2018 Senior Bowl

[Mark Vader]

I know there are a number of talented RB's in this year's draft, and all of the top RB's were not playing today.

 

As great as it would be to have someone like Sony Michel or Ronald Jones II, I would be just as happy to have Rashaad Penny on the Bills.

 

He looked very good today.

[CanadianFan]

6 hours ago, Cruiserplayer said:

If Denver doesn’t take a q.b at five we could give them 21 for their 36? And next years first. That would put us ahead of the patriots and if we swing and miss we still have the extra fist next year.

 

I'm betting Denver will take a QB. but you're talking about their high 2nd round pick right?  If we haven't taken a QB yet sure wouldn't mind trading down if just to get ahead of them. But Pats I bet will take a QB with their low 1st round - just so they have that 5th year option. That way, if Brady wants to play to 45 the kid will still be there. 

[BuffaloBillsGospel]

I liked Davenport as a player we'd be eying as a pass rusher if we didn't take a QB, he'll be long gone by our pick now, he was probably borderline not making it to us before this but now it's almost a given. I thought G Will Hernandez played outstanding, a guy his size pulling and pancaking defensive lineman. Josh Allen probably solidified himself as the #1 QB taken, that arm strength was on display and he was making some outstanding NFL throws. Harrison Phillips was getting constant pressure also.

Edited January 28, 2018 by BuffaloBillsGospel

[billspro]

8 hours ago, Formerly Allan in MD said:

A lot of talent out there today.

Of course wasn't EJ the offensive MVP of this game?

 

He was, but that was a horrible draft class and one of the worst senior bowls I have seen since it was televised. 

 

EJ did not look close to as good as the QBs out there today. His performance was probably better than the kid from Nebraska, that is about it. 

8 hours ago, LABILLBACKER said:

I want Hurst and Vea but I'm greedy that way.

I was hoping for Hurst and Phillips. 

[Mark Vader]

6 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

McCray? I think he will be drafted in a round where we don’t have picks (late)

I thought he looked pretty good today.

 

I wish he was a little faster, but he's a good tackler. I see him as a 4th rounder.

[Buffalo Barbarian]

19 hours ago, Kirby Jackson said:

I like Baker A LOT. You do realize though that Brees will retire with more passing yards and TD passes than any player EVER. Baker might be really good but he won’t come close to the career that Brees has had.

 

Know one now's what he will  do, there is no reason why he couldn't break his records. 

[Buffalo Barbarian]

14 hours ago, Buffalo716 said:

 

Baker made a ton of plays in college on the run. But the NFL is a different animal

 

i would assume his 40, 3 cone, 20 yard shuffle and 60 yard shuffle will all be worse than Wilson

 

He can throw on the run great but hes not as explosive as TT or Wilson as an athlete. Not that that's bad because those 2 are 2 of the most athletic QBs in the league 

 

I'm betting his combine numbers will be equivalent 

 

 

11 hours ago, Clyde Smith said:

From what I read it seems like McBeane is high on White. Maybe we are looking at our future QB.

 

NO!

 

 

11 hours ago, horned dogs said:

I like Marcus Davenport, Harrison Phillips and Michael McCray. 

 

This Davenport could be a steal, has good pass rushing skills and some God given talent. Also really want Phillips, we he was a little heavier though to anchor better against the run.

 

 

[Buffalo Barbarian]

Berrios could be our Welker.

 

 

1 hour ago, billspro said:

 

He was, but that was a horrible draft class and one of the worst senior bowls I have seen since it was televised. 

 

EJ did not look close to as good as the QBs out there today. His performance was probably better than the kid from Nebraska, that is about it. 

I was hoping for Hurst and Phillips. 

 

Vea and Phillips 

 

 

[Buffalo Barbarian]

14 hours ago, Buffalo716 said:

 

 

Do you plan on doing some reports on other positions?

 

Would love to see my boys Leighton Vander Esch and Nick Deluca!

