Offical Senior Bowl measurements and updates

[BernietheKid]

2011 NFL Draft Stock Up: Senior Bowl Game

Sam Acho, DE/OLB, Texas
Sam Acho had a sack in the Senior Bowl, beating the heralded Nate Solder. He also notched two TFLs and a forced fumble. Acho, who has great quickness, really benefited from this performance because this draft class is really lacking in 3-4 pass rushers once you get past the elite guys and Justin Houston.

Kendric Burney, CB, North Carolina
Kendric Burney gave up a touchdown to Leonard Hankerson and missed a tackle later on, but otherwise had an outstanding Senior Bowl. He nearly intercepted a Christian Ponder pass in the end zone and displayed great coverage skills throughout the afternoon. He also had a great tackle on special teams. Mike Mayock is in love with him; he compared him to Brandon Flowers.

Leonard Hankerson, WR, Miami
Leonard Hankerson was the best offensive player on the field in the Senior Bowl. He made numerous outstanding catches, including a 49-yarder where he made a great adjustment on Christian Ponder's severely underthrown pass. Hankerson has a shot to go in the bottom of the first round if he has a good Combine.

Rodney Hudson, G, Florida State
Rodney Hudson had a great Senior Bowl. Shifting between the left guard and right guard positions, Hudson constantly blasted open huge holes for his running backs. After a poor start to the week, Hudson finished extremely well, perhaps cementing his Round 2 status.

Colin Kaepernick, QB, Nevada
Colin Kaepernick didn't have a great game, but he played pretty well. On one play, he evaded a Brooks Reed sack, scrambled right and found his receiver downfield. However just a bit later, Kaepernick missed Dwayne Harris for a possible touchdown. Kaepernick definitely isn't ready to play yet, but he has tremendous upside and could develop into a really good quarterback with the proper coaching. It would not surprise me at all if he's the third signal-caller taken behind Blaine Gabbert and Cam Newton this April.

Derrick Locke, RB, Kentucky
We all knew Derrick Locke was fast, but he showed off his lateral quickness and great vision in the Senior Bowl. If teams aren't concerned about his durability, Locke could sneak into Round 3. There's some Darren Sproles potential.

Colin McCarthy, ILB, Miami
Colin McCarthy isn't very fast, but he was all over the field in the Senior Bowl. He has great instincts, and some team may like that enough to pick him in Round 3 this April.

Von Miller, DE/OLB, Texas A&M
Looks like Adam Schefter was right on the money when he tweeted that Von Miller would be a top-five pick this April. Miller was the best player on the field in the Senior Bowl. He completely disrupted the North team's offense, even collecting a sack out of the defensive end position. It's hard to imagine the Cardinals passing on him (though the Bills may take him at No. 3).

Christian Ponder, QB, Florida State
Christian Ponder was named Senior Bowl MVP, going 7-of-13 for 132 yards and two touchdowns. He opened the game with a 49-yard completion to Leonard Hankerson, which was severely underthrown. Ponder's first drive wasn't very good, but he improved throughout the contest. He did a great job managing the game, but didn't answer any of the concerns regarding his arm strength.

Bilal Powell, RB, Louisville
Bilal Powell rushed for 50 yards on just 10 carries in the Senior Bowl, running with great power and decent speed.

Brooks Reed, DE/OLB, Arizona
Along with Sam Acho and Phil Taylor, Brooks Reed helped the South destroy the North's offensive line. Reed embarrassed Anthony Castonzo in the second quarter. Like Acho, Brooks had a sack and two TFLs.

Richard Sherman, CB, Stanford
Richard Sherman was a late addition to the Senior Bowl roster, so it was nice to see him take advantage of his opportunity. Aside from one play late in the first half, Sherman had a great game; he intercepted Greg McElroy on a deep pass, but the pick was wiped out because of a penalty.

Ricky Stanzi, QB, Iowa
Ricky Stanzi had a poor weak of practice, but really shined in the second half of the Senior Bowl. He had a breath-taking drive where he impressively split the cornerback and safety on one throw. Stanzi also showed great leadership on the sidelines, calling the team together when the South established a 17-0 lead.

Phil Taylor, NT, Baylor
Phil Taylor dominated the North team's supposed elite offensive line, beating double teams and wreaking havoc on the North's quarterbacks. The NFL Network guys remarked that 335-pound players aren't supposed to have Taylor's moves. Taylor could sneak into the bottom of the first round.

