Senior Bowl Notes

Senior Bowl Notes

The 2011 Senior Bowl drew the attention of every team in the NFL (except maybe the Packers, Steelers and what was the Titans coaching staff). Its a great opportunity for NFL scouts to see how some of the top Seniors practice and play. From watching the practices and the game, here are the standouts:

Top Performers:

Christian Ponder QB FSU 6'3" 227lbs - Ponder threw 2 TD passes in the Senior Bowl. He moved his South team down the field. He seemed to answer a lot of questions about his health by playing well. He also did a good job of picking up Chan Gailey's offense in a short week.

James Carpenter OT Alabama 6'5" 313lbs - Carpenter proved to be the most impressive Offensive Tackle of the week. Has great size, worked hard during the week and had a good Senior Bowl.

Phil Taylor DT Baylor 6'3" 337lbs - Anytime a big Defensive Tackle displays quickness, and shows he can make plays, everyone takes notice. Defensive Tackles are hard to find and they are oft injured so they are becoming as important as Offensive Left Tackles these days.

Da'Rel Scott RB Maryland 5'11" 205lbs - Scott made things happen in the Senior Bowl. He showed he could catch and run. Scott ran with a forward lean and punished the Defense when he carried the ball.

Other Notes:

Von Miller looked quick, but did not look big enough to play DE in the 4-3 or OLB in a 3-4 every down. He may be a good 3rd down pass rusher, but might be swallowed up by Offensive Tackles in one on one matchups.

Jake Locker seems to be scrutinized a lot on the accuracy front (55% in 2010). He didn't answer those questions in the Senior Bowl with an erratic day. Every ball that hits the ground at his pro-day will be questioned. I still think his size and athleticism keeps him from going past the Redskins at pick #10. Jake Plummer never got to 60% accuracy in college, but Shanahan still loved him at the end of the day.

Colin Kaepernick seemed to receive a lot attention, but run option QBs will have trouble in the NFL unless your name is Vick. Tebow is a serviceable QB in some situations, but also 20 lbs heavier than Kaepernick. QBs who can just run with the football have short stays in the NFL, just ask Pat White.

Anthony Costanzo is still a top ranked offensive tackle, but he was out of position a few times on the field. Maybe its because Marvin Lewis had him at Guard and Tackle.

Leonard Hankerson had some nice plays in the Senior Bowl, but he also dropped a few passes.

Funny how North Carolina and Oklahoma players were on the North squad. When it comes to football, the North needs all the help it can get.

Chan Gailey came out with his South squad and jumped out to a big lead, must have been a unique experience for him given his 2010 campaign.