Ethan Hammerman from Sportsnaut.com was kind enough to join me at the local pub Veets in downtown Mobile where we brushed through the North roster and broke down all 55 players position-by-position.
From quarterbacks to safeties, we discuss who was the winners and losers were throughout the week of Senior Bowl practice, which is considered more valuable insight in regards to grading prospects in comparison to the Senior Bowl game it self.
Quarterbacks
Starting with the premier position, unfortunately this group was anything but. It didn’t take long to realize how spoiled we were in the 2014 Senior Bowl when we got to sit back and watch guys like Derek Carr, Jimmy Garrapolo, and Logan Thomas. As many know, the quarterback class this year is considered a two-man race between Oregon’s Marcus Mariota and Florida State’s Jameis Wintson, following those two is a Grand Canyon like drop off.
Baylor’s Bryce Petty was the winner by default based off his ability to knife the ball through some tight windows and make some flashy plays in seven-on-seven drills. Of course, those were skeleton drills with no pass rusher, which is something specific scouts wanted to see from him, as he was not pressured much during his time at Baylor.
East Carolina’s Shane Carden struggled with the windy conditions and arm strength while Oregon State’s Sean Mannion had some brief moments of respectability showing off his good size and arm strength, however, as Ethan stated his college tape is very below average. The big winner at the position from the week came from the South squad in Colorado State’s Garrett Grayson.
Running Back
Clearly the deepest and strongest position not just in Mobile but in the entire draft class as a whole. For the North team it’s pick your poison with two Big Ten tailbacks in Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah and Minnesota’s David Cobb. Although polar opposites in running style both possess great strengths in their own right. When building your offense it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have both on your roster as they compliment each others running style very well with Abdullah being lighting to Cobb’s thunder. Abdullah’s lighting starts at his feet and can take a small crease and do big things with it with his break away speed.
A smaller framed back at just 5’8” 198 pounds, Abdullah struggled in pass protection as he was bullied around by bigger stronger linebackers consistently throughout the week. An area of weakness for him was an area of strength for Cobb who held his own against the same group of linebackers. Cobb was a big winner at the weigh in coming in at 229 pounds and translates that to a solid base while blocking oncoming blitzers. Cobb’s strength is his best asset with the ball in his hands as well continually dragging would be tacklers with him for extra yardage, something that will be highly valued in the NFL.
In a deep class both players will likely be pushed down come draft day further than they would any other year, but neither one should be around after the fourth round concludes, and even then will provide great value fro whatever team pulls the trigger on them.
A team like San Francisco seems like a perfect fit for Cobb’s bruising running style in-between the tackles while Abdullah would maximize his speed inside a dome making fantasy owners drool at the idea of him playing in an offense like the Indinapolis Colts or Atlanta Falcons.
Wide Receiver
The most damaging receivers all week for both teams ended up being smaller undersized guys that used their quickness and speed to beat man coverage throughout the week and impress scouts alike. From the North team Jamison Crowder from Duke made a name for him self. Crowder was a guy I loved coming into the week that jumped out on tape as a guy that was nearly uncoverable at times even at just 5’8” 175 pounds, which was the smallest receiver at the Senior Bowl.
In a way it’s nice knowing Crowder is what he is in the sense he is a player that will have to play inside in the slot at the next level due to his size, clearing up any rumors of an identity crisis that he may be able to play on the outside. Crowder will be used as a weapon on trick plays like jet sweeps and reverses as well with his crazy speed and shiftiness. I think Crowder helped himself as much as anyone down in Mobile during practice and could hear his name called on day two by a team in need of a spark on offense that already has their big bodied outside receivers in place much like John Brown in Arizona. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers would be a dream scenario for both parties allowing Crowder to take advantage of double coverage over the top by Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans. That thought is just down right scary.
