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D-line stands out while LBs disappointCornerback group rates as strongest overall position at Senior BowlComment Email Print Share By Todd McShay
Scouts Inc.
Archive
Senior Bowl week helped some players' draft stock and hurt that of others. Scouts Inc. goes position by position and ranks the defensive players who were in Mobile, Ala.
Defensive Linemen
Rank Player Position School
1. Dan Williams DT Tennessee
2. Jared Odrick DT Penn State
3. Alex Carrington DE Arkansas State
4. Lamarr Houston DT Texas
5. Terrence Cody DT Alabama
6. Tyson Alualu DT California
7. Brandon Lang DE Troy
8. D'Anthony Smith DT Louisiana Tech
9. Mike Neal DT Purdue
10. Geno Atkins DT Georgia
11. George Selvie DE South Florida
12. Cam Thomas DT North Carolina
13. Austen Lane DE Murray State
14. C.J. Wilson DE East Carolina
15. Jeff Owens DE Georgia
The top two defensive linemen at this year's Senior Bowl play inside. Williams is a classic two-gap run-stuffer with potential to play nose tackle if drafted by a 3-4 team. There's talk that Odrick could fit well as a 5-technique in a 3-4 scheme, but we think he's better-suited for a more traditional tackle role, or possibly even as a 3-technique, because he displays the necessary quickness and instincts to penetrate and pursue in the NFL. There's a good chance that both Williams and Odrick will join fellow defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh (Nebraska), Gerald McCoy (Oklahoma) and Brian Price (UCLA) as first-round picks.
No position group had more individuals exceed expectations in Mobile than the defensive line. DEs Carrington and Lang and DTs Houston and Alualu all played lights-out during the four days of intense practices. Carrington simply overpowered offensive linemen at the point of attack and has the potential to play as a 5-technique in a three-man front or power end in a 4-3. Lang isn't quite as big but impressed coaches and scouts with his combination of quickness and strength. Houston and Alualu are both projected as 3-techniques in the NFL, where they will need to use quickness and relentlessness to overcome a lack of ideal size.
On the flip side, DT Cody, DE Wilson and DT Owens failed to live up to the hype. At 370 pounds Cody is in poor physical condition, and he will always be battling to keep his weight in check. Wilson showed very little explosiveness off the edge and projects as a late-round pick, while Owens was the least impressive of the bunch and showed few redeeming qualities as a pro prospect.
Linebackers
Rank Player Position School
1. Brandon Graham OLB Michigan
2. Sean Weatherspoon OLB Missouri
3. Darryl Sharpton ILB Miami
4. Daryl Washington ILB TCU
5. Rod Muckelroy ILB Texas
6. Eric Norwood OLB South Carolina
7. Nawa'akoa Misi OLB Utah
8. Jamar Chaney ILB Mississippi State
9. Justin Cole OLB San Jose State
10. Dekoda Watson OLB Florida State
11. Cameron Sheffield OLB Troy
12. Phillip Dillard ILB Nebraska
13. Andrew Edds OLB Iowa
14. Antonio Coleman OLB Auburn
Graham was the clear headliner in what was an underwhelming group overall. He showed quickness, active hands and a nonstop motor as a pass-rusher, and his instincts and discipline against the run were impressive. Graham played end in college but lacks ideal height for the position, so we grade him as an outside linebacker. He has moved into the late-first-round discussion.
Weatherspoon displayed good instincts, closing burst and toughness at the point of attack, but he is too inconsistent in space and struggles to take proper angles and sift through traffic at times. It won't surprise us if Weatherspoon settles into a starting role on the strong side, where he won't be asked to operate in the open field as often.
Norwood was a hybrid DE/OLB in college but made a full-time move to the strong side during Senior Bowl week. While he struggled at times at the point of attack, Norwood was able to show good overall versatility in the passing game. He can hold up in coverage and occasionally bend the edge as a pass-rusher.
Misi and Sheffield are also hybrid types who turned some heads with their versatile performances. Misi displayed good awareness in underneath zone coverage and a relentless motor rushing off the edge. He has emerged as a possible late-second-round selection. Sheffield is rated a couple rounds lower, but he was able to improve his stock by showing enough fluidity in his drops and good overall awareness in underneath coverage.
On the inside, Sharpton is stronger than his size suggests and has good overall range, and Muckelroy is as instinctive as they come against the run. Both flashed the ability to become contributors and perhaps even starters down the road in the NFL. Washington came in lighter than expected, and due to his lack of strength he might be better-suited to move to the outside. He and Watson both displayed above-average athleticism and range both as run-stoppers and in coverage and would make nice fits on the weak side.
