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NFL Draft Watch: Senior Bowl players who helped, hurt themselves
By Eric Edholm
Shutdown Corner
Carl Davis — The buzz centered on Washington's big defensive tackle, Danny Shelton, and for good reason: he won all week with power. But Davis won the week, too, the second he strode across the weigh-in stage with his treetrunks legs and continued on with a great week. He looked dominant at times in one-on-one battles and projects to be a big run clogger on the next level. The reputation of him taking plays off in college seemed to subside after a strong week of practice.
Minnesota RB David Cobb — He showed off all-around skills, from pass protection to catching the football (which he supposedly doesn't do well) to running inside and out. Cobb was quick and decisive, and displayed some nice power in goal-line drills, blasting through arm-tackle attempts. He most definitely entered solidly into the Day 2 draft discussion with a great week, showing few tangible weaknesses.
Utah OLB-DE Nate Orchard — All week, he consistently made plays and looked the part of an edge defender capable of collapsing the pocket and impacting the run game. He was active with his hands, displayed nice counter moves and never stopped working to win battles. His long arms helped him achieve all those things.
Ole Miss DBs Cody Prewitt and Senquez Golson — Both players had their moments in Mobile. Prewitt wasted little time getting his hands on passes on the first day of practice, breaking up two throws and picking off another in which he showed good anticipation. His size and ball skills looked good. Golson is fast and competitve and has the look of a feisty nickel corner.
TCU CB Kevin White — Each day, he just got better and better. Thursday was his showcase practice, making a diving interception. He might be a nickel on the next level, but White is a player: small but super competitive, showing that TCU (coming off the heels of Jason Verrett a year ago) can produce some quality defensive talent.
Hobart OT Ali Marpet — No player had more to gain than the small-school Marpet, and he did just that. Perhaps he's just a guard at the next level, but he played with fire, held his own against Shelton and others and showed he can handle the mental aspect of the game. It's his physical performance that caught a lot of eyes and won a few people over.
Nick Boyle and Clive Walford — In a middling crop at the position, both players stood out. Boyle is a big man (6-4, 267) who moves very well and was very consistent in in-line blocking and catching the ball. He played a few positions (split wide, slot, traditional in-line Y) at Delaware and had a strong week. Walford looked very athletic and had a big practice on Wednesday, when he made a number of big catches. You can see why he averaged more than 15 yards per grab in 2014, but it begs the question: Why didn't the Miami coaches throw Walford the ball more?
LSU OT La'el Collins — If he's not a top-15 or 20 pick, I'd be shocked. The week was exactly what scouts hoped to see. Collins stonewalled pass rushers all week, and his ability to play tackle and guard makes him an extremely safe prospect, too. Collins might not be a dominant, pile-driving force in the NFL, but it would be surprising to see him flop in the league.
Central Arkansas WR Dezmin Lewis — He's 6-3, 215 pounds and catches the ball with ease. Lewis possesses great hands, concentration and body control, making several eye-opening catches. He told me he plans to run "in the 4.4s" in the 40-yard dash at the scouting combine.
Duke OG Laken Tomlinson — If he didn't consistently hold up well in blocking drills and team work, Tomlinson would have earned high marks anyway for his character. Two teams we spoke with said he nailed his interviews with them, giving them the belief that he'll be a set-and-forget starter at guard for the better part of a decade. Defensive lineman Danny Shelton got him once or twice, but Tomlinson held up very well all week.
UCLA QB Brett Hundley — Yes, by not showing up to Mobile, Hundley might have actually helped himself. Sure, coming into town and having a big week would have been more ideal in his evaluation. But by staying away, Hundley's stock appeared to go up just by the fact that the rest of the quarterbacks who were down there did little to impress or alter evaluators' thinking on what kind of players they'll make.
LOSERS
The quarterbacks — As a group, it's hard to remember a more underwhelming Senior Bowl crop. None of them shined, with Colorado State's Garrett Grayson the one who had maybe the best performance overall — but still nothing stunningly good. If any of these quarterbacks are taken before Round 4, it would be a surprise.
