It was a beautiful day in Mobile Alabama for the first day of the 2010 Senior Bowl.  It was unseasonably warm, and Ladd Peebles stadium held the North squad practices, while Fairhope Stadium was the home for the South practices.  Myself and Matt Waldman were in attendance for the North squad practice, so let’s take a look at who stood out on opening day.

QB

Tony Pike (Cincinnati) was getting help with his release, and with his accuracy downfield.  Pike showed a smooth rhythm, but a little hitch in his throwing motion.  He was also throwing to the wrong shoulder when going outside and deep.  He is a very statuesque quarterback, and throws with good velocity.  He does whip the football, and needs to keep his throwing elbow tighter when releasing the ball.  He did have a few “Rowe” throws, where he looked like former Nevada quarterback Jeff Rowe because he was throwing downward when the ball came out of his hand.  Pike showed enough arm strength to make all the NFL throws, and was not afraid to throw it into tight coverage.   

Dan LeFevour (Central Michigan) was complimented by the coaching staff a few times throughout practice.  His footwork looked good when he was dropping back with 3 and 5 step drops.  His release point is all over the place, and that necessarily isn’t a bad thing.  He will alter where the ball comes out of his hand based on what throwing lane the defense gives him.  If he has to sidearm the football he will— and he will complete those passes.  LeFevour looked very comfortable running the offense, but did have a tendency to lock onto his primary receivers today.  On one play he rolled out to his left, and threw a strike to Jacoby Ford in perfect stride while not missing a beat in his gait.  He has a strong base when he throws, and showed the velocity necessary to make deep throws at the next level.  It wasn’t all good for LeFevour today though.  He did have a couple of passes that were too far behind his receivers, and one deep pass to Dorin Dickerson was just off (wrong shoulder).  He even threw an interception to Koa Misi when targeting WR Mardy Gilyard on a short out route. 

Sean Canfield (Oregon State) had a poor day of practice today.  His deliver was too deliberate, too slow, and mostly off when he threw over 5 yards.  His footwork was poor today, and I even saw him throw a screen pass off his back foot when there was absolutely zero pressure in his face.  He has a lot of bad habits a team will have to correct before he can even contribute as a backup.  He showed little zip on his passes, and several of them fluttered to his receivers.  He was also a beat slow when getting rid of the football.  You can tell that Canfield was afraid to mess up, and thus his mechanics/accuracy/velocity were way off.  We’ll see if he can bounce back with a better practice tomorrow.   

RB

Legarrette Blount (Oregon) really wowed me today.  He was already one of my favorite backs in Mobile, and I compared him to Brandon Jacobs during his college career at Oregon.  He’s on the road to redemption after spending most of this season on suspension because of an altercation after the loss to Boise State earlier in the year.  Blount runs a little upright for my taste, but he generates a ton of power when he moves.  Even though he stands tall he does run with a good forward lean, and can run through arm tackles with ease.  He can cutback to gain positive yardage, and knows how to finish his runs strong.  Blount also can be counted on as a receiver out of the backfield.  He’s not a natural hands catcher, but he’ll gather in a bobbled catch and is too big for a safety to jam on a wheel route.   

Lonyae Miller (Fresno State) showed an impressive initial burst and ability to get skinny between the tackles.  He is a natural hands catcher, and can be effectively used as a receiver out of the backfield.  Miller is an instinctive runner that knows how to run through trash at the line of scrimmage.  I was impressed with his ability to bounce a run outside - but he wasn’t looking to do that every time.  If there is one word that would sum up Miller, it’s disciplined. 

Joique Bell (Wayne State) was a player that both Matt Waldman and I were excited to see at practice.  He is a silky smooth runner that glides down the field with the ball in his hand.  His steps per yard is high, and thus he can change direction without losing much speed.  He needs better concentration as a receiver, as he dropped a pass from Dan LeFevour because he was thinking about turning upfield before he secured the football.  Bell also needs to add more weight because he can be pushed off his route by a safety when coming out of the backfield.

