Month: February 2023 (Page 3 of 3)

The defensive linemen shone during the week but in the game it was a different story. There was minimal impact from the likes of Keeanu Benton and co. Instead, the O-liners blocked well and made an impression.

I really like Ole Miss’ Nick Broeker as a zone blocking guard. He has tackle experience so fits the bill for the Rams’/Seahawks’ blocking scheme. He had a so-so week of practise but in the game he stood out as one of the top performers.

Broeker combined brilliantly with Nick Saldiveri — who kicked inside to center. On their first snap together they teamed up to double-team Benton. They consistently worked together to shut down pressures, pass-off blocks and made for an excellent interior duo.

Broeker’s second snap showed off why I like him so much. He moved up to the second level, identified a linebacker to block and absolutely hammered him —- springing a huge running lane for Chris Rodriguez to break off a big gain.

On his third snap he had a 1v1 win against Benton, again creating a running lane for the back to squirt through. Before half-time the NFL Network replayed a Karl Brooks sack conceded on the left side of the line. On the right, Nick Broeker easily handled Benton initially then passed off to seal a stunting K.J. Henry. He also had a good block on Jerrod Clark on the drive.

On tape I was really impressed with Broeker and there’s something to work with here. He showed he can handle power in this game and his movement and agility skills were well highlighted at Ole Miss. He only has 32 1/4 inch arms and that might be an issue for the Seahawks. Nevertheless, I think he’s someone who can provide mid-round value as an interior lineman and I’m eager to see how he tests (and whether he can find another inch of arm length at the combine).

Cody Mauch lined up at guard and right tackle during the game but he also took some snaps at center and looked terrific. He pulled and blocked Cameron Young on a drive before half-time. He was in control and looked so comfortable at center. The smaller stature works for him there and allows Mauch to be his aggressive best. He also leverages well and was able to seamlessly switch from snapping to blocking. This looks like his position and frankly, on the back of what he showed here, he might have a serious future at center.

McClendon Curtis had a really nice play early in the game at right guard to open a running lane for Evan Hull. He also had a dominant block on the goal-line for the first touchdown of the game before half-time. Curtis had a good week and has excellent size and length (6-5, 331lbs, 35 inch arms). He’s not a tackle though. They put him at right tackle in the second half and he gave up an easy sack to Ali Gaye. Keep him inside. He has tackle size but he excels at guard.

Watching Darnell Wright get on the move on a crack toss and locate second level blocks had me dreaming about taking him as a zone guard. I think he has the mobility to do it. It’s going to be interesting to see what Seattle does at right guard. The Rams’ scheme uses lighter converted tackles at guard and they’ve had a lot of success over the years. Yet Seattle had Damien Lewis (327lbs) at left guard and Phil Haynes (322lbs) or Gabe Jackson (335lbs) at right guard. Are they just holdovers from the Mike Solari years? Will they adjust and transition? Or do they still want size at guard?

Wright is 6-5 and 342lbs.

It’d almost be a bit of a waste to kick him inside, given how well he plays the edge. But if the Seahawks are seriously on a ‘BPA’ journey after last year’s draft, then Wright would be in the mix at #20.

On a more negative note, this happened to O’Cyrus Torrence (you need to look at the second video):

We can work with this pic.twitter.com/4k74gyZDkL

— Goodberry (@JoeGoodberry) February 4, 2023

That’s Ivan Pace, all 230lbs of him, dumping O’Cyrus Torrence on his backside.

The funniest thing is Torrence actually tackles the ball carrier too as he goes over.

It’s a nice moment for Pace I suppose. I think it’s more a case of this being another example of Torrence being a bit overrated. All this talk of round one has always felt a bit off for a standard guard who played all of the 2022 season with a sloppy frame. I wouldn’t expect him to test well. If that proves true, he’ll be like a lot of guards who enter the league. I’ve been grading him in the middle rounds for some time.

In the 1v1’s he got pushed backwards too often. Now there’s this play. How’s he going to handle the monsters in the NFL? He’s big and can be tricky to get around but I’m not convinced he can anchor and drive off blocks to warrant the major hype he’s getting.