Another one of my favorites at the position is East Carolina’s Justin Hardy. A guy who plays far bigger than his 5’11” stature would indicate, Hardy runs hard and uses his physicality to out man his defender. A precise route runner with strong hands, Hardy reminds us of a Donald Driver Anquan Boldin type, and is someone who will be drafted far later than his value is worth based of his size and measurables much like Chris Borland last year. Make no mistake, Hardy is a football player in every sense. Hardy was seen talking with the Carolina Panthers on more than one occasion and would be a pitch perfect compliment to Kelvin Benjamin and his deep play presence, giving relief and offering an underneath option for their passing game.
Offensive Line
It’s all about perception and the perception on Pittsburgh tackle T.J. Clemmings was a soon to be top-10 pick, but the breaks were pumped on that idea after he looked overmatched by players he rightfully should have been dominating like Penn State’s Deion Barnes who burned him around the edge. Clemmings is a former defensive end and truly does have the most potential and raw ability of all, yes all, of the offensive tackles in this years class. However, at the Senior Bowl he looked lost with his hands and technique and seemed to lose confidence in himself from day one. Teams will give him another opportunity during the combine and his pro day to redeem himself, but for now Clemmings looks like a late first-round pick based off him potential, not what he is at the current moment, which is a project left tackle that will have to start out on the right side until he receives the proper coaching.
A guy who did live up to the high expectations was Duke guard Laken Tomlinson. Tomlinson is strong, strong, strong, man who uses his brut strength to maul defensive tackles in the run game keeping lower pad leverage and proper hand technique. What sets him apart is his football IQ and sharp intelligence in general earning a spot on the All-Academic team three years in a row. If he wasn’t playing football he might be running for president. Tomlinson was seen talking with the Patriots coaches as they look to fill the void left by Logan Mankins.
Another huge winner that made a name for himself was division three tackle Ali Marpet from Hobart college. Everyone knew how badly Marpet dominated his competition at the lower level, but what we needed to see is how he faired against some real talent. Marpet didn’t disappoint showing impressive strength and taking care of business against some of the top tier competition in the nation like ZaDarius Smith and Nate Orchard. Marpet projects inside in the NFL at guard or center and will be on the draft radars of every and any team in need of a possible starter on the interior line or if nothing else some great depth.
After his performance theres no doubt Marpet solidified himself as a draft able player and a guy who could jump up to the fourth or fifth round if he can continue his momentum throughout the rest of the draft process. The Vikings are a team in desperate need of talent and depth inside their offensive line and Rick Spielman has a great track record of grabbing future starters at the position on day three like Brandon Fusco and John Sullivan.
Defensive Line
If running back is the best position in the draft then edge rushers is a close second. The North squad possessed a handful of players that made an impact all week with a quick first step and the ability do dip and bend around the edge, Kentucky’s Za’Darius Smith being one of them. Smith was overshadowed by teammate Bud Dupree who is garnering top-20 buzz, but Smith fro my money could end up being the better value for where he should go in the draft.
Stanford Henry Anderson was another personal favorite of mine that looked much stronger and more refined after he decided to return for his senior season. Anderson comes in at 6’6” 285 pounds and was used inside at the three-technique and outside as an end. Besides his regained strength Anderson combined that with subtle quickness and good pass rushing moves. He projects best as a five-technique in a 3-4 defensive, but make no mistake Anderson offers great versatility that will be valuable in the front-seven for many teams. Unless he underwhelms during the combine drills I for one can’t see Anderson slipping past the fourth-round.
The biggest winner of them all though was Utah’s Nate Orchard. Orchard came into the week with a big pedigree after leading the Pac-12 in sacks with 18.5 and didn’t disappoint making a splash play every day from the edge. Orchard has long arms and uses his hands well to keep blockers off his body, as well as the power to seal the edge off in the running game. Ask anyone who watched the North practice and you won’t go long without hearing Orchard’s name as one of the top performers. Coaches pushed their luck with Orchard at linebacker and didn’t find the same success as he struggled to keep up with tight ends and running backs in the flats and crossing routes. It’s clear now that Orchard will be best suited in a 4-3 defensive with his hand in the dirt after he puts on another 15 pounds of strength.
