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 Feature
The 2008 Senior Bowl
Monday & Tuesday
by Sam Monson & Ben Stockwell
23/1/2008
Well folks, the College All-Star circuit has motored into Mobile, Alabama where the week-long Senior Bowl takes place. All week long College Football’s fines seniors will be going head to head in practices designed to pit the best against the best. Everything that takes place in practice during the week is designed for evaluation purposes, to see what players can do, not the system they’re from.
The Diner is going to be keeping you updated on who is looking good, and who’s looking like a guy you want to avoid come draft day, starting with the opening practices. The Senior Bowl divides the nation’s finest into two squads, the North and the South, who each take the field for one practice session a day until the game itself kicks off on Saturday.
( For the Weigh-In results please view here )
So here it is folks, Monday and Tuesday’s roundup from the Senior Bowl:
Day 1 Practice
Everything is set up for evaluation. Good on good all week long.
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JD Booty, QB from USC looked good throwing the ball today, making good decisions.
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Gosder Cherilus had a good day
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Sedrick Ellis (pictured right) was abusing O-linemen in the drills all practice. Showing not only great explosion and strength, but outstanding technique and hand-placement. Mike Mayock rates him on the same level as Glen Dorsey, and he’s started off senior bowl week showing why.
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Terrell Thomas showed his long speed, held up well in drills.
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Dan Connor and Keith Rivers both showed well in the first day, and look to be the top 2 OLBs in the draft.
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Lavelle Hawkins, WR, California has shown better than any other WR thus far, making some circus catches and running nice routes.
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Eddie Royal, WR from VT has been making some great catches too, he’s also showed nice ability to beat his man one on one.
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Limas Sweed is back to full speed after his injury, and was able to get separation without problems. The question about him is speed, but like Sidney Rice last year, he might not need it.
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Early Doucet was the WR of the South’s practice, dominating his 1 on 1 drills, as well as the 7 on 7 scrimmages.
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Tulane RB, Matt Forte looks faster than people thought, showing ability to get to the corner as well as go between the tackles.
Day 2 Practice
North
QB/WR/DBs
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Eddie Royal makes a great move off the line of scrimmage to beat press coverage. With a better thrown ball he was gone for the TD
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Adarius Bowman from OSU has been struggling catching the ball cleanly.
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Royal again toasts his DB for a deep TD, this time JD Booty fits the ball in there.
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JD Booty made quick decisions in the scrimmages, checking down fast if his primary target wasn’t there.
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Chauncey Washington caught the ball very well in the scrimmages, but also chipped linemen well on his way out into the flat.
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Bowman again drops another easy catch, he’s been having practices like Rhema McKnight last year when he couldn’t catch a thing during Senior Bowl week.
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Chris Johnson might be the fastest player in this draft, but he’s going to have to learn to take the holes when they’re there inside.
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Kellen Davis, TE from Michigan St has prototype size, and he’s beginning to make people take notice. The knock on him was performing on game day though.
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All 3 QBs threw the ball pretty well, and look like NFL QBs, natural leaders.
Linemen
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Sedrick Ellis continued where he left off yesterday, owning the O-line in his first drill.
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Cherilus again looked good as OT, keeping his QB clean with some good technique and power
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Mike Pollak from Arizona St showed good technique and was the only person to even vaguely slow Ellis down.
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Great move from Trevor Laws from ND to beat his man and get to the QB
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Sam Baker looked good in drills, dealing with an inside move well.
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John Sullivan does a good job on Sedrick Ellis at C. The ND man showed quick hands to get to Ellis before he was beaten.
South
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Mike Martz spent time working with Colt Brennan (pictured right) on his mechanics dropping back from centre. Something he is quite clearly unfamiliar with coming from the shotgun spread in Hawaii.
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Brennan threw well on fly routes and anything requiring touch but in driving throws outside the numbers he was poor.
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Threw well on a go route to Andre Caldwell (Florida) past a safety from Arkansas
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Struggled hitting outside shoulder on routes outside the number as did Erik Ainge (Tennessee).
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Mike Mayock (Not verbatim) Kevin Kolb struggled last year in Senior Bowl week, look for Brennan to struggle in similar ways this week coming as Kolb from the shotgun spread. But also look for someone to take a chance on him as the Eagles did with Kolb.
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Brennan again showed poor arm strength on a deep route outside the numbers off play action, threw late and didn’t have the arm strength to get the pass there either. [Team practice]
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Andre Woodson (Kentucky):
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Hitch in his throwing motion
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Pass takes too long coming out at times
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Mixed review with good offensive talent around him at Kentucky
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Someone will fall in love with his arm and probably take him at some point around late first
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Prototypical height & size
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Took a lot of hits and sacks at UK, partly due to competition but often due to decision making
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Inconsistencies in accuracy
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Erik Ainge (Tennessee):
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Too quick to flush from the pocket, poor footwork at times
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Good accuracy when given time
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Ainge also had issues putting throws on the outside shoulder on out routes.
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Donnie Avery (Houston WR):
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Burned Quintin Demps (S UTEP) on a go route.
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Showed good strength adjusting to a poor pass from Colt Brennan on a comeback route. High to his inside shoulder showed good strength and toughness going up for the ball against Simeon Castille (CB/S Alabama).
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Matt Forte (Tulane HB):
Linebackers
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Mike Singletary was the star. It’s a pleasure to watch the guy coach, brings such enthusiasm to the position.
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Ali Highsmith (LSU) Love or hate prospect. Better with the play away from him chasing the play from the weak side.
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Gary Guyton (GA Tech) looked lazy and slow having just got off a flight arriving as a replacement.
Defensive line vs Offensive Line
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Barry Richardson (OT Clemson)
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Red Bryant (DT Texas A&M;) got low and drove the left shoulder of Korey Lichtensteiger (C/G Bowling Green) who looked weak in his stance.
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Iowa State #95 showed good drive on a pair of bull rushes.
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Chris Williams (OT Vanderbilt):
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Dre’ Moore (DT Maryland):
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Beat Korey Lichtensteiger (C/G Bowling Green) on an inside move easily. Lichtensteiger got too low and heavy in the base of his stance.
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Disrupted a play action pass collapsing the pocket driving the outside shoulder of the left guard in a team drill.
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O’Neil Cousins (OT/OG UTEP):
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Very raw.
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Overstepped outside in a drill opening up the inside, didn’t look like he knew how to slide step outside.
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Beaten outside in a team drill as well.
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A nasty converted defensive lineman who has not got good technique. Probably needs to slide inside early in his career, get his technique down and maybe move back out later in his career.
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Kendal Langford (DE Hampton):
Defensive backs
Star of the Day:
Buzz word of the day with lots of small school guys:
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