2010 Senior Bowl Analysis
Game Analysis:
Overall Thoughts On Prospects Not Analyzed In Depth:
- DT Geno Atkins really helped himself with a strong showing all week; he surprised with great quickness and even beat Iupati for a sack in the game. RB Dexter McCluster had a disappointing game with only 2 good plays on screen passes and a fumble after a hard hit. QB Tony Pike struggled with his ball velocity and deep accuracy; still his medium accuracy is fantastic and the TD pass that got called back was a great throw. RB Joique Bell had strong finishes to his runs on 2 plays. RB LeGarette Blount ran with great power all game and should have had another TD when he carried a swarm of defenders into the end zone. QB Dan LeFevour had a fantastic deep throw to Mardy Gilyard on a TD. Speaking of WR Mardy Gilyard, two deep receptions will definitely help his stock as a DeSean-wannabe WR. CB Kyle Wilson was barely challenged all game; WR Andre Roberts did get open against him on a deep cross when the QB had all day to throw. S Larry Asante had a great play and a bad play: a great hit to force a fumble and a lapse in coverage allowing a TE to get open in the end zone without challenge. CB Perrish Cox was not challenged other than one play early in the game on which he had a great hit on the WR along the sideline after a 7 yard gain. S Taylor Mays finally did something he could not do at USC, make a play on the ball for an interception on a late throw down the middle. CB Javier Arenas was burned deep on Gilyard’s TD.
Secondary:
CB PATRICK ROBINSON FSU:
- The North team thought that they could pick on Robinson in this game (he was thrown on 9 times) but he rose to the occasion to have a top 5 performance in the game. He started the game off strong staying home and making a tackle on a reverse to Jacoby Ford. He had a great break on the ball on short routes all game and was solid in tackling for short gains. He was challenged deep 5 times and won every single time whether he was defending Taylor Price, Mardy Gilyard, or Dorin Dickerson (one of the times he was called for pass interference but it looked like a bad call to me).
Linebackers:
OLB/ILB SEAN WEATHERSPOON MISSOURI:
- Huge game that should make him a lock for the 1st round come April. He was fantastic in coverage all game, showing great sideline-to-sideline speed and hips, especially when he ran step for step with Dexter McCluster in the end zone and broke up the pass. That play was extremely impressive considering how much ground he had to make up to catch up to McCluster. He had a few other impact plays, including a great hit on a pass break up, a sideline tackle on which he flashed his speed, a tackle near the line of scrimmage on which he got under John Jerry to make the play, and a late game interception on which he opened his hips and jumped in the air to snag the ball. His only two bad plays were a missed tackle in the open field on the QB and getting blocked on a screen pass. The one big negative that I had with him all season (not in this game) was that he takes plays off at times.
OLB/ILB DARYL WASHINGTON TCU:
- Washington did not make too many plays in this game but it is easy to see his athleticism and quickness despite that. I had him with 4 great plays: good coverage and a tackle on the TE for a 5 yard gain, a fantastic open-field tackle on Tebow, an almost tip on a medium-range throw, and good coverage and tackle on McCluster for a short gain. The only negative play he had was when he got run over by a FB in the hole; plays like that will make teams question his ability to play inside at the next level. He looks like a potential late 1st rounder as a 4-3 Will.
OLB ERIC NORWOOD SOUTH CAROLINA:
- Norwood was obviously out of his comfort zone at Mobile. He is used to rushing the passer from DE on almost every other down but he had to focus more on coverage than pass rush this week; and he definitely struggled in coverage in the game. He had 3 bad plays of coverage, including one which resulted in a TD for his man but was ultimately called back for offensive holding and one on which TE Dickson easily got open against him on a crossing route. He had 2 more bad plays, getting easily blocked by the FB early in the game and missing a tackle on the RB. It was not all bad however, I had him with 3 plays of good-great coverage and he did a solid job of setting the edge on run plays for most of the game. I love Norwood as a 3-4 OLB and if a team can get him in the 2nd, they are getting an absolute steal.
