This year’s Panini Senior Bowl was perfect weather for football: chilly, but sunny. In Mobile, Alabama and most areas in the South, it can be three days of cold followed by a couple days of shorts and flip flops, then cold again. But chilly all week is great for the game of football.
Thursday was the final day of pads and hitting. Even though the pads go on for three practices, Wednesday and Thursday are the only ones that the coaches will allow actual hitting and tackling, except for the quarterbacks and returners of course.
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RELATED: RECEIVERS TO WATCH AT SENIOR BOWL
Friday is shorts and helmets and all the special teams stuff. The players spend the remainder of Friday doing community activities, like the popular Coca-Cola event, where fans can meet all of the players, and a Mardi Gras street party since it is the season along the Gulf Coast.
Saturday is game time on NFL Network with a kickoff at 2:30 (Eastern). Teams are divided into National and American squads. Players who performed the best during the week are declared the starters, but everyone plays at least a quarter. The announced starting quarterback usually plays the entire first half, then the other two will play a quarter each.
Dawgs by Nature staff writer Barry Shuck has beenat the Senior Bowl this week, jotting down notes of players who have had a good week that the Browns may need.
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Receivers
Two guys who raised their draft stock the most were players who came from smaller schools: WR Ben Hurst from tiny Georgia State and WR Ty Montgomery from John Carroll.
Hurst has shown contested catchabilities and is very fluid and smooth. Off the snap, he has shown good footwork and has blown away every scout here this week with good size (6’-3”). Had a fourth-round grade on him before this week, and will elevate a minimum of one round if not the second round. Montgomery has spent all week making spectacular plays, and rarely does a DB stay with him. All week, he made plays and showed that the competition wasn’t too big for him. Not a big body guy, so looking more like a slot prospect. Great athleticism, great separation, and is an exceptional route runner. Day 3 player coming in and could be found in Rounds 3-4 now.
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Enjoyed seeing another small school guy in WR Devin Voisin from South Alabama, who was a late addition to this game. He is quick and agile and has gotten open on most routes. Another Day 3 kid who will move up quite a bit. Precision routes and appears to be a diamond in the rough. Notre Dame WR Malachi Fields continued his good week with a good practice the final two days, but has had an issue holding onto the ball despite a good throw. He came in a well-known receiver option and has probably the best receiver all week with great size (6’-4”) and runs great routes. Cincinnati WR Cyrus Allen is another whowill catch most balls and then drop a few. Blame it on the breeze.
Other receivers who had a good practice week include Baylor’s Josh Cameron, Missouri’s Kevin Coleman, Jr., Baron Brown from LSU,and Ja’Kobi Lane from USC.
Offensive line
This has been an assortment of players this year. Several have distinguished themselves from the pack on the final day of practice.
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The best two offensive tackles have been Boston College’s Jude Bowry (6’-5”, 308 pounds) and RT Max Iheanachor (6’-6”, 330 pounds) of Arizona State.
Bowry lined up at his natural position of LT all week. He played 31 games in college so he has the experience. He appears to be more of a technician in his style, but offers a strong anchor and will send defenders to a wide pocket, and tends to protect his inside.
Iheanachor is such a large man and has a really good reach. He looked better each day as the first day of practice, he was getting beaten consistently, but he has made several adjustments. Dominant in the 1-on-1 drills at the end of the week. Great footwork and a nice, wide stance on passing downs helped his balance. Got in a fight with DE Derrick Moore, who wasn’t able to get around him. Moore threw a punch, and Iheanachor connected on a right cross.
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The Browns will probably need a backup center, and three stood out: Kansas State’s Sam Hecht (6’4”, 294 pounds), Miami’s James Brockermeyer (6’-3, 295 pounds), and Jake Slaughter (6’-4”, 308 pounds) from Florida.
Slaughter is a natural center, and there is no equal to his pass blocking. Has a powerful first punch and has gone to the second level several times, looking for a linebacker. Hecht doesn’t have the girth of Slaughter, but good hand placement right off. He does have a thick build and seems to have a high floor. He had two good consecutive practice sessions and is getting the scout’s attention, which could see him selected in the fourth round. Brockermeyer is a bit smaller, butseems to understand blocking angles.
Cleveland will need to bring in two offensive guards this off-season either in free agency or the NFL draft. This week, OG Gennings Dunker (6’-5”, 316 pounds) from Iowa has been outstanding, and Georgia Tech OG Keylan Rutledge (6’-4”, 330 pounds) from Kansas State. Both players barely lost any reps.