On the first play of the game, Aubry Miller absolutely hammered the ball carrier after a long run. He has played with fire and intensity all week. He set the edge well against the run a couple of times. As a day three pick with at least some special teams value, he caught my eye.

Stanford receiver Michael Wilson had a good week of practise and that continued today. He gets open very easily and he’s sudden and fluid with his routes. He does fight the ball as a catcher sometimes but he’s often open so it’s not as much of a problem as it could be. He pivots to change direction wonderfully. He had a really nice grab on a wayward Jake Haener pass in the fourth quarterback — extending his arms to catch away from his body at full stretch. He scored a touchdown on a duck thrown by Haener. Wilson was the only person who adjusted to the ball which was lobbed up for grabs towards the end zone.

Evan Hull the running back from Northwestern showed good patience on a long run to start the game, then ran through contact for a second big gain on the same drive. He’s well sized, powerful and showed good awareness to make the most of a couple of runs. He has the size Seattle likes.

Fellow running back Chris Rodriguez made a great play on 3rd and 2 —- catching a ball under pressure over the middle then bouncing off a tackle to get extra yardage. He’s a physical player who consistently drives through contact.

Byron Young (Tennessee) forced a bad throw by Malik Cunningham with a good pressure on Blake Freeland, leading to a pick-six for Anthony Johnson. Freeland also gave up a sack later on to Isaiah Land.

Illinois safety Sydney Brown plays downfield nicely. He’s quick and flies to the ball. He made a great TFL late in the game, reading the play and attacking the ball-carrier.

Some key performers from the week seemingly didn’t play in the game including Keion White, Adetomiwa Adebawore, Tank Dell and Will McDonald. I didn’t see Rashee Rice or Isaiah Foskey either. In particular, I think Foskey needed to play and perform after a disappointing week.

If you missed my Senior Bowl recap video earlier, check it out here:

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I wanted to start with some overall thoughts on the D-line vs O-line 1v1’s I’ve watched this week…

— There were some good performances but I haven’t seen a single tackle who came close to matching Abraham Lucas for control, consistency and athleticism a year ago and nobody looked like a complete edge rusher like Boye Mafe. That’s not me speaking with Seahawks-tinted specs on — my notes from a year ago are archived if you want to check them out.

— The two edge rushers who impressed the most were K.J. Henry (fluid, athletic, more refined than others) and Will McDonald (immense upside). There have been top drawer flashes from McDonald. In a team drill he ran around Wanya Morris at left tackle like he was one of those bags they use for agility drills. If you can get him playing with consistency — he has special qualities. It’s a big ‘if’ though.

— The interior and inside/out rushers had more success. Adetomiwa Adebawore at times has looked special. His combination of long arms and a shorter frame are ideal for leverage and he has so much explosive power and quickness to complement it. He had a team-rep on Thursday that summed it up. Engage the left guard, press him, release because you’re a far superior athlete, explode to the QB. It was easy.

— Watching Keeanu Benton has been a treat at times. Based on what we saw here — and how he tests — he looks like a top-40 pick.

— I wish Nesta Jade Silvera had longer than 32 1/2 inch arms because the way he’s pushed the pocket at defensive tackle and shoved people around at the LOS has been very impressive. Maybe he can find half an inch at the combine.

— Cameron Young has been one of the standouts for me too. With 35-inch arms and a good looking, prototype frame — he was very disruptive in drills and looks like a very useful defensive tackle.

— It’s very clear Keion White has legit athleticism for his size and even Dawand Jones struggled to contain him on day one in the team reps. However, I do think he needs a bit of technical refinement. He has the potential to be a speed-to-power dynamo but he isn’t there yet.

— Steve Avila won a lot of 1v1 reps this week and to me at least looked like the most impressive interior lineman. Although he only played one day of practise, it’s hard to look beyond Dawand Jones as the top performing tackle although Jaelyn Duncan also played well even if his future is at guard. Darnell Wright, unsurprisingly, also had a very good week.

