</SPAN>By Pete Fiutak
CollegeFootballNews.com
- 2010 Senior Bowl Stream-of-Consciousness Notes
1. The Tim Tebow Circus
It was the one and only thing anyone cared about from the start of the week: Can Tim Tebow actually play at the next level? The answer after Senior Bowl week was a loud and clear “not right now.”
He had strep throat, had to be hospitalized, and had to deal with a media crush and attention that he should be used to by now, but became a problem because of what he was up against in a fight to show he can be a pro quarterback. This wasn’t Tebow being in control of his old Florida team or his situation; this was Tebow trying to go on a job interview and floundering badly.
It’s not like he didn’t have his moments during the week. He showed nice zip on most of his passes on the second day and in the shotgun he showed the potential to be a real, live starting NFL quarterback, but he struggled badly when under center, showed he has a long way to go on his timing in a three-step drop, and proved has even further to go to fix his elongated, loping throwing motion that takes ten days to get the ball out of his hands. His biggest problem is that the strengths that made him a great college player don’t translate to the NFL, and the reputable scouts were almost unanimous on this.
Saying a quarterback has great intangibles is the kiss of death, like she has a great personality. Just “being a winner” doesn’t cut it if the rest of the basics aren’t there. Tebow isn’t fast enough to use in a Wildcat formation, he’s not going to run over anyone or fight for the first down against an NFL linebacking corps, and he’s not going to be able to shake off defenders in the pocket like he did throughout his career.
With all of that said, he’s worth developing and he’s worth a third round pick (no higher) behind an established NFL starter. He has a better arm than he gets credit for and he’s accurate in the shotgun, but he needs at least two years of rep after rep after rep in practices with an NFL quarterback coach. In an ideal world he’s taken by Indianapolis and gets a chance to groom behind Peyton Manning for a few years to become a starter by 2013, or if Manning goes down earlier. But for now, if some team (cough, Jacksonville, cough) is planning on, arguably, the greatest college football quarterback of all-time to start on Day One of the 2010 NFL season, that team is going to be in big, big trouble.
And yes, there were more storylines than just Tebow throughout the week.
2. The Quarterbacks
The top three quarterback prospects on everyone’s board are Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy, and Jimmy Clausen, in some order. Obviously Bradford and Clausen, juniors, weren’t able to play in the Senior Bowl, and McCoy is still getting past his shoulder injury. Even though those three are on the top, no one seems to be doing jumping jacks over any of them as far as being a sure-thing, slam-dunk franchise passer. The door was open this week for one of the other quarterback prospects to make a statement, and no one stepped through.
Tebow’s week would’ve been a total disaster if he wasn’t named Tim Tebow, Cincinnati’s Tony Pike was way too erratic and did nothing to prove that he can be a potential starter, Oregon State’s Sean Canfield started the week well and ended badly, and West Virginia’s Jarrett Brown and Oklahoma State’s Zac Robinson were fine, but didn’t show enough to be anything more than fliers to be taken from the fourth round on. The one player who did help himself was Central Michigan’s Dan LeFevour, who has the speed and quickness to be used as the type of runner everyone was hoping Tebow could be against NFL athletes, and he had a nice enough showing in the Senior Bowl game, highlighted by a perfectly thrown deep ball to Mardy Gilyard for a score, to warrant a much longer look over the next several weeks. If nothing else, the Central Michigan star is now pushing Tebow for the No. 4 spot in the quarterback pecking order.
3. Michigan DE Brandon Graham
The concern was that the Michigan pass rushing star was sort of a tweener; too small to be a full-time end in a 4-3 and not quite the overall athlete to be an outside linebacker in a 3-4. But that all went out the window during the week after he was unblockable in practices and a menace enough in the game to earn Senior Bowl MVP honors. It didn’t matter who lined up on him, he was able to blow past the slower tackles and worked his way into the backfield in drills against the stronger ones. It’s saying too much to use the words Dwight Freeney in the comparison, but he proved to be the type of playmaker that can be used in a variety of ways. He’ll end up being a dangerous outside linebacker at the next level.
4. Oregon RB LeGarrette Blount
Blount said all the right things and has the right attitude, but it’s obvious that some are going to pass over him entirely because of anger management concerns. On the field, in practices, he showed a lack of elite quickness and he’s not going to be confused for Chris Johnson on the outside, but when he got up a head of steam he destroyed defenders at the second level and was great in the game when he got near the goal line. Because of his running style he’ll have a short shelf-life in the NFL, potentially like a Marion Barber-type, but it only takes one team to believe, and if the off-the-field issues aren’t a concern, he could be a solid No. 2 back who gets snapped up in the second round.
