Prospect Watch: Senior Bowl 2010 GameDay Thread

Originally posted by MadDog49er:
Couple notes on the game:

Loved what I saw from many front seven defensive players in the game. Of course, the star was Brandon Graham, who was unblockable this season, this week during practices, and in the game. It will be more difficult in the pro game, but he has such a variety of moves (he's not a one-trick pony around the end) that he is going to be very solid either as a 4-3 DE or 3-4 OLB.

Kudos to Dan Williams, who was stout, and Geno Atkins, who is very quick. Williams is a guy the team should take a serious interest in, if they decide to trade down a few picks from their 16th/17th selection. He is a toilet clogger, but also can get up the field. One nice thing about NT: they seem to last longer than players from other positions. So, you get a decade of work, not 5-6 years.

I would put much stock in WR and secondary play. The schemes were limited, and the QB play was really limited. It is just too hard to grade these guys in this setting, since NFL QB's get the ball out so much quicker, and with tons more velocity.

I still think the Jags will pick Tebow at number 43, even though he has no business being selected before the 3rd round. He's simply not going to be a good QB in the NFL for a long time, if ever. Too bad, nice kid.

I know that many are upset, befuddled, skeptical of Mike Iupati after last night. All I can say are few words: BJ Raji, Joe Staley. Raji completely dominated Senior Bowl practices last year (he was the unquestioned star), and yet was invisible during the game. Eric Wood completely dominated him. Raji's stock was not hurt. Joe Staley allowed 3 sacks in the game, 2 against Jay Moore, after a terrific Senior Bowl week. And, his stock was not dinged.

In other words, the game means VERY LITTLE to scouts, coaches, GM's. It is really mainly for the fans. That is why the scouts, coaches, GM's hop on planes and take off. They saw these players all week long on what really matters to them: the one-on-one matchups in practices, in scrimmages, etc. So, while it is fun to watch the game, I believe fans radically overanalyze and overvalue what happens in the game.

The bottom line with Iupati is that he did not adjust terribly well to other positions outside of LG this week (although he did look very sharp at RT in one practice session). He did not look comfortable at RG during the game, and that is where his problems emerged. But, coaching can change many of these issues on the line, especially if you have a good athlete, who works hard, and is coachable. I still think the kid is going to be a Pro-Bowl guard or tackle someday. Don't let a few snaps at a foreign position sway you too far.

Likewise, I don't see much from Gilyard in the NFL. He's the darling today, but he had a very mixed week of practices, and from all accounts, dropped in value throughout the week.

So, take the game with a grain of salt.

MD.. I agree that the game isnt everything but I do think it exposed some weakness in Iupati and drops him to the bottom of round 1. While I wouldnt be upset if the Niners took him at 16/17 I think there are better options now.

Originally posted by DarthNiner:

Originally posted by MadDog49er:
Couple notes on the game:

Loved what I saw from many front seven defensive players in the game. Of course, the star was Brandon Graham, who was unblockable this season, this week during practices, and in the game. It will be more difficult in the pro game, but he has such a variety of moves (he's not a one-trick pony around the end) that he is going to be very solid either as a 4-3 DE or 3-4 OLB.

Kudos to Dan Williams, who was stout, and Geno Atkins, who is very quick. Williams is a guy the team should take a serious interest in, if they decide to trade down a few picks from their 16th/17th selection. He is a toilet clogger, but also can get up the field. One nice thing about NT: they seem to last longer than players from other positions. So, you get a decade of work, not 5-6 years.

I would put much stock in WR and secondary play. The schemes were limited, and the QB play was really limited. It is just too hard to grade these guys in this setting, since NFL QB's get the ball out so much quicker, and with tons more velocity.

I still think the Jags will pick Tebow at number 43, even though he has no business being selected before the 3rd round. He's simply not going to be a good QB in the NFL for a long time, if ever. Too bad, nice kid.

