East Vs West Shrine Game, Senior Bowl Etc..
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2012 Senior Bowl: Tuesday North Practice Report
By Charlie Campbell - @draftcampbell
The North team took to the field of Ladd Peebles Stadium for their second practice of Senior Bowl on Tuesday morning. The Minnesota Vikings coaching staff was in charge of the North team and they had the players practicing in full pads. Tuesday and Wednesday are the full-padded sessions. To start out practice they worked on special teams and in their individual position groups.
During the practice and beforehand, Wisconsin guard Kevin Zeitler spent a lot of time working at center. Zeitler played next to the best center in college football in Peter Konz, so he didn't see any game action at the position as a collegiate player the past few years. If Zeitler can show NFL teams that he has the capacity to play some center, that could give his draft stock a boost.
During the individual period the linebackers worked on their footwork. Nebraska linebacker Lavonte David has extremely quick feet, and David stood out above the other linebackers. North Carolina State linebacker Audie Cole is a little stiff. He probably would fit best as an inside linebacker in the 3-4. Boise State outside linebacker Shea McClellin was surprisingly athletic.
After the individual period, the linebackers went to a one-on-one scrimmage against running backs, fullbacks and tight ends in blitz protection. Overall the linebackers have the advantage in this drill, but there were players who stood out on both sides of the ball. Here is a scorecard of some of the one-on-one action:
David started the session by blasting Wisconsin fullback Bradie Ewing. The hit from David was extremely hard and rocked Ewing off balance. That allowed the speedy David to jet by him for the victory. David ran through Cincinnati running back Isaiah Pead on a rush. David blasted Washington running back Chris Polk to the ground for another win. The only player who beat David was Massachusetts tight end Emil Igwenagu. He rode David around the outside on a speed rush.
Other than David, the other linebacker to really standout was Cole. He beat Polk with a swim move, dodged Ewing with a jab step, and defeated Ohio State running back Boom Herron with a power swim move. Cole lost a rep to Missouri tight end Michael Egnew when he rode him around the pocket.
Utah State linebacker Bobby Wagner shed a block from Boise State's Doug Martin before getting to the marker. Wagner bull rushed through Polk for a victory.
Nevada linebacker James-Michael Johnson had a resounding win when he ran over Herron on one rush. Johnson also had wins against Ewing and Igwenagu.
Ewing lost a number of reps but he also had a win against Boise State's Shea McClellin when he rode him around the pocket.
McClellin destroyed Herron on a power rush.
Pead stuffed Johnson on one rush. Of the running backs, Pead has the best technique in fitting up on blitzers and getting in good position. Even in his losses he fought well.
Pead and Martin were the two running backs who performed the best in their position group. Polk had an ugly session, while Herron was beat with ease. Both Pead and Martin are helping their draft stock with showing the potential to be trusted third-down running backs.
The wide receivers and cornerbacks went against each other in one-on-ones. Overall the defensive backs fared better than they did on Monday, but wideouts have an advantage in this drill as they know the route and the cornerback has no safety help. Here is a run down of some of the one-on-one action:
Iowa wide receiver Marvin McNutt is a polished route-runner and he had a good session. McNutt had wins against Iowa State cornerback Leonard Johnson, Nebraska cornerback Alfonzo Dennard and Cal Poly cornerback Asa Jackson. McNutt executes the slant route extremely well and that worked to get open against those cornerbacks. On a deep post, McNutt had a step on Boston College cornerback Donnie Fletcher, but McNutt couldn't get a handle on a pass thrown behind him. It was a catch he probably should've made.
A real standout so far has been Cal wide receiver Marvin Jones. He beat Dennard on a deep pass along the sideline for a big catch downfield. Jones burned Johnson on a slant route and got a good deal of space to come open. On Monday and Tuesday, Jones has shown quickness in and out of his breaks to get separation from defensive backs.
Dennard hasn't had a strong week. At times he hasn't done well in turning and running with receivers. Dennard did have a win when he forced an incompletion on a quick out to North Carolina State wide receiver T.J. Graham. This environment isn't the best for Dennard as he performs better in the games when he is playing within a scheme. This week could bump his stock down.
Ohio State wide receiver DeVier Posey didn't impress and had a bad dropped pass.
Fletcher had a good session overall. He almost had a diving interception after Appalachian State wide receiver Brian Quick slipped on the play. Fletcher had tight coverage on Gerell Robinson on an out route and forced a bobbled pass that went incomplete as Robinson went out of bounds.
The defensive line and offensive lines battled in one-on-ones, and there are definitely some prospects who are really helping themselves. The defensive line has a bigger advantage in this drill because they don't have to play the run before rushing the passer like they do in many plays in an actual game. They also don't take on any double teams or have to overcome a chip from a running back or tight end. Here is a scorecard of some of the one-on-one action:
On two reps, Connecticut defensive tackle Kendall Reyes beat Wisconsin guard Kevin Zeitler with a speed rush. Reyes had a really good day. He also bull rushed Wake Forest guard Joe Looney to get to the quarterback marker.
Looney was a late addition to the Senior Bowl, and he had a horrible debut practice. He was bull rushed twice by Washington defensive tackle Alameda Ta'amu. The big nose tackle had no problem pushing Looney onto the marker. It is tough for players to come in late, but Looney showed no strength to anchor.
Zeitler had a win when he stonewalled a bull rush from Boise State defensive tackle Billy Winn, but he also had a rare loss to a bull rush courtesy of Ta'amu.
One of the biggest stars on Tuesday was Michigan defensive tackle Mike Martin. He abused Ohio State center Mike Brewster on multiple reps. He had a few wins on bull rushes and got one win after he rocked Brewster onto his heels before jetting by the center. It was an impressive day from Martin and a disappointing day for Brewster. There was a win for Brewster when he rode Ta'amu around the middle of the pocket on a bull rush.