5. Idaho OG/OT Mike Iupati
It’s not like people are making excuses for him, but the Idaho star is getting more of a free pass than he probably should because of his potential. At close to 6-5, 315 pounds, and agile, he has the tools to be someone’s cornerstone blocker for the next ten years … but where? He’s still scratching the surface on what he can become, but he holds way too much, is too sloppy to be a left tackle right away, and might have to be a guard for at least a year. Is it worth to spend a top 15 pick on a guard or right-tackle-only player? In this case, maybe. He dominated at times throughout the week and showed that when he’s locked on at guard, it’s over. He was by far the best offensive line prospect during Senior Bowl week and he’s now a lock to be taken in the first half of the first round, and his stock is only going to rise as he has the physical tools to destroy the Combine. But there might have to be a wee bit of patience before the tremendous payoff.
6. Ole Miss RB Dexter McCluster
No matter what happens, McCluster will owe Chris Johnson a big “thank you.” Because of the 2,000-yard success of the diminutive Titans star, the 5-7 McCluster is being seen as another type of tough, quick back who can be a featured player with more work. However, he’s not as fast as Johnson and he’s not as effective an inside runner. The scouts, though, aren’t expecting the oft-injured McCluster to be Johnson and will likely look for him to be a jack-of-all-trades weapon who can be used as a wide receiver, in the Wildcat, and as a kick returner along with his running back abilities. He was quicker than everyone else this week and became the type of player every offensive coordinator would love to play around with.
7. Florida State S Myron Rolle
Only in the NFL could smarts be seen as a negative. All the focus was around Rolle’s desire to be just another dumb, run-through-a-wall-just-because jock, and the Rhodes Scholar was able to do just that. The concern is that he’ll realize that football is silly compared to all the other things he could and should be doing with his life, but he made it very clear both with his words and his actions that he plans on being a key player in someone’s secondary for the next several years. In terrific shape, he didn’t take it easy in any way when it came to working out when at Oxford and he surprised just about everyone with how natural he was in practices. The intangibles in this case (unlike for Tim Tebow) matter since Rolle has shown that he has the basic skills to be an NFL starter. That he’s smart enough to potentially be the quarterback of a defensive backfield makes him all the more attractive. A big question mark before, he now should be seen as an ultra-safe steal in the mid-to-late second round.
8. Alabama DT Terrence Cody’s gut
The anchor of the Alabama defense didn’t exactly take it easy on the banquet circuit over the last few weeks. He looked like a guy way more interested in a six-pack of Mountain Dew than having six-pack abs with his gut flying around irrespective of the rest of his body. The belly was a prisoner of inertia on every play, but the extra girth didn’t appear to be a problem as far as production. The 375-pound size will cost him some money with several teams concerned about the weight issue, and the gut could push Tennessee’s Dan Williams higher on several draft boards, but after this week, even with the extra size, Cody showed he’s still a talent who is a leader and will be a true nose tackle in a 3-4.
9. USC S Taylor Mays
Some prospects, like Idaho lineman Mike Iupati, are the prototype and get a free pass in the evaluation process because of what the they should be with a little more work. And then there are some, like Mays, who are the prototype and get picked clean because they’re not as perfect as they’re supposed to be. Mays has it all with size, corner speed, and big hitting ability, but he doesn’t have the best instincts and was way too underproductive in college considering his skills. That’s not to say he wasn’t good, but he wasn’t an all-timer like his talent should’ve made him. This week, he had to answer time and again for why he wasn’t a more complete player, but he came up with a smart interception in the game and was as fast as anyone in practices. Now, after this week, there’s a belief out there that he could be a far better pro than a college player and might be someone’s steal in the mid-to-late first round considering he has top five talent on raw skills along. He might be the player to watch during the Combine.
10. Massachusetts OT Vladimir Ducasse
In a mediocre year for offensive tackles, the 6-5, 328-pounder was a spotlight prospect to see if he was ready to show that he can play against the better competition. While Ducasse held his own often enough to be considered a strong tackle prospect for down the road, he needs work … a LOT of work. His technique is unrefined and inconsistent, and while he has the athleticism to stay with speed rushers and the power to bulldoze just about anyone, he’s not consistent enough and will need a strong offensive line coach to mold him into a star. To say he was exposed this week is a bit harsh, but he’s still learning the finer points of the game, as well as the English language, and didn’t look like a prospect worthy of a top 50 pick. Used at tackle throughout the week, he’ll end up starting for someone right away at guard with the idea of potentially being moved outside, but he’s no one’s left tackle right now
CollegeFootballNews.com
- 2010 Senior Bowl Stream-of-Consciousness Notes
1. The Tim Tebow Circus
It was the one and only thing anyone cared about from the start of the week: Can Tim Tebow actually play at the next level? The answer after Senior Bowl week was a loud and clear “not right now.”
