For fans of the NFL Draft, the playoff season of the NFL is a veritable candy store. Postseason bowls annually showcase talent at various locales around the nation, with coaches, scouts, GMs, and draftniks closely observing all the action.
I’ll be attending the two most respectable and established talent pipelines, the Shrine Game in St. Petersburg the week of Jan. 19 and the Senior Bowl in Mobile the following week. Both bowls have announced some players who have signed on for the game rosters, and the bowl recruiters have done an excellent job culling the senior class this year.
Here are ten players, five at each bowl, which I am excited to evaluate up close and personal.
Shrine Game
Gerald Hodges, LB, Penn State. Hodges is one of the more versatile linebackers in the nation. While that is an asset, it’s also made it hard for scouts to peg exactly how he fits. He’s a good blitzer, but not long enough or dynamic enough to play in a 3-4. He is a great tackler but struggled quite often to avoid blocks to get to the play. He is strong in short-area coverage but lacks the long speed to carry faster tight ends too far down the field. This will be a chance for Hodges to show there is one thing he can hang his hat on. The coaches are going to love his intensity and ethos.
Colby Cameron, QB, Louisiana Tech. Cameron burst onto the national scene with his exceptional completion percentage, which hovered near 75% before fading a bit to just under 69%. He also didn’t throw an interception until mid-November. He lacks ideal size and benefitted from Sonny Dykes’ open style scheme, but games against San Jose State and Texas A&M revealed better arm strength than I expected and excellent touch. He’s a late-round prospect that likely tops out as a career backup, but teams like the Packers, Lions, and Chargers all have glaring needs for this kind of player.
Duke Williams, S, Nevada. The first Wolfpack game I watched, I wondered why anyone put Williams on a draft watch list. It was the Air Force game, and Williams really struggled to make north/south plays and take good angles against the run. For a bigger safety (6’1”, 200), I expected better run defense. Then I watched a couple other games (San Diego State and Boise State) and Williams jumped out as the best defensive player on the field. He was everywhere, anticipating the hole and attacking. Displaying consistency and showing good range and instincts in passing drills in practices will be the difference between the 3rd/4th round and the 5th/6th round for Williams. I’m hopeful it’s the former.
Andrew Robiskie, G, Western Illinois. If the name rings a bell, it’s because he is the son of longtime NFL coach Terry Robiskie and the younger brother of wideout Brian. Andrew got all the size, but that size is a big question. The Leathernecks list him at 300 pounds but a scout I trust has him closer to 285. He more than held his own at the FCS level, but he needs to show he can handle the physicality and brute strength of better competition. I’ve only seen a couple of game tapes, one each from 2011 and 2012, and I’m intrigued at a guy who can play both guard and center. Given his lineage his football IQ has got to be off the charts.
Graham Pocic, C, Illinois. Pocic fared pretty well in the Big Ten as a supersized center, but the NFL has a growing aversion to tall pivots. At 6’5”, he’s built more like a tackle, and teams are going to want to see if he can play more than just center. Pocic projects as a 4th or 5th round pick, the realm of a lineman who will likely be a reserve at multiple positions for his first year or two. If he keeps his pads down at center and shows he can move well enough at guard, he could sneak up into the top 100.
And aside from the players, I’m thrilled to watch Jerry Glanville coach the East roster. The man in black did a great job running drills that showcased talent when he coached one side in the Teas vs. the Nation game two years ago. He’s one of the most entertaining sideline presences around.
Senior Bowl
Jamie Collins, LB/DE, Southern Miss. This might be the best player you haven’t heard much about, probably because he played on the worst team in the FBS in 2012. Collins played defensive end and even inside at times even though he weighs about 240 pounds when wearing all his pads. When you watch game film you almost swear you’re watching a safety, and he wears #8 which makes it even more ponderous. He flat-out dominated in C-USA, racking up sacks and tackles for loss by using his quickness and closing speed. But I’m not sure if Collins is better served playing 4-3 end or 3-4 OLB or even WLB in a 40 front, and scouts I’ve talked with about him worry about his position as well. Like Melvin Ingram last year, Senior Bowl week will help divine where he fits best and how high he should go in the draft. Right now I see him in the 50-75 overall range, but he could climb quickly.
Oday Aboushi, T, Virginia. The big bookend tackle was my top senior prospect at the position heading into the season. In a lousy season for the Cavaliers, Aboushi didn’t distinguish himself as I expected even though he still played pretty well. Ladd-Peebles will be an ideal venue for him to prove himself when isolated against good pass rushers, where his long arms and good slide step will serve him well. I’m very interested in seeing his intensity and ability to mix it up as a run blocker, both of which were not always evident in 2012. A good week probably cements him as a top 40 pick, but if he struggles with speed on the outside he could drop to a Saturday pick.
Ezekiel Ansah, DE, BYU. “Ziggy” is an absolute athletic freak at a position crawling with athletic freaks in this draft class. Like Chandler Jones and Jason Pierre Paul the past couple of years, Ansah has a lot more potential than actual on-field results thus far. One of the key things I look for while watching from the fencerow is how a player improves from Monday to Thursday, and I will be focused on how quickly Ansah picks up the NFL coaching and working consistently against NFL linemen. The Ghana native has a good chance to be the first Senior Bowler drafted if he shows well in Mobile.
Markus Wheaton, WR, Oregon State. Wheaton is a guy who has grown on me as a prospect. He was prolific in the Beavers offense and showed legit speed in the open field, but what impressed me was how well he acclimated to a midseason QB change and increased attention from opposing defenses. His style of play and athletic traits remind me a great deal of Mike Wallace, a former Senior Bowler who wasn’t a finished product coming out of Ole Miss. Wheaton has the same kind of sneaky deep speed but lack of physicality and route running polish that pushed Wallace into the 3rd round in 2009. I’ve heard from a little birdie that he should be the fastest player in Mobile, no matter who else gets invited.
Denard Robinson, ?, Michigan. The curiosity here is where Robinson will play. He’s ostensibly accepted as a quarterback even though he’s quite clearly not going to play that position in the NFL. Many want to see Robinson play wideout, but I’ve insisted for well over a year now that his best chance for success in the NFL is at running back. Watch him run, forget he’s a quarterback, and you’re often thinking you are watching Jamaal Charles in a Michigan uniform. His athletic versatility should allow him to shine in Mobile, should he embrace it. Look for him to get a long look as a return specialist as well. I like Robinson more than I liked Brad Smith.