First and foremost, Happy Easter to all of you and your families.
I've been watching my tape of the Senior Bowl and here are some of my observations:
QB: Carson Palmer threw the best ball and seemed the most in command. He looks like he will be a solid pro. Kyle Boller threw well, but wasn't consistently accurate...nor did he show good touch on the deep fade. Dave Ragone seemed the most panicky. Chris Simms threw some nice darts. The ball comes off his hand very smoothly. Like Boller, Simms struggled with his accuracy. Kliff Kingsbury is the king of the dinks and dunks, but his arm was weak. One wonder whether Kingsbury was feeling the eefects of throwing 50-60 passes per game throughout the season.
RB: The best runner in the game was Justin Fargas. Not only was Fargas fast, he kept his feet moving on contact, lunging for extra yards on several occasions. Larry Johnson slides into and through the holes nicely, but didn't fight for extra yards the way Fargas did.
WR: IMO, the best WR in the game was Sam Aiken. The knock on Aiken is his straight-line speed, but he's tall and strong and works the sidelines and middle of the field well. A couple of times I thought he looked like a young Michael Irvin...similar build and athleticism. The rest of the WRs were disappointing. Taylor Jacobs suffred a deep thigh bruise in practice and did not play...although Mel was singing his praises for his showing in the practices. Tyrone Calico was a non-factor. He looked tall and fast but he's very skinny and doesn't run great routes. Talman Gardner fumbled an easy reverse and didn't gain much separation on the few seam routes he ran. Kevin Curtis looks like a Kasper clone...fast and frisky...but he was only thrown to once...INC. Bobby Wade was average. As was Arnaz Battle. Terrence Edwards hurt his leg early and took a shower. He is frail looking. And Doug Gabriel was thrown to a lot and dropped a few easy balls. His punt returnes were decent, but he looked a little stiff running the ball.
DE: The player of the game was Michael Haynes, who disrupted more than a handful of key plays. Haynes is a battler who uses a comination of strength and quickness well and never quits on a play. Jerome McDougle and Chris Kelsay are rated higher by some draft experts, but neither one of them came close to showing Haynes' ability to consistently make plays and pressure the QB. McDougle made a couple of nice bursts to the ball, particularly in running plays. Kelsay didn't do much and never really got close to the QB, although he established contain consistently well.
DT: Mel and company were raving about Kevin Williams' dominating week of practice, but he really didn't do all that much in the game. One has to wonder whether he would be a Vonnie Holliday-type player at DE. As an inside DT, Williams didn't get the consistent push one would have expected. The best and most productive DT in the game was Anthony Adams. Hailed as the true leader of Penn State's terrific defensive line, Adams is a high effort guy who gets the most out of his ability despite being short in both height and arms. This guy has a nose for the ball, however, and is a fundamental tackler...looked at times like a poor man's Booger McFarland. Ty Warren, Rashad Moore and Nick Eason showed occasional flashes, but were not difference makers.
LB: A sub-par group from top to bottom. No LB stood out. The only two who caught my eye a little were Lance Briggs and Pisa Tinoisamoa. Both showed excellent range and coverage ability on the perimeter. The MLBs were soft. Bradie James looked a little like Johnny Rutledge in the middle. Gerald Hayes was more stout at the point of attack, but not by much.
DB: Marcus Trufant was smooth as silk. He's a quiet player who lets his play do the talking...a little reminscent of Aeneas Williams...although Trufant didn't display AW-type cunning or anticipation. Trufant should be a solid pro. The rest of the DBs were average. The only other two to sit up and take notice of were Drayton Florence and Shane Walton. Florence looked raw at times, but he's a superior athlete who is making the transition from free safety to corner. Walton made an electrifying interception on a slant route in the red zone and took it nearly the full 100 yards for the TD. Walton looks like a little waterbug out there, but his nifty feet and crafty anticipation make him an very intriguing prospect.