On to Thursday’s tape…

Keeanu Benton had a good win against Jarrett Patterson — faking a move to the left side then almost jump-cutting and ripping back to the right. Patterson had no answer as Benton broke into the backfield. What a dynamic, athletic, intelligent player Benton is with the perfect defensive tackle frame.

Adetomiwa Adebawore had an easy win against Cody Mauch at left tackle where he just hesitated to the outside, exploded back inside and he was too powerful and strong for Mauch. When the two met again, ‘Ade Ade’ worked to the outside and when it became obvious he wasn’t going to beat Mauch to the edge, he spun back inside to release and claim the win. The O-liners look intimidated by his strength and when he gains position he’s got the nouse to rip upwards to prevent counters and then keep the legs churning to finish. He isn’t going to be a full-time starter at 285lbs but as a rotational impact pass-rusher there’s so much to like.

Andre Carter had an easy win against Ryan Hayes with an inside move. When they faced off again he botched a Euro step and was stoned at the POA. It shows off that Carter has the tools but needs refinement. You would draft him to possibly redshirt him.

Nesta Jade Silvera demolished Joey Fisher on a rep — driving into his pads then ripping down to send the right guard to the turf.

Sydney Brown is a safety but the way he’s covered at times in 1v1’s has been impressive. Big bodies can box him out and we saw that on Thursday. Yet his quickness and agility helps him to stick in coverage. Brown and brother Chase (a running back) are both world class athletes with incredible potential. They will make a team or teams very happy. I would consider drafting both due to their extreme potential.

Nick Saldiveri played center in a team scrimmage on Thursday. He teamed up with Nick Broeker at right guard to open up a big hole up the middle for Kenny McIntosh to score a red zone touchdown. The difference in technique was very noticeable. Saldiveri’s block was a bit all over the place but he managed to barge his way through the D-line to create a lane. Broeker, on the other hand, got his hands inside on Byron Young of Alabama and just controlled his man for a really impressive win. I like both Saldiveri and Broeker as value interior options for Seattle in the middle or later rounds.

Steve Avila had a bit of a mismatch against Ali Gaye who kicked inside for a rep. Avila showed great hand placement. He was far too strong and walled off Gaye. Game over. Avila has really helped himself in Mobile and his stock was already high.

Another day, another tweet mis-judging a rep involving O’Cyrus Torrence. This is a win for Byron Young. Again, too many people on Twitter seem to think unless you rip through the block, swim and release or dump someone on their backside, it’s not a win. Look what Young does here. He gets his right arm right into the middle of Torrence’s chest and long-arm’s him into the pocket. He is literally pushing the pocket. This is what a 290lbs defensive lineman is supposed to do when they don’t have Aaron Donald’s quickness. A rep like this, in a game, moves the QB off his spot. Torrence is also grabbing onto his jersey at the right shoulder while constantly fighting to get his right hand into the chest. He’s hanging on.

Everyone in the replies is hailing it as a great rep. Do they realise it isn’t the job of the offensive guard to get pushed 5-6 yards into the backfield?

Now watch Steve Avila against Zacch Pickens. He doesn’t cede more than a yard or two in depth here. Power, strength — a nice little shove to finish. A bouncer throwing you out of the club.

I also came across this rep, praised as a ‘dominating’ win for John Michael Schmitz.

Let’s break down what happens here. Cameron Young — one of the stars of the week as mentioned earlier — doesn’t use his hands well enough initially and leans into the center. Thus, he surrenders pad level and Schmitz gets into his chest. Young then has to re-set and bench presses Schmitz to disengage using his 35 inch arms (this is why length matters). Pause the video at 0:02 seconds. Young has released from the block at that point, Schmitz is over-extended and desperately clinging on. At 0:03 Young is facing directly to the quarterback and Schmitz is facing his own goal-posts. This is a pressure or a hurry every day of the week. How on earth is this a dominating 1v1 rep for the center?

Julius Brents had a decent week and in a 1v1 against Jonathan Mingo he was with the talented receiver step for step on a deep route before breaking up a pass. On the interior, shorter routes he has had issues but anything where he needs to run downfield — Brents handled with ease in Mobile.

