Senior Bowl News

The senior bowl is venue for NCAA standouts at their respective schools to put their skills to the test against their peers and more importantly impress scouts at the next level. Through the last 3 days of practice and weigh ins, there has been plenty of buzz surrounding a hand full of players. One of those players is the all world Florida Gator Tim Tebow. He is arguably the best college player ever. His intangibles make Joe Montana jealous and he just wins. However, intangibles can only compliment good QB skills that can translate to success at the next level. I will give you the players who have caught my eye whether good or bad at this year’s Senior Bowl Practices so far.

CB Kyle Wilson- If this guy wasn’t a 1st round pick before the Senior Bowl Practices, he is definitely getting buzz now. He hailed from the Boise State program that put out All Pro NFL Tackle Ryan Clady a couple of years ago. Wilson will be playing on the North team. In every situation he has been placed in, he has performed well. He shut down receivers in press coverage, jumped routes well, has great hip flexibility, and has good ball skills. He is clearly the best cover corner that will be playing in this game.

QB Tim Tebow- How can Tebow not catch your eye. He looks like a linebacker playing QB. Plus everyone is talking about him anyway. His 1st day left plenty to be desired. He fumbled snaps from the center and looked uncomfortable. However, I think people are overreacting about his 1st practice. He hadn’t worked with the center he was taking snaps from ever, so he should get a pass for that. Since then, he has looked much better at the under center ball exchange. The big problem with him is his throwing motion starts at this thigh and its unprotected. DeMarcus Ware, Jared Allen, and James Harrison among others will have a field day causing fumbles on him if he doesn’t fix that. However, once the ball comes out, his arm is pretty live. He has good strength behind the throw and has a great deep sideline pass. Time will tell if he can work the intermediate throws consistently with accuracy.

DT Terrence Cody- Weighing in was a day that this man would like to forget and after seeing him, I would like to forget about it too. He is 370 pounds. He lost weight to get to that number. He doesn’t have an ounce of definition unless you count blubber and boobs as definition. His 1st day of practice wasn’t the best either. He didn’t assert is will in the combo drill or one on one drills. The second day was better. He actually looked unblockable at times. He bullrushed an Offensive lineman effortlessly into the backfield. Nothing has changed about how people view him though. He is a two down lineman who will need to drop another 25 pounds so he doesn’t seriously harm himself on the field.

WR Taylor Price- The University of Ohio receiver has shown the speed and technique to make me elieve he can a problem for corners at the next level. He caught a couple of quality passes on Kyle Wilson, the best corner in this senior bowl. He has solid size for a receiver and his speed in and out of breaks are what makes him a quality prospect that should get plenty of attention come draft time.

S Taylor Mays- I commend this kid for not being afraid of being criticized and participating in a senior bowl process that will no doubt analyze his game even deeper. It’s like Mike Mayock said, if God were to carve a safety with his bare hands, he would look like Taylor Mays. 6’3” 230 pounds and can run, hit, and has athleticism. Some question is lack of playmaking stats and point to lack of ball skills and recognition, others will point to lack of quality talent around him his senior year and change in defensive responsibility. Whatever side you’re on, Mays has plenty to prove at this senior bowl. So far, he hasn’t been nearly as bad in man coverage as I thought he would be. His hips aren’t as fluid as you would like and he definitely got beat a couple of times. However, he competed very well and for the most part held his own. He won’t fit in every system but if he can show in the game that he can consistently cover TEs downfield, he stock will shoot up.

OG Mike Iupati- He is the best guard prospect in the draft. He has the frame of a tackle 6’5” 325. However, he played at Idaho so he needed to see some better competition. The 1st day, he got dominated in the one on one drills by Jared Odrick, a 1st round prospect. He played extremely well however in the 11on 11 drills. The 2nd day was better for him as he dominated a variety of defensive linemen at guard during 1on 1 drills. At tackle, he had a rough day. He was very uncomfortable and a little slow out there. Brandon Graham killed him on an outside speed rush. At the end of the day, he could be a late 1st round pick partly because NFL teams don’t draft guards higher than that.

DE Brandon Graham- The Michigan prospect reminds me so much of a faster LaMarr Woodley who was a Wolverine is well. He is small in height 6’2” but he is bulky 260 and he really shined this past season for the wolverines and he is dominating pass rushing drills in the senior bowl practices. He shows a variety of pass rush moves and is really too fast for any of the tackles practicing against him. He will be a beast in the pros if he’s put in a good situation.
Honarable Mention

S Nate Allen- I like this kid. Showed the ability to cover in press in practice. He has solid ball skills and good range. His speed isn’t elite but he is a smart player who will be drafted in the 2nd round.

RB/WR Dexter McCluster- He is drawing comparisions to Percy Harvin and Darren Sproles. He runs routes like a pure WR. He is tough player that is shifty and has world class speed. He will be a steal for some team in the 2nd probably.

DT Cam Thomas- The UNC prospect has been very solid. He gets a solid base in combo drills and he collapses the pocket from the middle. Translates very well as a 3-4 Nose Tackle.

OT Vladimir Duccasse- Another small school prospect that’s getting tested against the big boys. He has been inconsistent. In one drill, he holds his own. In the next drill, he gets dominated. He may have to play guard at the next level because I’m not sure he can handle elite speed on the edge at the NFL.

WR Mardy Gilyard- He had a bad 1st day. He dropped easy catches. The 2nd day of practice was like night and day for him. He was running routes with confidence and was catching the ball with ease. He looked like the player I saw dominate at Pitt.