Offensive Line:
OG MIKE IUPATI IDAHO:
- Iupati had an overall solid performance but did struggle with two things: 1. Holding too many times and 2. Moving Dan Williams off the line of scrimmage on run plays. I counted at least 4 plays on which Iupati held his man and at least 5 plays on which he could not do anything against Dan Williams even when part of a double team. Geno Atkins gave him fits all game by being too quick for him and made him hold on one play and broke through for a sack on another. On the positive side, there were a ton of great plays made by Iupati. He is extremely athletic when he gets out to the 2nd level, so plays on which he blocks a DT and a LB on the same play will be a common occurrence in the NFL. He did just this on Blount’s first TD run (they might as well have given the TD to Iupati because he did all the work.) To sum things up, he dominated when going against Lamarr Houston but struggled against Dan Williams and Geno Atkins.
OT/OG VLADIMIR DUCASSE MASSACHUSSETS:
- Ducasse did a fantastic job considering it was his first time facing elite competition in a game. At his size, we know he can run block so the important question was how would he hold up against top Division-1 pass rushers. After this game, the answer seems to be: just fine. He handled the rush of George Selvie all game showing a good kickstep and athleticism to push him around the pocket. He also did great against the 2009 SEC-sack leader Antonio Coleman. On a deep play to Mardy Gilyard, Ducasse had an initial punch that almost knocked the DE to the ground; how’s that for strength!
OG JOHN JERRY OLE MISS:
- Two words: extremely impressive. Jerry was locked 1-on-1 against Jared Odrick for most of the game and it is safe to say that he dominated Odrick for all but one play (late in the game, Odrick had a bull rush sack vs. him). Jerry also had his way every time he went against Cam Thomas and D’Anthony Smith. Jerry’s whole game is strength and power, and he has plenty of it. Expect a power running team to take him somewhere in the mid-late 2nd round.
Defensive Line:
DT DAN WILLIAMS TENNESSEE:
- I am going to start off with this man because I thought that he was even more impressive than Brandon Graham. He consistently overpowered double-teams even when Mike Iupati was one of the linemen trying to block him, he always had the center and guard either moving backwards or stoned at the line, and he even showed off some athleticism moving well laterally and bursting in for a tackle for loss. I had him at 10 impact plays (two of which were a batted ball and a 4th-and-1 run-stuff) , which is fantastic for a DT rotating in. I already thought he could easily go top 15 to a team in need of a 3-4 NT, now do not be surprised if he cracks the top 10.
DE BRANDON GRAHAM MICHIGAN:
- I already had him as a top 20 pick, the MVP performance that he put on in this game could push him even higher. I had him at 12 impact plays (including 2 sacks, 2 tackles for loss, and 8 QB pressures). He is explosive off the line and can dip underneath offensive tackles to get around the edge. He has a high motor and is stout and disciplined against the run. If I wanted to nitpick, I thought he was not going 100% early on in the game and he also had an undisciplined play on a WR-reverse, but you can throw that out the window considering what he did over the course of the whole game.
DT JARED ODRICK PENN STATE:
- Odrick had a great week of practice but he struggled in the game. Early on, John Jerry was abusing him 1-on-1. The concerns over his run defense will continue because he was pushed back quite a bit by Jerry. He did have 5 nice pass rushes (one of which resulted in a bull rush sack vs. Jerry) due to his strong fight and initial burst. I do not see a strong 4-3 DT in Odrick, but I do think he could end up going late in the 1st round as a 3-4 DE.
DE ALEX CARRINGTON ARKANSAS STATE:
- Carrington flashed all week long during his strong showing in 1-on-1 drills (many of which resulted in him running over the offensive tackle). He had a quiet, but solid, showing in the game. I had him at 6 QB pressures, which is great for a LE that most people want for stopping the run. His pressures came in the form of a rip move, a speed rush, and 2 bull rushes (where he ran over the right tackle on one of them). With his great size and strong Senior Bowl week, I would not be surprised to see him sneak into the late 2nd/early 3rd round area.
DT CAM THOMAS NORTH CAROLINA:
- Thomas really helped his stock this week by showing great strength and power in practice drills and now with a strong performance in the game. If I had to sum up Thomas in one word, it would be “STOUT”. He is extremely difficult to move off the line and would make a great nose tackle in a 4-3 or 3-4. He had 3 strong bull rushes in the game (one of which resulted in a QB sack) and a few great run stuffs where he just overpowered the offensive guard. If a team thinks that they can keep him motivated, he could be a 2nd round pick.