Defensive Backs
Rank Player Position School
1. Kyle Wilson CB Boise State
2. Nate Allen S South Florida
3. Taylor Mays S USC
4. Perrish Cox CB Oklahoma State
5. Devin McCourty CB Rutgers
6. Patrick Robinson CB Florida State
7. Christopher Cook CB Virginia
8. Larry Asante S Nebraska
9. Javier Arenas CB Alabama
10. Myron Rolle S Florida State
11. Trevard Lindley CB Kentucky
12. Kurt Coleman S Ohio State
13. Syd'Quan Thompson CB California
14. Harry Coleman S LSU
15. Brandon Ghee CB Wake Forest
16. Jerome Murphy CB South Florida
17. Kyle McCarthy S Notre Dame
18. Terrell Skinner S Maryland
No individual position group impressed us more than the cornerbacks, and Wilson led the way all week. He looked quick and agile and was a strong, physical presence in bump-and-run coverage. Wilson is a solid cover corner who is now in the conversation as a possible late-first-round pick.
Cox, McCourty and Robinson weren't as consistent as Wilson but showed they have the natural ability to develop into effective NFL starters in time. The next corner on the list is Cook, who showed above-average hip fluidity and body control for a 6-foot-1¾ cornerback.
Conversely, Arenas saw his stock slip because his lack of ideal top-end speed exposed his limitations in coverage.
Mays arrived in Mobile as our top-ranked safety and showed impressive closing speed for his size. However, Mays was frequently seen looking for the big hit rather than locating the ball during practice. He did have an interception in the game, but Mays' disappointing overall performance opened the door for Allen to gain some ground. Allen took full advantage.
Allen isn't as big or powerful as Mays, but he is an adequate open-field tackler. More importantly, he was so smooth getting in and out of cuts that we feel confident in his ability to match up with slot receivers in man coverage. Mays does not have that ability, and Allen now ranks ahead of him on our board.
Finally, Rolle's surprisingly strong showing was one of the feel-good stories of the week. The Rhodes Scholar showed up at a shredded 217 pounds and displayed even better agility and fluidity than we saw on tape prior to his taking a year off to study at Oxford. Rolle now has a chance to come off the board in the first three rounds if he can convince at least one team that he is dedicated to playing a full NFL career.
Scouts Inc.
Archive
Senior Bowl week helped some players' draft stock and hurt that of others. Scouts Inc. goes position by position and ranks the defensive players who were in Mobile, Ala.
Defensive Linemen
Rank Player Position School
1. Dan Williams DT Tennessee
2. Jared Odrick DT Penn State
3. Alex Carrington DE Arkansas State
4. Lamarr Houston DT Texas
5. Terrence Cody DT Alabama
6. Tyson Alualu DT California
7. Brandon Lang DE Troy
8. D'Anthony Smith DT Louisiana Tech
9. Mike Neal DT Purdue
10. Geno Atkins DT Georgia
11. George Selvie DE South Florida
12. Cam Thomas DT North Carolina
13. Austen Lane DE Murray State
14. C.J. Wilson DE East Carolina
15. Jeff Owens DE Georgia
The top two defensive linemen at this year's Senior Bowl play inside. Williams is a classic two-gap run-stuffer with potential to play nose tackle if drafted by a 3-4 team. There's talk that Odrick could fit well as a 5-technique in a 3-4 scheme, but we think he's better-suited for a more traditional tackle role, or possibly even as a 3-technique, because he displays the necessary quickness and instincts to penetrate and pursue in the NFL. There's a good chance that both Williams and Odrick will join fellow defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh (Nebraska), Gerald McCoy (Oklahoma) and Brian Price (UCLA) as first-round picks.
No position group had more individuals exceed expectations in Mobile than the defensive line. DEs Carrington and Lang and DTs Houston and Alualu all played lights-out during the four days of intense practices. Carrington simply overpowered offensive linemen at the point of attack and has the potential to play as a 5-technique in a three-man front or power end in a 4-3. Lang isn't quite as big but impressed coaches and scouts with his combination of quickness and strength. Houston and Alualu are both projected as 3-techniques in the NFL, where they will need to use quickness and relentlessness to overcome a lack of ideal size.
On the flip side, DT Cody, DE Wilson and DT Owens failed to live up to the hype. At 370 pounds Cody is in poor physical condition, and he will always be battling to keep his weight in check. Wilson showed very little explosiveness off the edge and projects as a late-round pick, while Owens was the least impressive of the bunch and showed few redeeming qualities as a pro prospect.
