Hoge: NFL Draft Notebook 1.0 – Senior Bowl Impressions
By Adam Hoge-
(CBS) After a couple of weeks to let the college football season sink in – and completely erase that BCS National Championship Game from memory – it's time to turn our attention to the NFL Draft, which starts April 26.
Yes, I realize it is over four months away, but with Senior Bowl practices beginning Monday in Mobile, Ala., the NFL Draft "season" has officially started.
Over the next four months I'll have a ton of coverage leading up to the draft, including these notebooks, as well as the popular Bears mock drafts I did last year. You can expect the first Bears mock draft next week after the Senior Bowl is played Saturday.
Now onto some early Senior Bowl analysis, starting with the quarterbacks and linebackers who I've been particularly interested in watching:
Quarterbacks
The quarterback class is notably weak this year after Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III (who I'm not completely sold on), but there could be a couple steals later on.
Ryan Tannehill, Texas A&M – Converted from wide receiver in college, Tannehill has a foot injury that is keeping him out of the Senior Bowl, but he should be the third quarterback taken in this year's draft. Tannehill is understandably raw because he only spent two years as a quarterback at A&M, but he has the tools to be developed. At 6-4, he has good height and a quick release, but there are questions about his accuracy and arm strength. He's a development project, not an immediate answer.
Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma State – Your typical pocket passer, Weeden would be a first round pick if he wasn't 28 years old. He's got the arm strength, accuracy and slides well in the pocket, but he'll be 29 in October, which means his NFL career is already half over. Still, Weeden is the kind of guy who can help a team right away. His maturity level is the highest among all the quarterbacks and while his mobility is limited, I could see a middle of the road team who is maybe a quarterback away from being great take a chance on Weeden as high as the second round (teams like the Chiefs, Raiders, Titans, or even the Broncos). Otherwise, the third round is more realistic. Teams will have to factor in a rotator cuff injury he suffered while playing in the New York Yankees minor league system. He never had surgery on it.
Nick Foles, Arizona – I admittedly need to see more of Nick Foles, but I will say that he never impressed me much in college. Scouts love him because he has elite NFL quarterback size at 6-5, 240 and really improved as senior. The accuracy worries me, but he has potential.
Kirk Cousins, Michigan State – Cousins isn't going to wow anybody, but here's a guy who is going to have a long NFL career as a reliable backup/spot starter. He has a good arm, but not a great arm. He's accurate though and fearless. More importantly, Cousins might be the smartest quarterback in the draft and he'll bump himself up a round by winning over NFL executives in interviews. He's also more mobile than you would think.
Russell Wilson, Wisconsin – Maybe the biggest news Monday was that Wilson measured in at 5-10 5/8, which is shorter than the 5-11 he was listed at all season. That would make Wilson the shortest quarterback in the NFL behind Drew Brees (6-0) and Seneca Wallace (5-11). That said, I'm already on record as saying some team should take a chance on Wilson. If he was five inches taller, we're talking about a guaranteed first round pick with his strong arm, above average accuracy and ability to scramble and throw on the run. Wilson throws on his toes and has a high release point, which helps him play taller than he really is. He only had a few balls batted down all season and has very few flaws in his mechanics.
Ryan Lindley, San Diego State – I'm excited to see Lindley this week. I've heard a lot about him, but haven't seen him play much. He's got a rocket arm, but accuracy is the question. He has good size at 6-4, 230, but mechanics aren't great.
Kellen Moore, Boise State – No one seems to be able to mention Moore without saying he's the winningest quarterback in NCAA history (like I just did), but no one should be surprised by this considering he was a four-year starter on the best non-BCS school in the country (meaning he had an easy schedule). Moore is basically Kirk Cousins except three inches shorter with a weaker arm.
Linebackers
Courtney Upshaw, Alabama – Upshaw was one of the few bright spots in the title game. He's a big hitter and can put fear in his opponents. Has the ability to be an outside backer in a 3-4 if necessary. Definitely a first round pick.
Luke Kuechly, Boston College – A tackling machine with almost no injury history. Kuechly is not the physical specimen Upshaw is, but he is smart and instinctive. Will be good in the middle, but needs to prove he can drop back into coverage.
Zach Brown, North Carolina – Brown wows scouts because of his speed at the linebacker position. He holds 60-meter records at North Carolina and can fly around the field. The obvious question is his size (6-1, 236), but he still projects as a first round pick.
Lavonte David, Nebraska – David impressed me when I saw him in person this season, but at 6-0, 225, he's going to have to show an elite skill-set to scouts and impress with his speed.
Small school prospects
WR Brian Quick, Appalachian State – Quick is one of the biggest "eye-catchers" in Mobile because his 6-3 1/2, 222 frame stands out as people ask, "Where is that kid from?". Quick is known as a big receiver who runs routes well, but won't separate from defenders with his speed. He's going to get a ton of attention before the draft and can make himself a lot of money if he puts the work in.