DT TYSON ALUALU CALIFORNIA:
- I was disappointed that we weren’t able to see more of Alualu at DT (he ended up playing a lot of DE in practice and in the game). I thought his talents were wasted at DE, he only had one move (the bull rush) at that position and really struggled making an impact in the game. He had 2 nice plays (a fumble recovery and a half-sack on a rip move from DT). Late in the game, he was able to move back to DT, but he struggled vs. John Jerry. I think Alualu’s stock is currently hovering around the mid-late 2nd round area.
DT D’ANTHONY SMITH LOUISIANA TECH:
- Like most mid-round 3-techniques, Smith is a guy that can penetrate vs. the pass with his quickness but will also struggle vs. the run. He started the game off really slow, getting buried on a double team and not showing any burst, but he got it together to have a few nice plays. He tipped a ball on a pass rush, he showed great quickness on a bull rush pressure, and had great hustle to make a tackle on a screen pass. Smith’s athleticism will make teams take notice, but I would be surprised if he snuck into the 2nd round in April.
DT LAMARR HOUSTON TEXAS:
- Another 2nd/3rd round 3-technique that needs to improve his run defense to increase his draft stock. Houston was one of the best players on the field in this year’s BCS National Championship game but he had a poor showing vs. the run in this game. I had him at at least 5 plays in which he was absolutely destroyed vs. the run (though to be fair, he was double-teamed quite a bit). He had 2 nice inside pressures on the QB and a penetrating 4th-and-1 stop to round out his game. I can’t wait to go back and watch more of him vs. the run this season.
DE GEORGE SELVIE SOUTH FLORIDA:
- I am still a Selvie fan despite his mediocre production the past 2 seasons; he needs to lose weight and go to a 3-4 team as an OLB to flourish in my opinion. He had a poor game however, with a missed tackle in the backfield, a lack of discipline on a bootleg which resulted in a big plays, and a consistent struggling trying to get around Vladimir Ducasse. He could not get around Ducasse and just seemed like he was not running at 100% for some reason. On the positive side, he did have 2 nice plays (an inside burst for a QB pressure and great hustle to recover a fumble).
DE ANTONIO COLEMAN AUBURN:
- A 3-4 OLB prospect only in my opinion. He struggled for most of the game, failing to get around Ed Wang in his pass rush and getting eaten up vs. the run but he did have 3 highlights. He showed good discipline and closing burst on a QB pressure, good discipline and change of direction on a RB tackle for loss, and power for his size standing up Wang on a run.
PRACTICE – 1on1 drills unless otherwise indicated
RB:
DEXTER MCCLUSTER:
Lined up as WR:
- double move to beat Arenas on a Go-route and finished with a great diving catch
- used quickness to beat Cox to the inside on a slant
- dropped a pass after a good speed-out route
WR:
MARDY GILYARD:
- no separation on route vs. Wilson
- dropped pass on hook route
- good fight off the jam to get inside vs. McCourty
- beat jam of Thompson right off the snap and burned him deep
- almost had a nice one-handed grab vs. Wilson but he dropped it
- 7on7: struggled getting open vs. Wilson every snap
JACOBY FORD:
- good separation on route vs. Ghee
- displayed nice hands on route vs. Cook
- no separation on comeback route vs. McCourty
- blanketed by Ghee on go-route
DANARIO ALEXANDER:
- absolutely blanketed and out-“physicalled” by Wilson
- used huge frame to catch the ball on a slant vs. Cook
- dropped perfect pass on post-route from Pike
OT:
VLADIMIR DUCASSE:
- great kickstep pushing Schoefield around the pocket
- great next snap with strong initial punch and a bury at the end
- 11on11: weak initial punch vs. LB on run play
- 11on11: struggled with Graham on run plays
- destroyed by Graham to the inside
- next snap got his hands on him and pushed him outside the pocket
- at OG: beat by D’Anthony Smith using quickness
- at OG: beat to inside (bad footwork)
- 11on11: strong initial punch and blocked 2 guys on run to the left
SAM YOUNG:
- struggled at RT vs. Lane
- struggled vs. Carrington twice