Mingo absolutely destroyed Darius Rush on a red zone rep. He delivered a wonderful stutter-step and shifted to the left corner pylon. Game over. Rush had no answer. Mingo moves beautifully for a big man. He also knows how to get open and has a plan.

Rush has had some good moments but also some ugly moments. A real mixed bag from him. On Thursday he had a far better time covering Andrei Iosvias. His backpedal and transition were good and when he turned to the football, he was perfectly placed to make an easy interception.

I’ll watch the game tomorrow and provide some notes before reviewing my horizontal board and producing a new mock draft.

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Apologies — I’m a day behind on these because I need to wait for people to upload practise tape to YouTube. Here are my day two notes…

There was no Dawand Jones at practise on Wednesday (he didn’t practise today either). That’s a shame but his day one performance was good enough to leave a lasting impression.

Keeanu Benton had some more wonderful reps on day two. He’s perfectly sized and is flashing quickness and technique in Mobile to win repeatedly. At Wisconsin he was used as a nose tackle but in Mobile he looks like a complete DT. He had a dominant rep against Jake Andrews. His get-off is great and he used a violent rip/swim to avoid the block and explode into the backfield. He did have one bad rep too against Andrews, where he slipped trying a spin-move and just fell over. Benton was also controlled on one occasion by McClendon Curtis. Overall though he’s showing he thoroughly deserves second round consideration and depending on how he tests, there’s genuine potential here.

YaYa Diaby showed off a great burst in day one and he looked really athletic again on Wednesday. He made Blake Freeland look silly with a stunt to the outside then a dart back inside. Freeland virtually lost his shoes trying to change direction.

Jaelyn Duncan was silky smooth protecting the edge and had a nice win against the talented K.J. Henry, walling off and not allowing him to bend and straighten. Duncan also lost in a fairly basic way to Lonnie Phelps, giving up the outside too easily. However, he also had a controlling, dominant rep against Isaiah Foskey — claimping into his chest and not letting go with ideal hand-placement. He also stoned Andre Carter on a left tackle rep, getting lower than the defender and again shooting his hands inside to control. It was an impressive showing from Duncan. He’s a great athlete who is expected to test very well but his lack of ideal length could lead to a move inside. A reminder that Seattle’s scheme — brought in from LA — has often used converted tackles at guard.

On Foskey — he is sadly one of the more overrated players in this class and he also had a rough time against Ryan Hayes on Wednesday, being sent to the turf too easily when rushing from the right hand side. He’s not shown much pop in his 1v1 reps so far — appearing fairly average.

Steve Avila had one of the reps of the week against D.J. Dale. He lined up at center and locked on to Dale off the snap, fought to get his hands inside and just completely controlled the block. He straightened his back, won the leverage battle and just dominated.

I’m as a big fan of Darnell Wright as anyone but Will McDonald got the better of him on day two. Remember, Wright is the man who shut-down Alabama’s Will Anderson during the season. McDonald’s technique leaves a lot to be desired but when you have freakish quickness, agility and length you can still find ways to win. He got to the edge quicker than Wright on the first rep. McDonald’s hand-placement is non existent but because he’s so quick, Wright couldn’t get across to wall him off. They gave them a second rep against each other straight away and scarred from the previous 1v1, Wright compensated outside. McDonald sensed it, to his credit, and beat him with a nice spin move to penetrate inside. It might take McDonald a year or two to realise his potential — and he may never truly realise it. If he does though, watch out. The physical tools are there to be amazing. He’s just never been able to put it all together.

Andre Carter — great physical profile. Bags of developmental potential. At the moment though, he’s not strong enough and he’s basically a project for later on.

Twitter was interesting yesterday. People are awarding wins in the 1v1’s that are actually losses. A case in point — I couldn’t help but challenge this tweet praising O’Cyrus Torrence. It led to a long, frustrating back and forth as people desperately tried to claim this constitutes a win for a right guard:

As we all know, any time your guard gets shoved six yards into the backfield, right into the spot the quarterback would be standing — that’s a clear win. I don’t know about you but I can’t get enough of those moments where the rest of the line have to turn around fully to see what’s happened to the right guard.