Chris Brown(Oklahoma) is just a natural running back.  He can process what he’s seeing very quickly and doesn’t waste any steps, energy, or motion when he runs.  Brown instinctively gets low when he runs, and his low center of gravity makes him difficult to tackle.  He has good burst, good speed, and can be an effective receiver out of the backfield because of his elusiveness in open space.  I like the way he will look a pass into his hands, and doesn’t make a move upfield until the ball is secure.
   
Rashawn Jackson (FB - Virginia) is not quite Jason Snelling, the former Cavalier back who is now backing up Michael Turner in Atlanta.  However, he is a versatile player that will find a home on an NFL roster.  I saw him fingertip catch two passes on screens, and his concentration and hand strength are clearly elite.  He’s not as fast, and not as powerful as a back like Snelling but his overall game will make him a valuable contributor for an NFL team.

WR/TE

Mardy Gilyard (Cincinnati) had a frustrating day.  The talent is clearly there, but Gilyard didn’t have a sterling debut in Mobile.  He was body catching or dropping too many passes, and was visibly upset by his performance.  The coaches were yelling at him early and often in practice because he kept rounding off his routes.  It wasn’t all bad for Gilyard.  He did high point a pass from Dan LeFevour, and showed great body control by bringing in a sideline pass and getting two feet down.   

Jacoby Ford (Clemson) was the star of practice today for the North squad.  He made several spectacular plays, and was the most consistent receiver on the field.  Ford can high point passes, go down low for a catch, and is always using his hands and not his body to make a catch.  He is very quick in and out of his breaks, and can gain separation when the coverage seems tight.  He knows how to set up defenders, and is especially good at running comeback routes.   

Taylor Price (Ohio) was second to Ford when it came to making plays in practice today.  He and quarterback Dan LeFevour seemed to have great rapport from the word go.  Price was effective using the sideline, and knows how to shield defenders away from the football with his frame.

Danario Alexander (Missouri) only stood out a couple of times to me today in practice.  Once he high pointed a pass on the sidelines, and showed good body control by keeping both feet in bounds.  He comes back to the football when the quarterback is in trouble, and he even dove on the ground to scoop in a low pass from Sean Canfield.

Dorin Dickerson (PITT) didn’t make it into my notebook today.  I’ll make sure to see if he’s making plays tomorrow.

Mike Hoomanawanui (TE - Illinois) has an impossible last name to pronounce, but get used to it because this guy clearly belongs in the NFL.  He can catch fastball passes that are fired in like rockets.  He’s deceptively fast as quarterback Dan LeFevour found out when he threw behind the big tight end on a crossing route.  He is very strong and tough to bring down, plus as DB Kurt Coleman found out - it’s difficult to punch the ball out when the pass is secure.  He also does a great job of getting his head around when it’s time to look for the ball.   

Ed Dickson (TE - Oregon) is a natural hands catcher, and an up and coming tight end that NFL fans need to know.  He can get low when breaking on a route, sinking his hips and getting to the point faster than other players his size.  Dickson is a willing blocker that has outstanding effort on every play. 
Garrett Graham( TE - Wisconsin) has strong hands, and looks very athletic when he turns up field after the catch.  Graham effectively uses his size to push defenders out of the way when making a break on his route. 

Offensive Line

Mike Iupati(Idaho) did a good job of stoning Jared Odrick (DL - Penn State). 

DEF

D’Anthony Smith(DL - Louisiana Tech) was always on the attack in the pit.  He keeps coming at the offensive line with a relentless motor and strength to push the pocket. 

Cam Thomas(DL - North Caroliina) threw Eric Olsen (OL - Notre Dame) out of his way like a rag doll.  On the next play in the pit he abused Olsen again, this time just bull rushing the lineman back into the quarterback.  He also picked on Shawn Lauvao (OL - Arizona State) by pushing him around at will. 
 
Alex Carrington(DL - Arkansas State) showed off a good spin move to get to the quarterback in the pit.

O’Brien Schofield(DL - Wisconsin) was invited to the Senior Bowl after playing in the Shrine Game last week.  He looked good in Orlando, and was looking good in Mobile until a painful knee injury forced him out of practice.  No word yet on the severity, but it didn’t sound good when it happened, and it didn’t look good afterwards.