 

 

Edited January 28, 2018 by Buffalo Barbarian

[GunnerBill]

My Senior Bowl scouting report:

 

Quarterbacks

Josh Allen (#17 North) is the name everyone is talking about and he had a rough couple of series in the first half of the game, looking uncomfortable in the pocket, holding the ball and not finding an rhythm in his throws.  It will undoubtedly help his stock that he played much better in the 2nd half, and equally that he asked to go back in. Overall pretty much the Josh Allen on tape at Wyoming was here yesterday.  Huge arm, arm that can get the ball there even when his mechanics break down, but poor footwork and some sailed balls where the accuracy becomes a real question. Interesting that his 2nd half renaissance came when the South had rotated a lot of their second lines in on defense.  One of the opportunities for Allen this week was to show against top level competition.  He didn't do that in college and had mixed results in that regard in the Senior Bowl.  Mike White (#14 South) was the most impressive Quarterback on display in the game. His accuracy was very impressive, even on the deep ball and he showed the most pocket composure and ability to go through his progression of any of those that got on the field.  I have seen very little of his college tape and that performance left me wanting to go back and watch more.  Kyle Lauletta (#5 South) I have seen even less of in college but the word on him seemed to be accurate but limited.... that was almost my take away last night too, despite 3 nicely thrown touchdown passes in the 2nd half.  Another one where I am at least intrigued enough to go and watch more.

 

Running Backs

I have seen Rashaad Penny (#20 South) projected everywhere from the 2nd round to the 6th round prior to this game, but his performance was impressive. He flashed as a route runner and receiver but as a back he showed patience, vision and explosiveness and will have moved himself up draft boards.  This looks another good running back class but Penny has put himself very much in the conversation to be the 4th or 5th running back off the board. 

 

Offensive Line

I'd heard all week that the offensive lineman had been really impressive and dominated the practices.... well it was different on game day.  Offensive line play is just about my biggest concern for the NFL at the moment and it was an ugly game for the guys who were here (though admittedly they were essentially the 2nd tier of OL in this class).  The one guy I would exclude from that criticism was Will Hernandez (#76 North) from Texas El Paso who has been getting some noise about going in the 2nd round.  He did himself no harm with a very good run game performance... and held up reasonably in pass protection. 

 

Receivers / Tight Ends

Oddly in a game with so many point scored I didn't really love the level of receiver and tight end play on display.  The biggest name out there James Washington (#28 South) has had a bad week.  He measured in at under 5'11 and was held without a catch in the game.  He also displayed some pretty below par route running that was noticeable on a couple of plays. The guy that actually impressed me the most was Michael Gallup (#84 North) who I had not come across before and was the leading receiver for his team. I was impressed that he showed versatility in his 3 catches - he ran a quick out, he went deep and he came across the middle.  He did have one drop but his catch across the middle was a tough hands catch in traffic and held on.  He is another on my "go back and look again" list. 

 

Defensive Line

The best player on the field all night was Marcus Davenport (#93 South). He was a borderline top 15 player before last night and he will have impressed scouts the way he played.  He still lacks a little technique, but he is a big, raw, physically dominant defensive lineman. He moved inside in some obvious passing situations as well which will have impressed people but his power and speed off the edge is exciting. He may take a year to acclimatise to the NFL but his long term potential is as a top flight pass rusher.  There were other impressive D-lineman displays too.  Ogbonnia Okoronkwo (#31 North) often stood out to me as the best player in an Oklahoma jersey not name Baker Mayfield when watching the Sooners this season and he had a really impressive outing getting constant pressure in the backfield.  He is a candidate to go in the 1st round.  Harrison Phillips (#66 North) has already been linked with the Bills a lot on this forum as a potential 2nd round target and while he showed some flashes I thought the defensive tackle who showed most aptitude for getting into the backfield was Andrew Brown (#99 South) out of Virginia.  He was another new name to me and is something of a late round sleeper I will keep an eye on during Draft weekend. 

