Countdown to the 2012 SENIOR BOWL (Jan.18): 0 days

i forget the rules. am i allowed to post todd mcshay's breakdown of practices? some pretty good info

from the NY Times, a nice lengthy read on the WR's from the North Squad

http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/24/at-senior-bowl-a-wide-receiver-graduate-seminar/

Originally posted by mayo49:
4 days

woooooooooooooooo

observations of the practices? maddog where art thou???

Originally posted by lamontb:
i forget the rules. am i allowed to post todd mcshay's breakdown of practices? some pretty good info

can't post entire insider articles. copy and paste the most relevant parts.

im about to watch nfl networks post preactice report. ill let you guys know what mayok and charles davis say.

North practice

Polk having issues with pass blocking
Marvin Jones lanky kid
Quick is a long strider
Zeitler controlling at point of contact
Jones beating Dennard
Iloka getting beat 1 on 1-off man...talk of him moving to OLB
McNutt good out of breaks
Quick a bit too choppy with feat
Jones beat Fleming deep, pass under thrown
Dennard better at press but is short...very short
Quick good into the flat-dint control ball
Good push from Taamu
Zeitler beat at LG
Curry quick around LT
Martin feisty against Brewster
Taamu strong again
Zeitler beat again
QB's playing like crap right now....cant get a beat on WR-CB with these guys throwing
Martin looking good getting past initial block, again quick and feisty
Taamu blowing up blockers
Taamu again looking unblockable 1 on 1 in team drill

^^^I thought Ta'amu would be a first rounder

South practice

Coples great frame and build, could probably add more if he needed to
Upshaw looking clean as expected
Butch Davis talking up D Jones
Ben Jones looking good blocking
Fuller running good but dropped ball
Rainey is stupid fast
Adams having issue getting off of bump
Fuller not fast out of hitch
Hayward not bad 1 on 1
Fuller not getting out of jam
Glenn great anchor
1 on 1 line drill very ho hum
Not much during team drills, QB's still looking very meh, not much passing getting done

Recap notes

South DL getting most praise
QB's getting talked up but nothing looks great
Clips of Martin again, I love that kid's fire...he is relentless
Taamu is a force 1 on 1, not very fast but when he moves forward people move backwards, the kid is a tank
Jerry Jones...fastforward
Corners are short, not feeling anything yet on anybody


Decent day but QB's need to play better to get a feel for the WR's

from what I've read, North QB's are crap, if you to label someone the "best" of the crop it would be Cousins.

for the South, people are RAVING about Weeden, he's solidifying himself as a Day 2 pick

Originally posted by vrabbit:
from what I've read, North QB's are crap, if you to label someone the "best" of the crop it would be Cousins.

for the South, people are RAVING about Weeden, he's solidifying himself as a Day 2 pick

Weeden looks the best out of a mediocre group, not sure if that speaks to his ability or the lack of ability of the competition.

North recap from Bunting...

There are some concerns with the game of Oklahoma CB Jamell Fleming, especially when asked to vertically turn and run. However, he plays with good balance in his drop, is clean to re-direct and fluidly can transition out of his back-pedal. In my view he's been the most impressive defensive back on the North roster so far this week and looks like a potential top-60 pick.

Iowa State cornerback Leonard Johnson on the other hand has not really found his groove yet this week. He showcased the ability at times to be physical of the line and shoot the proper hand into contact in press coverage. However, he hasn't looked comfortable at all in off-man this week, as he gets upright when asked to drive on the football and fidgety when trying to read and react to routes.

One of the receivers Johnson had trouble with off the line was Iowa's Marvin McNutt. McNutt isn't a real dynamic athlete and isn't a guy who is ever going to be explosive on sharply breaking routes. However, he does a nice job in the three step game, he can adjust well to the football down the field and was able to quickly get off press man today. He has a sneaky quickness to his game off the line and uses his long arms to fend off contact. He's limited, but looks like a potential "X" receiver in the NFL who could hold his own on the strong side.

There has certainly been some improvement to the game of Penn State DE Jack Crawford since the end of the season. He's done a much better job keeping his pad level lower as a pass rusher, extending his arms and playing with better balance. The improved balance has allowed him to be more sudden on contact and more violent with his hands, hence disengaging far better than I thought he would as a pass rusher this week. Running backs in my view are the toughest players to evaluate during a week of practice at any all-star game.

