Senior Bowl aftermath
Draft King Analysis
January 30, 2012
Lou Pickney, DraftKing.com
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With the 2012 Senior Bowl in the books, there is plenty of information to take in and contemplate. Many of the players who took part in it aren't likely to receive first round consideration, but several guys (like Cincinnati RB Isaiah Pead) helped boost their draft stock tremendously. But it's more the practice sessions that drew the attention of NFL team scouts than the game itself.
Here are some thoughts on players from the Senior Bowl week with the potential to crack the top 32 of the 2012 NFL Draft:
-Oklahoma State QB Brandon Weeden impressed in practice, and while he had a strong 2011 season at Oklahoma State, Weeden is saddled with the reality of being considerably older than most NFL prospects, thanks in part to him pursuing a baseball career before he made the leap to playing quarterback. To put his situation in perspective, Weeden is older than Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, which is a negative since most teams use first-round picks on quarterbacks that they believe can develop into long-term stars.
Weeden going in the first round is a bit of a long shot in my estimation, but as the 2011 NFL Draft revealed, top-tier quarterbacks can go sometimes much higher than expected (e.g. Jake Locker and Christian Ponder). Plus, NFL teams should be impressed with Weeden's accuracy; he posted a 72.3% completion rate in his final year at Oklahoma State. Weeden might end up being targeted by a management staff facing a "Win Now Or Else!" unspoken pressure, with situations like Seattle and Washington being potential suitors.
-Ohio State OT Mike Adams looked great in practice and in the game itself, as he took advantage of the absence of the non-senior "early entry" trio of USC OT Matt Kalil, Iowa OT Riley Reiff, and Stanford OT Jonathan Martin to showcase his skill. If nothing else, Adams moved himself into the conversation being perhaps the third or even second offensive tackle to be drafted in April, with Kalil a runaway favorite to be the top OT drafted. Kalil could potentially go as high as #2 overall to St. Louis, which is where I currently project happening.
-Georgia OL Cordy Glenn is an interesting prospect; he could play tackle if needed, but he projects best in my estimation as an offensive guard. I'm projecting him going in the 15-25 range, with him being drafted by a team needing to bolster its interior offensive line.
-North Carolina DE Quinton Coples looked great in just about everything I saw out of him this week. My opinion on Coples soured considerably after seeing him appear to lollygag on plays in the Independence Bowl, but he impressed this week in Mobile. I think he'll be the best fit as a 3-4 DE, but he has enough talent to perform well in whatever system he ends up with in the NFL.
-South Carolina DE Melvin Ingram didn't have a particularly outstanding performance in the Senior Bowl game itself, with Mike Adams getting the best of him in several matchups. I had some slight reservations about Ingram since he played alongside some other talented defensive linemen in 2011 at South Carolina, meaning fewer double-teams than others with comparable talent likely saw in 2011. In practice Ingram looked strong, and I wouldn't discount his NFL stock based on his play in just a portion of an exhibition game.
