2011 NFL Draft Stock Up: Senior Bowl Game
Sam Acho, DE/OLB, Texas Sam Acho had a sack in the Senior Bowl, beating the heralded Nate Solder. He also notched two TFLs and a forced fumble. Acho, who has great quickness, really benefited from this performance because this draft class is really lacking in 3-4 pass rushers once you get past the elite guys and Justin Houston.
Kendric Burney, CB, North Carolina Kendric Burney gave up a touchdown to Leonard Hankerson and missed a tackle later on, but otherwise had an outstanding Senior Bowl. He nearly intercepted a Christian Ponder pass in the end zone and displayed great coverage skills throughout the afternoon. He also had a great tackle on special teams. Mike Mayock is in love with him; he compared him to Brandon Flowers.
Leonard Hankerson, WR, Miami Leonard Hankerson was the best offensive player on the field in the Senior Bowl. He made numerous outstanding catches, including a 49-yarder where he made a great adjustment on Christian Ponder’s severely underthrown pass. Hankerson has a shot to go in the bottom of the first round if he has a good Combine.
Rodney Hudson, G, Florida State Rodney Hudson had a great Senior Bowl. Shifting between the left guard and right guard positions, Hudson constantly blasted open huge holes for his running backs. After a poor start to the week, Hudson finished extremely well, perhaps cementing his Round 2 status.
Colin Kaepernick, QB, Nevada Colin Kaepernick didn’t have a great game, but he played pretty well. On one play, he evaded a Brooks Reed sack, scrambled right and found his receiver downfield. However just a bit later, Kaepernick missed Dwayne Harris for a possible touchdown. Kaepernick definitely isn’t ready to play yet, but he has tremendous upside and could develop into a really good quarterback with the proper coaching. It would not surprise me at all if he’s the third signal-caller taken behind Blaine Gabbert and Cam Newton this April.
Derrick Locke, RB, Kentucky We all knew Derrick Locke was fast, but he showed off his lateral quickness and great vision in the Senior Bowl. If teams aren’t concerned about his durability, Locke could sneak into Round 3. There’s some Darren Sproles potential.
Colin McCarthy, ILB, Miami Colin McCarthy isn’t very fast, but he was all over the field in the Senior Bowl. He has great instincts, and some team may like that enough to pick him in Round 3 this April.
Von Miller, DE/OLB, Texas A&M Looks like Adam Schefter was right on the money when he tweeted that Von Miller would be a top-five pick this April. Miller was the best player on the field in the Senior Bowl. He completely disrupted the North team’s offense, even collecting a sack out of the defensive end position. It’s hard to imagine the Cardinals passing on him (though the Bills may take him at No. 3).
Christian Ponder, QB, Florida State Christian Ponder was named Senior Bowl MVP, going 7-of-13 for 132 yards and two touchdowns. He opened the game with a 49-yard completion to Leonard Hankerson, which was severely underthrown. Ponder’s first drive wasn’t very good, but he improved throughout the contest. He did a great job managing the game, but didn’t answer any of the concerns regarding his arm strength.
Bilal Powell, RB, Louisville Bilal Powell rushed for 50 yards on just 10 carries in the Senior Bowl, running with great power and decent speed.
Brooks Reed, DE/OLB, Arizona Along with Sam Acho and Phil Taylor, Brooks Reed helped the South destroy the North’s offensive line. Reed embarrassed Anthony Castonzo in the second quarter. Like Acho, Brooks had a sack and two TFLs.
Richard Sherman, CB, Stanford Richard Sherman was a late addition to the Senior Bowl roster, so it was nice to see him take advantage of his opportunity. Aside from one play late in the first half, Sherman had a great game; he intercepted Greg McElroy on a deep pass, but the pick was wiped out because of a penalty.
Ricky Stanzi, QB, Iowa Ricky Stanzi had a poor weak of practice, but really shined in the second half of the Senior Bowl. He had a breath-taking drive where he impressively split the cornerback and safety on one throw. Stanzi also showed great leadership on the sidelines, calling the team together when the South established a 17-0 lead.