I can remember Pete Carroll talking many years ago about the need to push the pocket as a D-line. Clean wins are nice but difficult to achieve in the interior. Driving your blocker back and moving the QB is integral. There are seemingly people online who think being pushed this deep into the backfield is a win — just because the defender doesn’t disengage and release. It highlights how challenging it is to trust analysis on the internet.

On another rep, people were hailing Torrence for blocking Byron Young of Alabama because Young ended up on the deck as he slipped over at the end of the 1v1. The thing is, they engage at the 10-yard line and Young slips at the five-yard line. At Alabama Young was adept at disrupting plays not with clean wins but by shoving blockers backwards or playing his gap well. I don’t want a guard ceding ground five or six yards into the backfield. I want him to square-up, anchor and stall the pass-rusher as best he can.

It’s been the same with Cody Mauch for most of the week too. He’s looked quite aggressive and fun attacking people in the running game but in his pass-pro reps he gives up too much ground. Watch his second rep in this video against Karl Brooks.

That isn’t a win for Mauch. He gives up too much ground and then Brooks works back to the QB. That’s a pressure or a sack. Yet it’s contained within a tweet describing a ‘dominating’ performance.

I had Tyjae Spears graded in round two in my latest horizontal board. He is so electric and despite being lighter than ideal (205lbs) he has such a proportionate frame with a thick, explosive lower body. He had a big run during team drills — a well blocked play it has to be said — where he took advantage to explode through the whole and then make the safety Chris Smith of Georgia miss at the second level. He’s a dynamite player and someone who could be a nice complement to Ken Walker. That said, he was demolished by Aubrey Miller on a pass-pro rep (before battling back on the subsequent rep).

This isn’t an easy week to judge tight ends but Luke Musgrave look so smooth running routes and catching the ball. He’s a total natural, a great athlete and he’s got so much next level potential.

For all the talk of dominant performances by Keion White and Adetomiwa Adebawore, I saw White well handled by Ryan Hayes on one rep and then ‘Ade Ade’ was easily controlled by Jarrett Patterson. On their next 1v1, Adebawore got revenge by pulling Patterson’s jersey and releasing to get a clean break and burst into the backfield. After that, Adebawore used a euro step from the interior and then a swipe of the hands to dodge a block by McClendon Curtis. He had the skill to then capitalise and bend to the QB.

White lined up inside on Wednesday and had a good battle with Cody Mauch. People on Twitter were saying Mauch won but I see it differently. White has him five yards into the backfield off the snap and just bursts upfield. Mauch tries to hang in there and he stops White releasing to get the sack but by that point he’s right in the QB’s grill. It’s a win for the defense.

Mauch had a really ugly rep too against Nesta Jade Silvera where he was just driven backwards. Fun player he might be but as noted earlier, Mauch looks like he lacks the core strength to drop the anchor.

White couldn’t disengage from McClendon Curtis on a different occasion. I’m impressed with White’s quickness and athleticism but I want to see better use of speed-to-power and a more cultured game-plan to disengage. He just ploughed into Curtis on this rep and didn’t have any thought on how to release.

Ali Gaye never delivered on his potential at LSU but he’s a well sized edge who flashed a couple of times on Wednesday. He easily beat Warren McClendon with a speed rush to the edge on one play (he was barely touched) and then at the other side of the line, he showed power and leverage in run-combat. Speaking of his inconsistency though — in the rematch against McClendon he just ran into the right tackle and was shut down.

Tennessee’s Byron Young isn’t the biggest but he really gave his all in the run-reps — leveraging well and extending his arms and driving through contact. He also drove Wanya Morris right into the backfield on two pass-rush reps.

I’ve been really impressed with Cameron Young. In a run-rep he easily handled Nick Broeker (who I like and hasn’t had a brilliant first two days). He also shoved back Nick Salidveri (who I also like). On a pass-rush 1v1 against Saldiveri he again drove him backwards and eventually Saldiveri slipped (as a lot of players have done this week). Later on he dominated Emil Ekiyor. I will be looking at Young’s tape next week and I’m very intrigued by what he has shown in Mobile.

