In the first 2015 Senior Bowl Scouting of the South team’s practice, there were a few standout safeties, receivers and defensive linemen that caught the eye of Optimum Scouting evaluators Alex Brown and Ian Wharton.
Alex Brown watched the quarterbacks, skill position players and defensive backs, and Ian Wharton evaluated the offensive and defensive lines, so be sure to check out all of the scouting takeaways from day one.
Quarterback
-Alabama native Blake Sims opened the day with some wild throws and poor timing, airmailing simple curl patterns and generally struggling to sync up with his receivers. He and Colorado State senior Garrett Grayson need time to develop chemistry with this receiving corps, so their performance bears watching.
-In speaking with NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, Garrett Grayson compares favorably to Kevin Kolb. Like Kolb, Grayson lacks a clean delivery but is a functional passer. On deeper throws, he overcompensated for the long speed of Auburn Sammie Coates and overthrew Coates on multiple go-routes.
-Auburn’s Nick Marshall officially made the position switch to cornerback and the Senior Bowl called up Southeastern Louisiana’s Bryan Bennett as the replacement passer. For more notes on Marshall’s play, scroll down to the defensive backs section.
Running Back
-Northern Iowa’s David Johnson continued to display the third down skills to be an immediate impact, as both a blocker and pass catcher. He was the most polished pass protector among South running backs, understanding how to set his base, take away the rusher’s angle and deliver a punch. Johnson runs smoothly for a 6’0, 224 lbs. ball carrier and is one of the better backs here at the Senior Bowl.
–Cameron Artis-Payne also had a nice day, running with low pads to and through the hole to avoid contact. He’s a runner that wins with the subtleties of shoulder dips and quick cut moves, but lacks any elite traits as a next level back. He projects as a rotational ball carrier that has the feet and vision to stick around in the NFL for a long time.
Wide Receiver
-From a body type and physical tools perspective, Sammie Coates is by far the top receiver at the Senior Bowl. He more than looks the part, can use his length to rip away from press coverage and win down the field with his long gait. With all that in mind, he still struggles to properly set up intermediate route breaks and also had a bad drop during team drills. He caught the ball well for the better part of the practice and he certainly passes the eyeball test.
-The real star at the receiver position was Central Arkansas’ Dezmin Lewis. Finishing catches away from his body and showcasing the athleticism to adjust at the catch point, Lewis could not be covered during one-on-one drills. Even when he didn’t create clear separation through the route, he was able to reel in the football. His movements are smooth and fluid, and he’ll be a draft riser if he continues to perform this way at the Senior Bowl practices.
-Kansas State senior Tyler Lockett was a real winner on the South roster, as he showed improved hands at the catch point. He caught every catchable target thrown his way, used his quickness to spin opposing defensive backs at the top of the route and even made a diving reception on a vertical target. He’ll be a package NFL player due to a lack of size, but projects easily as a 4th WR and return specialist.
-Also worth mentioning is the elite speed component that Miami WR Phillip Dorsett brings to the table. He has an extra gear that opposing defensive backs didn’t have on the field today. Dorsett has his flaws however, the foremost of which are his hands. He has to improve at finishing low targets that force him to adjust.
Offensive Line
-It was a rough day for the entire group, but most notably TCU’s Tayo Fabuluje and Auburn’s Reese Dismukes had practices to forget. Fabuluje has had stamina issues in the past, and it showed again today. He’s a mammoth that has some really good tape, but he never plays a full game, and he looked gassed halfway through practice. His inability to stay balanced or keep his legs moving in pass pro is a huge concern.
-Dismukes struggled even snapping the ball, as he botched three snaps. His inability to hold blocks seems to stem from his small hands, and he might be a center that has to only be a help blocker in the NFL.
-La’el Collins was really bad in pass protection, bending too much and not using his length. He needs to improve his hand placement and staying back, or else he will have to move to guard. Collins did look good as a run blocker, however. He was beaten throughout the day with speed moves to the outside.
