2011 Senior Bowl: Overall Notes

Well, my Senior Bowl experience was a blast, and I hope you all enjoyed my coverage. I tried my best to bring live tweets, instant updates, and inside information. Expect more of the same for the coming weeks and months.

So, here are some notes for today, including some on and off the field observations of the week.

Five Guys I Surprisingly Didn’t Like at Senior Bowl

5. Demarco Murray – Seemed like a long strider, had good speed and was somewhat physical. I’m scared he could be too much like Joe McKnight

4. Jeremy Beal – Slow off the snap all week, really didn’t win many pass rush battles. He had a few chances as linebacker, but doesn’t look all that complete as 3-4 OLB.

3. Andy Dalton – While I don’t usually watch what others say about prospects, I heard that Mike Mayock has Dalton as a Top 3 QB in the draft. He wasn’t Top 3 this week, reminds me of John Beck.

2. Pernell McPhee – Looked slow off the ball, not many pass rush moves, and when you don’t show a good motor or hustle here, you’re not showing that you really care.

1. Nate Solder – He didn’t look that bad, still a top left tackle prospect. But he struggled mightily with power rushers with good leverage like Kerrigan and Jordan, and I didn’t like his overall attitude on the field.

Five Guys I Surprisingly Really Liked at Senior Bowl

5. Derrick Locke – Best running back here in Mobile, and while he lacks the size to be pass blocker or to be full time back, he put himself securely in the draftable area.

4. Vincent Brown – Showed great routes and consistent hands all week long, and had developed receiver skills as well as any here. Lots of interest around him, could go 2nd round.

3. Kelvin Sheppard – Coaches said he was the leader of the defense and made the defensive calls. If he can be a leader here, he can in the NFL. Plus, he has NFL size already (6’1, 250)

2. Jake Kirkpatrick – Best center here in my opinion, stopped big nose tackles like Phil Taylor and quicker defensive linemen like Allen Bailey.

1. Christian Ballard – Only behind Cameron Jordan in linemen that helped themselves, his versatility to play DE, DT, or 3-4 DE this week most likely pushed him to the 1st round.

Ten Best Personalities at the Senior Bowl

I met almost every player at the Senior Bowl, and I got to know a few fairly well. This isn’t saying the over 100 weren’t great, just these ten stood out to me.

10. Ronald Johnson – Very excited to be in Mobile, good understanding on the game, and a lot of teams really enjoyed talking to him.

9. Brandon Fusco – An extremely humble kid from a division two school, he took very well to coaching, improved over the week, and has the work ethic to be a starter.

8. Cameron Jordan – Very outgoing and personable, his attitude is on the verge of too much talking, but as far as I’ve heard and talked to him he seems very genuine and a leader by voice.

7. Lee Smith – Another very humble guy and willing to do whatever it takes, he was very open about making the switch to left tackle if need be. He also asked me to keep in touch, which I surely will.

6. Rashad Carmichael – Instantly outgoing and a good overall attitude around him, you can see he puts in the work in the film room and has a great understanding of the game.

5. Anthony Allen – He was interviewing coaches and players on the field after Wednesday’s practice for a TV show, and was very witty. He’ll be liked in an NFL locker room, no question.

4. Kendric Burney – Got a chance to talk to him a lot, and he was very open about how he’s been performing and his overall game, which is rare because so many are “over-coached”. I’ll for sure be keeping up with him, one of my favorite prospects before I met him.

3. Greg McElroy – With the Senior Bowl in Mobile, McElroy was swamped with autograph requests and interviews. But he also made sure that all media , including websites, got their chance with him. Shows he’s not too full of himself, and has quickly become a guy I’ll root for. I never met Tebow, but I’d imagine they’re both similar.

2. Sam Acho – Very well spoken and intellegent, he humbly spoke of his National Academic Heisman award, and again made time for me and most others. He has a great work ethic, and could be successful in anything he does. Really hope we can stay in touch as well.

1. Colin Kaepernick – He always had a smile on his face and was an entertaining yet focused player. he also was reportedly a leader in the locker room, so a leader and a personable quarterback could mean great success in the NFL, at least off the field.

Other Notes:

-Heard another tidbit from my cab driver connection Shelton  from Royalty Transpertation in Mobile, who has ties to Nick Fairley and JaMarcus Russell. He said Cam Newton and Nick Fairley have discussed Russell and his NFL downfall, and wears his number. He absolutely uses Russell’s failures as motivation.

-I did leave early Thursday morning from the Senior Bowl, and on my flight back to the northeast, I noticed that my flight had DirecTV. However, I soon learned that I wouldn’t be able to watch the practices on TV because DirecTV does not carry NFL Network. When is THAT going to be fixed.

-Also, keep an eye out for interviews and updates from the players, scouts, and agents I talked to at the Senior Bowl. Should be in store for some great insight and prospect notes the rest of the way until the draft.

Thanks to:

I have to give another shout out to the guys I spoke with the most in Mobile from other sites. Joe Everett from RookieDraft.com and NFLDraftBible.com, Chris Meier and Doug Lancy from NFLDraft101.com, Evan Davis from DraftBreakdown, Michael Schottey from BleacherReport.com, and the guys at DraftCountdown.com, Scott Wright and Shane Hallam. All great guys, look forward to keeping in touch and seeing them next year in Mobile!