Senior Bowl Day 2 South Practice: Taylor and Jenkins Shine

Yesterday was our first look at the South team on the NFL Network, here are my quick impressions for a number of players:

Andy Dalton, QB:

Dalton did okay, but didn’t do anything that made me think he should be taken in the first 3 rounds.

Greg McElroy, QB:

McElroy definitely has the work ethic you are looking for in a quarterback, but that’s about it. He should get drafted late as a backup type guy.

Christian Ponder, QB:

Ponder didn’t wow me, but looked a little better than his competition. I think his future is that of a 3rd-4th rounder who needs to sit for a couple of seasons to develop. Had a couple of nice throws, but overall didn’t impress.

Noel Devine, RB:

Devine has speed, but weighing in at 160 really hurts his chances of having an NFL career outside of special teams.

Derrick Locke, RB:

Loved the quickness I saw in Locke, again not sure if he can hold up as a starter or even a number two guy, but shows some promise.

Charles Clay, RB/FB:

Clay didn’t have many chances to impress, but I love his size and frame, seems like he can help out a team in a number of areas.

Luke Stocker, TE:

Caught the ball well from what I saw, and held up pretty well as a blocker. Won’t be a star tight end at the next level, but a good number two option.

Leonard Hankerson, WR:

A lot of people out there like what they saw from Hankerson, but I wasn’t overly impressed. Displayed good hands, but not great hands. I thought he ran average routes at best, and didn’t get in and out of his breaks that well. Speed isn’t his strong suit, and he came in under 6’2″ for height. I think some potential is there, but he needs to be a lot cleaner in the route running to be a starter.

Greg Salas, WR:

Really liked what I saw from Salas, he just seems like a smart football player. He made up for his lack of speed with, good hands, route running and adjustment to the ball. I see a poor man’s Jordy Nelson in Salas and think he will be a solid mid-round pickup.

Jeremy Kerley,WR:

Kerley didn’t wow me in any one area, but overall I thought I saw some nice flashes from him. He projects as a slot receiver, but he has the upside to be a pretty good one.

Danny Watkins, G:

Watkins is an animal in the trenches as he stonewalled a number of the South’s best D-linemen. He is a late bloomer (will be 27 next season) and just picked up football a few years ago. While he is a little raw he does look like the type of player who can start from day one. His age will likely hold him down a round or more, but he is one of the best interior linemen in this draft.

Rodney Hudson, G:

Hudson sometimes gets beaten on the first move, but he adjusts well that he doesn’t allow defenders to get completely by him. I like Hudson’s counter attack, and his active hands, but he could use more strength to anchor against bigger DT’s.

Clint Boling, G/T:

Boling lined up at right tackle, despite being a more natural guard and he held his own. Boling was better run blocking, and against bigger stronger linemen, and he struggled against speed rushers. I liked what I saw today, and his versatility should only benefit him going forward.

James Carpenter, T/G:

Carpenter lined up at left tackle today and looked pretty good. He had his moments where he was overmatched, but overall I thought it was a solid performance. Carpenter could kick inside to guard at the next level, but right now I’m thinking he could be an interesting RT prospect.

Marcus Gilbert, T:

Gilbert looked very impressive on the right side today, and never looked overmatched. Gilbert is probably only a good fit for the right side, but has a chance to develop into a good starter there.

DeMarcus Love, G/T:

I really don’t know what to make of Love at this point, I considered him a solid 2nd round RT prospect going into the Senior Bowl, but I think he is falling fast. He didn’t impress at tackle or inside at guard, and overall has looked very exposed. He’s going to need to regain some ground to prove his doubters wrong, but at this point he has probably hurt his draft stock the most.

Lee Ziemba, G/T:

Ziemba struggled some being moved inside to guard, but he showed good effort and has the versatility to play RT as well.

Kris O’Dowd, C:

O’Dowd really didn’t have a great day as he constantly got beat during the 1 on 1 drills. He faired slightly better during team drills, but overall it wasn’t a great performance.

Derrek Sherrod, T:

Sherrod as expected was the best of the bunch. He rarely got beat, and when he did he made defenders fight for it. I think he is an excellent pass blocker, but feel his run blocking is still a work in progress.

Phil Taylor, NT:

Taylor looked very fit and carried his 337 pound weight very well in practice. Not only did he look the part, but he played it as well. He showed good quickness and speed, and was absolutely unstoppable as a bull rusher in 1 on 1 drills. Really should be moving up draft boards into the top of the 2nd round range.

Jarvis Jenkins, DT/DE:

Jenkins who can project inside or outside depending on the scheme, was really impressive today. He fired off the ball quicker than anyone else, and was a constant force in the backfield. Jenkins showed a lot today constantly beating his man off the ball, and is a guy to keep an eye on.

Sam Acho, DE:

Acho consistently showed a good edge rush, but isn’t an elite pass rusher. Once an offensive lineman gets his hands on him he is pretty well locked down.

Allen Bailey, DE/DT:

Bailey came in a little light and its possible that it might have hurt him a bit. Many thought Bailey would be high 280’s low 290’s, but he weighed in at 278. I think Bailey needs to add a bit more strength if he wants to play his style at that weight. Bailey displayed a great bull rush and explosiveness off the ball, but he needs to be bigger and stronger if he wants to continuously drive tackles into the backfield. I overall liked what I saw from Bailey, but he definitely didn’t wow me. Don’t get me wrong I think he needs to develop other pass rushing moves, and counter better when tackles get their hands on him, but he has an impressive bull rush. If he gets a bit stronger and works on countering, he could be a very good 5 technique (3-4 end) in the NFL. For me he has probably slipped slightly, but not too much.

Brooks Reed, OLB/DE:

Reed lined up with the defensive ends, but I think his best position is that of a rush linebacker in a 3-4 scheme. Reed really showed himself in pass rush drills, but he was more easily controlled in the run game. Overall I like his skill set, though will be interested to see how he does playing the pass in coverage.

Cedric Thornton, DT/DE:

Thornton is a small school guy, but he really impressed during practice. He attacks the offensive line and gave the interior linemen fits all day. He displays the strength to anchor as well and should fit well in any scheme. It was a good performance against better competition, that could springboard Thornton into a mid-round pick.