Linebackers
Rank Player Position School
1. Brandon Graham OLB Michigan
2. Sean Weatherspoon OLB Missouri
3. Darryl Sharpton ILB Miami
4. Daryl Washington ILB TCU
5. Rod Muckelroy ILB Texas
6. Eric Norwood OLB South Carolina
7. Nawa'akoa Misi OLB Utah
8. Jamar Chaney ILB Mississippi State
9. Justin Cole OLB San Jose State
10. Dekoda Watson OLB Florida State
11. Cameron Sheffield OLB Troy
12. Phillip Dillard ILB Nebraska
13. Andrew Edds OLB Iowa
14. Antonio Coleman OLB Auburn
Graham was the clear headliner in what was an underwhelming group overall. He showed quickness, active hands and a nonstop motor as a pass-rusher, and his instincts and discipline against the run were impressive. Graham played end in college but lacks ideal height for the position, so we grade him as an outside linebacker. He has moved into the late-first-round discussion.
Weatherspoon displayed good instincts, closing burst and toughness at the point of attack, but he is too inconsistent in space and struggles to take proper angles and sift through traffic at times. It won't surprise us if Weatherspoon settles into a starting role on the strong side, where he won't be asked to operate in the open field as often.
Norwood was a hybrid DE/OLB in college but made a full-time move to the strong side during Senior Bowl week. While he struggled at times at the point of attack, Norwood was able to show good overall versatility in the passing game. He can hold up in coverage and occasionally bend the edge as a pass-rusher.
Misi and Sheffield are also hybrid types who turned some heads with their versatile performances. Misi displayed good awareness in underneath zone coverage and a relentless motor rushing off the edge. He has emerged as a possible late-second-round selection. Sheffield is rated a couple rounds lower, but he was able to improve his stock by showing enough fluidity in his drops and good overall awareness in underneath coverage.
On the inside, Sharpton is stronger than his size suggests and has good overall range, and Muckelroy is as instinctive as they come against the run. Both flashed the ability to become contributors and perhaps even starters down the road in the NFL. Washington came in lighter than expected, and due to his lack of strength he might be better-suited to move to the outside. He and Watson both displayed above-average athleticism and range both as run-stoppers and in coverage and would make nice fits on the weak side.
Defensive Backs
Rank Player Position School
1. Kyle Wilson CB Boise State
2. Nate Allen S South Florida
3. Taylor Mays S USC
4. Perrish Cox CB Oklahoma State
5. Devin McCourty CB Rutgers
6. Patrick Robinson CB Florida State
7. Christopher Cook CB Virginia
8. Larry Asante S Nebraska
9. Javier Arenas CB Alabama
10. Myron Rolle S Florida State
11. Trevard Lindley CB Kentucky
12. Kurt Coleman S Ohio State
13. Syd'Quan Thompson CB California
14. Harry Coleman S LSU
15. Brandon Ghee CB Wake Forest
16. Jerome Murphy CB South Florida
17. Kyle McCarthy S Notre Dame
18. Terrell Skinner S Maryland
No individual position group impressed us more than the cornerbacks, and Wilson led the way all week. He looked quick and agile and was a strong, physical presence in bump-and-run coverage. Wilson is a solid cover corner who is now in the conversation as a possible late-first-round pick.
Cox, McCourty and Robinson weren't as consistent as Wilson but showed they have the natural ability to develop into effective NFL starters in time. The next corner on the list is Cook, who showed above-average hip fluidity and body control for a 6-foot-1¾ cornerback.
Conversely, Arenas saw his stock slip because his lack of ideal top-end speed exposed his limitations in coverage.
Mays arrived in Mobile as our top-ranked safety and showed impressive closing speed for his size. However, Mays was frequently seen looking for the big hit rather than locating the ball during practice. He did have an interception in the game, but Mays' disappointing overall performance opened the door for Allen to gain some ground. Allen took full advantage.
Allen isn't as big or powerful as Mays, but he is an adequate open-field tackler. More importantly, he was so smooth getting in and out of cuts that we feel confident in his ability to match up with slot receivers in man coverage. Mays does not have that ability, and Allen now ranks ahead of him on our board.
Finally, Rolle's surprisingly strong showing was one of the feel-good stories of the week. The Rhodes Scholar showed up at a shredded 217 pounds and displayed even better agility and fluidity than we saw on tape prior to his taking a year off to study at Oxford. Rolle now has a chance to come off the board in the first three rounds if he can convince at least one team that he is dedicated to playing a full NFL career.
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