Thread: Senior bowl practice reviews and bear prospec

Bowl practice notes: Day 1
Breaking down day one at the Senior Bowl. Wes Bunting

look at some of the top prospects and standouts from day one at the Senior Bowl.

It seemed as though Nebraska wide out Niles Paul was a man on a mission today, catching every ball tossed in his general direction. He displayed good concentration all practice, saw every throw into his frame and really plucked the football cleanly. Add that to the fact he has a good initial burst off the line, does a nice job changing gears in order to set up his routes and at 225-pounds possesses the type of physicality to consistently shrug off defenders in man and separate. Chalk up a very solid first impression for Paul today in Mobile, as he looks like a guy who could line-up inside or out at the next level and separate from NFL caliber corners.
However, as good as Paul was it’s going to be tough for any senior wide out this week to play at the level of Boise State receiver Titus Young. Young not only is an out and out burner who has the ability to consistently get up to full speed quickly and separate vertically down the field. But, he’s a really savvy route runner who is sudden in and out of his breaks and does a nice job changing speeds in order to separate. Reminds me of a more polished/savvy version of Johnny Knox.

The more I watch Oklahoma DE Jeremy Beal, the less I feel like this guy has a position in the NFL. He played with his hand on the ground today and didn’t exhibit the kind of get off burst to consistently threaten the edge, doesn’t have great power through contact and doesn’t use his hands well enough to consistently disengage. Plus, he isn’t a real balanced individual when asked to change directions off his outside pass rush and isn’t nearly the type of pass rusher his stats at Oklahoma would leave you to believe.

Another defensive lineman who seemed to have a rough go as a pass rusher was Iowa’s Christian Ballard. He’s a tall, long armed kid with a good initial first step, extend his arms well and can create some leverage for himself off the snap. However, if his initial bull rush is stalled he allows his pad level to pop up quickly, gets hung up too easily through contact and doesn’t use his hands well enough to cleanly disengage. He looks more like a DE only who has the length and anchor strength to play the run with some consistency as well as the range to track the football in pursuit. But overall he’s not a real natural pass rusher at this stage.
I’m still not nearly as impressed with Colorado OT Nate Solder as most. Despite his long, athletic looking frame I don’t think he’s nearly as rangy as many make him out to be when asked to reach speed off the edge. Often times, he’s consistently forced to lunge into his target and push him past the pocket. And in order to overcome his lack of initial range he will get overextended on his initial kick-step. I also believe he struggles to re-direct and mirror his man inside. In my view would be better suited to play on the right side and reminds me of Patriots RT Sebastian Vollmer.

Wisconsin OT Gabe Carimi seems to have taken to some additional coaching since he last played on January 1st. He appeared more compact sitting into his stance off the snap, allowing him to be more balanced initially in pass protection and really delivered a powerful punch into contact. He isn’t the most athletic of left tackles, but he understands angles, has improved his balance/change of direction skills and has the kind of length to certainly hold up on the blindside at the next level.

He may lack ideal size, but Connecticut linebacker Lawrence Wilson really showed well for himself today in coverage drills. He’s a fluid, balanced athlete who does a nice job cleanly getting out of his breaks, keeping his feet under him and quickly driving on throws underneath. He did a nice job in space covering up the best running backs the North squad had to offer. Might be considered a nickel backer on most rosters, but has starting potential in more of a cover two scheme.

On the other hand Michigan State linebacker Greg Jones not only is undersized, coming in at under 6000 at today’s weigh-in. But he looked really stiff in coverage, is easy to separate from in any kind of space and simply doesn’t have the ability to turn and run with tight ends down the seam at the next level. He’s a tightly wound, tight-hipped kind of prospect who is limited to more of a two down guy only.

Finally, Wisconsin TE Lance Kendricks’ certainly looks capable of carrying on the Badgers tradition of sending talented pass catchers to the next level. He showcased good initial burst off the line today and displayed the type of fluidity to cleanly get out of his breaks and separate down the field. He was a real miss-match at times vs. linebackers both underneath and down the field and paired with his ability to block as a move guy, looks like an intriguing tight end prospect at the next level.

The buzz on Day 1: McShay explains why the weigh-in can be such a valuable scouting tool, and picks Boston College offensive lineman Anthony Castonzo and Colorado O-lineman Nate Solder as two players that stood out at Monday’s weigh-in:

“Colorado's Nate Solder and Boston College's Anthony Castonzo both looked good and have similar builds. Castonzo came in at 6-7[ and 305 pounds while Solder was 6-8¼ and 314 pounds. Both had good builds, carried their weight well and were well-proportioned. They were very long and had very little fat for being over 300 pounds.”

