Notes From The Margin: 2009 Senior Bowl Week Edition

January 22nd, 2009 by Jason Roberts

As difficult a task as it seemed at 7:30am this morning – this after driving for a full day from Central Florida to the surprisingly frozen tundra of the South here in Mobile, Alabama – bundling up in three layers of clothing (layers? I’m from Florida – we take off layers of clothes where I come from, not put them on!), packing two bags full of cameras, pens, notepads, and an outdated laptop, drinking half caffeinated / half decaffeinated coffee with godparents you really are getting to know for the first time as an adult and having no sense of direction in a downtown region that has two – even Sarasota has more than that – buildings dotting its skyline, NFTM braved 16 degree temperatures and a boatload of overanxious NFL scouts (not to mention, aspiring sportswriters) at Ladd-Peebles Stadium to bring you the lowdown on what’s happening in the days leading up to Saturday’s 2009 Under Armour Senior Bowl.

NFTM will be reporting from now until Sunday (yes, even in the post-game atmosphere that is sure to find Mobile a virtual ghost town by then . . . ) on the sights and sounds of this annual pre-NFL Draft event which, we’re glad to report to our readers, is once again enjoying a growth in popularity thanks to the sponsorship not only of Under Armour, but also NFL Networks and ESPNU.

With 104 of the nation’s best senior collegiate football players all gathered in one place and being prepped for Saturday’s showdown by staffs from the Cincinnati Bengals and Jacksonville Jaguars (not to mention, vying for the attention of a boatload of NFL team representatives), there is certainly plenty to offer readers in terms of points of interest, some of which we begin to offer now and will continue to provide as the week progresses.

Day Three: Wednesday

NFTM’s first day on the sidelines brought plenty of cold weather to suffer through along the sidelines, but plenty of heat out on the field on both North and South squads.

North Squad

Graham Harrell is the runaway favorite under center for the North; the Texas Tech quarterback looked confident throwing today and made any form of serious competition from Sam Houston’s (and former Oklahoma Sooners passer) Rhett Bomar and Nathan Brown of Central Arkansas a near impossibility. The cool temperatures definitely had an affect on the power and accuracy of some throws and ball-control was an issue for each and every one of the aforementioned quarterbacks at one time or another during practice. Still, Harrell showed a strong understanding of the plays he was asked to run and seemed to get the most nods when it came to live action. Bomar is making some noise as a Division II representative and is considered one of the strongest passers the North has on this year’s squad. He ran an offense at Sam Houston that saw him work primarily out of the shotgun, and with numbers (5564 yards in 19 games) nearly as impressive as Harrell’s, is viewed as some as more than prepared to make an impact in the NFL as early as next fall.

At tailback, a bevy of impressive youngsters including Jeremiah Johnson of Oregon, Eric Kettani (Navy), and Cedric Peerman (Virginia) all showed flashes of talent on the field this morning, but it was Purdue’s Kory Sheets that seemed to get the greatest applause and recognition from those on the field and along the sidelines. Sheets is small in stature and infinitely quick, making the Boilermakers’ 1100+ yard rusher a most shifty player to have to bring down when running the ball. He possesses a level of explosiveness that those sharing time at tailback for the North with him do not have, though, certainly, both Johnson and Peerman are superior to Sheets in terms of physicality. Not a lot seen from either Kettani or Syracuse’s Tony Fiammetta, as both were used more as blocking backs than anything else in this morning’s practice.

At receiver, hands down, the talk of the town for the North squad was Juaquin Iglesias. The Sooners’ wideout was dominant in practice today, catching nearly everything thrown at him. There didn’t seem an area of weakness when it came to Iglesias’ being involved in a play; on deep passes, his speed allowed him to beat every defender that went up against him, while crisp route-running left him an easy hit on short- and intermediate throws. Harrell, in particular, seems to be developing quite a chemistry with Iglesias, with a lot of friendly banter exchanged between the two throughout practice today.

Manuel Johnson – also representing OU – wasn’t as prominent a figure this morning as was Iglesias, but proved why Oklahoma was one of the most dominant teams offensively in the 2008 season. Ohio State’s Brian Robiskie looked decent, but had a hard time holding on to the ball at points. Brandon Gibson of Washington State was looked to on throws from all three passers for the North, but seemed hampered by cramping early on in the practice session. Derrick Williams impressed with his agility and breakaway speed and is a dangerous counterpunch when paired up with Iglesias. Keep an eye as well on lesser-known receiver from Cal-Poly, Ramses Barden, whose 6’6” and 227 frame makes him a huge target on the outside (think a bulkier version of Greg Carr from Florida State).

Not much to speak of from the tight end perspective; Virginia’s John Phillips is having his name whispered amongst scouts for his ability to block, while not attention seems to be paid at this point to Oklahoma State’s Brandon Pettigrew. Coaches worked individually with both on blocking technique at one point early on in the morning, with Pettigrew getting additional attention as time went on.

With the primary focus of NFTM and Fantasy College Blitz being on the offensive side of the ball, not a lot of time will be spent here discussing defensive players. However, it is worth noting that Virginia Tech’s Macho Harris and Oregon’s Patrick Chung were both prominent in scrimmaging toward the end of today’s session.

South Squad

A much bigger crowd was on hand this afternoon at Ladd-Peebles, presumably because of the draw of bigger names at quarterback than has the North. John Parker Wilson appears to breaking away from the pack midway through the week, with Cullen Harper of Clemson a close-second. Pat White of West Virginia saw plenty of time under center as well, but certainly seemed less comfortable throwing the ball than either Wilson or Harper. All three were a little late in getting the ball to receivers throughout the early part of the practice session, leading to quite a few dropped passes. Wilson, however, became much more comfortable as time went on, and showed off an arm on more than one pass deep along the sidelines and down the center of the field to Southern Mississippi tight end, Shawn Nelson.

Running backs appear to be led at this point by Clemson’s James Davis, whose combination of size and speed make him a favorite amongst the South’s coaching staff. Andre Brown of N.C. State was able to break an occasional run but was seen more as a physical interior presence than anything else. Adrian Foster of Tennessee was involved at times as well, but left the late-practice scrimmaging with an injury to his leg which still found him limping around well after the afternoon session had come to a close.

If there is a strong suit for the South squad, it certainly has to be at wide receiver. Greg Carr is just a monster and time and time again, as he has been prone to do, used his height to an advantage when going up to grab an errant pass or snatching a high throw to the corner of the endzone. Patrick Turner of USC looked fast and crisp and was a favorite of both Wilson and Harper. Quan Cosby was a crowd favorite, but served as less of a target than either Carr or Turner. Mike Thomas of Arizona made himself one to watch as the afternoon went on, with a small stature covering up for an athleticism and ability to catch the ball which should have him making noise as the Senior Bowl approaches.

Nelson was a big-time target at tight end for the South and absolutely dominated tight end play. Both Alabama and NC State are represented this year at the position as well, with Anthony Hill showing that an early season injury hasn’t slowed him down much. Still, it was Nelson that saw the majority of passes this afternoon and more than once was a solid go-to around the goal line.

Defensive notes: as expected, USC’s Brian Cushing and Ray Maualuga were the focus of the South’s defensive program and gained the extra support both on and off the field from a surprise appearance from Trojans’ head coach, Pete Carroll. Alphonso Smith of Wake Forest and Sherrod Martin from Troy also got into the mix in the defensive secondary and should be at the top of NFL scout’s list once this week’s festivities come to a close.

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