I know that many are upset, befuddled, skeptical of Mike Iupati after last night. All I can say are few words: BJ Raji, Joe Staley. Raji completely dominated Senior Bowl practices last year (he was the unquestioned star), and yet was invisible during the game. Eric Wood completely dominated him. Raji's stock was not hurt. Joe Staley allowed 3 sacks in the game, 2 against Jay Moore, after a terrific Senior Bowl week. And, his stock was not dinged.

In other words, the game means VERY LITTLE to scouts, coaches, GM's. It is really mainly for the fans. That is why the scouts, coaches, GM's hop on planes and take off. They saw these players all week long on what really matters to them: the one-on-one matchups in practices, in scrimmages, etc. So, while it is fun to watch the game, I believe fans radically overanalyze and overvalue what happens in the game.

The bottom line with Iupati is that he did not adjust terribly well to other positions outside of LG this week (although he did look very sharp at RT in one practice session). He did not look comfortable at RG during the game, and that is where his problems emerged. But, coaching can change many of these issues on the line, especially if you have a good athlete, who works hard, and is coachable. I still think the kid is going to be a Pro-Bowl guard or tackle someday. Don't let a few snaps at a foreign position sway you too far.

Likewise, I don't see much from Gilyard in the NFL. He's the darling today, but he had a very mixed week of practices, and from all accounts, dropped in value throughout the week.

So, take the game with a grain of salt.

Great insights MD, especially from the dline. Although I doubt we'll pick up a defensive player with our two first round picks.

I've got a feeling we will pick one defender in our top three picks: probably someone for the secondary.

Originally posted by Ninerjohn:

Originally posted by MadDog49er:
Couple notes on the game:

Loved what I saw from many front seven defensive players in the game. Of course, the star was Brandon Graham, who was unblockable this season, this week during practices, and in the game. It will be more difficult in the pro game, but he has such a variety of moves (he's not a one-trick pony around the end) that he is going to be very solid either as a 4-3 DE or 3-4 OLB.

Kudos to Dan Williams, who was stout, and Geno Atkins, who is very quick. Williams is a guy the team should take a serious interest in, if they decide to trade down a few picks from their 16th/17th selection. He is a toilet clogger, but also can get up the field. One nice thing about NT: they seem to last longer than players from other positions. So, you get a decade of work, not 5-6 years.

I would put much stock in WR and secondary play. The schemes were limited, and the QB play was really limited. It is just too hard to grade these guys in this setting, since NFL QB's get the ball out so much quicker, and with tons more velocity.

I still think the Jags will pick Tebow at number 43, even though he has no business being selected before the 3rd round. He's simply not going to be a good QB in the NFL for a long time, if ever. Too bad, nice kid.

I know that many are upset, befuddled, skeptical of Mike Iupati after last night. All I can say are few words: BJ Raji, Joe Staley. Raji completely dominated Senior Bowl practices last year (he was the unquestioned star), and yet was invisible during the game. Eric Wood completely dominated him. Raji's stock was not hurt. Joe Staley allowed 3 sacks in the game, 2 against Jay Moore, after a terrific Senior Bowl week. And, his stock was not dinged.

In other words, the game means VERY LITTLE to scouts, coaches, GM's. It is really mainly for the fans. That is why the scouts, coaches, GM's hop on planes and take off. They saw these players all week long on what really matters to them: the one-on-one matchups in practices, in scrimmages, etc. So, while it is fun to watch the game, I believe fans radically overanalyze and overvalue what happens in the game.

The bottom line with Iupati is that he did not adjust terribly well to other positions outside of LG this week (although he did look very sharp at RT in one practice session). He did not look comfortable at RG during the game, and that is where his problems emerged. But, coaching can change many of these issues on the line, especially if you have a good athlete, who works hard, and is coachable. I still think the kid is going to be a Pro-Bowl guard or tackle someday. Don't let a few snaps at a foreign position sway you too far.