In putting the spotlight on the offensive line position, McShay observes that Canstonzo started slow and has some ground to make up.


http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-e...owl-day-1-wrap

While Wisconsin tackle Game Carimi may have been the best at his position in Monday's practice, it didn't transfer over to Tuesday. Carimi was very quick off the snap, but he slipped off blocks at times and got bulled back far too easily.

Anthony Castonzo of Boston College, on the other hand, impressed with his ability to get off his first block and take on another at the side. He also looked very strong when taking ends back through in pass protection and preventing them from getting pressure. In one instance, he took his man out of the play, and Kaepernick was able to step aup and make a completion. He was aggressive without letting that tendency overwhelm him - he didn't lunge and he kept everything in front of him.

I also liked what I saw3 from Michigan guard Stephen Schilling - the guy definitlely plays with a nasty streak and shows the technique you'd expect from a school with so much great offensive line history. Representatives from the Washington Redskins, Baltimore Ravens, and Kansas City Chiefs made sure to talk to Schilling after practice. A projected third-rounder at this time, Schilling could benefit greatly from the pre-draft process, especially as he shows zone teams his ability to hit the second level decidedly and in a hurry.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shu...urn=nfl-312299

Is he over 6'1", if so get him!

I like Titus Young, the fact he's been great for several years and not a one year wonder is a good sign. He'll probably fall some in the draft also.

Originally Posted by BearStuff

It seemed as though Nebraska wide out Niles Paul was a man on a mission today, catching every ball tossed in his general direction. He displayed good concentration all practice, saw every throw into his frame and really plucked the football cleanly. Add that to the fact he has a good initial burst off the line, does a nice job changing gears in order to set up his routes and at 225-pounds possesses the type of physicality to consistently shrug off defenders in man and separate. Chalk up a very solid first impression for Paul today in Mobile, as he looks like a guy who could line-up inside or out at the next level and separate from NFL caliber corners.



Sounds like what we need. As always, when will he be available is an important factor.

other side of him:

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Already down in the dumps after he dropped two touchdown passes against Texas, Nebraska's Niles Paul felt worse after a group of Cornhusker fans verbally abused him as he walked from Memorial Stadium to his car after the 20-13 loss.
Amid the buildup for last week's grudge match with the Longhorns, Nebraska coach Bo Pelini and athletic director Tom Osborne implored fans to be nice to the visitors from Texas. Maybe they should have addressed the fans about their treatment of the home team.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5703798

Breaking down the top safeties at the Senior Bowl
My top three safeties on the practice field in Mobile. Matt Bowen

1. Quinton Carter, Oklahoma
ICONThere is some buzz down in Mobile for Oklahoma safety Quinton Carter.
The coaches I spoke to think highly of the Sooners’ safety. He looked the part at Monday’s weigh-ins measuring in just under 6-1 and topping the scales at 211-pounds—with some real bulk up top. From my perspective, he does stand out on the North squad roster when you watch individual drills. Part of that is due to his size and length, but he looks athletic enough to play the free safety position in the NFL. The FS can get too tall in his backpedal and doesn’t have great feet coming out of his breaks, but I can see the attraction and the future potential with Carter. The combine will be big for him, as scouts will want to see him run in the 4.5’s in the 40-yard dash. Overall, he is the top safety I have watched this week.
2. DeAndre McDaniel, Clemson
The former Tiger is going to be a strong safety at the NFL level. I do see him as the type of player that can align over the TE in a Cover 1 scheme and as a Cover 2 safety—coming off of the top of the numbers. McDaniel has some size (6-0, 213) and did show some range from the middle of the field yesterday that extended outside of the numbers. I would draft a safety like McDaniel, let him compete with the veterans in camp and know you are getting a player who will have an immediate impact on special teams. There is always a jump for a college strong safety coming to the NFL and adapting to the physical play in the run front, but I believe that McDaniel can handle it. And you get a safety with ball skills on top of that.
3. Ahmad Black, Florida
Not very big—and that is the first thing you notice when he is on the practice field in pads. However, just as the NFP’s Wes Bunting wrote on Tuesday, Black shows up in a competitive setting. He moves well, has above average feet and balance for a safety, plus he can break on the ball. Will be able to walk down over the slot, play some man coverage and also show up on special teams as a cover guy. But I go back to the size (5-9, 183). There is no doubt that we are looking at a true football player with Black, but he will slip in the draft because there will be questions about his ability to handle the physical demands of playing safety on Sundays. However, down here in Mobile, he still stands out. Tough to overlook that aspect of the draft process.