Ohio State offensive tackle Mike Adams is a potential first-round pick but he is very inconsistent. He can look great and terrible in back-to-back plays. His first rep was a loss as Virginia defensive end Cam Johnson blew by him on a speed rush. Penn State defensive Jack Crawford did the same thing. Adams rebounded to get some wins including a rush that he stopped cold from Johnson. Adams is a more advanced run blocker than pass blocker entering the next level.
Overall Cincinnati defensive end Derek Wolfe showed well in the one-on-ones. It started slowly when he got pushed around in an ugly fashion by Iowa State tackle/guard Kelechi Osemele. Osemele shoved Wolfe off balance and into the ground. Wolfe bull rushed Penn State's Johnnie Troutman on one rep to get a win. In the rematch Wolfe beat Troutman with a speed rush around the edge. Wolfe beat Washington offensive tackle Senio Kelemete with a bull rush.
Osemele had an impressive win when he stopped a spin move dead in its tracks from Marshall's Vinny Curry. After a tough opening day, Osemele played much better on Tuesday.
Kelemete battled tough with some wins and losses. He had a win on one rep against Curry. After some initial penetration, Kelemete recovered to keep Curry at bay. Curry beat Kelemete with a speed edge rush to close out the one-on-ones.
In the team scrimmage portion of practice, Martin continued to stand out. He burst through the line to blow up one run early on. Martin kept coming and stuffed Polk at the line of scrimmage after Martin beat Utah guard Tony Bergstrom. Don't be surprised if you hear about Martin being one of the stars of Senior Bowl.
There were a few other notable events in Monday's practice. In the team scrimmage McClellin got a sack on a speed rush around the corner. Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson overthrew tight end Michael Egnew running down the middle of the field after Egnew got a step on Nevada linebacker James-Michael Johnson. Cousins was intercepted by Boise State safety George Iloka after he undercut a pass intended for Igwenagu. It was a good read and break on the ball by Iloka. The quarterbacks did not impress on Tuesday. Cousins is the best prospect of the bunch. All of them had fumbled snaps, especially Boise State's Kellen Moore, who wasn't under center much in college
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:15 p.m. CT -- The South practice is over and so ends the Tuesday schedule at the Senior Bowl.
Chris Rainey of Florida really stood out with his versatility and ability to be a true receiving threat. On one play he even threw a block on defensive lineman Tony Jerod-Eddie of Texas A&M and removed him from the action. Jerod-Eddie weighed in more than 125 pounds heavier than Rainey on Monday.
Former Gator Janoris Jenkins continues to impress. He sticks like glue to opposing receivers and shows terrific ball skills.
We start against tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m. CT for what is the most important day of Senior Bowl practices of the week.
2:58 p.m. CT -- Vick Ballard finally caught a pass in full scrimmage. He also just had a pair of terrific runs. He's shown a nice burst of speed and did a great job following his blocks. He also showed elusiveness and on his second long gainer made several defenders miss.
- Nigel Bradham looks incredibly athletic on the field. He covers a lot of area on the field and easily stays with backs or tight ends in coverage.
- A point of concern in Courtney Upshaw's game is the limited speed he shows on the field. While he's effective rushing the passer out of a three-point stance, Upshaw looks very limited in his ability to pursue and catch the ball-handler from the backside when stood up at linebacker.
- QB Ryan Lindley of San Diego State has looked good in scrimmage. He's an effective short yardage passer who's been on the mark with his throws. Lindley has also shown a lot of skill rolling outside the pocket and throwing on the move.
- Emmanuel Acho is just a smart, instinctive football player. He's not the greatest athlete but does a great job diagnosing the action and putting himself in a position to make plays on the ball. Acho has looked good against the run and pass.
- WR Juron Criner of Arizona has had his moments today. He's incredibly athletic and made several acrobatic receptions over defenders. Criner lacks downfield speed, but quickly gets off the line and shows the ability to get separation in underneath coverage.
- WR Patrick Edwards of Houston has been a bit of an enigma today. He's incredibly quick and shows a burst of speed, but does not make the receptions that are seemingly very catchable.
- TE LaDarius Green of Louisiana Lafayette has caught the ball exceptionally well today. He's very fluid and the 237-pounder looks more like a possession receiver. He needs to improve his blocking, which will come by adding strength, but he looks like a good candidate as a move tight end for the next level.
- S Antonio Allen of South Carolina has flashed skill all day. He's a very sudden player that jumps out of nowhere to make plays. Allen is also a vicous hitter. He just needs to show more consistency against the pass, but you can tell he has the underlying skills.
- DT Jaye Howard of Florida has made several nice plays. He fires off the snap and is able to penetrate the line of scrimmage.
2:48 p.m. CT -- Former Florida Gator cornerback Janoris Jenkins, who played for North Alabama last season, has looked good. He's fast, easily stays downfield with opponents and ,despite playing at a low level of competition last year, looks as though his ball skills have improved. Scouts have to be thinking first round for Jenkins after his performance.
- RB Vick Ballard of Mississippi has dropped a ton of catchable passes today in practice.
- OL Philip Blake of Baylor has shown some promise. He's a feisty blocker who does a great job controlling defenders when he squares into the opponent.
- OL Jeff Allen of Illinois continues to do a fine job on Quinton Coples of North Carolina. Coples struggles getting off of Allen's blocks.
- Coples has had his moments today, as he just ran around Zebrie Sanders in scrimmage. He is an impressive looking athlete with great movement skills. But you get the sense that Coples does not play with a sense of urgency and gives up on plays too easily.
2:28 p.m. CT -- CB Dwight Bentley of Louisiana Lafayette is having a terrific day. He's been able to stay downfield with receivers and shows the ability to stay on their hips out of breaks.
- LB Courtney Upshaw of Alabama has been standing up over tackle as a rush linebacker in a three four. He's an impressive looking athlete but has yet to show he can get off blocks. Upshaw has been handled on several occasions by Jeff Allen of Illinois, who's lined up at left tackle.
