Senior Bowl Evaluations

 I was able to scout some footage of the 2009 Senior Bowl practices and came away impressed with a few players. Though other analysts came away intrigued or dissappointed with particular players, the following players stood out to me on the film I watched. That doesn’t mean other players didn’t do well or looked overly bad.

1. B.J. Raji, DT-Boston College- This guy is the next dominant NFL 3-4 nose tackle. He has rather quick feet and uses his size and strength to get across the line of scrimmage impressively. He can dominate most centers and should get picked up in the top 15 picks of the draft.

Coye Francies, CB- San Jose St. This guy has the athleticism to make it in the NFL. His technique also appears to be at a nice level. He makes a nice break on the ball in the air and probably will get picked up the second round.

Tyronne Green, G- Auburn- This guy went up against the best d-linemen in the country all week and despite being lesser-known to a degree, he impressed me. He has decent size and has sound technique. He was able to dip-down, have a solid punch and not get overly unbalanced in drills. I think he is kind of a sleeper that will go in the middle rounds but should stick somewhere.

Fili Moala, DT-USC- This guy is supposedly on the short end height-wise but he comes to play. His technique and use of his arms are outstanding. He is strong and quick at the point of attack. He will be great as a pass-rushing defensive tackle at the next level. He will probably go in the second or third round.

Lawrence Sidbury, DE- Richmond- This guy looked real quick going against the best o-linemen in the country, which is impressive. His technique needs some work and he needs to put on some more weight and get stronger but you simply can’t buy speed. He is a small-school sleeper that has great athleticism.

Mohamed Massaquoi, WR- Georgia- Despite not being listed on several Senior Bowl rosters, he did play and looked rather good in practices. He has good footwork and appears to run smooth routes. He also attacks the ball in the air. Though his hands could be better, he reminds me of a young Eddie Kennison. He does not have elite speed but can get deep and is a solid player. If he learns to catch the ball away from his body more, he will be a good NFL receiver.

More Player Evaluations

Although I missed out on several early bowl games, recently I had a chance to sit down and watch a lot of pigskin, so naturally some impressions were made.

1. Macho Harris, CB Virginia Tech- Harris has the size (6′0, 194) plus the physical play that NFL teams desire. He has good technique and seems to understand how to make solid breaks on the football in the air. He also is solid in the run game support which is definitely important. He is not considered a first round pick right now but I cannot see him falling more than early in the third round.

2. Terrill Bird, DT Cincinnati- This guy seemed to really make an impact on the field. He has some definite agility for a big man. He is listed at 6′1, 290, so naturally he fits into a 4-3 NFL scheme. Right now I think he definitely warrants interest from the Pros and he could end up going in round 3 or 4.

3. C.J Spiller, RB Clemson- I was excited to watch the Clemson game to see the double-headed running dragon of Spiller and James Davis show off their play-making ability. Instead I came away rather unimpressed. Though Spiller did show some ability in the return game, which is a definite plus, he overall did not have a big impact. His stat totals for the bowl game were awful and he also seemed to show a lack of discipline by throwing the ball at an opposing player after a play, which cost his team penalty yardage. He will really have to blow up at the upcoming workouts in my eyes if he is going to get drafted above round 3.