Senior Bowl Wrap Up

With the 2009 Senior Bowl now in the books, NFL executives and scouts are making their way back to the film room to prepare for the NFL Combine in February. Here is the National Football Post’s final day of Senior Bowl coverage.

Games Notes…

With the attention going to North defensive linemen B.J. Raji and Evander Hood last week, it was Iowa DT Mitch King who had the most disruptive game. King lacks the measurables, but he displays a quick first step and good awareness and knows how to shed blocks. He consistently got into the backfield and is an ideal one-gap lineman.

Tennessee DE Robert Ayers finished up a strong week with a brilliant showing in the game. Ayers was responsible for two sacks and demonstrated a much better first step than scouts gave him credit for during the season. He showcases good leverage on his pass rush and is much more polished than his one year of seasoning would lead you to believe. Ayers may have solidified a spot in the top 60.

Georgia DT Corvey Irvin and Ole Miss DT Peria Jerry also had solid games on the South’s defensive line. Irvin displayed impressive quickness and length, which allows him to shed blocks and use his lateral explosion to get up field. Jerry plays with much more power but has an explosive first step and knows how to attack off the shoulder. The two of them were key reasons the North’s offense was stuck in neutral most of the evening.

Fullbacks typically don’t stand out in all-star game formats, but Quinn Johnson of LSU showed why he is possibly the top FB in the class. Johnson not only displayed good athleticism and power as a blocker, he also showed the versatility to catch the ball out of the backfield and run with power between the tackles. He’s a do- it-all type of athlete who will become a starting fullback in the NFL.

At the running back position, it was the lesser-hyped prospects who really made a difference in the game.  Andre Brown of N.C. State, Cedric Peerman of Virginia and Jeremiah Johnson of Oregon all put on good performances, which should go a long way to enhancing their draft stock. Brown and Peerman displayed good power and quickness between the tackles, while Johnson caught the ball well and showcased impressive wiggle in the open field. With the lack of talent at the senior running back position, all three are making cases for being the top senior RB off the board.

USC wideout Patrick Turner has never really lived up to the hype of being a five-star prospect, but he did a nice job all week in Mobile, Ala., and capped it off with an impressive showing in the game. Turner isn’t going to run by anyone at the next level, but he uses his body well to shield defenders and has the short-area quickness to gain separation in tight quarters. He’s an ideal west coast type of receiver and should hear his name called out during the middle rounds.

Oklahoma standout received Juaquin Iglesias was polished, as expected. Iglesias did a great job gaining separation in and out of his routes and plucks the ball away from his body as well as any receiver in the country. He displayed good awareness knowing where the first down marker was, and on a long third-down situation, he ran a sharp out route to pick up the yardage. Iglesias was solid all week and currently ranks as the top senior wideout.

Louisville center Eric Wood struggled in space all week, but in the game he really impressed. He did a great job pulling from the backside and sealing linebackers at the second level and even got good movement on DT B.J. Raji near the goal line. This was the type of performance Wood needed, and his ability to play center and guard will only enhance his value.

Wood’s teammate, Ole Miss tackle Michael Oher, also had a strong game. He was called for one holding penalty, but besides that, he showcased smooth feet in pass protection and good power and strength in the run game. When Oher gets his hands on you, he does a great job sitting into his stance and anchoring in. After an up and down week, this was the kind of performance scouts were looking for.

The play of QB Pat White is going to force scouts to take a closer look at him as a quarterback. He isn’t your prototypical pocket passer, but he creates plays on the move and has the arm strength to make all the throws. The kid wants to play QB at the next level, and I think the team that drafts him will need to force White to prove he isn’t an NFL-caliber signal caller before they move him to WR. He’s the type of athlete that can add a throwing dimension to the “wildcat” formations of the NFL.

The other quarterbacks had their moments, but Texas Tech product Graham Harrell really struggled. He lacks arm strength and seems to be a bit scheme limited at the next level. However, don’t count him out by any stretch. If he finds the right kind of offense (west coast scheme), I believe he can not only play, but will play well at the next level.

Small schools quarterbacks Nathan Brown and Rhett Bomar ran hot and cold, but there’s definite potential there. Bomar has a big arm and is a good athlete, but concerns about his accuracy linger. He has never completed more the 59 percent of his passes in a college year and needs to improve his timing in the short-area passing game. Brown, on the other hand, simply needs time to adjust to the next level. He was the only QB all week to consistently stick the deep out and displays the timing and anticipation skills to make scouts wonder just how high his ceiling is. He’s only 6-1 and has a lower than ideal release, and his passes wobble a bit down the field, but he flashes NFL-caliber talent. Brown intrigues me and would definitely be worth a mid-round pick to see how far he can develop.

Stock is Rising…

B.J. Raji: DT, Boston College

Pat White: QB, West Virginia

Juaquin Iglesias: WR, Oklahoma

Louis Delmas: FS, Western Michigan

Alex Mack: C, California

William Beatty: OT, Connecticut

Connor Barwin: DE/TE, Cincinnati

Coye Francies: CB, San Jose State

Shawn Nelson: TE, Southern Miss

Robert Ayers: DE, Tennessee

Stock is Falling…

Victor Harris: CB, Virginia Tech

Xavier Fulton: OT, Illinois

Phil Loadholt: OT, Oklahoma

Michael Hamlin: FS, Clemson

Troy Kropog: OT, Tulane

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