Senior Bowl Game Recap: Who helped and hurt themselves

Helped Themselves:

North:

DT Jordan Hill, Penn State:

-In a game with some bonafide defensive line stars, Hill did a good job showcasing himself. He played with really nice power and showed some good quickness getting to the quarterback on one play.

DL Datone Jones, UCLA:

Jones continued his big week with a nice game, showing both pass rush ability and run defense.

DT Kawann Short, Purdue:

-Short had a huge game showing excellent quickness off the snap and got quite a bit of penetration. Really good all-around game.

LB Sio Moore, UConn:

-Moore might have been a late add, but he came up with a great game. He showed pass rush ability, coverage ability and was good against the run. Great all-around game for him.

S Jonathan Cyprien, Florida International:

-Cyprien had a really nice game all around particularly versus the run. He had 5 overall tackles including one stop for a loss.

CB Jordan Poyer:

-Poyer had a great game in coverage and coming up against the run. He forced one interception and almost had another one himself. He played with good technique and showed some versatility as a return man as well.

QB Mike Glennon, NC State:

Glennon was far from perfect, and his first couple of series were really ugly, but he showed well later in the game. Given how the other quarterbacks fared he did enough to keep his place as the 3rd best quarterback in this class.

RB Jonathan Franklin, UCLA:

-Franklin showed good patience and acceleration, throughout the game. He didn’t get many touches, but he did the most with the ones he got.

WR Marquise Goodwin, Texas:

Goodwin showed great speed, he caught the ball well and ran nice routes. He also showed some potential as a return man as well. Really good game all around.

WR Markus Wheaton, Oregon State:

-Wheaton looked quick out there and got out of his breaks with a lot of fluidity. He caught the ball well, including one very impressive catch along the sideline.

OT Eric Fisher, Central Michigan:

-Fisher showed why he was the best offensive lineman down here this week. He had a really strong game showing good form and great potential.

OL Kyle Long, Oregon:

-Long missed the two full days of pads for being sick, so it was nice to see him get a little work with live hitting. I wouldn’t say he looked great, but he didn’t do poorly either which is big for his stock.

South:

G Larry Warford, Kentucky:

-Warford showed really good technique and power throughout the game. He rarely let people get into his pads and showed a good anchor.

C Brian Schwenke, Cal:

-Had a really strong game, particularly run blocking, definitely looks like he can develop into a starter quickly at the next level. Really love his competitiveness and quickness.

TE Michael Williams, Alabama:

-In addition to continuing to be a devastating blocker, Williams caught a nice touchdown pass where he got by the safety. His receiving was a big question going in, and one that teams should feel a bit better about after a really solid week.

WR Conner Vernon, Duke:

-Really looked good getting in and out of his breaks, and caught the ball well. Really showed that he could be a nice slot receiver at the next level.

QB E.J. Manuel, FSU:

-Not a great game by any standard, but he showed some scrambling ability, threw a beautiful touchdown strike, and just looked far better than most of the other quarterbacks.

DL Ezekial Ansah, BYU:

-Huge game for Ansah in addition to a sack and a half, he batted down a pass and looked great in run defense.

DL Cornelius Washington, Georgia:

-Really looked good as an edge rusher, not elite, but he showed that he could be a role player at the next level.

DL Montori Hughes, Tennessee Martin:

-Small school guy had a good game on a big stage. Showed nice power and leverage.

LB Zaviar Gooden, Missouri:

-Gooden had a big interception and return and looked strong in coverage all game. He definitely appears to be a three down linebacker at the next level.

DB Robert Alford, Southeastern LA:

-Alford had a huge opening kick-off return, then looked really strong in coverage all day. Really nice performance for Alford and one that should help him move up draft boards.

Hurt Themselves:

North:

LB Ty Powell, Harding:

Powell lit it up this week in practice, but he struggled at times today in pass coverage showing just how raw he is, and potentially exposing him as a role player only.

CB Dwayne Gratz:

-After a solid week of practice, Gratz was in poor position throughout the game, and looked very overwhelmed.

QB Ryan Nassib, Syracuse:

-Nassib came in with high expectations, but didn’t come close to living up to them. With so many other quarterbacks performing poorly or just slightly above average he had a chance to really shine, but just didn’t do it. His interception was a really poor throw/decision.

WR Denard Robinson, Michigan:

-Despite a high number of snaps he was fairly ineffective. He couldn’t consistently gain separation, and muffed a kick-off.

OL Ricky Wagner, Wisconsin:

-Looked very slow and unable to anchor throughout the game. Really poor all-around show, though he did finish a couple of nice run blocks.

OL Justin Pugh, Syracuse:

-Pugh struggled to anchor throughout the game, giving up quite a bit of pressure including a sack. In the run game he was better, though a couple of times missed his assignment despite being in proper position.

South:

QB Landry Jones, Oklahoma:

-This game saw a lot of lackluster quarterback performances, but Jones had the worst day. He looked very uncomfortable back there and was wildly inaccurate. His decision making was very poor and really could only complete the screen passes.

OL Dalton Freeman, Clemson:

-Gave up far too much ground/penetration throughout the game, does not look like he can anchor effectively.

LB Nico Johnson, Alabama:

-Looks to be just a 2-down linebacker at the next level, really didn’t show up well in coverage, and had the quarterbacks been more accurate would have given up far more yards/completions.

LB Chase Thomas, Stanford:

-Thomas didn’t look like he could cover effectively, he did better versus the run, but the real question with him was defending the pass.

S Robert Lester, Alabama:

-Didn’t look great in coverage, gave up way too much ground. A nondescript performance was the last thing he needed.

S Bacarri Rambo, Georgia:

-Had an interception, but that was more right place, right time than anything special he did. He got lost too much in coverage, and took poor angles to the ball carrier.