 

Linebacker

One of the other candidates for MVP of the game was Mike McCray (#9 North) who was extremely active in the first half as the North's starting inside backer. There has never been any question about his ability to make plays in the run game.  He knows his gaps, he attacks them, gets to the ball carrier and is a ferocious tackler - all of that was evident in the Senior Bowl.  The question marks on his Michigan tape were around his quickness and ability in coverage. He looked a little slimmed down for this game to me and he was definitely faster in space even registering a nice pass breakup in the first Quarter.  He helped his draft stock last night and I can see him sneaking into day 2 as a later 3rd round pick. An even less heralded inside linebacker who made plays for the South in the second half was Oren Burks (#53 South) who got into the backfield and disrupted a couple of run plays registering TFLs.  He is another late round sleeper who could find a situational role as an early down linebacker in the NFL. 

 

Defensive Backs

Probably unsurprisingly in a game with so many passing touchdowns there isn't a bunch of good things to take from this game about the defensive backs.  It is fair to say a lot of the big names in this class were not here but I am lukewarm at best on the defensive back group this year.  After maybe the greatest DB class in history in 2017 there is a natural evening out this year.  The guys that were on show last night did little to help their cause.  The two who flashed something were Jeremy Reaves (#14 South) who got himself a pick as reward for always being around the ball.  He is maybe a little on the small side for an NFL safety but showed good ball hawking instincts and speed and could be an early day 3 pick; and Danny Johnson (#24 South) who has size limitations and so would be strictly a nickel corner only at the NFL level but displayed tight coverage, good speed and an understanding of leverage in pass defense. Possibly an UDFA type but one that I actually think could be a nice fit in the cover 3 defenses that now seem to be the norm in the NFL. 

[ALF]

Report: Baker Mayfield Leaves Senior Bowl After 1st Half to Be with Ill Mother

 

Mayfield saw limited action in the all-star game before concluding his weekend. All told, he completed three of his seven passes for nine yards before turning things over to fellow North squad signal-callers Josh Allen and Tanner Lee.

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2756296-report-baker-mayfield-leaves-senior-bowl-after-1st-half-to-be-with-ill-mother

 

His mind was not in the game . Will see how he does at combine.

Edited January 28, 2018 by ALF
correction

[Kirby Jackson]

5 hours ago, Buffalo Barbarian said:

 

Know one now's what he will  do, there is no reason why he couldn't break his records. 

No one knows what any player will do. By that same token we don’t know if Tanner Lee will throw for more yards and TDs than any of the thousands upon thousands of people that have played QB in the NFL. It certainly isn’t reasonable to think that’s realistic. 

 

Drew Brees may throw for 85,000 yards and almost 600 TDs!! That’s realistic. If Baker throws for 4,200 yards a year he will only need 21 seasons to reach that!! If he throws 28 TDs a year he will need 22 seasons to get to 600!! To say that Brees is anyone's ceiling is absurd. 

[eball]

Has our resident Richmond follower @plenzmd1 chimed in with thoughts on Lauletta?  What a performance!

[Mountain Man]

12 hours ago, 26CornerBlitz said:

 

 

How did he help himself? He showed exceptional physical talent and wild inconsistency, just as he has done his entire career.

[plenzmd1]

26 minutes ago, eball said:

Has our resident Richmond follower @plenzmd1 chimed in with thoughts on Lauletta?  What a performance!

Just watched, He did look good!! Happy for him! Have always loved his accuracy, he anticipates well and hits guys in stride. I still wonder how he would do in the wind in Buffalo if was drafted here .

 

Looks like it has gone from "will" he get drafted to "when" ..thats awesome.

 

Loved Mayock saying "CAA is the SEC of FCS"..

 

[JohnC]

1 hour ago, Kirby Jackson said:

No one knows what any player will do. By that same token we don’t know if Tanner Lee will throw for more yards and TDs than any of the thousands upon thousands of people that have played QB in the NFL. It certainly isn’t reasonable to think that’s realistic. 

 

Drew Brees may throw for 85,000 yards and almost 600 TDs!! That’s realistic. If Baker throws for 4,200 yards a year he will only need 21 seasons to reach that!! If he throws 28 TDs a year he will need 22 seasons to get to 600!! To say that Brees is anyone's ceiling is absurd. 