- WR Chris Rainey of Florida continues to be very impressive in drills. Defenders just cannot stay downfield with the speedster and he's made a number of sensational catches.
- QB Brandon Weeden of Oklahoma State has looked terrific thus far. He has a monster arm and spins his passes with speed to get the ball through the tight windows. He just fired a brilliant pass through triple coverage into the hands of Joe Adams of Arkansas.
- T Zebrie Sanders of Florida State has looked good in one-on-one drills. He's handled Quinton Coples twice.
- Alabama's Courtney Upshaw is now being used at defensive end and looks good. He put offensive tackle Matt McCants of UAB on his bottom with a powerful bull-rush, then did the same to James Brown of Troy State.
- DL-OLB Melvin Ingram of South Carolina has looked terrific in pass rushing drills. He plays low and has been tough to block.
2:10 p.m. CT -- WR Marquis Maze of Alabama has been running terrific routes thus far. He quickly gets into breaks and positions himself to make the reception on exit. He's caught the ball well from the fastball quarterbacks on the South.
- WR Jeff Fuller of Texas A&M on the other hand has struggled. He's slow getting into breaks and rounds off his routes. Fuller shows some stiffness in his game. He has caught the ball well and looks very impressive getting vertical to grab the pass for such a large receiver.
- DL Jake Bequette of Arkansas weighed in at 265 pounds. He's being used at linebacker today and is really struggling in pass coverage drills. Looks slow and has difficulty flipping his hips.
- LB Sean Spence of Miami is having a tough go of it early in practice. He's guessing wrong in coverage drills and has been beaten by running backs down the field several times.
- QB Nick Foles of Arizona has been overthrowing his passes today. He seems to be trying to impress scouts with his arm strength, but his point of release has been high and passes have been sailing over the intended targets' heads.
- OL Cordy Glenn of Georgia, who played left tackle as a senior for the Bulldogs, was moved back inside to guard at practice and has been very effective. He's strong and has stayed with blocks.
- RB Chris Rainey of Florida has shown impressive downfield speed and hands in receiver drills. He just beat former Gator teammate Janoris Jenkins for a long gainer on two separate instances.
- Jeff Fuller just let a pass go through his hands and bounce off his chest. It was intercepted Dwight Bentley of Louisiana Lafayette on the ricochet.
1:58 p.m. CT -- Tuesday afternoon practice is underway, as the South squad has finished their warm-ups. The biggest crowds of the week have been on hand for the South practice, as their roster offers the greatest firepower at quarterback. The fact that a handful of players from national champion Alabama are on the field has also caught the interest of local folks in Mobile.
Defensive lineman Malik Jackson was a late entry to the game and will be taking the field today.
Updating the injury suffered by Joe Looney this morning, the Wake Forest guard has been diagnosed with a torn ligament in his foot which will require surgery. No timetable for his full recovery was given.
10:57 a.m. CT -- Morning practice is over. Without a doubt the two most impressive players this morning came from the defensive line. Mike Martin of Michigan and Kendall Reyes of UConn were both impossible to stop and set up shop behind the line of scrimmage.
The South practice begins at 1:45 p.m. CT. Thus far the early reports on Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden have been terrific. We'll be here to cover it live.
10:42 a.m. CT -- S George Iloka of Boise State just made a beautiful interception of a pass thrown by Kirk Cousins. Iloka stepped in front of the receiver and grabbed the ball away.
- RB Chris Polk of Washington display terrific straigh ahead speed and power yet shows little in the way of creativity or the ability to elude defenders.
- DL Mike Martin of Michigan continues to impress. He's shown the ability to finish plays today and has been a disruptive force all day.
- DT Derek Wolfe of Cincinnati has been mostly quiet but just made a terrific play beating a double team block to get behind the line of scrimmage.
- WR Marvn McNutt of Iowa continues to struggle. He had a step on a defender 30 yards downfield, Leonard Johnsin of Iowa State, but dropped a pass perfectly placed in his hands by Kirk Cousins.
- OL Joe Looney of Wake Forest, who replaced the injured Garth Gerhart, is gingerly walking off the field with what looks like an ankle injury.
- LB James-Michael Johnson of Nevada has shown a lot of athleticism on the field today. He easily moves about the field, showing the ability to quickly get outside the box or get depth on pass drops. He's not made many plays on the ball, but is omnipresent moving around the field.
- WR Gerrell Robinson of Arizona State made several terrific catches in scrimmage. He continues to run good routes and really does a nice job using his 220-pound frame to box out cornerbacks and physically beat them down for the catch.
- RB Doug Martin of Boise State continues to impress scouts with his versatility. Beside displaying a variety of skils carrying the ball he looked good returning kicks during special teams practice.
- CB Asa Jackson of Cal-Poly has been quiet during the defensive drills but looked very good returning punts. He's been able to handle the 60-yard moonshots that have been coming off the foot of Wisconsin's Brad Nortman on a very breezy day.
10:18 a.m. CT -- QB Russell Wilson of Wisconsin has been up and down all morning. At times he throws beautiful, catchable passes that quickly arrive to the receivers' hands. Other times his passes resemble a wounded duck as they flutter in the air.
- RB Doug Martin of Boise State has looked terrific thus far. He runs with great quickness and shows a burst through the hole. Martin is also very patient and does a nice job side-stepping defenders to create yardage.
- DT Mike Martin of Michigan has been a disruptive force all morning. He just threw Penn State lineman Johnnie Troutman to the ground and blew up a running play.
- RB Isaiah Pead of Cincinnati is again the toughest running back to tackle. He shows terrific footwork and just gave Notre Dame safety Harrison Smith a nice stiff arm to keep his play alive.
- WR Brian Quick of Appalachian State continues to struggle. He shows very limited quickness in his game and cannot separate from defenders.
- TE Emil Igwenagu of UMass has looked terrific as a blocker this morning. He's lined up at both fullback and on the line as a tight end, and no one has been able to get by him. He's small, but tough and strong. Igwenagu just made a terrific catch in double coverage.
