Senior Bowl Day-2: Practice Observations

Day two, the players dressed in full pads and went at it. Things seemed to go smoother during practice. There was more rhythm and chemistry displayed on the field. There are some highly impressive guys on both teams. It’s nice to get a chance to see players for the first time, see players you are familiar with work their technique and go against the best of best. Let’s take a look at who impressed and who didn’t  fare so well.

The Good

1. Cal DE, Cameron Jordan – Again, Jordan has been unlockable. He has the quickest, most active, and violent hands i’ve seen in a long time. His stock is sky-high right now. I’ve always been high on him, and now teams are starting to show a lot of interest in him. I’ve said it before and i’ll say it again, I think Jordan will be a top 10 pick.

2. Baylor DT, Phil Taylor – I’ve been critical of Taylor all season, but he is showing some impressive athleticism and strength at the Senior Bowl. They guy has been immovable at the point of attack. Im still concerned about his game conditioning and tendency to play high, but so far, this guy has been lights out. He is slowly making his way into late first round consideration.

3. Florida S, Ahmad Black – Say what you want about his size, the kid is a player. Loose and fluid in coverage. Showed some excellent balance and coverage skills in practice. He might now go as high as a player with his skills should, but a team is going to get a gem when they pick Black.

The Bad

1. Miami DE, Allen Bailey – There are always a few freaks of nature Adonis’s at the Senior Bowl. This year that plays is, Allen Bailey. He looks the part. The guy is in excellent shape, but doesn’t flash much on the field. He’s lacking as a pass rusher and run defender. His stock is dropping at the moment.

2. Toldeo OC, Kevin Kowlaski – Kowlaski lacks the arm length, and it showed. He struggled on day-2. Defensive players consistently beat him in 1-on-1 drills and team drills.

3. Florida State QB, Christian Ponder – Ponder looked mediocre in practice. I question his arm strength and accuracy. The quarterback class isn’t overly special this year, so Ponder needs to pick it up because teams are looking for quarterbacks.

The Ugly

Oklahoma DE/OLB, Jeremy Beal – Every draftnik is wrong from time to time. I came into the Senior Bowl very high on Jeremy Beal. I loved the fact that he played standing up at Oklahoma, and thought of him as a possible strong side OLB in the 3-4. Unfortunately, Beal has underwhelmed. He looks out-of-place out there. I keep seeing him on the ground, he looks slow off the ball, and isn’t as strong as you would think for being a gym rat. I might have to jump off the bandwagon soon.