He had strep throat, had to be hospitalized, and had to deal with a media crush and attention that he should be used to by now, but became a problem because of what he was up against in a fight to show he can be a pro quarterback. This wasn’t Tebow being in control of his old Florida team or his situation; this was Tebow trying to go on a job interview and floundering badly.
It’s not like he didn’t have his moments during the week. He showed nice zip on most of his passes on the second day and in the shotgun he showed the potential to be a real, live starting NFL quarterback, but he struggled badly when under center, showed he has a long way to go on his timing in a three-step drop, and proved has even further to go to fix his elongated, loping throwing motion that takes ten days to get the ball out of his hands. His biggest problem is that the strengths that made him a great college player don’t translate to the NFL, and the reputable scouts were almost unanimous on this.
Saying a quarterback has great intangibles is the kiss of death, like she has a great personality. Just “being a winner” doesn’t cut it if the rest of the basics aren’t there. Tebow isn’t fast enough to use in a Wildcat formation, he’s not going to run over anyone or fight for the first down against an NFL linebacking corps, and he’s not going to be able to shake off defenders in the pocket like he did throughout his career.
With all of that said, he’s worth developing and he’s worth a third round pick (no higher) behind an established NFL starter. He has a better arm than he gets credit for and he’s accurate in the shotgun, but he needs at least two years of rep after rep after rep in practices with an NFL quarterback coach. In an ideal world he’s taken by Indianapolis and gets a chance to groom behind Peyton Manning for a few years to become a starter by 2013, or if Manning goes down earlier. But for now, if some team (cough, Jacksonville, cough) is planning on, arguably, the greatest college football quarterback of all-time to start on Day One of the 2010 NFL season, that team is going to be in big, big trouble.
And yes, there were more storylines than just Tebow throughout the week.
2. The Quarterbacks
The top three quarterback prospects on everyone’s board are Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy, and Jimmy Clausen, in some order. Obviously Bradford and Clausen, juniors, weren’t able to play in the Senior Bowl, and McCoy is still getting past his shoulder injury. Even though those three are on the top, no one seems to be doing jumping jacks over any of them as far as being a sure-thing, slam-dunk franchise passer. The door was open this week for one of the other quarterback prospects to make a statement, and no one stepped through.
Tebow’s week would’ve been a total disaster if he wasn’t named Tim Tebow, Cincinnati’s Tony Pike was way too erratic and did nothing to prove that he can be a potential starter, Oregon State’s Sean Canfield started the week well and ended badly, and West Virginia’s Jarrett Brown and Oklahoma State’s Zac Robinson were fine, but didn’t show enough to be anything more than fliers to be taken from the fourth round on. The one player who did help himself was Central Michigan’s Dan LeFevour, who has the speed and quickness to be used as the type of runner everyone was hoping Tebow could be against NFL athletes, and he had a nice enough showing in the Senior Bowl game, highlighted by a perfectly thrown deep ball to Mardy Gilyard for a score, to warrant a much longer look over the next several weeks. If nothing else, the Central Michigan star is now pushing Tebow for the No. 4 spot in the quarterback pecking order.
3. Michigan DE Brandon Graham
The concern was that the Michigan pass rushing star was sort of a tweener; too small to be a full-time end in a 4-3 and not quite the overall athlete to be an outside linebacker in a 3-4. But that all went out the window during the week after he was unblockable in practices and a menace enough in the game to earn Senior Bowl MVP honors. It didn’t matter who lined up on him, he was able to blow past the slower tackles and worked his way into the backfield in drills against the stronger ones. It’s saying too much to use the words Dwight Freeney in the comparison, but he proved to be the type of playmaker that can be used in a variety of ways. He’ll end up being a dangerous outside linebacker at the next level.
4. Oregon RB LeGarrette Blount
Blount said all the right things and has the right attitude, but it’s obvious that some are going to pass over him entirely because of anger management concerns. On the field, in practices, he showed a lack of elite quickness and he’s not going to be confused for Chris Johnson on the outside, but when he got up a head of steam he destroyed defenders at the second level and was great in the game when he got near the goal line. Because of his running style he’ll have a short shelf-life in the NFL, potentially like a Marion Barber-type, but it only takes one team to believe, and if the off-the-field issues aren’t a concern, he could be a solid No. 2 back who gets snapped up in the second round.
