Blinkscout Senior Bowl practices ... Defense ...

The game turned out different than I had expected, and I haven't finished it yet, so know I'm slowly adjusting things as I see them ...


DT
The wide body guys I'm interested in were not here, the top picks are juniors. Besides the NC State boys Hill and Jones (who showed a ton of power), I don't think anyone really stood out as a pure DT. I think there were a bunch of 5 techs for 3-4 defenses. Harrison Phillips was my favorite for that, but Lacouture and Hand and Andrew Brown from UVA all looked good as well, as I expected. Bilal Nichols and the Stephens kid (who broke his hand) from smaller schools both flashed and made plays, but are still likely late round players that could develop under the right tutelage. Poona Ford has strange leverage and a really quick first step, but how many 6-0 DTs can you have on one team?


DE
There were only a few pure DEs... Davenport, who didn't show very well in practice (in the game he went off, so I'll go over that when I break down the game), Kylie Fitts, who played like his tape suggests .. strong in some areas, but not every snap. Then there were the two Ohio State kids, who I think have a good bit of power. Holmes and Lewis.

Then there were the tweeners ... 3-4 edge rushers ...
Marquis Haynes and Okoronkwo had the best weeks, but they didn't really talk about Haynes ... I have no idea why. Haynes is now my favorite to be had in the 4th who could really be an asset. They balk because he's only 230 ... but he can bull rush as well as a 300 pounder. He put every OT he faced on skates ... and that's just his set up move. Maybe he's just a pass rusher and can't play the run ... maybe he could be had later, btu I think his value is being severely underrated.
Okoronkwo would be worth it if he were there in the 3rd, which he might be if he gets surpassed by workout warriors. I like his set of moves and the way he played all year showed up in what I saw all week. He's a guy that may not "wow" anyone enough to take him early, but he could have 10 sacks in a year ...
Nwosu has been on my radar all year and he definitely had the most underwhelming week in comparison to my expectations. No idea why ... but I'm going to have to reference what I saw this week against the tape in my memory.
Kemoko Turay is reallllly interesting. I have not seen him before, and couldn't watch Rutgers this year because they weren't competitive. He definitely improved during the week, and has some freaky athleticism, and an injury history. If he lasts deep into the draft (assuming his medical stuff clears) I'd be hard pressed to not take a shot at him in Wade's D.
Surprise on D of the week was Garret Dooley from Wisconsin ... underrated try hard edge rushers are their thing. He made a lot of plays and won some matchups I didn't think he would.

Then of course there's the hero of the Senior Bowl, the one handed wonder Shaquem Griffin. I watched him this year knowing he was a baller ... and he will be underdrafted at 6-1 223 ... but he's going to have a presence at the next level in the right system. He has a great inside move on the edge.

ILB

I like the Shrine game kids better ... but Fred Warner showed well, especially in coverage and Tre Williams played well coming downhill. McCray was all over the place ... and Nick Deluca had an amazing week as expected ... as those familiar with him knew he would ... how long does the small school kid last in the draft?

There's is going to be some talent late in the draft that could start at ILB.

CBs
Underwhelmed with this group overall, and what's worse? There was only one section of one on ones that I saw. So I didn't get to see the footwork I wanted to up close.

Kam Kelly was the biggest disappointment, grabby and slow footed.
Yiadom improved his draft stock but had some issues getting lost on interior and intermediate routes and more agile players.
King had some good moments, but I'm still skeptical.
Duke Dawson got caught in the UF mess, but played some good nickel for a bigger guy (200 lbs.)
Michael Johnson from Dubuque and Taron Johnson from Weber showed up nice. Not as much for Wade from Murray st. Need to see them at the combine.

Chandon Sullivan was the best CB I thought on the field from GA st. .. and I had just watched their bowl game coming in so I had seen him and was ready to expect good play from him. 2nd rounder? 3rd? Dunno.

Weird, I didn't see MJ Stewart at all. Except returning punts. Anyone see what I missed?


The safety position was okay. Just okay. Henderson (who we met with) I thought was the best, which I didn't expect as I had Marcus Allen ranked much higher.
Nate Andrews was there, the guy who basically lost his job to Derwin James but is still talented ... he may be a late round steal for a backup. Tray Matthews I didn't see ... ? Blanding played as I expected ... flashed some hitting and instincts but was a tad slow.
Reaves from Southern Bama made some plays. Armani Watts kinda underwhelmed. Cooper from La Tech made a couple plays ... again, a little underwhelming in the DB section this year.

Chandon Sullivan had the most energy and the best play overall.


Anyhow, thoughts and comments welcome.

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