Linebackers
A somewhat weak class of linebackers gave way to a mixed bag of results from the position. USC’s Hayes Pullard helped his draft stock after he displayed the lateral quickness and burst to move sideline-to-sideline, and verified the read-and-react skills we saw on tape. Pullard was a four year starter for the Trojans and a team captain, and was flying under the radar a bit going into the week because of his underwhelming size coming in at just 6’0” 236 pounds. Pullard stood out next to some of his peers who struggled and put together one of the more consistent weeks of practice. For a position that seems to go under drafted in recent years some team will get a solid starter possibly as late as round five.
Cincinnati’s Jeff Luc was the talk of the weigh in after he trucked his way in at a beefy 263 pounds at just six foot even. Luc is a downhill linebacker who will be known as a thumper in the run game giving a team a physical presence in their front-seven and most surprisingly showed some fluid movement in coverage getting to his man in the flats better than expected.
Harvard’s Zach Hodges was a hit or miss linebacker who had some big time seasons in college and was named the Ivy league defensive player a few years back. Unfortunetly Hodges was a miss as his small school back ground clearly put him at a disadvantage. Hodges looked like his head was spinning more times than not as he was often out of place and more so just lacked the overall smoothness when trying to switch directions.
Texas’ Jordan Hicks looks fully healed from season ending surgeries that ended his season not once, but twice (hip and knee). But, his senior season Hicks played a full season and led the team in tackles with 93 proving he had his bounce back from high school where he was one of the nations top recruits. Hicks made plenty of plays all week in both the run and the pass game, in fact there was one play specifically that stands out when Hicks flat out stole the ball from a running back catching a pass out of the backfield for the interception. Teams will do their due diligence on his injury history and it will be that that ultimately keeps him out of the first two days, however, Hicks still has plenty of gas left in the tank and for a late rounder if a team can get five good years out of him then he will be worth the pick.
Defensive Backs
While everyone wants to get their hands on the long lanky cornerbacks in the Richard Sherman mold, much like the receiver group the cornerbacks that thrived were in general a bit undersized.
Miami Ohio cornerback Quinten Rollins is 5’11” 193 pounds and owns loads of athleticism with his former basketball background as a point guard. By the end of the week Rollins had plenty of buzz around his name as it was clear his fluidity and quickness, as well as his ball skills (eight interceptions) are intriguing for all 32 teams. Still extremely raw, Rollins is a bit of a project but its clear he could be a legitimate player in the NFL with all of his potential. Word around town said Rollins was Steelers coach Mike Tomliin’s favorite player in Mobile, and seems to have a man crush on the cornerback who could fill a gapping hole in the Steel Curtains secondary.
Stephen Nelson and Quandre Diggs were two other guys who made a name for themselves during the week. Nelson another undersized guy was in the hip pocket of his receivers all week and was labeled “Mighty Mouse” by NFL networks Charles Davis after he displayed bigger size and physicality than his measurables suggest. Meanwhile Diggs projects best inside as a slot cornerback but shows unique strength in the run game and has a great football background with his brother Quintin Jammer teaching him the nuances and details of becoming an NFL cornerback.
One guy who did display the long size teams covet was Utah’s Eric Rowe. Rowe is 6’1” 204 pounds and has the long reach to thrive in a press coverage and thats exactly where he thrived all week jamming guys at the lone of scrimmage and knocking them off their path. Ken Whisenhunt moved Rowe to safety midweek where he looked impressive as well showing good range from centerfield to in the box. The biggest factor with Rowe is what defensive scheme he lands in and how they take advantage of his skill set.
Take Seattle’s Kam Chancelor for example who thrives in the Seahawks system because of his strength and physicality. Who knows if Kam would be the player we know now if he was put in a different defensive game plan. The same challenge will strike with Rowe and whatever team drafts him as they must find what position will maximize his skill set the best, if they can do that then they will have an impact player added to their secondary. While there is still many big named cornerbacks ahead of him right now, after a solid week it wouldn’t surprise anyone to see Rowe drafted in the top two rounds.