Likewise, I don't see much from Gilyard in the NFL. He's the darling today, but he had a very mixed week of practices, and from all accounts, dropped in value throughout the week.

So, take the game with a grain of salt.

MD.. I agree that the game isnt everything but I do think it exposed some weakness in Iupati and drops him to the bottom of round 1. While I wouldnt be upset if the Niners took him at 16/17 I think there are better options now.

I'd say with confidence that there is zero chance he passes Pittsburgh at 18. Supposedly, the Steelers are looking heavily at him for either guard or tackle. And, don't be surprised to see the Cowboys trade up to 17 to pick him. The Cowboys are really high on him.

The weaknesses we saw in the game are minor corrections, and probably due to playing out of position more than anything else. Nobody was troubled by what they saw in practice, and that is where the vast majority of the evaluation takes place for this week. He does need to avoid clutching onto jerseys, but once again, this is something that can be corrected at the next level. His strength and athleticism, which he showed in practice is going to be the thoughts in the minds of scouts and coaches from this week. And, once again, fans have to take the game with a grain of salt. It is odd, but it has so very little impact on team grades.

When scouts say during the week that you are the best player on the field, which they did in stating he is the most likely player at the Senior Bowl to be a Pro-Bowler in the NFL, I tend to believe them. And, in the end, they are the ones that make the choice, not the fans.

Once again, fans need to not overemphasize the importance of this game.BJ Raji was dominated in the game, but stood out in practice. And, in the end, that is what helped him secure a top 10 pick.

Originally posted by mayo63:

Originally posted by KRS-1:

Originally posted by mayo63:
Isn't Haralson 6'1"? I don't see a problem here.

And a mid round pick on Nolan's watch.

But he's our starting OLB at 6'1". I thought that's what this argument was about.

Doesn't really matter, again Nolan had final say. He was a mid round pick which is a low risk.

Originally posted by 49wyztoscore:
Same reason that a lot of scouts watch the combine from home as stated by Mayock and if you listen at the end of the game he said WAS a late first round pick.
Brown fell justifiably due to his inability to play the run and he wasn't nimble enough for 3-4 OLB. I will guarantee you that Graham will be a top 15 pick at the least. Just ask Raji how much the senior bowl game meant to his stock. He had great practices and helped out his stock but his dominance of the game made it fly up the board. I think he went in the top ten last year.

You guys must have amnesia. Last year at this time everyone was all over Everette Brown and many a mocks on this site had him at #10 to us. He was gonna be the pass rusher we lacked opposite Haralson who a breakout player and could possibly reach double digit sacks this year, and now I've seen mocks with Haralson being cut.

Raji's Senior Bowl week is what did well for his stock, not his game performance which wasn't great.

Same s**t different year. You guys change your flavor of the moment player more than you likely change your underwear.

Originally posted by m_brockalexander:

Originally posted by WillistheWall:

Originally posted by KRS-1:
You guys do realize that there is not a lot of stock put into this game from scouts, coaches and GM's. The week of practice is more important.

A couple of ridiculous comments I'm seeing :

-Iupati in the 2nd/No to Iupati

-Graham working himself into the top 10

And FWIW before you go and type up your next mock after this game, Scot looks for OLB's for the 3-4 being at least 6"4 240 lbs. Graham lacks the prototypical height so do not be surprised if we don't take him. His lack of ideal height for a 3-4 OLB is what will likely cause him to go no higher than the 20-30 range overall.

You're acting like Graham just had one game and now he's amazing but he had a very good week of practice, he's very athletic despite being a bit short, and he's been doing this all season in college too. I've always thought of him as a first round pick personally, even when people say no he's a 2nd.

4 year player.......led nation this year with 26.5 TFL........10.5 sacks while being double teamed most of the time.....................had a dominant week of practice and the Defensive MVP of the game............

I think Graham is a little bit more than a one week wonder.

Never said he wasn't. Merely stating his good week of practice at the Senior Bowl did not elevate his draft status to top 10.