- OL Kevin Zeitler of Wisconsin has been shifting with Mike Brewster at the center position today.
- DT Kendall Reyes of UConn has been a force this morning. He shows great explosion off the snap, as well as a variety of moves with his hands. Reyes has gotten a lot of penetration and just destoryed Zeitler of Wisconsin in one-on-one drills.
- C Mike Brewster of Ohio State and DT Mike Martine of Michigan are again battling hard in practice. Brewster laughed about it yesterday and noted it's just a continuation of what's taken place the past four years.
- G Kelechi Osemele of Iowa State has had a solid morning. He uses his wide body to seal defenders from the action and was able to overwhelm the smaller Vinny Curry.
- OL Tony Bergstrom of Utah has had a solid day. One one play he steered the athletic Jack Craford of Penn State from his pass-rush angle, then in another instance buried Billy Winn of Boise State. Winn has not looked good at all. He looked sloppy in weigh-ins and has not been a factor at all in practice.
10 a.m. CT -- Safety George Iloka of Boise State has had a quick start to the morning. He looks terrific in drills, displaying sound footwork in reverse and the ability to burst to the ball out of his plant.
- QB Kellen Moore of Boise State continues to struggle. The speed on his throws is notably slower than any of the other signal callers at practice this morning.
- WR Gerell Robinson of Arizona State looks solid. He runs exceptionally quick and crisp routes for a receiver that tips the scales in excess of 220 pounds.
- QB Kirk Cousins of Michigan State continues to throw the ball with terrific speed and velocity. Receivers are never waiting on the pass as they leave their breaks.
- OLB Shea McCLellin of Boise State continues to impress since making the move to linebacker. He destroyed several running backs and fullbacks this morning in pass-rushing drills in which he simulated standing up over a tackle.
- What's so impressive about T Mike Adams of Ohio State is the way he easily moves his 330-pound frame around the field. Even this morning, when asked to block in motion, Adams quickly gets out to the second level and is able to adjust and block linebackers thanks to his agililty.
9:42 a.m. CT -- The weather this morning in Mobile has taken a turn for the better, as it's sunny and 60 degrees. The players now have prime conditions to practice in front of the hundreds of scouts on hand.
Early news has DE Andre Branch of Clemson as a last-second scratch from the Senior Bowl. He's reportedly suffering from a groin injury. Garth Gerhart, who left the field with an injury Monday afternoon, is not on the field this morning. Guard Joe Looney of Wake Forest is, however, I assume as a replacement for Gerhart
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2012 Senior Bowl: Tuesday South Practice Report
Joe Adams, WR, Arkansas
Joe Adams looked pretty impressive during the one-on-one drills, displaying an array of nifty moves to get open downfield. He's back in my four-round 2012 NFL Mock Draft, updated tonight!
Dwight Bentley, CB, Louisiana-Lafayette
Dwight Bentley is relatively unknown - one of the NFL Network announcers (probably Charles Davis) called him "Bill Bentley" during the broadcast - but he had a solid Tuesday practice. He made a nice break-up against Dwight Jones in the one-on-one drills, and the analysts mentioned that there's some buzz about him. He could be an early Day 3 pick.
James Brown, OT, Troy
Another non-BCS player impressed on Tuesday. Troy tackle James Brown drew some praise from Mike Mayock:
"I'm really intrigued by James Brown. He did a great job keeping the pocket clean against Clemson."
Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina
Quinton Coples' issue is consistency. He had a dynamic junior campaign, but struggled as a senior. People will blame the coaching staff for that, but the same inconsistency has manifested itself in the Senior Bowl. Coples was reportedly unblockable on Monday, but he looked like an ordinary mid-round defensive lineman on Tuesday. He was blocked easily in most of the one-on-one matchups.
"Coples doesn't have that elite burst that Julius Peppers does," said Mike Mayock.
Juron Criner, WR, Arizona
Juron Criner made the catch of the day when he made a great adjustment on one throw and came up with an extended, one-handed grab. He reportedly looked solid on Monday.
Nick Foles, QB, Arizona
Juron Criner's quarterback didn't fare too well. Nick Foles had trouble operating the offense, as some snaps were botched. When everything worked, Foles threw his trademark checkdowns. That's pretty much all he did at Arizona.
Forum member and Redskins fan bball37 joked about Foles' struggles: "Don't worry Nick Foles, nobody understands Kyle Shanahan's offense."
Jeff Fuller, WR, Texas A&M
Jeff Fuller stinks. He dropped a pass that bounced out of his hands and into a cornerback's, which wasn't a surprise because he had issues with drops all season. He was also easily jammed at the line of scrimmage on another one-on-one matchup.
"I'm not sure if he's quick enough or physical enough," said Mike Mayock.
Fuller is not in my top four rounds in tonight's 2012 NFL Mock Draft update.
Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina
Melvin Ingram is too short and has tiny arms, but he completely makes up for it with his dynamic explosion. He was pretty much unblockable in the one-on-one drills and showed off a brilliant spin move that easily allowed him to get by the offensive lineman.
Chris Rainey, RB/WR, Florida
Chris Rainey saw some action at receiver. He completely torched first-round prospect Janoris Jenkins on one instance. He's going to be an intriguing weapon for some team.
Keenan Robinson, OLB, Texas
Keenan Robinson made a great play in the one-on-ones to break up a pass.
Sean Spence, OLB, Miami
Sean Spence, meanwhile, whiffed on a play in a one-on-one matchup, allowing his opponent to easily get by him.
Brandon Thompson, DT, Clemson
Just a quote from Mike Mayock on Brandon Thompson's draft position:
"Some have a first-round grade on Brandon Thompson. I have a second-round grade on him."
Courtney Upshaw, DE/OLB, Alabama
Courtney Upshaw had a terrific practice. He was unblockable on most instances, and he completely abused offensive tackle Mike McCants, a potential third-rounder.