-The other highly touted tackle, Ty Sambrailo, struggled to look like he belongs as a Day 1 NFL prospect. Sambrailo lacks the upper and lower body strength to handle some of the power present in Mobile, and he was ripped to the ground a few times because he doesn’t have a good punch or upper body control. He admitted afterwards that he didn’t play well. Hopefully that changes.
Defensive Line
-The top performer on the line was UCLA defensive end Owamagbe Odighizuwa. After a great weigh in, he was able to flaunt his quick, light feet in individual drills, and then showed to be a powerful force in team drills. Odighizuwa has great length and plays low enough to be a good run defender consistently.
-Clemson defensive tackle Grady Jarrett had a great day as well. He has quick feet that allow him to change directions quickly, and showed enough burst off the snap to be a headache for opposing linemen. He has good power to his game as well, pulling down Arie Kouandjio twice during individual drills.
-Auburn’s Gabe Wright and Mississippi State’s Preston Smith both had solid practices as well. Wright is another player that wins with quickness, and although he wasn’t as impressive as Jarrett, he looked the part of a nickel speed rusher. Smith also looked good, showing that his relentlessness and strength translates to the highest collegiate competition well. His ability to play multiple positions is a major bonus. He can win in a 4-3 or 3-4 because he gets into the chest of the blocker effectively and drives them backward.
-Missouri defensive end Markus Golden looked painfully average as an athlete throughout the day. His feet are nothing special and lack quickness, and his pass rush prowess is similarly bland. Golden needs to show more quick twitch traits this week.
Linebacker
-Three linebackers that stood out at random parts of team drills were Martrell Spaight of Arkansas, Stephone Anthony of Clemson and Miami’s Denzel Perryman. Spaight showed great fluidity when he dropped back in coverage, which is a nice plus for the pass rusher. Anthony has NFL size and speed, and had two notable plays that he made while moving downhill. His ability to drop into coverage is very intriguing as well. Perryman was predictably effective when moving downhill, but he drew the praise of scouts for numerous big hits. He’s got a nose for finding the running back, and now needs to prove that he can play in coverage.
Defensive Back
-While the North squad had corners that stood out with physical play at the line of scrimmage, the South squad had a trio of physical safeties that performed well.Safety Jaquiski Tartt really stood out among a crowd of talented defensive backs on the South roster. He’s a powerfully built safety that moves well enough to play as the single high defender, shows confidence to play over the slot and anticipates route developments at a high level. He made play after play in team drills and looked very athletic during individual work, but I want to see him convert pass breakups into interceptions. Twice, Tartt properly read the route, beat the receiver to the football and simply couldn’t finish the play.
–Cody Prewitt moved better than I expected he would during individual drills, showcasing quick feet and transition ability to redirect. Additionally, he showed the ability the range to react from a single-high alignment to get his hands on the football for pass breakups. The combination of size, ball skills and production are the main selling points for the former Ole Miss safety.
-The third standout safety was Central Florida’s Clayton Geathers. He’s a long, physical safety that looks the part of a strong safety. Geathers made plays all over the field during 7-on-7 and team settings. For a 6’1, 212 lbs. safety, Geathers showed fluid hips to flip open and direct routes downfield.
-At corner, Kansas’ JaCorey Shepherd could not keep up with the speed of his opposing receivers. His biggest struggles came in off-man coverage, where he did not anticipate routes developing or showcase the recovery athleticism to work back into phase. He’s too slow with his pedal technique and wants to squat on every pass pattern. While I like his ball skills and short area quicks, Shepherd has to make dramatic improvements as an off-man cornerback.
-The shining spots at cornerback were D’Joun Smith from Florida Atlantic and Kevin White from TCU. D’Joun is an aggressive, attacking cornerback that liberally employs the arm-bar technique to wall receivers to the sideline. His physicality through the release gave receivers fits during one-on-one drills. Kevin White on the other hand, has the twitchiness to mirror and carry routes up the field. White’s current issue is timing the hip turn, as he is too eager to flip open and stack the receiver’s release –in other words, he runs ahead of the receiver and is at a disadvantage versus intermediate patterns.
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