Nick Marshall — Right before the first practice, he told the Jacksonville Jaguars coaching staff he wanted to play cornerback, which came as a surprise. And no surprise: He struggled, although he gained some momentum by week's end. Still, Marshall is raw at the position he hasn't played since his freshman year at Georgia and will be drafted as an athletic marvel and a project. There's more work to be done.
Kansas CB JaCorey Shepherd — A left hamstring took him out of what was a tough first practice on Tuesday, when he struggled to handle speed receivers in off coverage. This was a tough week for him.
Stanford WR-KR Ty Montgomery — Listed at 6-2 in college, Montgomery measured in at under 6 feet and appeared to have the body of a running back, not a receiver. He has special teams value, but he struggled with consistency catching the football this week and might be more of a No. 4 or 5 wideout and return specialist. Injuries plagued him this past season, and he didn't build much momentum in practice this week.
Notre Dame TE Ben Koyack — His reputation pushed him near the top of the position class entering the week, but his lack of athleticism as a receiver and lack of force as a blocker were noticeable. The recent successful run of Irish tight ends in the NFL has been impressive, but Koyack might not match up to that crew. Boyle and Walford both looked far more impressive when stacked side by side.
Auburn C Reese Dismukes — His hands were shockingly small (sub-8.5 inches, with his right hand — the one he snaps with — measuring smaller than his left), he lacks bulk, struggled in one-on-one drills and failed to get good push up front. Dismukes also struggled with his shotgun snapping consistency, which appeared to carry over from the end of this past season.
Florida OT-OG Trent Brown — The biggest man in Mobile (6-8, 376 pounds) with 35.5-inch arms, Brown nonetheless struggled with speed and sustaining blocks. He couldn't handle quickness, and the coaches stuck him at guard. What does that tell you? He's not an NFL tackle, even at his size, it would appear.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-s...rs-who-helped--hurt-themselves-194300834.html
By Eric Edholm
Shutdown Corner
Carl Davis — The buzz centered on Washington's big defensive tackle, Danny Shelton, and for good reason: he won all week with power. But Davis won the week, too, the second he strode across the weigh-in stage with his treetrunks legs and continued on with a great week. He looked dominant at times in one-on-one battles and projects to be a big run clogger on the next level. The reputation of him taking plays off in college seemed to subside after a strong week of practice.
Minnesota RB David Cobb — He showed off all-around skills, from pass protection to catching the football (which he supposedly doesn't do well) to running inside and out. Cobb was quick and decisive, and displayed some nice power in goal-line drills, blasting through arm-tackle attempts. He most definitely entered solidly into the Day 2 draft discussion with a great week, showing few tangible weaknesses.
Utah OLB-DE Nate Orchard — All week, he consistently made plays and looked the part of an edge defender capable of collapsing the pocket and impacting the run game. He was active with his hands, displayed nice counter moves and never stopped working to win battles. His long arms helped him achieve all those things.
Ole Miss DBs Cody Prewitt and Senquez Golson — Both players had their moments in Mobile. Prewitt wasted little time getting his hands on passes on the first day of practice, breaking up two throws and picking off another in which he showed good anticipation. His size and ball skills looked good. Golson is fast and competitve and has the look of a feisty nickel corner.
TCU CB Kevin White — Each day, he just got better and better. Thursday was his showcase practice, making a diving interception. He might be a nickel on the next level, but White is a player: small but super competitive, showing that TCU (coming off the heels of Jason Verrett a year ago) can produce some quality defensive talent.
Hobart OT Ali Marpet — No player had more to gain than the small-school Marpet, and he did just that. Perhaps he's just a guard at the next level, but he played with fire, held his own against Shelton and others and showed he can handle the mental aspect of the game. It's his physical performance that caught a lot of eyes and won a few people over.