"That was a complete mismatch," said Mike Mayock.
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2012 Senior Bowl: Tuesday South Practice Report
By Charlie Campbell - @draftcampbell
The South team took to the field of Ladd Peebles Stadium for their second practice of Senior Bowl on Tuesday afternoon. The Washington Redskins coaching staff was in charge of the South team and they had the players practicing in full pads with a quick tempo. Tuesday and Wednesday are the full-padded sessions. To start out practice they worked in their individual position groups. Soon the linebackers and running backs got together to battle in a one-on-one pass coverage session.
North Carolina outside linebacker Zach Brown showed off his athleticism and agility by blanketing Baylor running back Terrance Ganaway on two reps. The second pass was slapped out of Ganaway's hands by Brown. In a game he may have been called for pass interference, but it would have been a close call. Ganaway also couldn't get separation from Texas linebacker Keenan Robinson.
Miami linebacker Sean Spence lost a rep to Louisiana Tech running back Lennon Creer and also had tight coverage to get a win against Clemson's Chad Diehl.
Mississippi State running back Vick Ballard burned Texas linebacker Emmanuel Acho on an out route. Acho came back to have good coverage against Florida running back Chris Rainey. Ballard dropped a pass after getting a step on Florida State linebacker Nigel Bradham. Aside from that drop, Ballard had a strong practice. In the team scrimmage session, Ballard had a big run behind the right side of the offensive line. About 15 yards downfield, he was popped by LSU safety Brandon Taylor and taken to the ground on a hard tackle. That got scouts to "ooh" and "ahh" even though Taylor wasn't supposed to tackle Ballard. The hard tackle didn't phase him, as Ballard broke off another big run in the 11-on-11 scrimmage when he started to the left and slashed across the field towards the right side for a big gain.
The one-on-one scrimmages continued when the wide receivers and cornerbacks battled. Here is a scorecard of some of that action:
Arkansas wide receiver Joe Adams beat Furman cornerback Joe Steed on two reps. The first win was on a slant pass. The second rep saw Steed get a good jam on Adams, but after the wideout released, he got some separation and caught a deep pass running along the sideline.
Louisiana-Lafayette cornerback Bill Bentley split reps with North Carolina's Dwight Jones. The big wideout won on a slant pass, but lost on a deep cross. Jones stayed with the big receiver running across the field to force an incompletion. Bentley also had two wins against Texas A&M wide receiver Jeff Fuller. Bentley had an impressive interception after Fuller dropped a pass that bounced off his pads. Fuller quit on the ball, while Bentley dived and intercepted it. He blanketed Fuller again when Bentley didn't bite on a double move.
Arizona wide receiver Juron Criner split two reps with Vanderbilt's Casey Hayward. The first rep saw Hayward guard Criner closely and not allow any separation. The second rep was maybe the best catch thus far at Senior Bowl. Criner got a step on Hayward but the pass was thrown off the mark. Criner reached behind his body with one hand and grabbed the ball. It was a phenomenal catch that drew a collective "wow" from the stands.
Oklahoma State safety Markelle Martin had tight coverage and slapped away a pass from Louisiana-Lafayette tight end Ladarius Green.
Alabama tight end Brad Smelley had good outing in the one-on-ones. He beat Alabama teammate cornerback DeQuan Menzie for a diving catch on an out pass. Against LSU safety Taylor, Smelley had a completion on a deep crossing route. Taylor came back to pop Smelley immediately after a short catch was made for a minimal gain.
Two former Gators teammates battled with running back Chris Rainey beating cornerback Janoris Jenkins on a slant route.
Houston wide receiver Patrick Edwards lost a rep to Georgia cornerback Brandon Boykin. Edwards didn't get separation from Boykin and Edwards couldn't reach a couple feet over his head. The 5-foot-9 Edwards is clearly limited with the type of target he provides quarterbacks.
In the team scrimmage portion of practice, Jenkins had a nice pass breakup when he read a bootleg well and closed on the receiver. Jenkins timed his hit perfectly and popped the receiver to force an incompletion. The other defensive back who stood out in the team scrimmage was Menzie. He had a nice tackle of LSU tight end DeAngelo Peterson. Menzie followed that by running up to break down and make a nice open field tackle of Rainey.
The defensive line and offensive line had their one-on-one battles as well. Overall the defense had a dominant day, but that shouldn't be surprising as the line has three definite first-round picks in North Carolina's Quinton Coples, South Carolina's Melvin Ingram and Alabama's Courtney Upshaw. Here is a scorecard of some of the one-on-one action:
Coples was dynamite. He beat tackles with a elite skill set, and was essentially unblockable. He started out by beating Tory tackle James Brown with a speed rush towards the interior of the pocket. Coples slapped and fought away Florida State offensive tackle Zebrie Sanders to win an edge rush. In the rematch, Coples grabbed a hold of Sanders and tossed him aside to run free to the quarterback marker. Coples beat Illinois tackle Jeff Allen twice, once with a nice speed rush and a swim move to cut to the inside. Another win came at the expense of UAB tackle Matt McCants. Coples showed a complete package with speed and power to go along with a repertoire of moves.
Ingram was dominant as well. He beat Sanders with a bull rush. He also burned Sanders with with a speed rush around the corner. Ingram got Sanders again by starting to the outside before darting to the inside to get pressure. Ingram burst by Georgia guard Cordy Glenn and Allen to win two more reps.
Upshaw went virtually undefeated as well. He burned McCants on a speed rush around the corner on two reps. Upshaw also bull rushed his way through James Brown.
Glenn came back to stop some bull rushes cold. He blocked Texas defensive tackle Kheeston Randall, Tennessee defensive tackle Malik Jackson and Florida's Jaye Howard.
Clemson defensive tackle Brandon Thompson had one of the most impressive rushes when he burned Glenn with a quick spin move. Thompson started to the outside before spinning back to the inside to jet by Glenn. Thompson was stopped by Jones. Thompson had wins against Baylor center Philip Blake and LSU guard Will Blackwell.
