Another week of practices have come and gone, and the diaspora of pretty much every NFL coach and talent evaluator have returned home to process what they?ve seen. One of the things I picked up this week, more than in past trips, is the disparity of opinions between the scouts who have been closely following these players for months and the blank slate opinions of the coaches, often seeing them for the very first time. There is always some contrast but it seemed starker this year, particularly on the quarterbacks and offensive linemen. Winners The North Offensive Tackles-- We all expected a talented group and were not disappointed. Anthony Castonzo, Nate Solder, and Gabe Carimi all consistently displayed first-round talent with the ability to be very good starters very soon. Solder probably helped himself as much as anyone, putting some distance between himself and the other top tackle candidates with his package of size, strength, and length. A month ago I did a mock draft where I slotted him #5 overall and most people thought I was nuts, but now I doubt anyone would be surprised if he went in the 5-10 overall range. I thought Indiana?s James Brewer and Pitt?s Jason Pinkston both showed enough to solidify 4th-5th round statuses with decent, albeit more limited potential as well. The Unheralded QBs-- The marquee names heading into Mobile were Jake Locker and Christian Ponder. The guys that attracted the most positive attention all week were Andy Dalton and Ricky Stanzi, and Colin Kaepernick to a lesser extent. Both Dalton and Stanzi are excellent examples of what I was talking about in the opening--the coaches with no preconceived opinions loved what they saw, while the scouts who have been iffy on them were generally impressed but much more skeptical. That will mandate a lot of film study and is sure to provoke some war room battles. But if you throw out what you knew beforehand, there is no question these three were the three best QBs in Mobile for the week. Titus Young-- He drew a very public comparison to Desean Jackson by consistently blowing past defenders and making plays down the field. I wouldn?t put him at that level but he certainly impressed. He also struck a memorable impression early with his Maria Sharapova-like grunting whenever he makes a move. It?s silly but it made him stand out the first couple of days when everyone is still referencing their roster sheets to figure out who is who, and his play more than backed up the increased attention and awareness. Cameron Jordan, Von Miller, and Ryan Kerrigan--all three were first round locks heading into the week, and all proved why. Miller (as I?ve been touting since late Sept.) really impressed with his ability to drop in coverage and play the run, aside from being unstoppable as an edge rusher. Jordan made a huge splash Tuesday, essentially taking over North practice. He wasn?t as dynamic the rest of the week, and he needs to learn more pass rush moves than his arm-over rip, but he was still mighty impressive, both on the field and to anyone who got a chance to talk to him. Kerrigan gave the very good North tackles fits with his speed and ability to flatten inside after starting wide. All are very likely top 20 picks, with Miller almost certainly a top 7 pick. Others who impressed Kendrick Burney Clint Boling Danny Watkins, who is probably the biggest gainer in terms of overall draft position from the week?if things hold. Went from middle-round mystery to no worse than a 2nd round talent, which will be validated on game film. Rashad Carmichael, though the injury hurts Luke Stocker Rodney Hudson Richard Sherman Ronald Johnson Kendall Hunter Greg Jones Kelvin Sheppard Phil Taylor Non-Winners They?re not losers because they still have lots of opportunities for damage control, but these guys didn?t help themselves in Mobile? Derek Sherrod and DeMarcus Love-- The presumed top two tackles on the South squad, both projected as late 1st/mid 2nd round picks heading to Mobile by many, both got outplayed by their lesser heralded mates (notably Clint Boling and James Carpenter). Sherrod had enough positive moments that he won?t be hurt too much, though he?s clearly not in the conversation with the top North guys anymore. Love confirmed many scouts worst fears about him, as he had trouble staying balanced and didn?t show much pop in his run blocking. Now the lasting impressions on Love are the whipping Cameron Heyward put on him in the Sugar Bowl and a subpar week in Mobile. The Small Schoolers-- It?s a Catch-22 for both the Senior Bowl committee and the players themselves; the players feel like they deserve a shot to show what they can do with the big boys and desperately angle to get chosen, but then they?re under more pressure to prove they belong once the action starts. And by and large they proved they did not belong. Brandon Fusco and local hero Courtney Smith both looked undraftable, clearly struggling most of the week at the jump in level of competition. Cedric Thornton showed some potential but also the need for a lot of work before he can ever see the field. Edmund Gates flashed the jets the first day but got shut down with injury, unable to really build on the buzz. Ben Ijalana didn?t even make the trip, as an injury cost him a shot to really make a name for himself. Not a good showing for the non D-IA contingency, something that could be held against future players from those levels. The non-BCS D-I schools didn?t fare much better; Kevin Kowalski, Charles Clay, Dwayne Harris, Jaiquawn Jarrett, and Greg Salas didn?t do much to create positive momentum heading forward down the draft path, though Jarrett and Salas had their moments. The one exception: Vincent Brown, whom I mistakenly omitted in the ?Winners? category of those that impressed. Jake Locker--He?s another example of a player viewed very differently by the scouts that have watched him for years and coaches seeing him for the first time. Even his most ardent critics in the draftnik and scouting community (I?m one of them) will concede he has a lot going for him, and even though he was shorter than expected, he is the QB that most looks like an NFL starter?until he throws the ball. His inability to throw the ball with any sort of accuracy, particularly outside the hash marks, was alarming to say the least. I thought one NFC offensive coordinator summed up the coaching community perspective on Locker: ?Intangibles can only take him so far. I need a guy that can hit a moving target, and this guy can?t do that. No thanks.? Locker needs to be flawless with his accuracy at the Combine and his pro day or else I have a real hard time seeing him sticking in top 20. I know it only takes one to love him, but I?m not sure any one does right now. Others that didn?t build positive momentum Mark Herzlich, unfortunately a better story than football player a la Myron Rolle a year ago Ian Williams Joe Lefeged Nate Irving Pierre Allen The entire North RB squad not named Kendall Hunter Casey Matthews The punters, Alex Henery and Chas Henry. The Senior Bowl has had some great punting performances the past few years and these two were not up to that level. ...As for the game itself, I like the North to win 27-17 but the South has a chance with what I expect to be vastly superior special teams play.