Some people must have forgotten there are still 3 months left of this process and stocks will rise and fall during that time.

Originally posted by oldninerdude:

Originally posted by KRS-1:
You guys do realize that there is not a lot of stock put into this game from scouts, coaches and GM's. The week of practice is more important.

That was a reference to KRS-1's assertion, above, that GMs and scouts don't care about this game and that those of us who watched it and commented on some aspects of it are being "ridiculous" in our observations, or otherwise not living up to his expectations in some way.

Do you lack reading comprehension skills or are you purposely twisting my words ? Show me where I said they "don't care" ? There is a big difference between not caring and what I actually said "there is not a lot of stock put into this game".

And I stand by what I said that there are ridiculous comments being made, Graham's performance in the game will not work him into the top 10 and Iupati's performance in the same game will not drop him to the 2nd round.

Originally posted by krizay:
His point wasn't about you guys commenting on games. It was about how some used this game to jump one guy up more than half the spots he was projected to go. Then moved down another by about 20+ spots on this one game. Had general comments have been made i'm sure there wouldn't have been a post about it. As it stands there were some comments that could be viewed as "ridiculous" depending on what side of the fence you're on. It really is just a matter of opinion on where you had these guys rated before this game.

All by the performance of 1 game. It's as ridiculous as those who watch a highly touted college prospect play 1 regular season game or his teams bowl game after hearing WZ or ESPN hype and the kid goes out has a bad game and they have decided that the kid is not worth drafting. One game does not make or break or you including the Senior Bowl, but the week of Senior Bowl practice can have a strong positive or negative outcome on your stock. Luckily for some (and unluckily for others sometimes) there is still the combine, pro days and invitations from some teams for private workouts to help counter a bad week at the SB or no showing it.

Originally posted by oldninerdude:

I didn't see anyone posting a mock draft or assigning draft numbers on guys while commenting on the game in this thread, but if that's who he was criticizing, then he should have said so.

The way it came out, it read like he was criticizing all of us who bothered to watch the game (cause the scouts and GMs don't bother to do so) and posted observations about what we saw.

Again criticizing those who jumped the gun by the middle of the 3rd quarter and who had started to think that we could Iupati in the 2nd and that Graham was playing himself into the top 10.

Did you see a thread wondering if Graham could be top 10 after his strong week of practice ? I didn't. People (outside of NinerJohn) only started to start mentioning him as a possibility at 16/17 once they saw him play in this game, and some were already penciling him in at 13.

Had I posted a thread saying I think we could get Iupati in the 2nd after Wednesday's Senior Bowl practice I would have been hung out to dry by webzoners for saying something so crazy yet it becomes OK to say that after he failed to follow up his strong week of practice with a strong game ?

Again webzoners seemingly think this game has some major impact on draft stocks.

Originally posted by MadDog49er:
I still think the Jags will pick Tebow at number 43, even though he has no business being selected before the 3rd round. He's simply not going to be a good QB in the NFL for a long time, if ever. Too bad, nice kid.

I know that many are upset, befuddled, skeptical of Mike Iupati after last night. All I can say are few words: BJ Raji, Joe Staley. Raji completely dominated Senior Bowl practices last year (he was the unquestioned star), and yet was invisible during the game. Eric Wood completely dominated him. Raji's stock was not hurt. Joe Staley allowed 3 sacks in the game, 2 against Jay Moore, after a terrific Senior Bowl week. And, his stock was not dinged.

In other words, the game means VERY LITTLE to scouts, coaches, GM's. It is really mainly for the fans. That is why the scouts, coaches, GM's hop on planes and take off. They saw these players all week long on what really matters to them: the one-on-one matchups in practices, in scrimmages, etc. So, while it is fun to watch the game, I believe fans radically overanalyze and overvalue what happens in the game.

So, take the game with a grain of salt.

NE has Jacksonville's 2nd round pick.