Blake walled off a bull rush from North Carolina defensive tackle Tydreke Powell.
Upshaw got a win with a bull rush running right through Brown.
Texas A&M's Tony Jerod-Eddie beat Allen and Blackwell. Blackwell really struggled on Tuesday. Jerod-Eddie bull rushed through Georgia guard Ben Jones.
Randle had beat Jones with a rush where he knocked Jones back on his heels before jetting by him.
In the team scrimmage session, Coples kept coming. He bull rushed through Sanders on a zone run to the right. That let him start a gang tackle for a loss. Coples blew by Sanders a few more times on speed rushes. In a game, he easily could have had a sack or two. To finish out the impressive day for the defensive line, Jerod-Eddie and Howard combined to record a sack after they burst through the line.
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2012 Senior Bowl: Wednesday North Practice Report
Audie Cole, ILB, N.C. State
Audie Cole had another really nice practice, as he stood out in the one-on-one drills. He could be making his way toward the second round.
Vinny Curry, DE/OLB, Marshall
Another up-and-down practice for Vinny Curry, who easily beat Kevin Zeitler, but then was stonewalled by Kelechi Osemele when lining up inside.
"There's a little buzz going on about him," said Mike Mayock. "He doesn't do anything great, but he does everything well. That motor is going to get him into the second round."
Alfonzo Dennard, CB, Nebraska
Two cornerbacks bounced back from a rough start to this week. Alfonzo Dennard made a really nice pass break-up on Brian Quick on seven-on-sevens.
Donnie Fletcher, CB, Boston College
The other corner who rebounded was Donnie Fletcher, who hit hard and excelled in the run-blocking drill. Mike Mayock noted that onlookers like it when prospects improve off a bad start.
"Fletcher struggled Monday," Mayock said. "But I thought he came back yesterday and got a bit of a buzz when he got his hands on people."
Cam Johnson, DE, Virginia
Cam Johnson has enjoyed some very good Senior Bowl practices. Mike Mayock took note of this.
"Cam Johnson is interesting," Mayock said. "I don't know where you line him up, but he's had a really good week."
Mike Martin, DT, Michigan
Mike Martin wasn't as dominant as he was Tuesday, but he still stood out with some solid performances in the one-on-ones. He's probably helped himself more than anybody at the Senior Bowl. He's listed in the third round of today's 2012 NFL Mock Draft update, but I may have to move him up next week.
Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State
Another poor outing for Kellen Moore. All I'm hearing is "he's the next Tyler Palko." If you watched the Chiefs this year, you know that's not a good thing.
Chris Polk, RB, Washington
The Sun Tan Man suggested that Chris Polk has hurt himself more than any running back this week, and I couldn't agree more. Perhaps it's the weight he recently put on, but he looks really slow on the field.
Mitchell Schwartz, OT, California
Right tackle Mitchell Schwartz caught my eye when he made some nice blocks in the one-on-ones on Monday, but I didn't mention him. He stood out again today, prompting Mike Mayock to compliment him.
"Schwartz is going to force me to do some more tapework on him," Mayock said. "He's a better athlete than I thought."
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2012 Senior Bowl: Wednesday North Practice Report
By Charlie Campbell - @draftcampbell
The North team took to the field of Ladd Peebles Stadium for their third practice of Senior Bowl on Wednesday morning. The Minnesota Vikings coaching staff was in charge of the North team and they had the players practicing in full pads. Tuesday and Wednesday are the full-padded sessions. To start out practice they worked on special teams and in their individual position groups.
The linebackers received some expert coaching from Hall of Fame linebacker Mike Singletary. Nebraska linebacker Lavonte David has very quick feet, but Singletary was riding him not to be too high in his upper body and maintain a better body lean. Singletary had a lot of praise for Boise State outside linebacker Shea McClellin. Nevada linebacker James-Michael Johnson looked bad in the bag work. Singletary made him start over numerous times because Johnson's footwork and body lean were sloppy. Johnson seemed to be frustrating Singletary.
Shortly later, the linebackers, safeties, tight ends and running backs battled in a one-on-one pass defense scrimmage. Wisconsin fullback Bradie Ewing started the session strong by burning Johnson. Ewing ran a slant and than cut out across the field. Overall, Johnson looks rather stiff and probably should play on the inside of a 3-4 defense. David had tight coverage on Cincinnati running back Isaiah Pead to force an incompletion.
Boise State running back Doug Martin had a solid practice. In the one-on-ones he burned college teammate McClellin on a corner post route. Martin ran a deep post to get separation on North Carolina State linebacker Audie Cole for another catch.
One running back that wasn't getting much separation was Washington's Chris Polk. He was covered closely by Utah State's Bobby Wagner on a few reps. Polk has been unimpressive this week and his stock could take a dip as a result.
Michigan State tight end Brian Linthicum had a nice win over Penn State defensive back D'Anton Lynn. Notre Dame safety Harrison Smith stayed stride for stride with Missouri tight end Michael Egnew. Massachusetts tight end Emil Igwenagu burned Boise State safety George Iloka on a slant route. Igwenagu followed that up with a nice one-handed catch during the install session.
The wide receivers and cornerbacks had another one-on-one session on one part of the field while a nine-on-nine run scrimmage was held on the other side. Half of this practice period was a different kind of one-on-one. On Wednesday they had the cornerbacks and wide receivers going against each other in blocks as if there was a perimeter run.
One receiver who had an impressive day was Iowa's Marvin McNutt. He won his first receiving rep by beating Oklahoma cornerback Jamell Fleming on a dig route. Fleming got some revenge by getting by a block from McNutt later on, but the big wideout played well in the team scrimmage.
