The day two winners for the North practice were Vince Mayle, Danny Shelton, Carl Davis, Hayes Pullard, Jeff Luc and Quinton Rollins. Alex Brown scouted the trenches and running backs, while Ian Wharton looked at the skill position players and quarterbacks.
Be sure to check Optimum Scouting throughout the week for the latest 2015 Senior Bowl scouting notes.
Quarterbacks
-It was a tough day for ECU’s Shane Carden and Oregon State’s Sean Mannion. Each struggled with the far sideline passes, often missing their target too high. Carden’s lack of arm strength and leg drive is a major issue when he goes downfield. Mannion threw two interceptions and had a number of other inaccurate passes. His footwork is a mess, as he doesn’t square up and likes to rely on his average arm too often.
-The best QB present is easily Bryce Petty. He played well in the skeleton drill, but that’s where he should excel. His ball placement is very inconsistent, but he makes enough “wow” throws to keep you interested.
Running Backs
-Nebraska RB Ameer Abdullah moves at a different speed than the other backs on the North roster. He is decisive in his reads, able to bend and explode through cuts, and quick enough to take edge on perimeter plays. He’s undersized at 5’8, 198 lbs, but a ball carrier that sees blocks develop and can access cutbacks.
-Big Ten running mate David Cobb showed off soft hands to adjust at the catch point and continues to run with controlled footwork between the tackles. He’s a consistent producer that doesn’t wow with burst or explosive speed. Cobb lacks exciting traits but is a good back nonetheless.
Wide Receivers
-The biggest performer for the North team was ECU slot man Justin Hardy. Hardy measured in slightly smaller than he was listed, but it didn’t matter as he shredded the North cornerbacks on short, intermediate and deep routes. He’s solidifying his claim as the top receiver here.
-Washington State receiver Vince Mayle also had a solid day. He showed great sideline control as he adjusted to poor passes. His ability to work the sideline is helping his case that he can see the field early in the NFL.
-Receivers Jamison Crowder and Devin Smith each had multiple drops, and didn’t stand out nearly enough. Smith continued to excel on deep routes, but his heavy feet were cumbersome as he tried to win on quick hitting slants and comebacks.
Tight Ends
-Kent State tight end Casey Pierce showed off nice ball skills and the ability to adjust to off-target passes, finishing along the sideline on a corner pattern and reeling in underneath targets.
Offensive Line
-Duke offensive guard Laken Tomlinson can bend and sink his lower half, but had difficulty anchoring immediately off the snap versus the strength of Danny Shelton. Pushed too far back into the pocket on one-on-one rush drills, Tomlinson has to improve his functional strength as a pass protector. He hardly panics when placed on his heels and shows the flexibility to drop his anchor to recover, but he needs to show more hip snap power at the point of attack.
-Another interior blocker that struggled in terms of functional strength was Florida’s Max Garcia. He is active in exchanging his hands and occupying his opponent, but struggled to create an interior push versus nose tackles like Danny Shelton and Carl Davis. His versatility and understanding of positioning will make him a valuable utility lineman, however, the lack of plus strength or lateral quickness may limit his NFL upside.
-Pittsburgh’s T.J. Clemmings flashed during the practice, showing both his elite traits and lack of refinement due to inexperience at the position. When his hands are in correct position and he locks out at the point of attack, Clemmings dominates his man. The issue with Clemmings is his punch timing and consistency on pass sets. At times he overset and allowed rushers to counter back to the inside, while he also would show his hands too early versus speed rushers. The physical traits are obvious but he needs to hammer down the finer points of the position.
-Florida offensive tackle Trenton Brown could not sit back and comfortably protect the rush arc during one-on-ones. He was constantly bending at the waist, grasping for air and lunging at opponents. I don’t think he’s a flexible enough athlete to sink back into his pass set, and also believe he’s carrying too much weight on his frame. The combination of mass and length could lead to a successful move to offensive guard, but I don’t think he’s the type of athlete you want in edge pass protection.
-Small school guard Robert Myers took to coaching well after struggling initially with the footwork during individual blocking drills. He competed and gave plus effort on each rep, but needs to improve his first step and awareness of angles in the blocking game.
Defensive Line
-Nose tackle Danny Shelton showed more positive than negative during practice, impressing versus single blocks and lacking proper technique to handle double teams. Too willing to absorb contact with his wide body and leave his hands at his side, Shelton did not perform well in the double team blocking drills. When the reps went live, he reset the line of scrimmage effectively and even showed the lateral quickness to set up a pass rush move. His skill set is unique as a movable nose tackle, however he has to improve at getting his hands up to protect his midsection.
-Also playing at nose tackle, Iowa DT Carl Davis wowed with his ability to get underneath blockers, leverage the football and lock out his upper half to reset the line of scrimmage. He doesn’t finish with many tackles, and needs to improve at disengaging and finding the football. Oftentimes, he would alter the running back’s path but be a split second late to make the play. His impact is noticeable though, and he displayed plus strength.
-As far as edge rushers go, Utah’s Nate Orchard actually got the best of Pittsburgh offensive tackle T.J. Clemmings on multiple reps. Forcing Clemmings to overset versus his first step quicks, Orchard redirected back inside with a speed-to-power move during the pit drills. He is fairly predictable as a rusher with speed rush or speed-to-power, but quick enough to make plays as a backside edge defender. His lack of punch strength limited his impact in the run game and he’s far better suited to playing a 3-4 OLB role in the NFL.
Linebackers
-The leader of the North defense was USC backer Hayes Pullard. Flowing downhill aggressively and sifting through the trash, Hayes delivered some haymaker hits on opposing ball carriers. He comes to balance and is able to snap his hips for audible tackles. He was the most active defender during both 7-on-7 run drills and team.
-Cincinnati linebacker Jeff Luc had an impressive performance on Day 2. His film came off as sluggish and slow, but he looked fluid and fast enough to play outside of the tackles. His stock is rising as he continues to play well.
Defensive Backs
-The biggest standouts today were Miami (OH) cornerback Quinten Rollins and Utah defensive back Eric Rowe. Rollins drew the praise of scouts and analysts alike as he showed his fluid hips and tremendous ball skills.
–Eric Rowe is a huge cornerback that excels in press coverage, and today he flaunted his quick feet and ability to locate the ball. He had an early interception against Sean Mannion, as well as a few tackles near the line of scrimmage in team drills.
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