NFLDC: North Practice Report Senior Bowl
Source: www.draftcountdown.com
The North squad, coached by the Cincinnati Bengals staff, came out in shells (shoulder pads and helmets) today but even though they weren't in full pads there was still plenty of hitting and physical play. It was a sparse crowd, with half of the scouts and coaches watching the South team in Fairhope, but those who did come to Ladd-Peebles Stadium were treated to a number of impressive performances.
• The headliner of the day might have been Missouri DT Evander "Ziggy" Hood, who showcased his trademark hustle and tenacity. Hood's motor seemed to run non-stop and he was able to consistently make plays in one-on-one drills, dipping and getting past Alex Mack on more than one occasion.
• Oklahoma OT Phil Loadholt had a good day. Loadholt was very physical and absolutely mauled defenders once he got his hands on them, which was to be expected from a guy who weighed in at 6-8 and 343 pounds. However, he also displayed good feet and showed the ability to handle speed rushers. Today at least.
• One of the players Loadholt toyed with was Connecticut DE Cody Brown, who did not have a good day. In addition to getting absolutely mauled by Loadholt in drills Brown also received quite a bit of instruction from the coaches. On one hand you don't want to be too critical of Brown because he was going up against a guy who outweighed him by 100 pounds but at the same time those are the types of specimens he will see as a defensive end at the next level. After today something tells me Brown is thinking a move to outside linebacker sounds pretty good.
• Boston College DT B.J. Raji had a good day, showing why he is one of the best defensive tackles in this draft. If not the best. Raji was singled out on quite a few coaching points but it was more a case of working with him than a negative thing. Raji was also noticeable quicker than his teammate Ron Brace, even though they are about the same size. Brace looked slow and lethargic.
• Sam Houston St. QB Rhett Bomar easily had the best release and most velocity of all the signal callers on the North squad. He throws a real nice ball and it gets out of his hand very quick. His accuracy was relatively average today though.
• Of all the wide receivers Penn State's Derrick Williams looked the most impressive today. He got off the line of scrimmage real quick and showed terrific acceleration. He was also quick out of his breaks and got good separation. He just looked like the best receiver out there. Williams did muff a punt and the ensuing scene looked like something straight out of "Football Follies" as he crashed into another player at one point while trying to pick the ball up.
• Oklahoma St. TE Brandon Pettigrew really looks the part. I didn't get to see Pettigrew work as a pass catcher much today but as a blocker he was able to extend his arms and easily drive a linebacker out of the player.
• Northern Illinois DE Larry English was more physically impressive than I anticipated and he drew praise from coaches for his technique.
• I didn't get to see as much of Virginia LB Clint Sintim as I had hoped to today but in coverage drills he looked a little stiff. On the flip-side Oklahoma's Nic Harris looked very smooth and comfortable in ball drills, which was not much of a surprise since he was a safety in college.
• I was pleasantly surprised with Iowa DT Mitch King, who always seemed to be around the action and drew a lot of praise from the coaching staff. Alex Mack was able to hold him in check for the most part though.
• South Florida OLB Tyrone McKenzie looked real good on one play, reading the play quickly and attacking the ball carrier but then missed the tackle behind the line of scrimmage. I didn't see much of him but I liked what I saw.
• Illinois OT Xavier Fulton, showed the ability to easily get out to the second level. Fulton also surprised me when he was able to lock on and control his man.
• Virginia RB Cedric Peerman's small hands were a point of concern at the weigh-in and when he bobbled a pass today those worries seemed to be validated.
• Purdue RB Kory Sheets had trouble turning the corner and was strung out to the sideline by Ohio St. LB Marcus Freeman. That was probably more of a plus for Freeman than a negative for Sheets though.
• There is no question that Connecticut OT William Beatty needs to pack some weight onto his 291 pound frame but he is very smooth and you can certainly see why many have him rated as a late first / early second round possibility.
• Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell displayed good accuracy and didn't miss many throws but he didn't stand out when it came to his dropback, release or velocity.
• Central Arkansas QB Nathan Brown almost looked out of place and was a distant third when it came to the North quarterbacks. He just doesn't look very big out there and it would be hard to say he was better than average in any regard.
• Oklahoma WR Juaquin Iglesias ran good routes and broke down well but he did miss a couple of balls that he should have caught.
• Ohio St. WR Brian Robiskie catches the ball well and appears to have very good hands but he didn't look very fast.
• Washington St. WR Brandon Gibson looked slow on his routes and didn't accelerate off the line well. He didn't get much separation out of his breaks either.
• North Carolina's Brooks Foster was probably the second best receiver after Williams, showing the ability to accelerate and separate. He also showed some craftiness as a route runner on vertical and deep crossing plays.
• Cal Poly's Ramses Barden caught the ball well and looked very athletic. He didn't necessarily look real fast but that could be deceptive because of his size.
• The most impressive running back today was Oregon's Jeremiah Johnson, who looked noticeably quicker than his counterparts.
All in all there were a number of players who looked good and helped themselves today, most notably Derrick Williams, Ziggy Hood and Rhett Bomar, but there really wasn't an eye-opening, world-beating performance from anyone. The players were still getting comfortable and adjusting to their new surroundings though so that could all change tomorrow. The North may not have as many flashy, high-profile names as their South counterparts but there is plenty of talent and when all is said and done I would not be at all surprised if the North produces just as many first round picks as the South does.