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Before I get into the Senior Bowl notes, a little cheat-code for you all. If you click on Daniel Jeremiah’s top-50 board and then select any of the names of the players, it’ll take you to Lance Zierlein’s extensive scouting report for that individual. I’m going to run through some of the highlights after my Senior Bowl notes below.

Day one in Mobile

I found the 1v1 OL vs DL sessions on YouTube (plus other position drills) from the first day of the Senior Bowl. I’ve written my thoughts below.

I will voice a quick complaint though. The NFL advertised full coverage from Mobile on NFL+. So they had a broadcasting crew providing comprehensive coverage all day. However, this wasn’t available on NFL Gamepass (Europe’s version of NFL+) and the NFL Network, which I have access to via Gamepass, was showing re-runs of the AFC & NFC Championship games instead of the Senior Bowl.

Why is it so hard to watch the Senior Bowl?

I graded Ohio State tackle Dawand Jones among the best 20-players in the class on my horizontal board last week and I think he showed why on day one. It’s not unusual to see massive, hulking blockers at the Senior Bowl. However, they’re often a mix of smaller-school and unrefined or simply out of shape. Jones is neither — he carries himself with a rare level of athleticism and his size is truly unique. I’m not sure I’ve seen a player like this before.

It’s not just his insane nearly 37-inch arms. It’s the fact that he’s 375lbs and has minimal bad weight. He is, somehow, proportionate for his size. He even might have room to add a bit more bulk to his lower body.

There’s no doubt for me he is the best Ohio State tackle in this class, ahead of the fairly run-of-the-mill Paris Johnson Jr. For a man his size to get his hands inside, lock-on and control in 1v1’s is incredible. These drills are set up for pass rushers to win. He was a bully out there. He was brutal.

It was surprising to see how low he can get to drive into blocks at 6-8. He will give up some leverage which is expected but he isn’t a massive target begging you to get into his chest and jolt him off balance like a lot of tall tackles. Even when he does surrender leverage initially — he’s just too big and powerful that he simply recovers and fights back. It’s like trying to wrestle a bear when you’re giving up 120lbs in weight.

On one rep he manhandled the defender and just tossed him to the ground like an adult competing against a child.

His kick-slide isn’t orthodox but he gets out of his stance, stays square to the target and can run with the quicker, smaller edge players. You know he can play inside/out with that length too — a huge plus.

Jones had a rep against Isaiah Foskey where he just mirrored him easily, kept his position and when Foskey tried to get inside and win with power, he dragged him to the ground.

He abused Andre Carter, just getting right into his frame and bossing him easily. He had complete control over Carter who had no answer. The rep ended with Jones tossing him aside with disdain.

This is all stuff you see on tape, too. I don’t know why he isn’t talked about more. O-line is a premium area and a need for many teams. You can win a lot of football games with players like Dawand Jones.

Adetomiwa Adebawore showed he’s ideally built to leverage vs the run with his height and length (6-1, 284lbs, 34 inch arms). In a 1v1 rep he had a great long-arm move to control the block. This enabled him to keep his eyes downfield then disengage when the time was right to play the run. He’s only scratching the surface of what he can do and he’s expected to test very well at the combine. He could be a plus rotational lineman who offers real versatility.

Keion White looks very quick as expected. The impressive thing he showed on day one was the ability to get a tackle on skates. Typically this is the calling card of a 250lbs edge. He explodes out of his stance and races to the arc. I would like to see him convert speed-to-power more as the week goes on because tackles are going to be terrified by that initial outside threat. Jaelyn Duncan was able to just ride him out on the first rep — White needs to get involved and dig into that chest. On the second rep the same thing happened. He attacks the edge and takes an elongated arc to the quarterback. Duncan does his job though by tracking him. This is something for White to work on in day two.