CB Asa Jackson (Cal Poly) – Jackson measured in just short of 5-10, which puts him closer to the shorter end of the cornerback prospects, but he appears to do everything well with good speed. He'll have to show off his ball-hawking skills as he's one of the lesser known players.
CB Bill Bentley (Louisiana Lafayette) – If this kid wasn't on scouts' draft boards before this week, he is now. Bentley has arguably been the most impressive corner. He breaks well on the ball and has elite quickness. Only problem is that he's just shy of 5-10.
Random Notes from first two days of Senior Bowl practices
Because I'm not in Mobile, these thoughts are a combination of what I already know about these players and my observations from watching the NFL Network's Senior Bowl coverage…
North
This year's offensive tackle crop isn't as deep as last year's, but Ohio State left tackle Mike Adams has looked good so far. His weakness is his run blocking and getting a push in goal line situations, but he has NFL left tackle pass protection abilities.
Wisconsin offensive guard Kevin Zeitler can improve his pass blocking skills (a reason why he started on the right side in college), but he's a first-round type run blocker with solid technique. Looks like a second round pick when you put everything together, but he has almost no health concerns and his best football is ahead of him. He's taken some snaps at center in an attempt to boost his versatility.
Marshall defensive end Vinny Curry went largely unnoticed this season, but actually earned my Bronko Nagurski vote (best defensive player). Unfortunately, he's kind of disappointed me so far this week as he's struggled against the type of offensive tackles he didn't see in Conference USA. I like his motor, but the athleticism doesn't look as impressive against better opponents. Still a possible second round talent.
UConn defensive tackle Kendell Reyes has looked really good so far. He has the size and pass rushing skills to be a solid 5-technique in a 3-4.
Boise State safety George Iloka has some experience playing cornerback, but you can pretty much rule that out. Some actually think he could bulk up to be a Will linebacker, but I think he can succeed at strong safety.
Nebraska cornerback Alfonso Dennard isn't quite Prince Amukamara, but he is a big-bodied corner who has the physicality to start at the NFL level. The biggest question if he can turn his hips fast enough to stay with the quicker wide receivers. He has struggled thus far this week and is slipping.
Iowa State offensive tackle Kelechi Osemele has the size to play tackle (6-6, 347), but some view him as a guard. He's probably not a left tackle at the NFL level, but could start on the right side or bounce inside.
Iowa wide receiver Marvin McNutt is the story among the wide receivers. He has decent size at 6-2 1/2, 216, and has long arms which make him a bigger target. He's a good route runner but won't burn you with his speed. McNutt, who came to Iowa as a quarterback, has been very impressive this week.
South
North Carolina defensive end Quinton Coples – When you see this guy in a North Carolina helmet you can't help but think of Julius Peppers, but at 6-5 ¾, 281, he's not quite the size of Peppers and he certainly hasn't been playing like him this week. Coples' junior year was better than his senior year.
South Carolina defensive end Melvin Ingram played everywhere in college. He's only 6-0, but turn on the tape and you'll see him all over the field. He's your prototypical hybrid linebacker in a 3-4 defense.
LSU tight end DeAngelo Peterson has looked good this week but he measured in more than an inch shorter than he was listed this season. Missouri tight end Michael Egnew has better size and is impressive too.
Florida running back Chris Rainey has received a lot of work at wide receiver and has looked good at the position. At 5-8 3/8, Rainey could be successful in a Darren Sproles type of situation.
The catch of the week goes to Arizona wide receiver Juron Criner who turned around and somehow snagged a bad pass with one hand at the last second.
Texas A&M defensive tackle Tony Jerod-Eddie and Florida defensive tackle Jaye Howard have really impressed me. Neither are all that high on draft boards but should move up.
Haven't been very impressed with Illinois offensive tackle Jeff Allen who was put on the South roster and is getting somewhat of a wakeup call against a very talented group of defensive linemen.
As far as the running backs go, Boise State running back Doug Martin looks like a real NFL running back. I think he can start in the NFL and would be a solid second round selection for the Bears. I haven't been impressed with Washington running back Chris Polk and I'm not ready to give up on Terrance Ganaway from Baylor. He needs to trim down from 241 before the combine, but I just can't get that Alamo Bowl performance out of head. I know he was facing an awful defense, but he has late round potential in my opinion.
Adam is the Sports Content Producer for CBSChicago.com and specializes in coverage of the Bears, White Sox and college sports. He was born and raised in Lincoln Park and attended St. Ignatius College Prep before going off to the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he earned a Journalism degree. Follow him on Twitter @AdamHogeCBS and read more of his columns here.
