Following an exciting first round, we break down the favorite picks, most pleasant and biggest surprises, most under-appreciated pick, worst move and more.
Peyton Manning, Mario Williams, Mike Wallace and Carl Nicks headline an intriguing free agent class that can shift the balance of power this offseason.
The Eagles seemingly came out of nowhere to sign Nnamdi Asomugha as they eye a trip to the Super Bowl.
RealGM Search
Thumbs Up To the top prospect that chose to come to Mobile. Courtney Upshaw, Melvin Ingram, Janoris Jenkins, and Quentin Coples were all surefire 1st round picks no matter whether they came or not. All had strong performances and probably moved up draft boards. Jenkins and Ingram in particular did excellent jobs selling themselves and erasing any doubts that NFL teams might have had in their ability to play at the next level. This was my 6th Senior Bowl and I have yet to see any player that was still a legitimate potential first rounder head into Mobile and come out hurting himself, and this year was no exception.
To defensive players with coverage skills. Safeties, physical corners, and linebackers that can cover are in huge demand this draft, and some players here really helped themselves by proving they fit that bill. George Iloka is probably the biggest winner of the week, a 6'3" safety with a shredded physique that didn't look out of place lining up as the wide corner a few times. Keenan Robinson moved himself up at least one round thanks to his very impressive cover skills at linebacker. Donnie Fletcher and Dwight Bill Bentley probably did the same as corners who looked strong and physical in coverage. Zack Brown and Sean Spence stood out as coverage backers too, while Antonio Allen helped himself by showing he's a safety that can line up in man coverage too.
Other big winners: Demario Davis, Gerell Robinson, TJ Hughes, Jeff Allen, Cordy Glenn, Isaiah Pead, Derek Wolfe, Brad Nortman
Thumbs Down To teams not picking in the top 10 that need a QB. After Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin and Ryan Tannehill (who missed this week due to injury), there is a huge gulf to the next tier of worthy quarterbacks. That was painfully evident here this week. Nick Foles is probably the best QB during the week, but his performance was nothing special and did nothing to change opinions of him. Same with Kirk Cousins, who followed up an inconsistent career at Michigan State with an inconsistent week of practices. I don't see one quarterback that deserves to be drafted between #10 and #60 overall; there certainly wasn't any one here that fits that bill without it being a real gamble/reach. Two of the QBs here, Kellen Moore and Ryan Lindley, appear undraftable. On the flip side, this should be considered a thumbs up for free agent QBs like Matt Flynn, Alex Smith, Jason Campbell, and Shaun Hill.
To coaches trolling for jobs. One of the more interesting things during Senior Bowl week is watching the out of work coaches trying to shed the unemployed status. It makes for some awkward scenes and uncomfortable conversations. This year was different though. The general managers were much less visible than in years past, both at the practice sessions and in the hotels. It used to be commonplace to see a head coach "interviewing" a prospective coordinator over coffee at Serna's or oysters at any number of downtown restaurants. Perhaps tired of people like me exposing these things, those meetings are now taking place in hotel suites or the press box at Ladd Peebles Stadium. It was harder for the job seeking coaches to get noticed and to strike up conversations that could lead to new opportunities.
Others that didn't have great weeks: Billy Winn, Mike Brewster, Chris Polk, Kevin Zeitler, Devier Posey, Marquise Maze, Will Blackwell, Terrance Ganaway
Thumbs Twiddling To several prospects with mixed reviews. The two most divisive prospects in Mobile were Alfonzo Dennard and Mike Adams. Dennard makes scouts cringe with his lazy footwork and clutchiness in coverage, but many coaches appeared quite enamored with his size, willingness to hit, and ability to separate the ball from the receiver. Meanwhile Adams wowed coaches with his great size, length, and ability to flatten defenders. But scouts were highly critical of his ability to move his feet and slide laterally, and he was guilty of more holding than any other line prospect here.
Others with mixed reviews: Jake Bequette, Brian Quick, Brandon Weeden, Joe Adams, Senio Kelemente, Bobby Wagner, Brandon Thompson
Thumbs Sucking To the lack of drama. Normally there is a devastating injury (O'Brien Schofield) or local hero (Courtney Smith) or media magnet (Tim Tebow) or mouthy player (Sean Weatherspoon) or standout star (Von Miller) to stir the pot during the week. This year there was none of that, which is probably a good thing. It made for a pretty lackluster week with nobody to focus all sorts of attention upon. The Renaissance scene was pretty quiet, and other than some OSU/Michigan histrionics between Mike Martin and Mike Brewster, the action at Ladd-Peebles was pretty docile and civilized as well. The most exciting and interesting thing to happen all week was Thursday's practices being moved indoors because of severe weather.
