This is Charlie Campbell’s Wednesday 2015 Senior Bowl Practice Report. Charlie is reporting live from Mobile, Ala., and he’ll describe what he sees at practice and whom certain prospects talk to all week.
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2015 Senior Bowl: Wednesday Practice Report: North Team
By Charlie Campbell –
@draftcampbell
The North team took the field of Ladd-Peebles Stadium for their second practice of the Senior Bowl. The Tennessee Titans coaching staff ran the practice and will coach them all week. The Titans staff had the players practicing in full pads. Tennessee’s staff kept them going at a good pace and at a reasonably physical level. The North team started the session with some install and work in individual position groups. After that the players did a few one-on-one sessions, a few periods of special teams work and a team scrimmage. Here is a run down of the noteworthy players.
Washington defensive tackle Danny Shelton used Wednesday to validate his hype as one of the best prospects at the Senior Bowl. He was in dominant form in the pass-rushing one-on-ones; none of the offensive linemen could block him. Shelton repeatedly used his bull rush to earn wins over Duke guard Laken Tomlinson, Florida center Max Garcia and Marshall’s Chris Jasperse. There was one play where Tomlinson had a nice recovery after Shelton achieved some penetration, but on all the other reps, Shelton was getting to the quarterback marker. After that one rep where Tomlinson did decent, Shelton came back with a furious rush of power to rock Tomlinson back, a swim move to toss him aside and speed to collapse the pocket. It was a very impressive rush that showed teams everything they could want in terms of power, speed and hand usage. Shelton’s dominant period will help to validate his high draft grade.
Another player discussed as a potential first-rounder is Pittsburgh offensive tackle T.J. Clemmings. He had a rough day on Wednesday and struggled in pass protection. In the one-on-ones, Utah edge rusher Nate Orchard used speed to get by Clemmings, who had to chase after Orchard and simply try to grab him by the back of his jersey. Orchard won a rematch when he bull rushed Clemmings into the quarterback marker. Penn State’s Deion Barnes beat Clemmings with a speed rush to the inside.
During the 11-on-11 team scrimmage, Barnes beat Clemmings with a speed rush for a sack. Clemmings did have some nice blocks, including a running play against Orchard, and saw some snaps at left tackle. To close out the practice, Washington’s Hau’Oli Kikaha beat Clemmings to the inside on a pass play for a pressure. Clemmings has only played tackle for two years, and it shows. He is raw and needs development. Thus, the projections as a top-20 pick could be over eager.
Both Orchard and Kikaha had did well in practice. Orchard used his strength and speed to win reps in the one-on-ones and his pass-rushing ability looks ready to contribute at the next level. Orchard beat tight ends in pass blocking and stuffed some runs in the run scrimmage. Over two sessions, Orchard has handled himself well.
In the pass-rushing one-on-ones with tight ends versus linebackers, Kikaha was dominant. None of the tight ends could consistently block him, and that is a matchup Kikaha won throughout his college career. He repeatedly beat Delaware tight end Nick Boyle on Wednesday. Kikaha used speed to run around him on a reps. He used a swim move and dipped underneath Kent State tight end Casey Pierce as well. To finish that session, Kikaha used a lightning-fast spin move to fly by Notre Dame’s Ben Koyack.
On other reps, Kikaha beat Wisconsin right tackle Rob Havenstein with a speed rush to the inside. He also had a run stuff at the line of scrimmage in the 11-on-11 session. Kikaha is helping himself and looks like a great fit as a starting 3-4 outside linebacker.
Minnesota running back David Cobb performed well on Wednesday. He held his own in the blitz-protection drills, including winning two out of three reps with USC inside linebacker Hayes Pullard. After Pullard won one by knocking Cobb back, Cobb came back to push Pullard around the marker. Cobb won the third try by pushing Pullard back and keeping him away from the marker.
Cobb followed a nice block from Florida center Max Garcia in the run scrimmage to rip off a 20-yard touchdown run. In the team scrimmage, Cobb had a nice gain on a screen pass and showed some quickness on the play. Speed is the biggest question mark for Cobb, and he hasn’t looked slow thus far. Cobb could be in the process of improving his draft stock, and if he practices well on Thursday, that could complete a solid week.
Iowa defensive tackle Carl Davis flashed at times on Wednesday. He destroyed a run play to get a tackle for a loss in the run scrimmage. Davis used his power to shed a block and burst into the backfield. He also had a quick pass rush with a swim move to beat Arizona State’s Jamil Douglas. Davis can look great on some plays and pedestrian on others. If he could play more consistently, he could be a steal.
Duke wide receiver Jamison Crowder had a quality practice on Wednesday. He made an impressive hands catch while running to the sideline and tapping his feet in bounds. Crowder is quick and runs good routes. He looks like a slot receiver and returner weapon.
One of the highlight plays of the practice was an on-the-money throw from Oregon State quarterback Sean Mannion. He set up in the pocket and dropped in a beauty to tight end Nick Boyle, who was running a corner post between Ohio State’s Doran Grant and Michigan State’s Kurtis Drummond. It was a great throw by Mannion.
USC cornerback Josh Shaw was beaten along the sideline by East Carolina’s Justin Hardy for a chunk gain downfield. Shaw plays press-man corner, but for the NFL, he could be best as a rangy free safety. Shaw has the build to be able to move to the middle of the field.
Texas linebacker Jordan Hicks also played well and blew up a few running plays. He is a really sold player, but he has a huge medical history. Scouts were asking him about that after practice, and he was listing a series of injuries with a few surgeries. If Hicks can stay healthy, he’s a a tough linebacker.
2015 Senior Bowl Home
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2015 Senior Bowl: Friday's Rumor Mill
Interview with Nate Orchard at 2015 Senior Bowl
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2015 Senior Bowl Thursday's North Practice Report
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Interview with Devin Smith at 2015 Senior Bowl
Interview with Phillip Dorsett at 2015 Senior Bowl
2015 Senior Bowl: Wednesday's Rumor Mill
2015 Senior Bowl Wednesday's North Team Prospect Meetings
2015 Senior Bowl Wednesday's South Team Prospect Meetings
2015 Senior Bowl Tuesday's North Practice Report
2015 Senior Bowl Tuesday's South Practice Report
Interview with T.J. Clemmings at 2015 Senior Bowl
2015 Senior Bowl: Tuesday's Rumor Mill
Interview with Danny Shelton at 2015 Senior Bowl
2015 Senior Bowl Tuesday's Prospect Meetings
2015 Senior Bowl Tuesday's North Practice Report
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2015 Senior Bowl: Monday's Rumor Mill
2015 Senior Bowl Weigh-In: Quarterbacks
2015 Senior Bowl Weigh-In: Running Backs
2015 Senior Bowl Weigh-In: Wide Receivers
2015 Senior Bowl Weigh-In: Tight Ends
2015 Senior Bowl Weigh-In: Offensive Linemen
2015 Senior Bowl Weigh-In: Defensive Linemen
2015 Senior Bowl Weigh-In: Linebackers
2015 Senior Bowl Weigh-In: Defensive Backs
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