Jerrod Clark is the nose tackle some people want Siaki Ika to be. He’s athletic and threatens as a pass rusher with the same level of splash plays we see form Ika. However, Clark’s a better anchor player who can absorb blocks, drive interior linemen backwards and win with power. He’s a former tight end who has gained weight and become a 340lbs force of nature. He has to become more consistent and find a weight he can stick to in order to max out his athleticism. He had a good start at the Senior Bowl, winning numerous reps collapsing the interior. He easily beat Olusegun Oluwatimi the Michigan center with power on his first rep.

Keeanu Benton had a violent swim/rip win in 1v1’s. He hasan ideal defensive tackle frame and looks the part of a NFL lineman. Sometimes you just look at a player and nod approval. Benton is what you look for. On his first 1v1 he absolutely destroyed Asim Richards with speed. In another rep vs Oluwatimi, he drove the center backwards by placing his right hand inside to gain pad-level, then disengaging to fight to the quarterback. Benton also looked really good during agility/change of direction drills running in and out of the bags. I had him in round two on my first horizontal board, then early round three on my second. I immediately bumped him back into round two on this showing. He looks like an every-down player.

Darnell Wright, despite being 340lbs, gets into his kick-slide with ease and shuts down the edge. There were some 1v1 reps where his hand placement was a bit high and it prevented him from locking in and controlling the block on contact but he generally got the job done and played with an aggressive streak. You can’t beat him with speed-to-power because when you get into his frame he’s like a brick wall.

I’d assumed Derick Hall at Auburn had sub-33 inch arms. Having measured with better length I need to re-watch him. In 1v1’s he had a great rep off the edge, shaping to the outside with a little hesitation on contact, then he converted speed-to-power with a long-arm to the chest combined with a swim to release and win inside. He always plays with fire and intensity and testing will be key. Knowing he has a prototype frame to play the edge is a plus point.

Cameron Young from Mississippi State had some good moments. He’s another player who likes the long-arm then release. He easily handled Alabama’s Emil Ekiyor on a center vs nose snap. Young also had a win against Nick Salvideri — he was just too powerful and quick. I need to check out his tape.

K.J. Henry had an easy win vs Blake Freeland. He just hesitated to the outside then dipped inside. It was way too easy.

Karl Brooks has short arms but boy does he throw a pretty swim move. On his first 1v1 rep he easily beat Jake Andrews.

Cornerback Julius Brents was hit and miss on tape but nobody can deny his athletic qualities. He will be a combine star. On day one he excelled on the deep routes and struggled on the shorter coverage match-ups. On the deep routes he mirrored brilliantly and gained position, allowing him to look back for the football. He’s so athletic, quick and his change of direction is on-point — he’s really hard to shake off in a foot-race.

Over the middle he was less successful. Jonathan Mingo got the better of Brents on one rep using his size to muscle-out and create short-area separation. Others were able to win with late separation working in space and although he had a pick later on, he was flagged for too much contact.

Darius Rush had a fantastic win against Mingo — running the route for him and claiming an interception. Rush showed great control and smooth feet, then had the anticipation to put himself in position to make a play. Textbook. Sadly for Rush, he also completely misjudged one rep, bit for some reason on a short-route and was hopelessly beat deep with the receiver jogging downfield uncovered. Then he also took a loss against Nathaniel Dell who easily beat him on a curl-in.

Tyrique Stevenson had a loss against Andrei Iosivas despite being in his hip-pocket on the route. Even so, Iosivas is just such a gliding, silky athlete and he’s slippery. Stevenson had a big battle against Mingo too and despite tight coverage was flagged for a penalty on the rep. Xavier Hutchinson was able to easily shake-off Stevenson on a comeback route late in the session.

Lance Zierlein called John Michael Schmitz one of his day-one winners. I was surprised to see him weigh about 20lbs lighter than his college listing and it made me re-think how I viewed him. I reached out to Lance who shared his scouting report with me.

The fact that Lance sees him as a zone-blocking center is interesting, to go with a positive blurb and a likely top-45 marker. He’s someone we might need to keep a closer eye on. In team drills he had a terrific rep on a screen pass, breaking deep into the second level and driving a defender way off the ball. His ability to lock-on in space was impressive and something you don’t often see on tape. He also had a nice 1v1 win, arching his back to stall an interior rusher with good hand-use to re-set after initially shooting high and wide. Schmitz was also pushed back by D.J. Dale on one rep and he was clinging on to try and contain the Alabama DT.

