The Senior Bowl will be played this Saturday, Live on NFL Network 3PM, and the Cowboys are out in full force. Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones are in attendance, along with the Draft Board Czar Will McClay. Their mission is to find some players that can contribute on defense. In particular, the Cowboys will need to find other players that can pass rush the QB.
The Cowboys found major franchise players from the Senior Bowl in players like DeMarcus Ware and Zack Martin. Who will be this year’s player? Will he come from this Senior Bowl roster? There’s a good chance the Cowboys will get someone good from this game.
I’ve been reading everything I can on the Senior Bowl are here are a few good articles from all the familiar names out there.
From Bryan Broaddus: Scout’s Eye: Defenders Stand Out On First Day Of Senior Bowl; Grading Bryce Petty
Of the defensive ends that practiced here at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, I would have to say the one that stood out to me over the others was Nate Orchard from Utah. At 6-3, 251, he is not the most physically impressive player — but athletically he is.
These tackles on the North roster had a difficult time handling his rush. He was explosive in his movements and didn’t give these blockers any hitting surface, so it was hard for them to stop his charge. The way he practiced gave me a different impression of what his skill level is. His practice was much better than his tape.
Probably not a name anyone is familiar with, but it’s all about production on the field. The Cowboys showed that with Anthony Hitchens, no one knew the name or saw that pick coming and he had a relatively solid season for us at LB. Keep an eye on Orchard moving forward.
On Bryce Petty:
Call it nerves or a little rust, but I thought it was — as my scouting buddy Dane Brugler called it — a mixed bag of a day for Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty. I have to agree with Dane, because I thought there were times where Petty’s accuracy was all over the map. Even in the periods of practice where he wasn’t facing any type of rush, he still struggled to be on the mark. There was no consistency in the way he threw the ball. It was high at times and then others badly wide. His ball down the field had no pace and it was obvious that the receivers were working to try hard just to locate the ball. If there was a positive sign, it was that Petty’s footwork under center and on his drops was solid and that was an area that I believed he would have struggled the most.
The QB pickings for this draft are slim, so if you’re thinking of Petty for a late rounder, he’ll need to show up big in this Senior Bowl.
If you think the Cowboys need to shore up the secondary, you’re not alone. The Cowboys secondary did an admirable job, but they need to get it fixed to help control the high octane offenses in the NFC East.
Broaddus offers us another name to watch for – Quiten Rollins
The Draft Show favorite has become cornerback Quinten Rollins of Miami-Ohio. Rollins has really nice size at 6-0, 203 and with the need in the secondary, especially at corner, Rollins could be a consideration. Need to see him compete to make that determination.
Another guy that has been showing up in the practices is Jamison Crowder
Interested in a couple of different receivers in these practices: Phillip Dorsett of Miami and Jamison Crowder of Duke. Dorsett has incredible vertical speed, but I need to further see where his hands and route running are at this point. Crowder has the quickness you love out of a slot receiver and his hands appear to be outstanding, but his height might be an issue for work on the outside.
Crowder is 5-8, 174. He size may turn off teams, but he’ll be a challenge to cover. I could see Crowder the Eagles would like to throw into their mix. However, for the Cowboys, Crowder could be the return guy the Cowboys have needed. We are not sure if Dwyane Harris will be back next season, and his fumbles are a huge turnoff for many fans. He excelled in run blocking, but the other areas lacked.
Mike Mayock likes what he has seen from Crowder as well he said this about him:
“no one covered him today.” He touted Crowder’s quickness out of breaks. While Crowder (5-foot-8 1/8, 174 pounds) looks like he’ll be a slot receiver at the next level, Mayock also likes Crowder’s ability as a return man.
Markus Golden is a name we are seeing in some mock drafts, but his weigh-ins left some to be desired. Dane Brugler gives us some analysis on this:
Missouri DE Markus Golden measured well at 6-2 (1/4”) and 255 pounds, but his 31-inch arms were much shorter than expected. The ideal length that scouts look for in defensive linemen is 33-inches or higher so I wouldn’t be surprised if Golden stands up and practices at linebacker this week. Regardless of the measureables, he is a well-rounded player who loves to compete
Conversely, Brugler said Owa Odighizuwa did have the ideal arm length
UCLA DE Owa Odighizuwa appeared better suited for a bodybuilder competition with his shredded body type and head-to-toe muscle definition. He measured 6-3 (1/2”) and 266 pounds with huge hands (11 1/8”) and ideal length (33 1/8”). Odighizuwa was definitely one of the “winners” of the South squad during weigh-ins.
Do you think the Cowboys will draft a Defensive Tackle in the first round? It hasn’t happend since 1991 and the drought may continue. This year’s heavy hitter at DT is Washington’s Danny Shelton. He’s being compared to Haloti Ngata and possibly this year’s Aaron Donald, although the body types are different in that comparison. Danny Shelton is looking dominant early at Senior Bowl practice.
Many scouts project Shelton to be a top-15 pick, but some think he could rise to the top 10 by the time the offseason evaluation process is complete.
While other top picks declined invites to the Senior Bowl, Shelton wanted to compete.
“Honestly, it was for the love of the game, really,” Shelton explained. “Growing up as a kid, I always wanted to be at this kind of a setting, being able to compete against the best. So this is a great opportunity for me to get better.”
I asked Shelton the reason for the fist pump on the scale this week. According to Shelton, he ballooned to 360 in early January after the season and worked his way down to 342. He’s aiming to be even lighter in time for the NFL combine, which is the next phase in the evaluation process.
“I’ve been training really hard,” Shelton said. “I’m on a nutritional diet and so it’s looking good for me.”
Here are a couple of tweets from Tony Pauline from DraftInsiders:
Nate Orchard/Utah taking part in linebacker drills this morning and looking good. Deon Barnes/Penn St struggling AT LB.
— Tony Pauline (@TonyPauline) January 21, 2015
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Danny Shelton/Washington struggling this morning. Looks like he’s wearing down and gassed.
— Tony Pauline (@TonyPauline) January 21, 2015
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I’m surprised how stiff TJ Clemmings looks. Can’t adjust. Just beaten badly by Nate Orchard.
— Tony Pauline (@TonyPauline) January 21, 2015
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Ali Marpet/Hobart handling Danny Shelton/Washington in full scrimmage.
— Tony Pauline (@TonyPauline) January 21, 2015
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I’ll post more practice updates as we get closer to the game. Hopefully all these help you get familiar with names we should be keeping tabs on moving forward. Orchard is a name that could gain some steam for us. I’m looking forward to the game already, what about you all?
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