If the Saints were to offer the Cardinals their #17 and #18 picks for the Cardinals' #6, my All-Senior Bowl draft would be:
1A: DE Michael Haynes
1B: WR Tyler Jacobs
2: QB Chris Simms
3: CB Drayton Florence
4: WR Sam Aiken
5: DT Anthony Adams
6A: LB Lance Briggs
I've been watching my tape of the Senior Bowl and here are some of my observations:
QB: Carson Palmer threw the best ball and seemed the most in command. He looks like he will be a solid pro. Kyle Boller threw well, but wasn't consistently accurate...nor did he show good touch on the deep fade. Dave Ragone seemed the most panicky. Chris Simms threw some nice darts. The ball comes off his hand very smoothly. Like Boller, Simms struggled with his accuracy. Kliff Kingsbury is the king of the dinks and dunks, but his arm was weak. One wonder whether Kingsbury was feeling the eefects of throwing 50-60 passes per game throughout the season.
RB: The best runner in the game was Justin Fargas. Not only was Fargas fast, he kept his feet moving on contact, lunging for extra yards on several occasions. Larry Johnson slides into and through the holes nicely, but didn't fight for extra yards the way Fargas did.
WR: IMO, the best WR in the game was Sam Aiken. The knock on Aiken is his straight-line speed, but he's tall and strong and works the sidelines and middle of the field well. A couple of times I thought he looked like a young Michael Irvin...similar build and athleticism. The rest of the WRs were disappointing. Taylor Jacobs suffred a deep thigh bruise in practice and did not play...although Mel was singing his praises for his showing in the practices. Tyrone Calico was a non-factor. He looked tall and fast but he's very skinny and doesn't run great routes. Talman Gardner fumbled an easy reverse and didn't gain much separation on the few seam routes he ran. Kevin Curtis looks like a Kasper clone...fast and frisky...but he was only thrown to once...INC. Bobby Wade was average. As was Arnaz Battle. Terrence Edwards hurt his leg early and took a shower. He is frail looking. And Doug Gabriel was thrown to a lot and dropped a few easy balls. His punt returnes were decent, but he looked a little stiff running the ball.
DE: The player of the game was Michael Haynes, who disrupted more than a handful of key plays. Haynes is a battler who uses a comination of strength and quickness well and never quits on a play. Jerome McDougle and Chris Kelsay are rated higher by some draft experts, but neither one of them came close to showing Haynes' ability to consistently make plays and pressure the QB. McDougle made a couple of nice bursts to the ball, particularly in running plays. Kelsay didn't do much and never really got close to the QB, although he established contain consistently well.
DT: Mel and company were raving about Kevin Williams' dominating week of practice, but he really didn't do all that much in the game. One has to wonder whether he would be a Vonnie Holliday-type player at DE. As an inside DT, Williams didn't get the consistent push one would have expected. The best and most productive DT in the game was Anthony Adams. Hailed as the true leader of Penn State's terrific defensive line, Adams is a high effort guy who gets the most out of his ability despite being short in both height and arms. This guy has a nose for the ball, however, and is a fundamental tackler...looked at times like a poor man's Booger McFarland. Ty Warren, Rashad Moore and Nick Eason showed occasional flashes, but were not difference makers.
LB: A sub-par group from top to bottom. No LB stood out. The only two who caught my eye a little were Lance Briggs and Pisa Tinoisamoa. Both showed excellent range and coverage ability on the perimeter. The MLBs were soft. Bradie James looked a little like Johnny Rutledge in the middle. Gerald Hayes was more stout at the point of attack, but not by much.
DB: Marcus Trufant was smooth as silk. He's a quiet player who lets his play do the talking...a little reminscent of Aeneas Williams...although Trufant didn't display AW-type cunning or anticipation. Trufant should be a solid pro. The rest of the DBs were average. The only other two to sit up and take notice of were Drayton Florence and Shane Walton. Florence looked raw at times, but he's a superior athlete who is making the transition from free safety to corner. Walton made an electrifying interception on a slant route in the red zone and took it nearly the full 100 yards for the TD. Walton looks like a little waterbug out there, but his nifty feet and crafty anticipation make him an very intriguing prospect.
If the Saints were to offer the Cardinals their #17 and #18 picks for the Cardinals' #6, my All-Senior Bowl draft would be:
1A: DE Michael Haynes
1B: WR Tyler Jacobs
2: QB Chris Simms
3: CB Drayton Florence
4: WR Sam Aiken
5: DT Anthony Adams
6A: LB Lance Briggs