Nick Boyle and Clive Walford — In a middling crop at the position, both players stood out. Boyle is a big man (6-4, 267) who moves very well and was very consistent in in-line blocking and catching the ball. He played a few positions (split wide, slot, traditional in-line Y) at Delaware and had a strong week. Walford looked very athletic and had a big practice on Wednesday, when he made a number of big catches. You can see why he averaged more than 15 yards per grab in 2014, but it begs the question: Why didn't the Miami coaches throw Walford the ball more?
LSU OT La'el Collins — If he's not a top-15 or 20 pick, I'd be shocked. The week was exactly what scouts hoped to see. Collins stonewalled pass rushers all week, and his ability to play tackle and guard makes him an extremely safe prospect, too. Collins might not be a dominant, pile-driving force in the NFL, but it would be surprising to see him flop in the league.
Central Arkansas WR Dezmin Lewis — He's 6-3, 215 pounds and catches the ball with ease. Lewis possesses great hands, concentration and body control, making several eye-opening catches. He told me he plans to run "in the 4.4s" in the 40-yard dash at the scouting combine.
Duke OG Laken Tomlinson — If he didn't consistently hold up well in blocking drills and team work, Tomlinson would have earned high marks anyway for his character. Two teams we spoke with said he nailed his interviews with them, giving them the belief that he'll be a set-and-forget starter at guard for the better part of a decade. Defensive lineman Danny Shelton got him once or twice, but Tomlinson held up very well all week.
UCLA QB Brett Hundley — Yes, by not showing up to Mobile, Hundley might have actually helped himself. Sure, coming into town and having a big week would have been more ideal in his evaluation. But by staying away, Hundley's stock appeared to go up just by the fact that the rest of the quarterbacks who were down there did little to impress or alter evaluators' thinking on what kind of players they'll make.
LOSERS
The quarterbacks — As a group, it's hard to remember a more underwhelming Senior Bowl crop. None of them shined, with Colorado State's Garrett Grayson the one who had maybe the best performance overall — but still nothing stunningly good. If any of these quarterbacks are taken before Round 4, it would be a surprise.
Nick Marshall — Right before the first practice, he told the Jacksonville Jaguars coaching staff he wanted to play cornerback, which came as a surprise. And no surprise: He struggled, although he gained some momentum by week's end. Still, Marshall is raw at the position he hasn't played since his freshman year at Georgia and will be drafted as an athletic marvel and a project. There's more work to be done.
Kansas CB JaCorey Shepherd — A left hamstring took him out of what was a tough first practice on Tuesday, when he struggled to handle speed receivers in off coverage. This was a tough week for him.
Stanford WR-KR Ty Montgomery — Listed at 6-2 in college, Montgomery measured in at under 6 feet and appeared to have the body of a running back, not a receiver. He has special teams value, but he struggled with consistency catching the football this week and might be more of a No. 4 or 5 wideout and return specialist. Injuries plagued him this past season, and he didn't build much momentum in practice this week.
Notre Dame TE Ben Koyack — His reputation pushed him near the top of the position class entering the week, but his lack of athleticism as a receiver and lack of force as a blocker were noticeable. The recent successful run of Irish tight ends in the NFL has been impressive, but Koyack might not match up to that crew. Boyle and Walford both looked far more impressive when stacked side by side.
Auburn C Reese Dismukes — His hands were shockingly small (sub-8.5 inches, with his right hand — the one he snaps with — measuring smaller than his left), he lacks bulk, struggled in one-on-one drills and failed to get good push up front. Dismukes also struggled with his shotgun snapping consistency, which appeared to carry over from the end of this past season.
Florida OT-OG Trent Brown — The biggest man in Mobile (6-8, 376 pounds) with 35.5-inch arms, Brown nonetheless struggled with speed and sustaining blocks. He couldn't handle quickness, and the coaches stuck him at guard. What does that tell you? He's not an NFL tackle, even at his size, it would appear.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-s...rs-who-helped--hurt-themselves-194300834.html
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