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2012 Senior Bowl Pracrice Wrap-up

by Paul Guillemette and Colin Lindsay
January 27, 2012
    That's a wrap.... Practices have wrapped up in Mobile prior to Saturday's actual Senior Bowl game. In fact, most scouts cleared town after Wednesday's full-pads workout as the remaining practice sessions are mostly glorified walk-throughs with some special teams work thrown in in preparation for the game. As well, NFL teams put far more emphasis on what happens on the practice field as opposed to the actual game. And just as well perhaps because it poured in Mobile on Thursday forcing what workouts that were held indoors.

    It is also important not to put too much emphasis on what happens at the Senior Bowl. With underclassmen not eligible to attend and several of the top-rated seniors passing on the event, only a fraction of the top prospects for the 2012 draft are actually in Mobile this week. Indeed, only one of the players rated in the top 10 in the latest 'GBN 'Big Board' for example was at this year's Senior Bowl, as were just 12 of the top-rated 40 prospects for the 2012 draft.
    As well, at least in broad statistical terms, what happens in Mobile is in fact a very small sample. When all is said and done, the players are really on the field for a only a total of 3-4 hours and will only be involved in a limited number of plays at speed with real contact. It is also perhaps just as important to keep in mind that the ultimate goal of pro scouts is to try and project how well a player will perform in the NFL in 2-3 years rather than whether he necessarily makes a play today. As a result, pro teams are often as interested in the intangibles such as how coachable the players appear to be and how they relate to their teammates as much as how well they actually perform on the field.

    It is also worth noting that the all-star game setting have a number of limitations for particular positions. QBs, for example, are asked work with unfamiliar receivers in often unfamiliar schemes which are designed to test as much their ability to learn and adapt rather than their actual passing skills. Same story for RBs who will never get enough touches in an all-star week to get into any kind of rhythm, as well as LBs and safeties, who area almost by definition limited by the lack of overall hitting in an all-star game. In contrast, all-star settings are probably better suited to evaluating positions such as offensive and defensive linemen. The one-on-one pass rush drills, for example, can provide some pretty useful data about offensive and defensive linemen, although even that drill can be misleading because the pass rushers tend to have more space to operate than they normally would in full-line situation.

    The bottom line is that the Senior Bowl is a useful part of the pre-draft process, but certainly not as important as the combine. Its also not as important as the regular season tape evaluation. Indeed, few NFL teams will dramatically alter their grades on specific players based on what they see at the all-star games including the Senior Bowl. Instead, what most teams will head back to the game tapes when a player either exceeds expectations, or disappoints, at the Senior Bowl to check for what they may have missed.

    All that said, here's our list of the Top 25 players down here this week, although the order is more subjective than scientific.

    1)    DE QUINTON COPLES, NORTH CAROLINA       dominated all week defending the run or pass
    2)    G/T CORDY GLENN, GEORGIA                              did things a guy his size shouldn't be able to
    3)    DE COURTNEY UPSHAW, ALABAMA                   says he will be at LB at combine but more than held his own at DE
    4)    CB BRANDON BOYKIN, GEORGIA                       a bit small but is fast, feisty play maker
    5)    OLB ZACH BROWN, NORTH CAROLINA            the best pure 3-down LB in the country
    6)    RB DOUG MARTIN, BOISE STATE                        strong, quick and explosive with a great attitude
    7)    OT MIKE ADAMS, OHIO STATE                             you can't coach size plus he has athleticism to boot
    8)    FS ANTONIO ALLEN, SOUTH CAROLINA            still learning the position but hits a ton and finds the ball
    9)    LB AUDIE COLE, NORTH CAROLINA STATE     working on the Matthews and makes plays all over the field
    10)  CB JANORIS JENKINS, NORTH ALABAMA        not a great cover-corner, but battles, has a nose for the ball and hits a ton for his size)
    11)  G/T KELECHI OSEMELE, IOWA STATE                moved his feet well enough to stay at RT with his long arms
    12)  WR JURON CRINER, ARIZONA                             has questionable speed, but he gets open and catches everything
    13)  DE MELVIN INGRAM, SOUTH CAROLINA         great athlete in a slightly undersized body, may be just a pass-rush specialist
    14)  WR T.J. GRAHAM, NORTH CAROLINA STATE  former track guy with soft hands and great speed, but is still learning the position
    15)  DT KENDALL REYES, UCONN                               versatile inside player who chased the ball and gave blockers fits
    16)  RB VICK BALLARD, MISSISSIPPI STATE           can do a little of everything and is explosive through creases
    17)  G/T JEFF ALLEN, ILLINOIS                                     lots of talk he'd be best inside, but was good outside too  
    18)  OLB KEENAN ROBINSON, TEXAS                        always around the ball and doesn't make many mistakes
    19)  SS GEORGE ILOKA, BOISE STATE                        tall safety who needs work on coverage, but has a nose for the ball and will hit
    20)  MLB JAMES-MICHAEL JOHNSON, NEVADA     Singletary looked like he was coaching a young clone of himself
    21)  OT MATT McCANTS, UAB                                        raw football talent who already holds his own and has great upside
    22)  QB BRANDON WEEDEN, OKLAHOMA STATE   made all the throws and would be flirting with first round if younger
    23)  WR DEVIER POSEY, OHIO STATE                          got high praise from coaches for effort and consistency
    24)  WR JOE ADAMS, ARKANSAS                                  still runs sloppy patterns and drops balls at times, but has the breakaway speed you can't coach
    25)  TE DEANGELO PETERSON, LSU                             athletic receiver was open all week and showed nice hands, but may have to find a niche at the next level

    And a few honorable mentions: RB Lennon Creer of Louisiana Tech; WR Marvin Jones of California, Florida RB/WR Chris Rainey, Penn State OG Johnnie Troutman, Louisiana-Lafayete CB Bill Bentley, Troy G/T James Brown, Florida DT Jaye Howard, and UMass FB Emil Igwenagu.

    On the other hand, guys who likely didn't do a whole to help their draft stock this week included QBs Ryan Lindley of San Diego State and Boise State's Kellen Moore; RBs Chris Polk of Washington and Baylor's Terrance Ganaway; WR Dwight Jones of North Carolina; DEs Billy Winn of Boise State and Marshall's Vinny Curry; and Washington DT Alameda Ta'amu. 

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