Senior Bowl North Practice

1.25.2012

Quarterbacks:

Kellen Moore (Boise State) was relatively inaccurate through the majority of today’s practice. Moore again displayed quite the wind up when attempting the force the ball down the field.

Russell Wilson (Wisconsin) again had looked to have the most compact release of the North QBs. He had a commanding presence in the huddle as well and was quite the vocal leader during seven on sevens.  Wilson continues to struggle with ball placement, however this is due in large part to him working with WRs he’s never worked with before.

Kirk Cousins (Michigan State) continues to be the prize QB North squad, exhibiting tremendous touch on deep throws and solid anticipation throwing into tight windows.

Running Backs:

Dan Herron (Ohio State) displayed very good stop and start ability in the hole. Herron had outstanding patience today however he did carry the ball rather low on a few inside runs as opposed to high and tight. Herron also caught the ball quite well today.

Chris Polk (Washington) had a much better day today seemingly putting everything together. He ran with power as well as with solid agility. Polk also caught the ball well today.

Isaiah Pead (Cincinnati) looked very good today particularly on inside runs which is rather surprising considering his frame. He did bounce a couple runs to the outside as inside rushing lanes were clogged at times. With that said he did look to press the hole prior to bouncing the run outside. Pead showed very good burst and as his film would suggest, he’s a very natural pass catcher out of the backfield as well.

Doug Martin (Boise State) was very natural fielding punts today, however he looked to be very hesitant cutting in the open field. Martin ran between the tackles with outstanding vision and showed good burst to consistently get around end. Martin also ran with outstanding pad level today. Martin struggled catching the football early in the practice, however he caught a beautiful wheel route towards the end of the session, which lead me to believe the drop was more of an aberration on his part. I believe Martin is a natural pass catcher out of the backfield.

Wide Receivers:

DeVier Posey (Ohio State) started off the day with a drop, however he regained his concentration as the day went along. Posey get separation from opposing DBs all day long and looked good on the take off route as well. Posey looked crisp in and out of breaks and was also very solid during stalk blocking drills. Today was absolutely Posey’s best practice yet.

Marvin McNutt (Iowa) also had a solid day of practice today. While I hear reports of him being stiff, and looking nonathletic I have to say I disagree. McNutt for a larger WR looks rather crisp in and out of breaks and adjusts to the football rather well. Wanted to see him have to catch a ball, which causes him to reach below his core, however that did not happed during today’s practice.

Brian Quick (Appalachian State) continues to look good catching the football with his hands, however it takes him an absurd amount of time to gather himself and show his number to the QB on curl routes. I once counted him “chopping his steps” six times before turning back around to the QB. Quick is going to need a lot of work if he is to have success at the next level.

Marvin Jones (California) looked very good in and out of breaks and got very good separation for the majority of today’s practice. Jones did have a drop on the day, but other than that caught the ball quite well as the day went along. At 6’3 202lbs, Jones gives his QB a fairly large target, as he really knows how to come back to the football.

TJ Graham (North Carolina State) continues to get great separation throughout the day. He got past Leonard Johnson today on a fly route, but unfortunately decided to attempt to catch the football with one hand when he could’ve easily secured the football with two hands. Graham also continues to look good as a return man as well displaying his trademark speed. Graham will likely run 4.3 at the combine next month.

Offensive Line:

Mike Adams (Ohio State) continued to show his ability. He plays well when he can use his length and his lateral agility to stay in front of pass rushers but when he has to anchor he can run into trouble because of his lack of lower body strength. He needs to get stronger, and he got beat by guys once he engaged them which worried me a little bit, but he has the ability to stick at left tackle if he can get stronger and continue to finish blocks. Mike Brewster (Ohio State) showed some ability today. When he doesn’t get too wide in his anchor he has more ability to recover and sustain blocks even when pushed back initially, but sometimes he will let his base get too wide which makes him easier to bull-rush. He did a pretty good job on Ta’amu a couple times though in 1 on 1’s.

