistently put the ball in nice catchable spots and on time for his receivers on all of the routes. Completed the 12 yard out route and bang post on time. He also looks to be a good leader on the field as well whenever he is in with the entire offensive team. Would like to see him put some more touch on the shorter routes as he threw some bullets to the running backs and tight ends. He tattooed a tight end who spotted up only 5 yards over the ball. Need to see his pocket presence a little more this week which was a question mark this season and in the USC game.

David Fales - Fales showed some good accuracy on timing on all of his throws. He showed good quick feet on his pass drops driving away from center and getting the ball out of quickly. However he doesn't look like he's transferring his weight and using his legs in his throws. He appeared to be struggling with his grip as well and pushing the ball which floated a little bit. It was noticeable on the 12 yard out and Bang posts that were just a little low. He underthrew several deep balls and had a difficult time driving the ball deep. On film, he appeared to be able to drive the ball better. Would like to see if he is able to this that during the week. Having said that, he still showed he can make accurate throws on the intermediate and short routes. He also showed some good leadership skills and being vocal on the when it was his turn in team periods and getting guys lined up.

Jimmy Garappolo - My first time really getting to watch Jimmy and he looked impressive and like he belonged on the field. In terms of arm strength and accuracy, he would be a close second behind Derrek Carr. He threw every route they had him throw and did so accurately. He looked good dropping back from under center as well and throwing on time. He threw the 12 yard out and bang post right out of the receivers break. He seemed to be a little on the quiet side and would like to see him be a little more vocal on the field. When he sits in the pocket, he does have a bad habit of holding the ball in one hand exposing it to rushing defenders. He also pats the ball before he throws it which takes a half second longer to get the ball out.
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Re: Senior Bowl notes

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I'll post a few of the guys I'm following.
G Gabe Jackson, Mississippi State - Jackson flashed the in-line power than will have some teams excited, but I simply don’t like him as much at 339 which is what he weighed in at today. If he can get his weight down about 10 more pounds he will make himself some money. Jackson buried Coleman on one rep during scrimmage portion.
OL Zack Martin, Notre Dame - Martin was outstanding today and showed excellent hand placement, a wide base and good core strength. Martin shut down Stanford’s Trent Murphy time and time again.
G Cyril Richardson, Baylor - Cyril Richardson had to be praying that the coaches would take Pitt DT Aaron Donald off of him in one-on-ones as it was a problematic matchup for the burly Baylor guard. Richardson had issues moving Donald off of his spot in one-on-one run block drills and was beaten with speed and a bull rush by Donald. Richardson needs to come ready to play on Tuesday.
DT Will Sutton, Arizona State - Will Sutton has been falling down the draft boards this year with NFL teams who don’t like the extra weight he’s added. Sutton came into the Senior Bowl at 315 pounds which is heavier than he needs to be, but he had a really good practice today. Wesley Johnson struggled against him in one-on-one drills as did Joel Bitonio from Nevada. Sutton looked quick off the snap and played with natural leverage. This is a huge week for Sutton who needs to flash and show his 2012 form.
DT Aaron Donald, Pitt - Was even better than expected. He was matched up with Baylor G Cyril Richardson throughout the practice. Richardson has four inches on Donald and nearly 50 pounds. Yet, Donald whipped him all day long. In run fit 1-on-1 Richardson didn’t win one time. In pass rush, 1-on-1 Donald literally knocked Richardson on his backside. During team drills, Donald was so quick off the ball that CSU C Weston Richburg couldn’t even get a hand on him. Hopefully, Donald will get to face a few of the other North OL throughout the week.
DT Justin Ellis, Louisiana Tech - One of the stars of East-West Shrine Week was La. Tech DT Justin Ellis. The 6’1” 347 DT showed that he more than belonged on the field with the much more ballyhooed Senior Bowl prospects. He’s quick off the ball, penetrated into the backfield, used the spin move (as he did last week too) during pass rush one-on-ones. It’s hard to think of a 347 pounder as more than just a two gap NT but that’s definitely not Ellis. Well, he could be, but what he showed last week and on his first day in Mobile is that he’s more versatile to play any DT position in either odd or even fronts.
DT Daniel McCullers, Tennessee - McCullers is massive, but it doesn’t really translate to consistency on the field. He’s was more sluggish than powerful
DL Ra’Shede Hagemen, Minnesota - Active hands and looked to get up the field on every snap. I liked how active he was, but I want to see him get up the field more consistently and defeat the man in front of him more quickly.
OLB Kyle Van Noy, BYU - Does everything SO well on a football field. Coverage, rush the edge, pursuit, you name Van Noy has it. The Jaguars coaches got on him a bit during individual drills because they didn’t think he was flying through a drill. It’s just that he makes it look effortless. He made plays throughout the practice in coverage. It’s not a surprise to me as I’ve got him in my top 15 on our TSV Big Board but I value production and intelligence more than anything. Van Noy has all of it.
“Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that.” --- Bill Shankly
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Re: Senior Bowl notes