And seeing as you're on the public enemy list quite often like myself they probably won't believe you either about GM, Scouts and Coaches not putting much stock into this game.

Originally posted by KRS-1:

Originally posted by mayo63:

Originally posted by KRS-1:

Originally posted by mayo63:
Isn't Haralson 6'1"? I don't see a problem here.

And a mid round pick on Nolan's watch.

But he's our starting OLB at 6'1". I thought that's what this argument was about.

Doesn't really matter, again Nolan had final say. He was a mid round pick which is a low risk.

Originally posted by 49wyztoscore:
Same reason that a lot of scouts watch the combine from home as stated by Mayock and if you listen at the end of the game he said WAS a late first round pick.
Brown fell justifiably due to his inability to play the run and he wasn't nimble enough for 3-4 OLB. I will guarantee you that Graham will be a top 15 pick at the least. Just ask Raji how much the senior bowl game meant to his stock. He had great practices and helped out his stock but his dominance of the game made it fly up the board. I think he went in the top ten last year.

You guys must have amnesia. Last year at this time everyone was all over Everette Brown and many a mocks on this site had him at #10 to us. He was gonna be the pass rusher we lacked opposite Haralson who a breakout player and could possibly reach double digit sacks this year, and now I've seen mocks with Haralson being cut.

Raji's Senior Bowl week is what did well for his stock, not his game performance which wasn't great.

Same s**t different year. You guys change your flavor of the moment player more than you likely change your underwear.

No one has amnesia. A lot of us did like him until the combine when his lack of lateral movement was exposed. BTW Raji had a very good game. He was constantly being double teamed and was still getting pressure up the middle. I was, if you remember the one that was saying take Raji at 10 before the Senior Bowl even came around. I'm just saying that this weekend will raise Graham's stock tremendously. With a good combine he will be a top 10 pick. If he has a bad combine like Brown did he will not. Brown didn't light up the Senior Bowl though.

Originally posted by KRS-1:

Originally posted by oldninerdude:

I didn't see anyone posting a mock draft or assigning draft numbers on guys while commenting on the game in this thread, but if that's who he was criticizing, then he should have said so.

The way it came out, it read like he was criticizing all of us who bothered to watch the game (cause the scouts and GMs don't bother to do so) and posted observations about what we saw.

Again criticizing those who jumped the gun by the middle of the 3rd quarter and who had started to think that we could Iupati in the 2nd and that Graham was playing himself into the top 10.

Did you see a thread wondering if Graham could be top 10 after his strong week of practice ? I didn't. People (outside of NinerJohn) only started to start mentioning him as a possibility at 16/17 once they saw him play in this game, and some were already penciling him in at 13.

Had I posted a thread saying I think we could get Iupati in the 2nd after Wednesday's Senior Bowl practice I would have been hung out to dry by webzoners for saying something so crazy yet it becomes OK to say that after he failed to follow up his strong week of practice with a strong game ?

Again webzoners seemingly think this game has some major impact on draft stocks.

I have been wanting Graham for the last three months. Every mock I have done had us taking Graham with our second 1st round pick. The Senior Bowl and practices only reinforced why I wanted to draft him in the first place. I just hope at this point that Graham has elevated himself up Scot M's board to where selecting Graham with #17 would not be a reach.

My draft preferences in order:

Option 1

1. Spiller
1. Graham
2. Fox

Option 2

1. Bulaga
1. Graham

Option 3

1. Spiller
1. Bulaga

Originally posted by KRS-1:

Originally posted by oldninerdude:

Originally posted by KRS-1:
You guys do realize that there is not a lot of stock put into this game from scouts, coaches and GM's. The week of practice is more important.

That was a reference to KRS-1's assertion, above, that GMs and scouts don't care about this game and that those of us who watched it and commented on some aspects of it are being "ridiculous" in our observations, or otherwise not living up to his expectations in some way.

Do you lack reading comprehension skills or are you purposely twisting my words ? Show me where I said they "don't care" ? There is a big difference between not caring and what I actually said "there is not a lot of stock put into this game".

