Senior Bowl Notes

The NFL Network did a great job with the Senior Bowl coverage which was wrapped up by ESPN in a 31-14 victory by the North (coached by the Titan's Jeff Fisher). Here are some quick thoughts after watching the practices and the game.

D'Brickshawn Ferguson (Virginia Tech) has looked like the top prospect all week. He got beat inside easy, something he has done in the past, by taking a bad first step (to the outside) in the game. Outside of that, he displayed great footwork and technique. There are a lot of interesting OT prospects this year (Jonathan Scott, Marcus McNeill, Eric Winston - in the Senior Bowl alone.

Offensive Guard Max Jean Gilles (Georgia) has stood out to me in both practice and in the game. He handled Michigan's Gabe Watson with no problem in the battle of the titans. Gabe has looked decent, especially when not going against MJG. Both are just huge. Nick Mangold (Ohio State) is a very solid center, best of the group. The Lions have a great chance to upgrade the offensive line this year as their is a lot of depth in the draft.

I've been disappointed with Jay Cutler (Vanderbilt) at QB. He does have a big arm and quick release, I can see why scouts like him, but his accuracy and decision making didn't impress me. None of the QBs have been lights out, Charlie Whitehurst (Clemson) and Brodie Croyle (Alabama) play didn't hurt them.

DeAngelo Williams (Memphis) stood out among the RBs to no surprise. He showed good vision and football quickness.

Sinorice Moss (Miami) looked the best of an unimpressive WR group. Jason Avant (Michigan) had too many drops, didn't help himself. Demetrius Williams (Oregon) had a solid week of practice but didn't stand out in the game.

TE Dominique Byrd (USC) really helped himself by running great routes and catching everything. The TE group in general looked stronger than I expected, Joe Klopfenstein (Colorado) caught a nice touchdown in the game.

Defensively, Tye Hill (Clemson) was the best corner all week. He can press at the line, has good speed and coverage skills, and showed flashes of being a playmaker.

Mathias Kiwanuka (Boston College) was the defensive player I was most excited to see. As it turned out, he didn't play up to the level I was hoping to see. Kiwi was dominated by Ferguson all week, he looked overpowered in most of the matchups in the 1 on 1 drills. DE Tamba Hali (Penn State) looks undersized but he goes after the QB with a great motor.

Nothing jumped out at me at the LB position, Chad Greenway (Iowa) does look like a mid first rounder (or a reach at #9). His college teamate, Abdul Hodge, is likely to be selected high as well. DeMeco Ryans (Alabama) will get some attention at the combine.