However, even with that being said Washington RB Chris Polk hasn't been real impressive up to this point. He doesn't display much of a first step, there is no real explosive quality to his game and he struggled in pass protection. Overall, he doesn't look like a top three running back prospect to me in the class.

On the other hand, Boise State RB Doug Martin showcased a good first step; natural forward lean and can quickly decipher information at the line of scrimmage and change directions. He's a fluid kid with a thick build and his initial quickness really stood out for a back his size. Looks like a future starting caliber running back at the next level.

Cal OT Mitchell Schwartz did exhibit some natural balance initially in pass protection today. However, he routinely gets too upright which limits his power into contact as well as his balance laterally when trying to mirror. Looks more like a swing offensive tackle at the next level than eventual NFL starter.

Finally, Arkansas State LB Demario Davis did a nice job during 1v1 pass rushing drills Tuesday. He showcased some power when trying to work the bull rush, could dip his pad level around the edge and had some "know how" working his hands in order to shed. He's one of the NFP's favorites and is off to a solid start so far this week.

South notes from Bunting...

Vanderbilt corner Casey Hayward made himself some money with his performance Tuesday. He's a nice sized defensive back with balanced footwork, a good feel in coverage and can cleanly turn to track the football. He's a tough guy to separate from, exhibits "plus" ball skills and possesses an ideal skill set of a cover two type corner in the NFL.

Another corner who impressed today was Georgia's Brandon Boykin. The undersized defensive back competed all practice long, showcasing a burst out of his breaks and good speed vertically down the field. He does have a tendency to get a bit grabby at times when asked to re-direct. However, he did a nice job staying in receivers back pockets throughout and looks like a "plus" slot guy at the next level.

I have to admit, I came away unimpressed with the performance of North Carolina wide out Dwight Jones. Jones was simply unable to get off press coverage throughout the day. He didn't look real sudden off the line and had a tough time getting up to speed through contact. Jones didn't see a ton of press-man this past year, but because of his skill set I thought it was a nuance of the game he likely couple develop in. However, watching him get re-routed with ease off the line Tuesday was a real downer for him.

On the other hand, UNC DE Quinton Coples not only looks the part, but was physical on contact as a pass rusher, used his length well to fend off blocks and could either overpower on contact or cleanly slide step blocks inside. Plus, because of his lower body length he has deceptive speed when asked to run the corner. And despite getting a bit upright, he was still able to fend off blockers on contact off the edge routinely. Overall, there's simply too much talent for this guy not to go in the top 10/15 picks.

South Carolina pass rusher Melvin Ingram was also a bear to block off the edge today. He flashed natural change of direction skills on his spin move, was sudden on his inside club and even dropped his pad level down around the edge. He can reach the pass rusher in a number of ways and because of the lacking talent in this year's class; he should be a first round selection. Anchor strength is a must at the offensive tackle position, because if you can't hold up on contact you'll make every linemen you go against look like a good pass rusher.

And that has been the case for Florida State OT Zebrie Sanders. He's a long kid with solid athleticism, but was routinely overwhelmed today and would get overextend into contact in order to try to make up for his lacking base, causing him to whiff into blocks. Needs to continue to get stronger to have a chance at starting in the NFL.

Arizona WR Juron Criner made a pair of impressive catches Tuesday, plucking the football with one hand even on one occasion with a corner draped all over him. However, the big thing with Criner is that he's a guy who doesn't have much burst to his game, isn't clean out of his breaks and isn't ever going to separate a ton vs. man coverage in the NFL. Looks more like a big inside guy to me.

Finally, I'm starting to warm up on Georgia OL Cordy Glenn. He played inside at guard today and showcased some natural footwork through contact and used his long arms and strong hands to stick. He still got himself into some trouble on the edge when trying to anchor, as he would get his weight out over his knees and fall off the block. However, looks like a guard capable of starting at the next level early on.

Originally posted by SunDevilNiner79:
^^^I thought Ta'amu would be a first rounder

Draftscout has him listed as a 3-4 rounder, if he keeps up this kind of play he wont fall to the 4th.