Boston College cornerback Donnie Fletcher played well and he stood out on Wednesday. He's had a strong Senior Bowl overall. Fletcher had a nice jam on a route from Ohio State's DeVier Posey. Fletcher stayed with Posey as he ran his route and slapped the ball away for an incompletion. Fletcher showed real strength and physicality in the run defense portion. He blasted Arizona State wide receiver Gerell Robinson in two reps. The second one saw Fletcher knock Robinson to the ground to defeat the block.
Nebraska cornerback Alfonzo Dennard had a mixed performance. He looked bad in trailing a pass route from Cal receiver Marvin Jones. Dennard didn't turn and run well with Jones. Downfield Dennard lost his feet and fell down to let Jones get wide open. In run blocking, Dennard came back to beat two blocks from Posey. Jones lost a block to Iowa State's Leonard Johnson, but out-muscled Johnson for a reception in the pass-receiving portion.
The defensive line and offensive lines battled in one-on-ones, and there are definitely some prospects that are really helping themselves. The defensive line has a bigger advantage in this drill because they don't have to play the run before rushing the passer like they do in many plays in an actual game. They also don't take on any double teams or have to overcome a chip from a running back or tight end. Here is a scorecard of some of the one-on-one action:
One of the standouts for the North has been Connecticut defensive tackle Kendall Reyes. He beat Wisconsin guard Kevin Zeitler with a speed rush and as he shoved Zeitler away he popped the guard's helmet off. Reyes bull rushed through Washington left tackle Senio Kelemete. On a speed rush, Reyes burned Penn State guard Johnnie Troutman. Troutman was on his heels so much that he stumbled and fell flat on his a**.
Washington defensive tackle Alameda Ta'amu had a solid day on Wednesday. He bull rushed through Ohio State center Mike Brewster for a win. Brewster got some revenge by riding Ta'amu around the pocket on a rematch. Ta'amu showed some speed when he rocked Troutman off the snap and ran by the off-balanced lineman. In a rematch, Ta'amu beat Troutman again. Ta'amu started with a bull rush and then executed a spin move that caught Troutman by surprise, and Ta'amu jetted to the quarterback marker.
Michigan defensive tackle Mike Martin had a big day Tuesday, but did not do as well on Wednesday. Utah guard Tony Bergstrom stood Martin straight up on a bull rush. Martin won the rematch with a speed rush to the outside shoulder of Bergstrom. Martin used a speed rush and a swim move to get by Wake Forest offensive lineman Joe Looney.
One of the stars of Wednesday's practice was Virginia defensive end Cam Johnson. He blasted by Ohio State offensive tackle Mike Adams to cause a tackle in the nine-on-nine scrimmage, and Johnson kept up the heat in the one-on-ones. He beat Adams on a speed rush. Adams tried to grab Johnson, but he was tossed aside as Johnson coasted to the marker. Adams won a rep against Johnson when he stuffed a bull rush.
Adams once again had some reps where he looked great followed by others where he was terrible. One win came against Marshall's Vinny Curry. At left tackle, Adams got a hold of Curry on an edge rush and kept him out of the pocket. At right tackle, Curry fired off the snap with speed off the edge. He sunk his hips and got skinny to get leverage on Adams. The big tackle couldn't do the same as Curry reached the marker with Adams falling onto the ground at the spot of the quarterback.
Curry exploited a couple of mismatches when he lined up at defensive tackle. He beat Bergstrom and Zeitler. Zeitler had no answer for Curry's speed as he raced by him with a swim move. Zeitler also lost on a speed rush to Boise State defensive tackle Billy Winn. It was an ugly rep for Zeitler.
Cincinnati defensive tackle/end Derek Wolfe was ridden around the pocket by Brewster on one rep. Wolfe beat Cal offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz with a speed rush around the corner.
Iowa State offensive tackle/guard Kelechi Osemele had a good practice. He put Winn into the ground with a near pancake block. Osemele also mirrored a speed rush from Penn State defensive end Jack Crawford.
In the 11-on-11 team scrimmage, the offensive line had some better plays. Zeitler and Schwartz combined on the right side of the line to blast open a big hole for Boise State running back Doug Martin. Zeitler also had a pancake block later.
Reyes kept charging through the line and forced a big tackle for a loss. Wolfe had a sack of Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson on a bootleg. Wolfe made a good read and fired into the backfield to tap Wilson's pads before running by him. Curry had a nice rush where he blew by Adams to flush the quarterback out of the pocket. Lavonte David also had a tackle for a loss after he fired into the backfield on a play. Johnson beat Adams for a probable sack on a speed rush. Ta'amu had some good plays and was disruptive.
Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore hit McNutt on a deep out after he beat Fleming to get open. On another play Moore had Ewing running wide open after Michigan State safety Trenton Robinson lost track of his man. The pass was horribly thrown and sailed incomplete. Moore also had a fumbled snap in shotgun. McNutt worked his way through zone coverage to make a big gain on a pass from Michigan State's Kirk Cousins.
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2012 Senior Bowl: Wednesday South Practice Report
By Charlie Campbell - @draftcampbell
The South team took to the field of Ladd Peebles Stadium for their third practice of Senior Bowl on Wednesday afternoon. The Washington Redskins coaching staff was in charge of the South team and they had the players practicing in full pads with a quick tempo. Tuesday and Wednesday are the full-padded sessions. To start out practice they worked in their individual position groups. Soon the linebackers and running backs got together to battle in a one-on-one blitz pickup session.
The star of the drill was Arkansas defensive end/outside linebacker Jake Bequette. In college he didn't play outside linebacker, but some 3-4 defenses will consider Bequette for that role in the NFL. Bequette was too big and powerful for the backs to block. He bull rushed through Louisiana Tech running back Lennon Creer on two reps. He blasted his way through Florida Atlantic running back Alfred Morris and Mississippi State running back Vick Ballard. Bequette had a huge size advantage and he used that to win his reps.
