Senior Bowl Day One Practice Report

North Practice

Quarterbacks - As a whole, Wisconsin's Russell Wilson shined the most this afternoon. Although his chemistry with brand new receivers still needs some work, Wilson showed a strong arm with the ability to drive the ball down the field. Although his lack of height will be a concern, he certainly has the physical tools needed to give him a chance. Michigan State's Kirk Cousins was inconsistent, a fitting performance, as he was just as inconsistent throughout his senior season. Cousins made some nice throws outside the numbers, however his accuracy was up and down for the most part. Boise State's Kellen Moore is going to be exposed this week. His short height (5'11), long throwing delivery, and lack of a strong arm are going to push his down the draft, and I have a feeling that today will only be the start of a slow slide down the boards. There is no explosion from his throws and looks more like a finesse passer than anything.

Running Backs - This is arguably the hardest position to evaluate in practice, however I was impressed with Washington back Chris Polk's and his nimbleness for a big back. He is the top-rated running back in attendance this week and I could very easily see him establish himself as a legitimate candidate for the second round when all is said and done. After being listed at 5'11, 200 lbs, Cincinnati's Isaiah Pead was disappointing when he weighed in at 5'9, 193. I'd like to see him continue to add weight to his frame which will help him as a between-the-tackles runner.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends - The receiver class on this roster is really lacking after seeing Notre Dame's Michael Floyd, Baylor's Kendall Wright, and Wisconsin's Nick Toon all drop out. Appalachian State's Brian Quick did not have a good day as he dropped three passes, displayed slow, sloppy routes, and never showed the type of explosion that I was hoping to see. He is not on the level of the other players here this week. Arizona State's Gerell Robinson has some interesting upside; he is not a finished product by any means, however with his athleticism and big size (6'3, 223), he could find a home in the mid-late rounds as a project for a team. Ohio State's DeVier Posey performed as I expected, showing his natural talent; however, he does not exhibit the explosion or great speed to consistently beat a defense deep. Missouri's Michael Egnew showed his great athleticism as a receiver in the middle of the field; he has a ton of untapped potential and could be a great pro if he lands in the right scheme in the NFL.

Offensive Line - No player helped themselves more today than Ohio State tackle Mike Adams. After weighing in at an impressive 6'7, 323 lbs, Adams dominated pass rush drills, exhibiting a combination of size, strength, and athleticism that screams first round pick; his play on Monday was a great start towards making a case to be selected in the opening frame of the draft. I'm looking forward to seeing how he performs tomorrow. I may be in the minority on him, but I'm a big fan of Ohio State center Mike Brewster. A big, tough, experienced player, Brewster had a great battle with Michigan's Mike Martin today, and came away as a winner. He showed impressive strength as well as the ability to gain leverage against a smaller defensive lineman. Brewster will remain my No. 2 center in this year's class. Wisconsin guard Kevin Zeitler started slow but finished strong, showing impressive strength and technique as he dominated the pass rush drills in his second go-around. Zeitler strikes me as a player that could be capable of stepping in and contributing, if not starting quickly for a team at the next level. Iowa State tackle Kelechi Osemele has the strength to move any player on the field that he wants, however his lack of great lateral agility convinced me today that he really needs to move inside to guard at the next level. However, when playing in a phone booth at guard, he could develop into an All-Pro if he lands with the right coach; I really like his upside in the NFL. Arizona State center Garth Gerhart was out-classed today and struck me as the type of undrafted free agent that I had him graded as coming into the week. His lack of size (6'1, 301) and strength is going to limit him at the next level.

Defensive Line - On defense, the day was won by two defensive tackles, Cincinnati's Derek Wolfe and Michigan's Mike Martin. Wolfe was extremely impressive, showing a great pass rush repertoire as well as the type of motor that has won scouts over around the league. His get-off as well as his ability to get underneath the offensive lineman both showed today as he won several of his matchups in pass rush drills. Martin is the epitome of a pitbull on the interior of the line. Although he doesn't have ideal size, his overall strength is fantastic and it showed today. His wrestling background also showed, as he was consistently able to get great leverage at the point of attack. Marshall end Vinny Curry showed good the type of agility off the ball that I look for, however he doesn't possess a good enough pass rush repertoire at this point, and that showed when Mike Adams handled him at the point of attack. Curry needs to develop a better second-and-third move so that once he sets the tackle up, he can swim around or rip through the offensive lineman, something that he doesn't do enough of right now. Coming into the week I was worried that Washington tackle Alameda Ta'amu was purely a two-down run plugger and he proved me right today. He lacks any semblance of a competent pass rush and was stoned at the point of attack, as he doesn't have the pass rush repertoire to penetrate the line of scrimmage expect through a bullrush. Connecticut tackle Kendall Reyes surprised me today. He showed very good quickness and agility, something that he didn't consistently show on tape. I want to see more of him this week before coming to an early conclusion on him. Boise State tackle Billy Winn is going to slide in the draft this year. He is the type of player that does most things well, but nothing great enough to stand out. Although he shows good quickness off the ball, his strength is average, and he doesn't possess the array of pass rush moves to consistently penetrate the line. Virginia end Cam Johnson impressed today as he showed one of the best bursts off the ball of any player on the North roster. He has the agility and quickness to beat the tackle to the edge, however he needs to continue to work on his hand use to be able to take advantage of his great athleticism.

Linebackers - It was interesting to see Boise State's Shea McClellin at linebacker today after playing defensive end for the Broncos. Despite playing a new position, he held up well and could be an interesting prospect come draft day with the versatility he is showing. Nebraska's Lavonte David weighed in at just 6'0, 225 lbs today, something that is going to limit him schematically at the next level. He needs to get bigger by adding good weight if he wants to have a chance at playing anything other than the WILL position that I currently have him graded as.

Defensive Backs - Possibly the most disappointing player of the day was Nebraska cornerback Alfonzo Dennard, who was beaten down the field in one-on-one's and did not look anything like the first round pick that most have him graded as. He looked very anxious and not comfortable in his backpedal, something that I hope he can improve on the rest of the week. Iowa State corner Leonard Johnson struggled today, showing a lack of short-area quickness to make a play on the ball. After weighing in at 5'9, 198 lbs, I feel he may be limited to a nickel or dime back role for a team. He's a player I liked coming in because of his physical and confident style of play, however he has some work to do this offseason to continue to get faster and quicker. Both Oklahoma's Jamell Fleming and Boston College's Donnie Fletcher did nothing to overly impress me today. Fleming has the tools to develop into a fine player at the next level, but has yet to put everything together. Fletcher looked stiff in and out of his breaks, allowing for the receiver to separate too easily.

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