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More notes from an additional source: http://walterfootball.com/seniorbowl2014practice.php

More praise for LT/G Zack Martin & DT Aaron Donald:
On the offensive side of the ball, the most impressive player was Notre Dame left tackle Zack Martin (6-4, 305). He had an excellent practice. Martin started out by beating Stanford's Trent Murphy on back-to-back one-on-one reps. Murphy tried a speed rush to the outside and was pushed too far around by Martin. A swim move by Murphy went nowhere on the rematch. Martin also won two reps against Louisville speed rusher Marcus Smith. On one rep, Martin pushed Smith around to the outside, and on the other, Martin stood up a bull rush. Smith (14.5 sacks) and Murphy (15 sacks) were college footballs two leading sackers in 2013, so Martin's domination of them was very impressive.
On the defensive line, the most impressive player was Pittsburgh's Aaron Donald. The fast and strong Donald destroyed Baylor's Cyril Richardson in four one-on-one reps. The first rep saw Donald win with speed to the outside. After another win on a speed rush, Donald blasted Richardson (6-4, 343) flat on his backside to get free to the quarterback. To complete the domination, Donald won with speed again. Donald (6-0, 288) made a serious statement to open the week as he was phenomenal against one of the top guards in the 2014 draft class.
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Re: Senior Bowl notes

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VT QB Logan Thomas and Clemson QB Tajh Boyd said they met with #Vikings QB coach Scott Turner (OC Norv Turner's son) last night.
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Re: Senior Bowl notes

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dead_poet wrote: @MasterStrib on Twitter
Good prospects to look at. Thomas has great size and would definitely be worth a late round pick to develop. I don't understand the Tajh Boyd hate. Sure, he isn't worth a high first, but he doesn't suck. I would not mind at all if we drafted Boyd in the second or trade up into the way late first to draft him.
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Re: Senior Bowl notes

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Lindenwood CB Pierre Desir said he spoke to the #Vikings At East-West game last week. Has touched base briefly at Senior Bowl with team.
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Re: Senior Bowl notes

Post by Crax »

I do think Will Sutton is a quality player. I agree that he was a bit better last year when he was lighter though, but he's still really good. I watch most all of the local teams(BYU, Utah, USU), so I've seen a lot of Kyle Van Noy. I think he'll be a great player for whoever drafts him.
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Re: Senior Bowl notes

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Fresno State QB Derek Carr said he's talked to #Vikings this week,didn't go into detail.EIU QB Jimmy Garoppolo said still hasn't had contact
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Re: Senior Bowl notes

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Derek Carr - QB - Player

Multiple reports out of Mobile this week agree Fresno State QB Derek Carr has been easily the Senior Bowl's most impressive quarterback.

The 2014 Senior Bowl quarterback turnout isn't overwhelming, especially after Alabama's A.J. McCarron dropped out, but this is notable nonetheless. A first-round possibility, Carr should be severely outperforming the likes of Jimmy Garoppolo, Logan Thomas, Stephen Morris, and David Fales. We're a little surprised Clemson's Tajh Boyd isn't having a better week.
Source: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
“Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that.” --- Bill Shankly
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Re: Senior Bowl notes

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Tuesday notes from Zierlein: http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/cfb/4 ... ar-circuit

Some guys I'm keeping an eye on:
G Cyril Richardson, Baylor - Continued to struggle with his balance. When Richardson was asked to use power, he wins. But, his lateral quickness has been exposed as a weakness. He’s definitely lost the leverage battle against 6’ Pitt DT Aaron Donald. He clearly matches up better against power players like Penn State DT DaQuan Jones.
T/G Zack Martin, Notre Dame - Showed good change of direction to handle inside pass rush moves and a strong move that jarred Virginia Tech DE James Gayle. Martin did overset on one rep and knocked off balance by West Virginia DE Will Clarke.