Texas linebackers Emmanuel Acho and Keenan Robinson had success as well. Acho torched Baylor running back Terrance Ganaway with a rush around the edge. Robinson flew by a block with a speed rush. There was a rep that Robinson lost as he was held off by Creer. Ganaway earned a victory after he stood up Miami linebacker Sean Spence after withstanding the initial hit. Spence also had a win over Ganaway with a swim move after rocking Ganaway with some hard contact.
North Carolina outside linebacker Zach Brown thrived. He beat blockers with speed and strength. Brown had wins over Ballard, Ganaway and Creer. Morris had the best block of Brown and stalled him long enough for a quarterback to potentially get a pass off.
The one-on-one scrimmages continued when the wide receivers and cornerbacks battled. Here is a scorecard of some of that action:
Texas A&M wide receiver Jeff Fuller started slowly with a leaping dropped touchdown on a deep ball. On another rep, North Alabama cornerback Janoris Jenkins had tight coverage on Fuller to force an incompletion. Fuller did beat Jenkins on a deep post for a nice gain.
North Carolina wide receiver Dwight Jones had a step on Jenkins, but the pass was thrown too late. Jenkins recovered to slap the ball away.
Arizona wide receiver Juron Criner had a good practice and beat Furman cornerback Ryan Steed on a deep crossing route. On another rep, Criner was covered closely by Alabama cornerback DeQuan Menzie running down the middle of the field, but the big wideout used his size to climb the ladder and make an impressive catch over Menzie. On a jump ball for Criner in the end zone, Steed bounced back by forcing an incompletion as he slapped the pass away.
Louisiana-Lafayette tight end Ladarius Green beat Menzie for a reception on a crossing route. Menzie was close, but it was impressive to see Green get the completion against a quality cover corner.
South Carolina safety Antonio Allen forced an incompletion against Arkansas wide receiver Joe Adams. Martin used the sideline as help as he angled Adams out of bounds. That got praise from Washington Redskins defensive backs coach Raheem Morris.
Vanderbilt cornerback Casey Hayward had a nice win as he recovered after Houston wide receiver Patrick Edwards briefly came open. Hayward gave Edwards a hard shove to push him to the turf along the sideline. Shortly later Edwards appeared to pull his hamstring while running downfield.
Alabama tight end Brad Smelley had a good gain on a crossing route going against LSU safety Brandon Taylor.
The defensive and offensive lines had their final padded one-on-one session of the Senior Bowl week on Wednesday afternoon. The defensive line of the South is the clearly the most talented position group on either team. North Carolina defensive end Quinton Coples looks like a top-10 pick, while Alabama's Courtney Upshaw and South Carolina's Melvin Ingram could easily go in the top 25 on Draft Day. The rundown of these one-on-one battles features a lot of wins for those three prospects.
Coples got it started by beating Florida State offensive tackle Zebrie Sanders with a speed rush to the interior of the pocket. In the rematch Coples got by Sanders with speed around the edge. Coples went back to the inside to get a win against Georgia guard/tackle Cordy Glenn. In the rematch, Coples started with a bull rush into Glenn before disengaging and winning with a speed rush.
Ingram got his wins started with a spin move to slide by Illinois lineman Jeff Allen. UAB offensive tackle Matt McCants had a near draw with Ingram as he slowed him down after allowing some initial penetration. Ingram beat LSU's Will Blackwell with a speed rush around the edge. Ingram had two wins against Sanders on speed rushes around the corner. The one loss that Ingram had came when he rushed against Alabama center William Vlachos and the heavy center was able to grab a hold of Ingram and push him around the center of the pocket.
Upshaw's reps didn't start well as Glenn mirrored and fought him off on an edge rush. In the rematch, Upshaw jetted by Glenn to get a victory. Upshaw had a draw with a bull rush against Sanders that was stopped after allowing some pressure. Upshaw came back to beat Sanders with a speed and power rush along the outside. Upshaw had a win with a bull rush through McCants.
Glenn had an easy time stopping Tennessee's Malik Jackson. Against Sanders, Jackson got the better of the rep with a speed rush and a swim move after contact. He also beat McCants on a bull rush.
Texas A&M defensive tackle Tony Jerod-Eddie had a draw going against Alabama center William Vlachos. Jerod-Eddie tried a bull rush against Baylor center Philip Blake and it went nowhere, but Blake did lose a rep to Texas defensive tackle Kheeston Randall.
Vlachos lost a bull rush to North Carolina defensive tackle Tydreke Powell as he charged hard to the quarterback marker.
Clemson defensive tackle Brandon Thompson was put into the ground when he tried to do a spin move on Blackwell. Thompson rebounded to get a win with a bull rush through Georgia center Ben Jones.
In the 11-on-11 team scrimmage, the star defensive linemen continued to have their way. On one of the first plays, Upshaw burned Sanders with a speed rush to get a likely sack of Arizona quarterback Nick Foles. Robinson had a nice tackle of Creer.
Florida running back Chris Rainey came wide open in the deep part of the field but dropped the pass from quarterback Ryan Lindley as Rainey backpedaled. Oklahoma State safety Markelle Martin had a nice run stuff and filled the hole at the point of attack. Martin also showcased tough run defense in the nine-on-nine scrimmage. Rainey did catch a short cross with Martin a hair late coming to break the pass up. The speedy Rainey turned into some open field and sprinted through the secondary for a good gain.
Coples burned Sanders on a speed rush for a likely sack in a real game on one of the final practice reps. After practice, it looked like Sanders and agent Drew Rosenhaus were having an unpleasant conversation.
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Word is that the Cleveland Browns have serious interest in Ohio State offensive tackle Mike Adams. He has been inconsistent in Mobile, and that was his track record with the Buckeyes. Still, Adams plays a position with a high demand, and at the Senior Bowl he has also taken reps at right tackle. Cleveland could target Adams with their second first-round pick (from Atlanta) to upgrade their right side and replace veteran Tony Pashos. Adams could be a good bookend on the other side from Joe Thomas.
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Him having a track record of being inconsistent would fit right in with the Browns.
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