Senior Bowl: Day Two

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It’s day two here in Mobile and it was time for some full pads football.  There was too much stretching, a lot of wind, but a great time was had by all those attending today’s practices.  Cross training was on display, making sure that players had the chance to improve, adjust, and showcase their strengths.  I will say, if you ever get the chance to come and watch practices, you will get to see some of the best stretching know to man!  But onward to the practices.  I list the players in alphabetical order:

Jared Abbrederis, WR WISC
The slim receiver has a good burst, catches the ball in front, and always makes the reception with his fingertips.  He isn’t afraid to make the difficult catch in traffic, and creates separation with crisp routes and good footwork.  Abbrederis is the best North receiver in my eyes.

Antonio Andrews, RB W KY
Andrews improved on his great Monday practice with a better one on Tuesday.  He did not let a single robber get past him in the pass blocking drill.  The back kept his feet driving, so he might get the chance to be a three down back with a little seasoning.  Andrews has quick hips, can start and stop on a dime, and uses good downfield vision to help him read running lanes and key on blocks.

Jeremiah Attaochu, OLB/DE
The defensive hybrid gets low, has a solid base, and can be quick while powerful in the same movement.  Attaochu is great at getting to the quarterback whether he is lined up as a defensive end or an outside backer.  He will do whatever it takes to bring the signal caller down.

Tajh Boyd, QB CLEM
The young signal caller seemed to overcompensate for the gusts of wind. He was less accurate today than he was the day before.  Boyd threw the ball late at times as he felt pressure often.  The shine has begun to dull on him in my eyes without a superstar for him to target.

Derek Carr, QB FRES ST
The quarterback looked better in the practices today.  He seemed to trust his receivers to go out and find the ball in stride.  Carr had better footwork, rolled out more, and an improved touch on the ball.  He threw to where the receiver should be not where the receiver was to gain extra separation.

Chris Davis, CB/S AUB
While he did not have the shutdown day he had on Monday, Davis still held court taking care of receivers while playing press and man to man.  The defensive back struggles a bit playing zone as he isn’t as quick and agile as the players he is covering.  Davis is also quite helpful in run game support.

Aaron Donald, DT PIT
The big man has quick, light feet that he uses to maneuver around the bigger offensive linemen while working the run and passing game with the same level of efficiency.  He possesses good balance, and held his position when he got double-teamed.  Donald got good initial penetration with his strong legs and backside.  I don’t think he is big enough to play at nose tackle, but should be a very productive defensive tackle in a 4-3 scheme.

CJ Fiedorowicz, TE IOWA
The first note of interest was Packers GM Ted Thompson spent a little time talking with him before practice started.  The tight end is a fluid athlete who gets in and out of his breaks quickly.  He caught the ball with his hands, not letting it get into his body.  Fiedorowicz dropped a few receptions in the strong wind and always made up for it the next play.

David Fluellen, RB TOL
The back let the ball into his body early, but throughout the practice showed a big catching radius.  He skied to get one throw and caught another off his hip. Fluellen was a prolific receiver in college and it showed today.  The young back made quick cuts, read his blocks, and showed burst thru the line of scrimmage.  He wants to be a more north and south runner, but sometimes gets caught wanting to break things too much outside.

Dee Ford, DE/OLB AUB
He was a force to be reckoned with as he has a quick first step.  Ford gets underneath his blocker and shoves right thru them pressing the pocket immediately.  This defensive play maker could be used as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 or as the “”Leo” in a 4-3 scheme.

Jimmy Garoppolo, QB E ILL
The signal caller moves around the pocket well while slinging the ball out quickly.  The wind did not slow his passes down much despite his throws not being tight spirals.  Garoppolo has good ball placement, but needs to work on dealing with pressure as he appeared tentative with pressure in his face.

Ra’Shade Hageman, DT MINN
The defensive lineman came out a bit stiff.  He is rather tall for an interior lineman and get sometimes struggles getting low.  Hageman got twisted up by a double-team, but he held his spot on the line of scrimmage with raw power and determination.  When he is one on one, the defensive tackle keeps the offensive lineman off his body and flows better to the ball.

Robert Herron, WR WYOM
The receiver started off the practice ice cold, but got down right impressive by the end of practice.  He always makes catches with his fingertips, making the reception in stride.  Herron is a strong runner, who has some juke to his game.  The young receiver starts and stops quickly, creating separation and tracks the ball well deep.

Adrian Hubbard, OLB ALA
He is a very tall, very lean athlete.  While his size helps him create good leverage, he looks unnatural playing the position.  Hubbard uses a spin move to get around blockers, but does not have the natural force to make the tackle.

Josh Huff, WR ORE
He started off practice trying to field punts with multiple footballs in his arms.  Of all the players that attempted to do that, the Oregon product was the best at it.  Huff got used running reverses and was successful in space.  He has good agility and quick feet.  The receiver catches passes in traffic and uses good body control to contort himself to make difficult receptions.

Stanley Jean-Baptiste, S NEB
He is a supersized safety at 6′ 3″ 220 lbs.  Jean-Baptiste flows well to the ball and hits hard.  Even in the limited practices, you could tell that the safety caused pass catchers concern.

Jordan Matthews, WR VAND
He continued his high level of play to his second Senior Bowl practice.  Matthews catches the ball crisply and usually in stride with outstretched hands.  The wide receiver is technically sound and is a willing hand fighter to gain position.  He awed the crowd with a few beautiful downfield receptions.  Matthews made more of an effort to glide past defenders today.

Solomon Patton, WR FLA
The local kid did not have as impressive of a practice as he did on Monday.  He fought the ball into his hands, seemed to affected by the wind, but is still as quick in a phone booth as ever.  Patton runs crisp routes and can outmaneuver most defensive backs.

Michael Sam, DE/OLB MISS
Sam looks out of place as an outside linebacker, and when the moved him to inside backer, his game suffered more.  He is an undersized outside pass rusher, who needs a clean path to the quarterback to be effective and I’m not sure how many times that is going to occur.  Blockers got the better of him on most of his pass rushing attempts.

Charles Sims, RB WV
The running back has quick feet, good vision, and is explosive running thru the interior line.  He does well in pass protection, can catch the ball out of the backfield, weaves away from danger, and can turn on a second gear when he needs it.

Telvin Smith, LB FLA ST
He is rail thin and I’m not sure what position he can play on the field.  Smith couldn’t get to the quarterback on designed pass rushes, overreacted to plays, and when he came close to making a tackle, he aimed high.  He isn’t quick enough to play safety so I’m not sure how Smith will fit on an NFL team.

Jordan Tripp, OLB MON
The outside backer showed great burst and initial penetration.  His excellent motor and swim move with a hint of power, might get him a lot in the NFL.  Keep an eye on him.

Kyle Van Noy, BYU
The linebacker has quick lateral movement and sees the field well.  So well that he did not overeat to plays designed to pull him into the trash.  Van Noy is a natural athlete with a good motor.  He is explosive, can rush the quarterback if need be, and is decent in pass coverage always keeping an eye on the quarterback.

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