Senior Bowl Recap: Stock Report

This year’s Senior Bowl was a pretty low scoring affair, with the South coming out on top 21-16. While it wasn’t a game full of explosive offensive plays, some players continued to help their draft stock, while others simply gave teams more questions to answer about them. I’ve picked out five cases of each, starting with arguably the most eye-catching performance of the day, and I’ve also picked out a player that I still just can’t decipher.

Stock UP:

DE – Ezekial ‘Ziggy’ Ansah – BYU

Wow, now I know this guy is raw and doesn’t have much experience of football, but if he can bring his athletic skills to a well-coached defense, we could be witnessing the birth of a star. Although I know that is a big ‘if’, there is a ridiculous amount of upside in Ziggy. He routinely fought his way into the backfield with speed and violent strength, even when being double-teamed on the outside, and also brought his ridiculous athleticism to the run game, chasing backs to both sidelines and stuffing gaps. I have no doubt his potential, and his NFL combine results, will rocket him into the top 15 in the Draft.

DT – Kawann Short – Purdue

I was really impressed by Short, he reminded me of Fletcher Cox last year, he looked comfortable stopping the run and getting into the backfield to stuff plays, and generally stood out amongst what is a good DL class. While he may not go as high as Cox did, I think a good Combine could put him in the top 25 for sure come April’s Draft.

RB – Stepfan Taylor – Stanford

While Taylor may not have the burst and explosive speed of some other runners, he is consistent, runs hard and is also a good pass catcher out of the backfield. He had a good game on Saturday, with 53 yards on 9 carries, but what stood out for me was his intelligence and proficiency in pass blocking. He could be a three-down back for a team in the NFL and will provide a whole heap of value on Draft day as he is likely to go in the mid to late second round.

CB – Jordan Poyer – Oregon State

Judging by his performance, the league may well have found a new turnover machine in the secondary. Poyer, who with seven interceptions last year in college was second in the country in turnovers, caused an interception with some good coverage in the Senior Bowl and looked an intelligent, competitive corner. At 6’0’ he provides teams with the size they want to match up with elite receivers, and don’t be surprised to see Poyer get drafted at the top of the second round. His combine will be important, as there are doubts about whether he has elite speed and strength.

QB – E.J. Manuel – Florida State

Manuel was the top QB at the Senior Bowl, with one passing score and one (fortuitous) rushing score, but this comes almost by default as almost all the other QB’s were totally unimpressive. His mobility and the glimpse of NFL touch shown on his TD pass to his TE in the back of the endzone from 20 yards will get some scouts interested, but I can’t see him going any higher that the third round, even though QB’s will be horrendously over-drafted this year.

Honourable Mentions: Markus Wheaton, WR, Oregon State. Brian Schwenke, G/C, California. Jonathan Cyprien, S, Florida International.

Stock DOWN:

QB – Landry Jones – Oklahoma

Er, where to start? Inaccurate, jittery in the pocket, no arm strength, bad decisions. Jones may well have just made himself undraftable, but a decent week at the Combine could grab him a spot in the sixth or seventh round with a team who thinks they can make a backup out of Jones. But he really looked horrible in the Senior Bowl.

G/OT – Oday Aboushi – Virginia

Aboushi really struggled on Saturday, allowing pressure from all comers and never looking comfortable at either Guard or Tackle spots. The Combine will be important, as he is athletic for a Guard, which he will have to be in the NFL, but the drills will prove whether he has the strength and power to translate to the league.

OT – Ricky Wagner – Wisconsin

Wagner had a horrible day at the office, but as a lineman from the production line in Wisconsin, expect him to bounce back in Combine drills. He gave up lots of pressure and failed to help the run game much at all, so he will hope scouts focus on his college tape instead. He’ll be drafted, but in the lower rounds now.

WR – Quinton Patton – Louisiana Tech

Patton didn’t have a catch in the game, and while he was often up against Desmond Trufant, one of the best CB’s on show, he never really looked like getting any separation against his Washington opponent. He did put some good run blocks in however, and he will probably impress with his consistency in drills at the Combine, so look for Patton to go in the third round.

S – Robert Lester – Alabama

Many scouts have said that Lester looks like a product of the quality supporting cast in the defense in Alabama, and that has stood out this week, with the Safety really struggling in coverage, illustrated by Mike Glennon’s seam pass in the game itself. Lester will almost certainly be drafted, but many teams have a fourth or fifth round grade on him, so he will have to have a good Combine.

What to make of…?

QB – Tyler Wilson – Arkansas

Wilson was a checkdown machine on Saturday, going 8-11 for 40 yards. The only true deep ball he threw was underthrown and he seems to keep giving ammunition to his critics over his arm strength. However, he was given the best performer award at QB this week, and his leadership, competitive nature and calmness in the pocket is hard to not be impressed by. You could put this performance down to good coverage by a decent secondary class this year, or to poor offensive line play, but until he shows that he can make key throws under difficult circumstances, I can’t trust him as a first rounder.

What do you think? Is Wilson a 1st round pick?