DeMarcus Van Dyke, CB, Miami
I mentioned DeMarcus Van Dyke earlier in the week, so I was pleased to see that he had a great game. Van Dyke drew an offensive pass interference flag on Titus Young in the third quarter of the Senior Bowl. Later, Van Dyke ran the opposing receiver's route and nearly intercepted Jake Locker in the end zone.

Shareece Wright, CB, USC
Shareece Wright played well in the Senior Bowl, nearly picking off Ricky Stanzi in the second quarter. Mike Mayock talked about Wright being a film rat; Wright apparently was studying tape Friday night in preparation for the game.


2011 NFL Draft Stock Down: Senior Bowl Game

Allen Bailey, DE/DT, Miami
Allen Bailey sucked all week and did nothing during the game. I had to check the participation report to see if Bailey even played in the Senior Bowl. Bailey is really athletic, but he's just a project at this point.

Anthony Castonzo, OT, Boston College
Anthony Castonzo played some left guard in the Senior Bowl, which was a failed experiment. He also surrendered a sack in the second quarter to Brooks Reed, displaying ugly footwork.

Andy Dalton, QB, TCU
I don't understand how Andy Dalton is a Day 2 prospect. Dalton had a wide-open receiver down the field at the end of the first half, and completely missed him. The throw wasn't even close. As forum member RoflDogs commented, "He makes Kyle Orton look like Matthew Stafford." Dalton missed most of the second half with an injury.

Kai Forbath, K, UCLA
Kai Forbath was wide left from 44 yards in the Senior Bowl. The kick wasn't even close.

Jake Locker, QB, Washington
Jake Locker's poor Senior Bowl week culminated with a pedestrian performance in the actual game. He made a couple of nice throws in the second half, but the negatives completely outweighed the positives.

Locker once again displayed his trademark inconsistency and poor accuracy. He nearly got Titus Young killed on two throws because his passes were too high. He was almost intercepted in the end zone by DeMarcus Van Dyke. He fumbled twice. His footwork, as detailed by Mike Mayock, was very poor. His decision-making wasn't very good either.

Locker is now a Round 2-3 prospect. There are things to like about his skill set, and with good coaching, he could become a solid quarterback in the NFL. However, I see a lot of Jake Plummer in him - which, unless you're Mike Shanahan, is not a good thing.

Demarcus Love, OT/G, Arkansas
Demarcus Love can't play tackle. He really struggled in the Senior Bowl; on one play, he was beaten by Ryan Kerrigan and had to resort to holding the Purdue defensive end. This was a couple of plays after Love surrendered a sack to Kerrigan.

Nate Solder, OT, Colorado
How is this guy the next Tony Boselli again? Nate Solder is constantly praised, yet he was easily beaten on numerous occasions in the Senior Bowl by Day 2 prospects like Sam Acho and Brooks Reed. He had some nice blocks in the running game, but overall, Solder was very unimpressive.

WalterFootball.com: 2011 Senior Bowl Game: Stock

[BernietheKid]

Underhyped before kickoff, Ponder and others show their mettle

By Rob Rang NFLDraftScout.com Jan. 29, 2011

After playing all week in practice in the most scrutinized position, the quarterbacks continued to be the focal point of Saturday's Senior Bowl.

Florida State's Christian Ponder, who slid under the radar a bit this week, with most of the attention going to Washington's Jake Locker and Nevada's Colin Kaepernick, rightfully took home MVP honors by completing 7 of 13 passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns.

In a game in which there were several noteworthy plays, Ponder's two scoring passes were as impressive as any of them.

South squad QB Christian Ponder evades a tackler in Saturday's Senior Bowl. (AP)

Ponder fired a perfect pass to Miami wide receiver Leonard Hankerson in the first quarter for the game's opening touchdown. On third-and-8, Ponder put the ball on his man's back shoulder, leading Hankerson away from the defender and into the end zone for an 18-yard score.

In the fourth quarter, with the South team nursing a 7-point lead, Ponder again demonstrated both his accuracy and recognition of the defense -- which has been a major concern for scouts. Looking left and giving a shoulder fake that got Temple safety Jaiquawn Jarrett moving, Ponder fired a pass down the seam to slot receiver Jeremy Kerley of TCU, who slipped between the closing Jarrett and trailing Joe Lefeged, a safety from Rutgers whose strength is in run support and not coverage.

It was this type of recognition by Ponder that stood out in a game in which so much attention is devoted to which prospects are the biggest, strongest and fastest.

