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The draft season begins in earnest with the annual Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama this week. The daily practice sessions are carefully scrutinized by every scout, almost every coach, every GM, and more than a few owners. It?s also a time where the groundwork is laid for draft trades, player movement (every agent is there as well), and coaching staffs get filled out.
As for the participants, it?s a critical week. Most of the players here are in the 20-100 overall draft range, and the jockeying in those positions is fierce. Here are some things I?m looking for over the coming few days.
1. Jake Locker-- The Washington quarterback was the #1 prospect heading into 2010, but a largely disappointing season has curbed the enthusiasm. He needs to show he can make throws from the pocket and hit moving targets with good accuracy, two things he badly struggled with in his senior season. I also want to see him show some leadership in the way the other players in Mobile responded to Tim Tebow last year and Philip Rivers did a few years back. When ?intangibles? are such a big part of the package as they are with Locker, it?s vital he demonstrates he can quickly win over his peers the way Tebow, Rivers, and others have in Mobile.
2. The Beef-- If you break out the top three needs for almost every team in the league, you?ll find defensive tackle/nose tackle. There will be some beef in Mobile with the likes of Baylor?s Phil Taylor, LSU?s Drake Nevis, Jarvis Jenkins of Clemson, and Stephen Paea from Oregon State the most prominent. There is very little ordination between those guys now, and the next tier is also represented and largely unsorted as well. This will be a big week for figuring out who belongs in what order. Of all the positions, defensive line is the one that the Senior Bowl week does the best job of translating into NFL ability.
3. The Secret Weapon-- Two years ago, an unheralded skinny kid named Mike Wallace made a strong impression with a week where he consistently torched DBs and caught everything thrown at him, often from some pretty lousy quarterbacks. Last year, lightly regarded mite Dexter McCluster proved he belonged with the big boys by darting around, beyond, and through what was an excellent defensive class. Headed into the week even the most ardent draftniks weren?t sure if he was a running back or wide receiver, but McCluster demonstrated he could stand out at wideout. Both have used the increased exposure and turned it into thriving NFL careers. There are a handful of candidates to take that torch this year, notably Jerrel Jernigan from Troy and Derrick Locke from Kentucky.
4. Tackling the Left Tackles-- The top offensive tackle prospects will all be in Mobile, and all have questions. Anthony Castonzo, Derek Sherrod, Nate Solder, and DeMarcus Love will be vigorously tested, and their performances in Mobile are likely the difference between going in the 5-10 overall range to perhaps falling out of the first round. There are some intriguing second-tier guys (James Brewer, Gabe Carimi and Marcus Gilbert) that could play their way well up draft boards as well.
5. The Hidden Gems up front-- I?m really focused on two players here: Ben Ijalana from Villanova and Danny Watkins from Baylor. Ijalana dominated at the FCS level but must prove he can handle the bigger, quicker players from the BCS schools. A year ago a dominant FCS tackle, Vlad Ducasse, came to Mobile and quickly proved he was not even close to an NFL tackle. Ijalana is a better, more experienced prospect and must play as such. Watkins is built like a guard but acquitted himself nicely at tackle in the wide-open, blitz-happy Big 12. If he shows enough to stay at tackle, he?ll improve his draft stock by at least a full round.
6. The Return of the ACC Wounded-- Florida State QB Christian Ponder missed their bowl game with an elbow injury that required surgery, a malady that bothered him all season and impacted his performance. He has all the physical traits and mental attributes to make a good starting quarterback in the NFL, but if his arm strength and deep ball accuracy aren?t recovered, Ponder could be in for a long wait on draft weekend. Virginia CB Ras-I Dowling missed most of 2010 with a knee injury that made many forget about him. He?s got great size and incredible closing speed, or rather he did prior to his injury. If he?s back, he?s a first round lock, but if he?s not he?ll be lucky to go in the 2nd.
7. The Feel Good Story-- Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich was once the most feared LB in the NCAA, an impressive physical machine with a seek and destroy mentality and the football smarts to back it up. He was the closest thing to my football hero, Chris Spielman, that I had seen. Then he fell ill with cancer that nearly killed him. After successfully fighting off his wretched malady, he came back and played a full season for BC in 2010. Everyone wants to see him do well, but the hard truth is that he just wasn?t the same player after his comeback. He must show he can still close quickly on the ball and bring the pain or else the comeback?s ending won?t be so happy.
8. The Small School Guys-- There are more of them this year than most, as the game organizers chose to pluck more small-school players as late replacements. I?m most curious to see Abilene Christian WR Edmond Gates, whom I?ve seen several times but never against the big boys. Slippery Rock center Brandon Fusco and Southern Arkansas DT Cedric Thornton also join the party, along with the aforementioned Ijalana. One scout I know and trust thinks Fusco is the top overall center in this entire draft, and now he gets a great opportunity to prove that.
9. Who is Watching Whom-- It?s always interesting to watch the coaches and personnel deciders in the stands and along the fencerow and see who they are watching more intently. Some are sly about it, but I?ve gleaned some very valuable mock draft tips and level of interest info by paying attention to the action just off the field. It?s also fun to watch the interactions between the NFL cognoscenti, which is more cordial and casual here than during the Combine and pro days.
10. The Fans-- Last year was Tebowmania and the stands were packed. Most years it isn?t like that, but more filled with Alabama and LSU fans cheering on their respective alums. But every year a fan favorite or two emerges from the practice sessions, and it?s been my experience that those players usually wind up being drafted a lot higher than expected. Tyson Alualu from last year comes to mind; he graciously signed autographs and interacted with the fans lining the exit gate and in the Renaissance lobby, winning over fans and apparently also some NFL personnel people, who liked that he was more than just a pretty darn good player but a man of the people as well.
I?ll post daily summaries here, and I?ll go more in-depth on the RealGM message board Senior Bowl thread. I?ll gladly answer concise emails as well, as timely as I can.