Phil Taylor, NT, Baylor Phil Taylor dominated the North team’s supposed elite offensive line, beating double teams and wreaking havoc on the North’s quarterbacks. The NFL Network guys remarked that 335-pound players aren’t supposed to have Taylor’s moves. Taylor could sneak into the bottom of the first round.
DeMarcus Van Dyke, CB, Miami I mentioned DeMarcus Van Dyke earlier in the week, so I was pleased to see that he had a great game. Van Dyke drew an offensive pass interference flag on Titus Young in the third quarter of the Senior Bowl. Later, Van Dyke ran the opposing receiver’s route and nearly intercepted Jake Locker in the end zone.
Shareece Wright, CB, USC Shareece Wright played well in the Senior Bowl, nearly picking off Ricky Stanzi in the second quarter. Mike Mayock talked about Wright being a film rat; Wright apparently was studying tape Friday night in preparation for the game.
2011 NFL Draft Stock Down: Senior Bowl Game
Allen Bailey, DE/DT, Miami Allen Bailey sucked all week and did nothing during the game. I had to check the participation report to see if Bailey even played in the Senior Bowl. Bailey is really athletic, but he’s just a project at this point.
Anthony Castonzo, OT, Boston College Anthony Castonzo played some left guard in the Senior Bowl, which was a failed experiment. He also surrendered a sack in the second quarter to Brooks Reed, displaying ugly footwork.
Andy Dalton, QB, TCU I don’t understand how Andy Dalton is a Day 2 prospect. Dalton had a wide-open receiver down the field at the end of the first half, and completely missed him. The throw wasn’t even close. As forum member RoflDogs commented, “He makes Kyle Orton look like Matthew Stafford.” Dalton missed most of the second half with an injury.
Kai Forbath, K, UCLA Kai Forbath was wide left from 44 yards in the Senior Bowl. The kick wasn’t even close.
Jake Locker, QB, Washington Jake Locker’s poor Senior Bowl week culminated with a pedestrian performance in the actual game. He made a couple of nice throws in the second half, but the negatives completely outweighed the positives.
Locker once again displayed his trademark inconsistency and poor accuracy. He nearly got Titus Young killed on two throws because his passes were too high. He was almost intercepted in the end zone by DeMarcus Van Dyke. He fumbled twice. His footwork, as detailed by Mike Mayock, was very poor. His decision-making wasn’t very good either.
Locker is now a Round 2-3 prospect. There are things to like about his skill set, and with good coaching, he could become a solid quarterback in the NFL. However, I see a lot of Jake Plummer in him – which, unless you’re Mike Shanahan, is not a good thing.
Demarcus Love, OT/G, Arkansas Demarcus Love can’t play tackle. He really struggled in the Senior Bowl; on one play, he was beaten by Ryan Kerrigan and had to resort to holding the Purdue defensive end. This was a couple of plays after Love surrendered a sack to Kerrigan.
Nate Solder, OT, Colorado How is this guy the next Tony Boselli again? Nate Solder is constantly praised, yet he was easily beaten on numerous occasions in the Senior Bowl by Day 2 prospects like Sam Acho and Brooks Reed. He had some nice blocks in the running game, but overall, Solder was very unimpressive.
2011 Senior Bowl Stock: Senior Bowl Game
2011 Senior Bowl Stock: Day 4 Practice
2011 Senior Bowl Stock: Day 3 Practice
2011 Senior Bowl Stock: Day 2 Practice
2011 Senior Bowl Stock: Day 1 Practice
2011 Senior Bowl Stock: Weigh-In
2011 Senior Bowl Weigh-In: Quarterbacks
2011 Senior Bowl Weigh-In: Running Backs
2011 Senior Bowl Weigh-In: Wide Receivers
2011 Senior Bowl Weigh-In: Tight Ends
2011 Senior Bowl Weigh-In: Offensive Linemen
2011 Senior Bowl Weigh-In: Defensive Linemen
2011 Senior Bowl Weigh-In: Linebackers
2011 Senior Bowl Weigh-In: Defensive Backs
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