Rutledge is such a bully, and he knows it. He did take some reps at center in one practice. This is a player who doesn’t care who you are or what conference you played in; just move out of the way. Has got good arm length with a solid anchor. He came in a fourth-rounder and could hear his name called at the end of Round 2. Dunker is the guy you would play pool with, and when a fight breaks out, he is the first one in the scrum. He is a class by himself and has dominated most drills. A nasty guy. Would draft him in five seconds. Had a #37 ranking on him coming into the Senior Bowl, and now he should be the second guard taken off the board.
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Tight end
The Browns will most likely draft a young tight end, probably in the final four rounds. That is where you will find good blockers who need to be taught more about catching the football. Most have come from a running program, so the occasional reception was their entire college career.
Alabama’s Josh Cuevas has been catching everything thrown his way. He is giving linebackers fits with his body control and is very physical. A Day 3 guy who is a good pass blocker but seems to be lacking a bit in blocking on running downs. Somebody said he was tough as nails.
Another tight end prospect who had a good week is Nate Boerkircher of Texas A&M. He’s a big dude (6’-5”, 247 pounds) and throws his weight around in passing routes. Great hands and made several plays with intermediate throws. Will not win any races, but has a nice leap. Boerkircher really stood out. He hauled in catch after catch in one-on-ones, and he always found soft spots to get open during team periods. His stock should be rising.
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Defensive line
The defensive line as a whole dominated all week, with name after name popping up almost every day. That was the story of this year’s Senior Bowl.
The best players all week were Clemson DE T.J. Parker (6’-3”, 265 pounds), DT Caleb Banks (6’-6”, 329 pounds)from Florida, Missouri DE Zion Young (6’-5”, 262 pounds), and DT Lee Hunter (6’-3”, 320 pounds) of Texas Tech.
Hunter and Banks won almost every drill in the 1-on-1s with the O-Line. Both have a good first step, and a guy that big shouldn’t possess so it comes off as a surprise. Banks showed he has the ability to win line battles in different fashions than just a bull rush. He is a powerful man and will anchor somebody’s interior in Week 1. Ranked #28 but will get into the teens. Whoever agrees to feed this guy will lose out. Hunter is just a freak athlete and is ranked mid-second round. He is a funny guy off the field who constantly generates pressure on passing downs.
Young came into this week already a famous dude. Was a menace all week. Very lean and looks like a basketball that wandered onto the football field. Excellent get-off. His change of direction is outstanding, and his hand play is very physical. I think he is the most polished EDGE guy in this game and is great in push situations in most drills. Ranked bottom of the second round, but should now go at the top of Round 2 and perhaps the tail end of the first round.
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Parker is a special player and was the most consistent all week. Has been a standout all week and has improved his slot to the bottom of Round 1. He possesses counters that have miffed some offensive tackles here. He uses his length well and has good upper-body strength. Good hand action, but he isn’t going to beat anyone to the ice cream truck.
Defensive backfield
TCU S Bud Clark was the star of the defensive backfield this week. Came in a sixth-round player and left the story of the week as a Round 3 guy. His recognition of receiver routes is uncanny, and he has jumped, I don’t know how many, routes in three days. Very aggressive and wants to hit somebody. S Michael Taaffe from Texas was a coach on the field, giving instructions to his defensive backfield teammates. Will be a steal in Round 3. Quick trigger ball hawk. Want to improve special teams until he is ready for the starting defense?
CB Chandler Rivers of Duke looked good two days in a row. A bit undersized, but can fly with 4.45 speed. North Carolina CB Thaddeus Dixon looked really good as well. He was in lockdown mode today in the 1-on-1 drills with a great pick and is looking like an underrated player. Very quick and built like an outside corner. So far, he has shown a lot of physicality and is a bit of a ball hawk. Has displayed some versatility as well as handling multiple coverage responsibilities.
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Linebackers
Hard to decide what the Browns will do with the linebacker group. That will probably be determined by the injury status of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and whether they can re-sign Devin Bush.
The Browns should select Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriquez in the second round and pair him with Carson Schwesinger and watch the two sing. Exceptional tackler who led the nation in forced fumbles. It’s like he has this magic potion when he strikes the ball. Just look at the clip (he is #35), and his aim is astounding. Exceptional character guy.
LB Kyle Louis of Pitt came to the Senior Bowl as a safety and was converted to linebacker because he weighs 224 pounds. He has found his calling as he was flying all over the field today. Had an interception in the 1-on-1s. Known for this run defense, has a nose for the football and will hit. Exceptional coverage on the tight end. Fifth-round grade right now, but that will change.