And I stand by what I said that there are ridiculous comments being made, Graham's performance in the game will not work him into the top 10 and Iupati's performance in the same game will not drop him to the 2nd round.

You think that there is a "big difference between not caring and . . . [not putting] a lot of stock . . . into this game," and yet you believe that I may have a reading comprehension problem?

"Not caring" = not paying alot of attention to; not putting any emphasis on; not being very interested in; etc.

How could anyone reasonably believe that its not exactly the same as "not putting alot of stock into?" Unless, of course, their own reading comprehension is suspect.

Now, perhaps I misunderstood you, and unjustifiably took exception to what you were trying to say. A third possibility you don't mention.

Maybe you were not trying to come across as a know-it-all, who was using a fact everyone knows about as a reason to criticise those who were simply commenting on what we were watching, nothing more.

If so, I apoligize for taking exception to your posts.

BTW, I agree with you, Graham's probably not going in the top 10 and Iupati will likely go in the first round despite his struggles in the game.

Neither of those facts is what was being discussed: that Iupati was not living up to the hype and was struggling, and that Graham was dominating (yes, its just one game), which is why he was named MVP, presumably.

Originally posted by MadDog49er:

Originally posted by Ninerjohn:

Originally posted by MadDog49er:
Couple notes on the game:

Loved what I saw from many front seven defensive players in the game. Of course, the star was Brandon Graham, who was unblockable this season, this week during practices, and in the game. It will be more difficult in the pro game, but he has such a variety of moves (he's not a one-trick pony around the end) that he is going to be very solid either as a 4-3 DE or 3-4 OLB.

Kudos to Dan Williams, who was stout, and Geno Atkins, who is very quick. Williams is a guy the team should take a serious interest in, if they decide to trade down a few picks from their 16th/17th selection. He is a toilet clogger, but also can get up the field. One nice thing about NT: they seem to last longer than players from other positions. So, you get a decade of work, not 5-6 years.

I would put much stock in WR and secondary play. The schemes were limited, and the QB play was really limited. It is just too hard to grade these guys in this setting, since NFL QB's get the ball out so much quicker, and with tons more velocity.

I still think the Jags will pick Tebow at number 43, even though he has no business being selected before the 3rd round. He's simply not going to be a good QB in the NFL for a long time, if ever. Too bad, nice kid.

I know that many are upset, befuddled, skeptical of Mike Iupati after last night. All I can say are few words: BJ Raji, Joe Staley. Raji completely dominated Senior Bowl practices last year (he was the unquestioned star), and yet was invisible during the game. Eric Wood completely dominated him. Raji's stock was not hurt. Joe Staley allowed 3 sacks in the game, 2 against Jay Moore, after a terrific Senior Bowl week. And, his stock was not dinged.

In other words, the game means VERY LITTLE to scouts, coaches, GM's. It is really mainly for the fans. That is why the scouts, coaches, GM's hop on planes and take off. They saw these players all week long on what really matters to them: the one-on-one matchups in practices, in scrimmages, etc. So, while it is fun to watch the game, I believe fans radically overanalyze and overvalue what happens in the game.

The bottom line with Iupati is that he did not adjust terribly well to other positions outside of LG this week (although he did look very sharp at RT in one practice session). He did not look comfortable at RG during the game, and that is where his problems emerged. But, coaching can change many of these issues on the line, especially if you have a good athlete, who works hard, and is coachable. I still think the kid is going to be a Pro-Bowl guard or tackle someday. Don't let a few snaps at a foreign position sway you too far.

Likewise, I don't see much from Gilyard in the NFL. He's the darling today, but he had a very mixed week of practices, and from all accounts, dropped in value throughout the week.

So, take the game with a grain of salt.

MD.. I agree that the game isnt everything but I do think it exposed some weakness in Iupati and drops him to the bottom of round 1. While I wouldnt be upset if the Niners took him at 16/17 I think there are better options now.