Kevin Zeitler (Wisconsin) is still the best guard here in my opinion, but he had some struggles today. He had issues with more athletic players like Kendall Reyes or Billy Winn as they were able to get off the ball and beat him with an initial move off of his outside shoulder. Vinny Curry was able to do the same thing, but a defensive end should be able to beat a guard with his athleticism. It wasn’t Zeitler’s best day, but he has proven he’s a 2^nd round guard to me all week. Kelechi Osemele (Iowa State) also had an up and down day. I was impressed with him versus the run on a couple plays, and he did alright in a couple 1 on 1’s. The most surprising was when he neutralized Vinny Curry’s speed rush. I didn’t think he had the athleticism for that, but Curry didn’t do anything on the rep. I still think Osemele’s future is inside at guard, but he showed the ability to use his length to win match-ups against more athletic players today. Senio Kelemete (Washington) didn’t have a great day either. I think he can play tackle if necessary on game day, but his best position is inside at guard. He needs to get stronger as he only weighed in at 300 pounds, and it shows at times. He’s got athleticism but if he doesn’t beat you with his first step and positioning at the point of attack he struggles.

Mitchell Schwartz (California) showed a bit of ability at tackle today and still looks like a 5^th or 6^th round right tackle prospect. Draftable, but not a lot of upside. He has the ability to anchor when pushed back initially and while he may struggle with speed he looked solid today. Tony Bergstrom (Utah) had an up and down day, but looked better inside at guard than he did outside at tackle. Wolfe got the better of him when he was rushing at defensive end, but he was more reliable when he slid inside and won a couple match-ups. I still need to see more of him, but he has ability and probably a mid-round grade right now.

Defensive Line:

Derek Wolfe (Cincinnati) continues to impress me. He’s an underrated guy and I think he’s a 3^rd or 4^th round lock at this point. He doesn’t have amazing upside, but he’s shown the versatility to play inside and outside this week and I think he’s got the ability to be a starter at the 3-tech or the 5-tech, and I was surprised by his ability to bend and get under the offensive lineman’s pads today even when rushing from the defensive end position. He’s being overlooked right now, but scouts are onto him. Kendall Reyes (Connecticut) had his second strong day in a row looking good in 1 on 1’s and showing his burst and athleticism off of the line of scrimmage. He still worries me versus the run, but he’s got a 3^rd or 4^th round grade from me right now. I like him as a 3-tech because of his ability to beat you off the ball and penetrate into the backfield. But he will need to get stronger and add weight to get better versus the run. Billy Winn (Boise State) had his best day of practice today in my opinion. He had a better day yesterday after a slow start on Monday, but he showed good burst for his size and active hands to beat you off of the ball. I have seen him get blocked and stay blocked a bit too much this week though, so when I do more tape study on him I’ll be watching for that.

Vinny Curry (Marshall) continues to disappoint me. He was being hyped up as a 1^st rounder for quite some time, but I haven’t seen any tape or practices that make him look like a 1^st round guy. He’s got NFL size and he’s got some athleticism, but he didn’t beat Kelechi Osemele off the edge today and that is a red flag. It’s only one rep, but Osemele is probably going to have to be a guard at the next level and while he has length Curry should be able to beat him off the ball. Alameda Ta’amu (Washington) has been a frustrating player to watch because he’s got all the size and athleticism you could want in a nose tackle but it just doesn’t translate to dominating performances. He’s a 3^rd round guy and a 2-down player with some burst, but not much more than that in my opinion.

Defensive Backs:

Alfonzo Dennard (Nebraska) continues to struggle. My outlook on Dennard remains the same as it was yesterday. Propensity to lunge in press coverage He may fit best in a Cover 2 system but his footwork, stiff hips and lack of athleticism is causing him to slip in the eyes of many.

Asa Jackson (Cal Poly) was solid today playing particularly well in press coverage. Jackson also looked very natural fielding kicks.

Leonard Johnson (Iowa State) played in the hip pocked of WRs all day long, however he was unable to make plays on the football after putting himself in position to do so. Posey as well as TJ Graham were Johnson’s biggest challenges today.

Jamell Fleming (Oklahoma) does not drive on the football well at all. With that said, he’s very physical in press coverage. He’s consistently displayed tight hips, and isn’t quite athletic enough to turn and run. Fleming also does not locate the football well in flight.

George Iloka (Boise State) didn’t have a great day today as he was seemingly lost when asked to play off coverage. Iloka was beaten rather handily by Massachusetts, TE Igwenagu. Struggling to re-direct, Iloka allowed WRs and TEs alike to cut across his face in man coverage. Iloka also did not get redline to redline the way I anticipated due to lack of pass run recognition.