CIRON BLACK:
- solid kickstep vs. Lang to push him around the pocket
- buried Lang on inside move
OG:
MIKE IUPATI:
- pushed Odrick around the pocket with a great initial punch
- struggled next snap (too high and over-extended)
- 11on11: moved Cam Thomas and LB 3 yards down the field
- athletic enough to get out to LB
- stoned Neal at the line of scrimmage twice
- beat to the inside with the quickness of D’Anthony Smith
- buried D’Anthony Smith on attempted bull rush
- at OT: beat to the inside by Carrington
- at OT: pushed over on bull rush by Carrington
- at OT: pushed backwards by Alualu
- driven back by Neal
- controlled Graham on twist stunt in 2on2’s
- at OT: struggled vs. Misi using bull rush
DE:
BRANDON GRAHAM:
- killed Wang with quickness on speed rush (faked going inside and then exploded around him)
- destroyed Ducasse with inside rip move
- was pushed around the pocket by Ducasse the second time
- beat Beadles around the edge with speed rush
- spin move inside on Beadles to easily run to the towel
ALEX CARRINGTON:
- dominated Beadles with bull rush
- dominated Beadles with speed rush
- beat Iupati (playing at LT) to the inside
- bull rushed Iupati to push him over
ANTONIO COLEMAN:
- great quickness on inside move to get to the towel
- controlled by Scott on outside rush
DT:
JARED ODRICK:
- pushed around to the side by Iupati
- pretty good bull rush vs. Asamoah with a good initial burst
- stoned by Asamoah on a bull rush
- 11on11: strong and stout at the point of attack against the run
- 11on11: very quick off the snap and stout
- rip move to get up field
- swim move but stoned
- beat OG inside up the field
- 11on11: looks light at the point of attack (easily moved)
- 11on11: burst into the backfield for a tackle for loss on a draw play
- 11on11: swim move for a sack
TYSON ALUALU:
- quick up field burst vs. Olsen
- at DE: contained on a bull rush
- at DE: pretty good penetration with bull rush
- swim move to get up field
- stoned by Tennant on a bull rush
- at DE: good power with a strong bull rush to the towel
CAM THOMAS:
- dominating bull rush vs. Olsen
- 11on11: extremely strong at the point of attack
- pushed to the side by Tennant
- stoned at the line by Tennant
- good powerful bull rush against OG
D’ANTHONY SMITH:
- beat Iupati to the inside but fell down
- buried by Iupati on a bull rush
- beat Ducasse (playing OG) with good hands and inside burst
CB:
KYLE WILSON:
- great hips/break on ball to intercept pass while covering Gilyard
- completely blanketed Ford on a go-route
- blanketed Alexander step for step in press coverage (great quickness and hips)
- shut down Dickerson by being physical
- burned deep by Ford (stumbled on flip of hips)
- 7on7: perfect man coverage on back-shoulder throw vs. Ford in redzone
- 7on7: blanketed Gilyard on deep in-route in redzone
DEVIN MCCOURTY:
- perfect coverage on comeback route vs. Ford (great hip flip and closing burst)
- initially slowed down Gilyard but then beat to the inside
- beat on post by Alexander (he was too physical for him)
SYD’QUAN THOMPSON:
- struggled on go-route vs. Dickerson
- broke up slant vs. Ford (good physical burst)
- missed the jam on Gilyard and got burned deep
- burned deep by Dickerson
- 11on11: physical pass break up on hook route
TREVARD LINDLEY:
- burned deep by Hodge on go-route
- played too soft on post-route
- easily beat to the inside by Hodge
CHRIS COOK:
- nice job in press coverage/ broke up the pass
- beat to the inside by Price in press coverage
- struggled with the big frame of Alexander
- solid in press coverage vs. smaller WR
- 7on7: man coverage vs. Gilyard on corner route resulting in interception
BRANDON GHEE:
- great pass break up on go-route vs. Ford
- good coverage vs. Dickerson on fade route
- good break on ball vs. Ford on a post route
- beat to the inside on a slant route by Price
S:
TAYLOR MAYS:
- very physical vs. Cooper
- stiff hips/ false steps allowed easy completion on comeback route to Cooper
- stiff hips/ bad transition on out-route
NATE ALLEN:
- great press coverage on post-route
- physical press coverage vs. Cooper (had him covered for a solid 4 seconds)
- solid in man coverage vs. Roberts