I'd say with confidence that there is zero chance he passes Pittsburgh at 18. Supposedly, the Steelers are looking heavily at him for either guard or tackle. And, don't be surprised to see the Cowboys trade up to 17 to pick him. The Cowboys are really high on him.

The weaknesses we saw in the game are minor corrections, and probably due to playing out of position more than anything else. Nobody was troubled by what they saw in practice, and that is where the vast majority of the evaluation takes place for this week. He does need to avoid clutching onto jerseys, but once again, this is something that can be corrected at the next level. His strength and athleticism, which he showed in practice is going to be the thoughts in the minds of scouts and coaches from this week. And, once again, fans have to take the game with a grain of salt. It is odd, but it has so very little impact on team grades.

When scouts say during the week that you are the best player on the field, which they did in stating he is the most likely player at the Senior Bowl to be a Pro-Bowler in the NFL, I tend to believe them. And, in the end, they are the ones that make the choice, not the fans.

Once again, fans need to not overemphasize the importance of this game.BJ Raji was dominated in the game, but stood out in practice. And, in the end, that is what helped him secure a top 10 pick.

It means less, I agree. BUT as many are freaking out and arguing about, it doesn't mean quite as little as some may think. The practices were meaningful because the majority of scouts wanted to gather info on players' individual abilities and they did this over the course of a week. The game was a single day, less scouts on hand. But there were still obviously scouts there. Chavous talked to one at the half, he mentioned.

I'll agree that it means "little in comparison" to practices. But is not meaningless in general, as some may imply.

Coaches and scouts do want to see that players can perform well in games, but... these being professionals at their job, they want to know that a player has the fundamental tools to work with to BECOME great.

That's the difference between say Graham and Iupati. Graham is NFL ready COMPLETELY. Iupati is virtually NFL ready and with a training camp of honing his skills, he'll easily be ready to start at LG and be on that level that Graham is already at, by the start of the season.

They're called "coaches" for a reason. Scouts find the talent, coaches harvest that. Simple as that.

Originally posted by KRS-1:

Originally posted by MadDog49er:
I still think the Jags will pick Tebow at number 43, even though he has no business being selected before the 3rd round. He's simply not going to be a good QB in the NFL for a long time, if ever. Too bad, nice kid.

I know that many are upset, befuddled, skeptical of Mike Iupati after last night. All I can say are few words: BJ Raji, Joe Staley. Raji completely dominated Senior Bowl practices last year (he was the unquestioned star), and yet was invisible during the game. Eric Wood completely dominated him. Raji's stock was not hurt. Joe Staley allowed 3 sacks in the game, 2 against Jay Moore, after a terrific Senior Bowl week. And, his stock was not dinged.

In other words, the game means VERY LITTLE to scouts, coaches, GM's. It is really mainly for the fans. That is why the scouts, coaches, GM's hop on planes and take off. They saw these players all week long on what really matters to them: the one-on-one matchups in practices, in scrimmages, etc. So, while it is fun to watch the game, I believe fans radically overanalyze and overvalue what happens in the game.

So, take the game with a grain of salt.

NE has Jacksonville's 2nd round pick.

And seeing as you're on the public enemy list quite often like myself they probably won't believe you either about GM, Scouts and Coaches not putting much stock into this game.

No, most people know that GMs, scouts and coaches don't stick around to watch the game, and that most GMs, scouts and coaches (tho not likely all) don't care much about it. In fact, thats such common knowledge that no one really talks about it.

This thread was for fans who were actually watching the game, and commenting on what was unfolding. No one said that the game would determine the draft order, or any particular player's stock in the draft. Your mistake was in thinking that anyone was determining their final draft order based on the game, when even you have to acknowledge that its just not that important overall.

On a side note, I thought Eric Olsen did a pretty good job at Center. IMO, he looks a helluva lot better than Cody Wallace.