5. Idaho OG/OT Mike Iupati
It’s not like people are making excuses for him, but the Idaho star is getting more of a free pass than he probably should because of his potential. At close to 6-5, 315 pounds, and agile, he has the tools to be someone’s cornerstone blocker for the next ten years … but where? He’s still scratching the surface on what he can become, but he holds way too much, is too sloppy to be a left tackle right away, and might have to be a guard for at least a year. Is it worth to spend a top 15 pick on a guard or right-tackle-only player? In this case, maybe. He dominated at times throughout the week and showed that when he’s locked on at guard, it’s over. He was by far the best offensive line prospect during Senior Bowl week and he’s now a lock to be taken in the first half of the first round, and his stock is only going to rise as he has the physical tools to destroy the Combine. But there might have to be a wee bit of patience before the tremendous payoff.
6. Ole Miss RB Dexter McCluster
No matter what happens, McCluster will owe Chris Johnson a big “thank you.” Because of the 2,000-yard success of the diminutive Titans star, the 5-7 McCluster is being seen as another type of tough, quick back who can be a featured player with more work. However, he’s not as fast as Johnson and he’s not as effective an inside runner. The scouts, though, aren’t expecting the oft-injured McCluster to be Johnson and will likely look for him to be a jack-of-all-trades weapon who can be used as a wide receiver, in the Wildcat, and as a kick returner along with his running back abilities. He was quicker than everyone else this week and became the type of player every offensive coordinator would love to play around with.
7. Florida State S Myron Rolle
Only in the NFL could smarts be seen as a negative. All the focus was around Rolle’s desire to be just another dumb, run-through-a-wall-just-because jock, and the Rhodes Scholar was able to do just that. The concern is that he’ll realize that football is silly compared to all the other things he could and should be doing with his life, but he made it very clear both with his words and his actions that he plans on being a key player in someone’s secondary for the next several years. In terrific shape, he didn’t take it easy in any way when it came to working out when at Oxford and he surprised just about everyone with how natural he was in practices. The intangibles in this case (unlike for Tim Tebow) matter since Rolle has shown that he has the basic skills to be an NFL starter. That he’s smart enough to potentially be the quarterback of a defensive backfield makes him all the more attractive. A big question mark before, he now should be seen as an ultra-safe steal in the mid-to-late second round.
8. Alabama DT Terrence Cody’s gut
The anchor of the Alabama defense didn’t exactly take it easy on the banquet circuit over the last few weeks. He looked like a guy way more interested in a six-pack of Mountain Dew than having six-pack abs with his gut flying around irrespective of the rest of his body. The belly was a prisoner of inertia on every play, but the extra girth didn’t appear to be a problem as far as production. The 375-pound size will cost him some money with several teams concerned about the weight issue, and the gut could push Tennessee’s Dan Williams higher on several draft boards, but after this week, even with the extra size, Cody showed he’s still a talent who is a leader and will be a true nose tackle in a 3-4.
9. USC S Taylor Mays
Some prospects, like Idaho lineman Mike Iupati, are the prototype and get a free pass in the evaluation process because of what the they should be with a little more work. And then there are some, like Mays, who are the prototype and get picked clean because they’re not as perfect as they’re supposed to be. Mays has it all with size, corner speed, and big hitting ability, but he doesn’t have the best instincts and was way too underproductive in college considering his skills. That’s not to say he wasn’t good, but he wasn’t an all-timer like his talent should’ve made him. This week, he had to answer time and again for why he wasn’t a more complete player, but he came up with a smart interception in the game and was as fast as anyone in practices. Now, after this week, there’s a belief out there that he could be a far better pro than a college player and might be someone’s steal in the mid-to-late first round considering he has top five talent on raw skills along. He might be the player to watch during the Combine.
10. Massachusetts OT Vladimir Ducasse
In a mediocre year for offensive tackles, the 6-5, 328-pounder was a spotlight prospect to see if he was ready to show that he can play against the better competition. While Ducasse held his own often enough to be considered a strong tackle prospect for down the road, he needs work … a LOT of work. His technique is unrefined and inconsistent, and while he has the athleticism to stay with speed rushers and the power to bulldoze just about anyone, he’s not consistent enough and will need a strong offensive line coach to mold him into a star. To say he was exposed this week is a bit harsh, but he’s still learning the finer points of the game, as well as the English language, and didn’t look like a prospect worthy of a top 50 pick. Used at tackle throughout the week, he’ll end up starting for someone right away at guard with the idea of potentially being moved outside, but he’s no one’s left tackle right now