Locker, who battled through an inconsistent week of practices, went 6-for-10 for 98 yards. Kaepernick helped himself the most among quarterbacks throughout the week -- but during the game, mustered just 53 yards on 4-for-9 passing with an interception.


Other Senior Bowl standouts:

• Von Miller, OLB, Texas A&M: Miller will wind up as the first Senior Bowl participant selected in the 2011 draft. Scouts knew he could rush the passer based on his production with the Aggies. Miller also proved capable of handling coverage duties throughout practice week.However, with defenders asked not to tackle during practice, scouts wanted to see his ability to make open-field stops against elusive ball carriers. Miller demonstrated precisely that, stringing up Kaepernick and Maryland running back Da'Rel Scott all alone in space.
  
• James Carpenter, OT, Alabama: Overshadowed by the North's talented offensive tackles throughout the week, Carpenter and Mississippi State's Derek Sherrod each played well in Saturday's game. Both have good enough foot quickness and balance to slide over to left tackle in a pinch, but I like them best at right tackle. Carpenter's play, in particular, was impressive. He was officially credited with allowing a sack to Oklahoma's Jeremy Beal, but the Sooner pass rusher was clearly offsides on the play. Otherwise, Carpenter's steady pass protection and physical running cleared rushing lanes for the South.
• Colin McCarthy, ILB, Miami: The Hurricane linebacker supplied some of the game's most explosive hits on defense and special teams, but it was his surprising speed that will catch the attention of scouts. On one third-quarter play, McCarthy beat Nebraska running back Roy Helu Jr. to the sideline, demonstrating a second gear that most teams didn't believe he possessed.
• Kendrick Burney, CB, North Carolina: Burney's quick feet stood out through the week of practice. He's not afraid of contact, making his conversion inside to the nickelback position an easy one. In Saturday's contest, Burney broke up an early attempt from Ponder to Hankerson at the goal line and was the most active defender on special teams, recording three tackles.
• Curtis Brown, CB, Texas: TV analysts spotlighted several defensive backs throughout the Senior Bowl broadcast, but none was more impressive than Brown. The 6-foot, 180-pound former Longhorn demonstrated great physicality and closing speed in this contest.
• Ryan Kerrigan, DE, Purdue: Pass rushers have the advantage in all-star games. Kerrigan and Arizona's Brooks Reed were among the group able to capitalize. I was impressed by Carpenter and Sherrod's ability to handle him when rushing off the left side, but once moved over to the right against Arkansas' DeMarcus Love, Kerrigan's speed and agility were too much. The now-former Boilermaker beat Love and Louisville running back Bilal Powell (who had come over to chip) on an inside rush to notch a sack and came back moments later with pure speed to draw a desperate hold from Lo
• Leonard Hankerson, WR, Miami: As he has done throughout his career and this week of practice, Hankerson allowed too many passes into his pads, resulting in one drop and a few double-clutches, but his deceptive build-up speed, size and body control made him the game's most productive receiver. Hankerson caught five passes for 100 yards, including the 18-yard TD from Ponder in the first quarter and a 48-yard bomb even earlier in the game. The deep ball was Hankerson's more impressive play, as Ponder's pass was underthrown, forcing the Miami wideout to sneak back inside of Colorado's Jalil Brown to make the catch.

Underhyped before kickoff, Ponder and others show their mettle - NCAA Football - CBSSports.com

[Brown Warrior]

Von Miller might really be doing the Browns a solid if he makes it into the top five.

[YtownBacker]

Originally Posted by Brown Warrior

Von Miller might really be doing the Browns a solid if he makes it into the top five.

Actually, you could have some 3-4 team willing to trade up for him. The kid seems to be that good.

[Alo]

I'm not convinced yet that Miller goes that high. He's an excellent pass rusher, but his strength isn't ideal.

I've read that he didn't impress in the LB/RB blitz pickup drills. That makes sense: if you watch the Arkansas tape, you'll see that he sometimes was allowed to rush unblocked into the backfield, but he'd oddly try to run around the RB instead of plowing through him. And when tried to bull rush DeMarcus Love, the offensive tackle put him on the turf.

He's a very impressive prospect who fits in a 3-4 or a 4-3 (non-Tampa 2), but not everyone thinks he's a top five pick. Tony Pauline may be the most keyed in of all draft analysts, and he's hearing that Miller could drop to the 2nd round if he doesn't impress in Indy.