G Gabe Jackson, Mississippi State - did what he does best in the running game which is play with power when guys are in front of him while struggling to make cutoff blocks when asked to from the backside. Overall, however, it was a strong day for Robinson as he consistently had defenders locked out at the end of his arms in pass pro drills.
DT DaQuan Jones, Penn State - Continues to play with great leverage and push the pocket from the interior. For weaker OL, he’s a tough draw inside. It’s been good to see him consistent as some scouts (and JH too) have questioned his week in and week out production when he was at Penn State.
DE Dee Ford, Auburn - Hasn’t been blocked once off the edge. He’s been unreal. Florida State OLB Christian Jones came down to pass rush 1-on-1s and lit up the South tackles as well. Arkansas DE Chris Smith is one of the most interesting guys on the South team. He’s just under 6’1”, but he’s 262 and plays as low to the ground without losing his feet as any player I’ve seen. He’s got shoulders stretching across the room. Ford, Jones and Smith administered a proper whipping on the South OL on Tuesday.
Last edited by dead_poet on Wed Jan 22, 2014 8:47 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Senior Bowl notes

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Tuesday notes from Charlie Campbell:
The temperatures were in the 50s and windy. The wind was effecting the passers, especially when throwing to the sideline or downfield. WalterFootball.com spoke with some offensive coaches and they all agreed that Logan Thomas' arm was better than Clemson's Tajh Boyd or Miami's Stephen Morris. The Virginia Tech product could get the ball to the sideline on the deep out throwing into the wind, while Boyd's and Morris's passes took more time to get there. However, it was a typical showing from Thomas with great physical skill on display but inaccuracy and missed opportunities. In the seven-on-seven and the team scrimmage, Thomas had a number of passes off the mark to open receivers. He threw over the head of a receiver in double coverage on the team scrimmage, and in some ways, he was fortunate as the defensive backs were in good position to make a play on the ball. Thomas had a receiver running wide open down the sideline into the end zone for a potential 50-yard touchdown, but held onto the ball too long and didn't anticipate the receiver coming open quick enough. That led to a pass thrown too late, so a safety was able to come over the top and break up the ball at the goal line. Scouts and coaches really like Thomas' physical skill set, but his play continues to fall short of where it could be.
The defensive lineman who had the best practice was Minnesota defensive tackle Ra'Shede Hageman. He was an absolute force at beating offensive linemen with power and speed. Hageman beat Colorado State center Weston Richburg with a bull rush. A strong rip was employed to gain leverage on Michigan's Michael Schofield as Hageman surged his way into the marker. Hageman also rocked Zack Martin off balance with the initial surge and then used his speed to run by Martin to the quarterback marker. To finish off the one-on-ones, Hageman beat Cyril Richardson with speed and strength. Richburg earned a draw on one play, but overall, Hageman consistently made it into the backfield during the one-on-ones and team scrimmage. The Senior Bowl is letting Hageman demonstrate why he belongs in the first round next May.
Falcons offensive line coach had Zack Martin play guard on Tuesday. He excelled at left tackle for Notre Dame and was phenomenal there on Monday. However, moving him to the inside gave him problems with the size and power of the interior defensive linemen. Martin really struggled with Ra'Shede Hageman, but Hageman is a first-round talent. If Martin (6-4, 305) is moved inside to guard in the NFL, he is going to need to add more power to take on heavy defensive tackles. However, Martin may not have the frame to add much more.
Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald was a superstar on Monday. On Tuesday, he had another solid showing, but he didn't dominate like he did in the first session. Donald used his speed to beat Miami's Brandon Linder in the one-on-ones. Donald had draw going against Richburg as he got some pressure in the pocket before being stopped. During the team scrimmage, Donald fired into the backfield to cause an incompletion on a three-step drop by Tajh Boyd. Donald was so disruptive off the snap that the play was going nowhere from the get-go. Through two days, Donald has done well for himself in Mobile.
Full notes here: http://walterfootball.com/seniorbowl2014practice3.php
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Re: Senior Bowl notes

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Tuesday notes from Eric Galko: http://www.optimumscouting.com/draft/ar ... notes.html
Quarterbacks

-Logan Thomas continues to be extremely frustrating to evaluate. Today was a microcosm of his career at Virginia Tech as he impressed during 7 on 7’s with his ability to slice through 20+ mph wind and deliver (mostly) accurate balls while hitting 2nd and 3rd reads. Then, of course, he went on to have a terrible team session that included floating incompletions, holding the ball too long, and failing to find open receivers downfield. Sadly, there will likely be some quarterback coach who can convince his GM to draft Thomas in hopes of piecing him all together. Watching him today elicited similar feelings to watching Terrell Pryor with the Raiders—take that for what it’s worth.

-Tajh Boyd has a tight, compact release but today his release was noticeably lowered down toward his ear (maybe in hopes of cutting through the wind), which is not ideal for his height. It’s certainly not the over the top release he showed on film last year. He also had trouble with placement today, some of which was due to the wind and some of which wasn’t, but overall he made the best decisions of the North squad.