Comparing Mayfield to Brees from a production standpoint is an absurdity. The prospect is about to start his career while the veteran qb is closer to the end of his career. But what isn't unreasonable is comparing Mayfield's physical profile to Brees's profile. The follow up question relating to the Mayfield/Brees comparison is whether the prospect has the same traits that Brees has that has allowed him to be successful. From what I have seen I would say yes. Mayfield moves well enough, has good pocket presence, has exceptional accuracy, quick release, throws with touch and Is able to make reads.  

 

Mayfield, like Brees doesn't have protypical size. But Mayfield in the college ranks, like Brees in the pro ranks, has demonstrated that  a height limitation doesn't necessarily have to unduly affect how the position is played. Production is production. The question shouldn't be how you do it but rather if you can do it. In my view Mayfield is a top tier qb prospect. And from a Buffalo standpoint that is the issue. 

[Kirby Jackson]

3 minutes ago, JohnC said:

Comparing Mayfield to Brees from a production standpoint is an absurdity. The prospect is about to start his career while the veteran qb is closer to the end of his career. But what isn't unreasonable is comparing Mayfield's physical profile to Brees's profile. The follow up question relating to the Mayfield/Brees comparison is whether the prospect has the same traits that Brees has that has allowed him to be successful. From what I have seen I would say yes. Mayfield moves well enough, has good pocket presence, has exceptional accuracy, quick release, throws with touch and Is able to make reads.  

 

Mayfield, like Brees doesn't have protypical size. But Mayfield in the college ranks, like Brees in the pro ranks, has demonstrated that  a height limitation doesn't necessarily have to unduly affect how the position is played. Production is production. The question shouldn't be how you do it but rather if you can do it. In my view Mayfield is a top tier qb prospect. And from a Buffalo standpoint that is the issue. 

I think that they are very similar as prospects (although Mayfield moves better).

 

I was taking offense to Brees being the ceiling. Brees will destroy every passing record (unless Brady catches him in TDs). To say that some guy with 0 attempts has that ceiling is asinine. Just for comparison sake Matt Stafford will need 14 more seasons at his current production to reach 85,000 yards (23 total seasons) and another 16 more seasons to reach 600 TDs (25 total seasons). 

[DCOrange]

1 hour ago, plenzmd1 said:

Just watched, He did look good!! Happy for him! Have always loved his accuracy, he anticipates well and hits guys in stride. I still wonder how he would do in the wind in Buffalo if was drafted here .

 

Looks like it has gone from "will" he get drafted to "when" ..thats awesome.

 

Loved Mayock saying "CAA is the SEC of FCS"..

 

 

He seems like he’s improved his velocity since the end of the season, at least compared to the games I watched of his. Based strictly on this week, his arm strength looked probably average in the NFL. 

[JohnC]

26 minutes ago, Kirby Jackson said:

I think that they are very similar as prospects (although Mayfield moves better).

 

I was taking offense to Brees being the ceiling. Brees will destroy every passing record (unless Brady catches him in TDs). To say that some guy with 0 attempts has that ceiling is asinine. Just for comparison sake Matt Stafford will need 14 more seasons at his current production to reach 85,000 yards (23 total seasons) and another 16 more seasons to reach 600 TDs (25 total seasons). 

As I stated in my original post comparing the two players is an absurdity. I will go so far as saying that I would not say someone is unreasonable if their belief was that Brees was better than Brady, although I would disagree with that position. Both are in the same strata. 

 

Both Brady and Brees are stunningly accurate. But that isn't what separates them from the rest of the world of qbs in a historical sense. Their vision and fast speed ability to go through their progressions is unworldly. It's like being able to instantly  make multiple calculations in your head without using a calculator. That's a tribute to their work ethic and preparation. 

 

We know Mayfield is an exceptionally accurate passer. But the bigger issue for him in the pros (as is with all prospects) will be his ability to process the play. You never know  until they hit the field. Although I'm comfortable he will be able to do it adequately you never know for sure until they demonstrate it on the field. 

[Formerly Allan in MD]

14 hours ago, SWATeam said:

At least Peterman has a quick release.  Lauletta looks like he’s trying real hard to put velocity on the ball.  Quite a wind up.

White showed he has a quick release, is accurate, and has a command of the field.  I don't think he's out of the picture.