The North squad, coached by the Cincinnati Bengals staff, came out in shells (shoulder pads and helmets) today but even though they weren't in full pads there was still plenty of hitting and physical play. It was a sparse crowd, with half of the scouts and coaches watching the South team in Fairhope, but those who did come to Ladd-Peebles Stadium were treated to a number of impressive performances.
• The headliner of the day might have been Missouri DT Evander "Ziggy" Hood, who showcased his trademark hustle and tenacity. Hood's motor seemed to run non-stop and he was able to consistently make plays in one-on-one drills, dipping and getting past Alex Mack on more than one occasion.
• Oklahoma OT Phil Loadholt had a good day. Loadholt was very physical and absolutely mauled defenders once he got his hands on them, which was to be expected from a guy who weighed in at 6-8 and 343 pounds. However, he also displayed good feet and showed the ability to handle speed rushers. Today at least.
• One of the players Loadholt toyed with was Connecticut DE Cody Brown, who did not have a good day. In addition to getting absolutely mauled by Loadholt in drills Brown also received quite a bit of instruction from the coaches. On one hand you don't want to be too critical of Brown because he was going up against a guy who outweighed him by 100 pounds but at the same time those are the types of specimens he will see as a defensive end at the next level. After today something tells me Brown is thinking a move to outside linebacker sounds pretty good.
• Boston College DT B.J. Raji had a good day, showing why he is one of the best defensive tackles in this draft. If not the best. Raji was singled out on quite a few coaching points but it was more a case of working with him than a negative thing. Raji was also noticeable quicker than his teammate Ron Brace, even though they are about the same size. Brace looked slow and lethargic.
• Sam Houston St. QB Rhett Bomar easily had the best release and most velocity of all the signal callers on the North squad. He throws a real nice ball and it gets out of his hand very quick. His accuracy was relatively average today though.
• Of all the wide receivers Penn State's Derrick Williams looked the most impressive today. He got off the line of scrimmage real quick and showed terrific acceleration. He was also quick out of his breaks and got good separation. He just looked like the best receiver out there. Williams did muff a punt and the ensuing scene looked like something straight out of "Football Follies" as he crashed into another player at one point while trying to pick the ball up.
• Oklahoma St. TE Brandon Pettigrew really looks the part. I didn't get to see Pettigrew work as a pass catcher much today but as a blocker he was able to extend his arms and easily drive a linebacker out of the player.
• Northern Illinois DE Larry English was more physically impressive than I anticipated and he drew praise from coaches for his technique.
• I didn't get to see as much of Virginia LB Clint Sintim as I had hoped to today but in coverage drills he looked a little stiff. On the flip-side Oklahoma's Nic Harris looked very smooth and comfortable in ball drills, which was not much of a surprise since he was a safety in college.
• I was pleasantly surprised with Iowa DT Mitch King, who always seemed to be around the action and drew a lot of praise from the coaching staff. Alex Mack was able to hold him in check for the most part though.
• South Florida OLB Tyrone McKenzie looked real good on one play, reading the play quickly and attacking the ball carrier but then missed the tackle behind the line of scrimmage. I didn't see much of him but I liked what I saw.
• Illinois OT Xavier Fulton, showed the ability to easily get out to the second level. Fulton also surprised me when he was able to lock on and control his man.
• Virginia RB Cedric Peerman's small hands were a point of concern at the weigh-in and when he bobbled a pass today those worries seemed to be validated.
• Purdue RB Kory Sheets had trouble turning the corner and was strung out to the sideline by Ohio St. LB Marcus Freeman. That was probably more of a plus for Freeman than a negative for Sheets though.
• There is no question that Connecticut OT William Beatty needs to pack some weight onto his 291 pound frame but he is very smooth and you can certainly see why many have him rated as a late first / early second round possibility.
• Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell displayed good accuracy and didn't miss many throws but he didn't stand out when it came to his dropback, release or velocity.
• Central Arkansas QB Nathan Brown almost looked out of place and was a distant third when it came to the North quarterbacks. He just doesn't look very big out there and it would be hard to say he was better than average in any regard.
• Oklahoma WR Juaquin Iglesias ran good routes and broke down well but he did miss a couple of balls that he should have caught.
• Ohio St. WR Brian Robiskie catches the ball well and appears to have very good hands but he didn't look very fast.
• Washington St. WR Brandon Gibson looked slow on his routes and didn't accelerate off the line well. He didn't get much separation out of his breaks either.
• North Carolina's Brooks Foster was probably the second best receiver after Williams, showing the ability to accelerate and separate. He also showed some craftiness as a route runner on vertical and deep crossing plays.
• Cal Poly's Ramses Barden caught the ball well and looked very athletic. He didn't necessarily look real fast but that could be deceptive because of his size.
• The most impressive running back today was Oregon's Jeremiah Johnson, who looked noticeably quicker than his counterparts.
All in all there were a number of players who looked good and helped themselves today, most notably Derrick Williams, Ziggy Hood and Rhett Bomar, but there really wasn't an eye-opening, world-beating performance from anyone. The players were still getting comfortable and adjusting to their new surroundings though so that could all change tomorrow. The North may not have as many flashy, high-profile names as their South counterparts but there is plenty of talent and when all is said and done I would not be at all surprised if the North produces just as many first round picks as the South does.
posted by The Gryphon at 9:35 AM
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