-Stephen Morris’s mechanics and accuracy have been subpar this week. He began 7 on 7’s with a fumbled snap and the struggles continued. His misses were high as he continued to dip his release shoulder and he didn’t show much anticipation when targeting receivers. He needs to bounce back tomorrow and Thursday so NFL teams can take away something positive from his play this week.
-Zach Martin of Notre Dame continued to be the best of the bunch of the offensive linemen. With great feet on the move and working downfield, along with transitioning to his second block, Martin showed the athleticism to fit at guard or tackle in multiple spots. Holding up well at the point of attack, including against powerful rushers James Gayle and Ra’Shede Hagemen consistently, Martin has shown the ability to play offensive tackle, which may be his best NFL position.
-The opposite of Martin, Cyril Richardson of Baylor struggled mightily and now opens the door for heavy question marks about his NFL fit. Consistently working to recover laterally, Richardson has been easily driven off balance by quick rushers, and then struggles to adjust his feet and gets driven back far too easily for a lineman his size. He’s likely struggled his way out of the Top 40 picks this week already.
-The cleanest route runner and most polished receiver was Wisconsin’s Jared Abbrederis, who displayed sharp plant and drive footwork to stay flat or work back downhill to the catch point depending on the route call. Even when forced to adjust to off target, high velocity throws (which was fairly often), Abbrederis never seemed to panic and was comfortable snatching the ball away from his frame.
(Abbrederis is having an excellent week)
-Ra’Shede Hagemen is a prospect that’s easy to like, but tough to really fall in love with. He put four linemen on their #### today, including an initial push that forced Brandon Linder down, along with driving a double team block by Tyler Larsen and Michael Schofield that put all three down and would have collapsed a hole perfectly had it been team drills. However, he doesn’t slide and adjust laterally well enough for a rusher at his length, and gets completely controlled by lineman that can get underneath him initially. He’s a high upside, Top 20 talent that hasn’t developed enough to be a consistent threat in the NFL yet.
-Pittsburgh’s Aaron Donald was the big winner of Monday, and he was certainly solid on day two. The most impressive takeaway today was Donald’s ability at the point of attack against double teams, winning with lower balance and hand strength. His hand exchange is so quick laterally, and he consistently wins with his counter rush move if he can’t simply drive underneath after his first step.
“Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that.” --- Bill Shankly
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Re: Senior Bowl notes

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Keep an eye on former NIU Huskie Jimmie Ward! He's an instinctive playmaker who could help the Vikings secondary.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/nfl- ... h-practice
As I mentioned in my Senior Bowl preview, Northern Illinois S Jimmie Ward is the top safety prospect in Mobile this week in my opinion and he played like it on Monday. He overcame a few poor angles early and put together a good practice, showing off his foot quickness and aggressive instincts. A Mobile-native, Ward could make a case to be the top defensive back overall this week.
http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/sbn ... eport.html
During practices, the day belonged to Northern Illinois' Jimmie Ward and Utah State's Nevin Lawson.
He was in attendance with North Carolina tight end Eric Ebron, who stood nearly as tall as Clowney. One of the few players who looked like he could hang with the athletic Ebron in coverage was Northern Illinois' Jimmie Ward. The safety who played his high school games at Ladd Peebles was comfortable dropping into the deep middle and playing up tight in man coverage. In one-on-one drills against wide receivers, Ward excelled covering Josh Huff of Oregon and Shaquelle Evans of UCLA.
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2014/01/21/ ... from-pack/
The hit of the day went to Northern Illinois safety Jimmy Ward who leveled Northwestern wide receiver Kain Colter near the sideline during special teams drills. Colter was the gunner and Ward came from the middle to whack him out of bounds.
http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2 ... ck-mewhort
Undersized safety Jimmie Ward (5-11, 192) had a group of fans in one corner of the Ladd-Peebles Stadium, and he rewarded them with controlled footwork, quick diagnosis of plays and physicality during one-on-one drills. Ward's experience at cornerback and safety at Northern Illinois was on display; he showed he understands how to read and react properly in slot coverage or traditional single high safety alignments. Because of his ability to sink through his backpedal, Ward is able to efficiently transition to run fits or coverage drops.
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Re: Senior Bowl notes

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Nebraska cornerback Stanley Jean-Baptiste said he's met with the #Vikings twice this week #SeniorBowl
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Re: Senior Bowl notes

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mrc44 wrote: This is the best note I have seen so far, I love this kid. I hope we can grab him in around that would be considered a good pick/steal
I only saw Nebraska play once this year and he didn't stand out to me (which means nothing other than I didn't notice him). I'll have to keep an eye on him during the Senior Bowl.

I can't say I like the sound of these comments about him from Rob Rang:

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/play ... n-baptiste
Not nearly as physical as his size would indicate, especially when tackling. Frequently relies on ducking his head and swiping at the legs of ballcarriers.
Should the light turn on for Jean-Baptiste, he could stick in the NFL. Without greater reliability as a tackler, however, his time in the league could be short.
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