I really like Nick Saldiveri as a right guard prospect for Seattle. In 1v1’s he showed a great ability to get good initial hand-placement and then keep re-setting and working those hands inside when challenged by a counter. He’s big, strong, physical, athletic and looks the part. You might be able to put a ring around him, depending on how he tests. He ticks a lot of scheme/attitude boxes for the Seahawks. He did have that loss against Cam Young as mentioned earlier, too.

Not many people will overpower Steve Avila but Zacch Pickens had a 1v1 win by barging his way into the backfield. He showed great hand placement and a good push. It was a nice win for Pickens who is also very athletic and well sized — so it’s good that he has a bit of bully in him too because Avila is a beast.

O’Cyrus Torrence looks like he’s cut weight (or just looks great in Reese’s colours). He had some nice reps, notably against Byron Young 1v1 — sending him to the turf. Young had a win too — driving into the chest of Torrence then countering with a chop to release. Torrence was also pushed backwards on a couple of occasions. On one bad rep he was driven off the line by Jalen Redmond. He lost another rep to Redmond lined up at left guard. He couldn’t get across to the block, his angles were all wrong and the defender was just too quick. A mixed bag on day one but if Torrence has slimmed down that’s a good sign. He carried too much bad weight at Florida and looked sloppy.

Back to Alabama’s Young — he used brute force to bull rush Nick Broeker in a 1v1 rep. He kept his legs moving and he’s adept at freeing one arm to gain position and then ripping through to penetrate. He was very active and aggressive on day one.

I hadn’t studied Stanford receiver Michael Wilson pre-Senior Bowl but he looked really sharp here with precise routes, suddenness and an ability to drive off his back-foot to get open. I’m intrigued and want to see more. Another receiver, Tank Dell, also looked really sharp — firing downfield with great speed to threaten deep then stopping on a dime to present to the quarterback. He lacks size but he’s dynamic and able to challenge defenders with his change-of-direction ability and stop-start qualities.

Overall my main takeaway was — this is a really good group of trench players in Mobile and the Seahawks are going to be able to add some talent to their offensive and defensive fronts. They had a bit of a ‘meat and potatoes’ draft a year ago and it worked for them. They should aim to do the same again — just with the possibility of a quarterback pick thrown into the mix too.

Lance Zierlein grades and notes

I look forward every year to reading Lance’s reports. He’s one of the people who truly puts in the work and whether I agree or not on an individual player — I respect the heck out of what he does. In a world of cheap and cheerful draft coverage, designed to offer minimal detail and appeal to casual observers who want to dip in and out — Lance is an analyst for the draft geeks out there.

At the moment we only have reports for players listed on Daniel Jeremiah’s board — so there might be some missing gems. However, here’s a ranking list of grades and some of the notes contained within Lance’s reports:

Jalen Carter — 7.11
Will Anderson — 7.02
Bryce Young — 6.82
Bijan Robinson — 6.80
Tyree Wilson — 6.77
Drew Sanders — 6.74
Peter Skoronski — 6.73
Brian Branch — 6.72
Luke Musgrave — 6.70
Christian Gonzalez — 6.70
Jalin Hyatt — 6.50
Myles Murphy — 6.50
Michael Mayer — 6.48
C.J. Stroud — 6.46
Dalton Kincaid — 6.45
Quentin Johnston — 6.44
Broderick Jones — 6.44
Keion White — 6.43
Joey Porter Jr — 6.43
Will McDonald — 6.41
Devon Witherspoon — 6.40
John Michael Schmitz — 6.39
Kelee Ringo — 6.39
Paris Johnson Jr — 6.39
Tuli Tuipulotu — 6.38
Darnell Washington — 6.38
Lukas Van Ness — 6.38
Jahmyr Gibbs — 6.37
Jordan Addison — 6.36
Emmanuel Forbes — 6.36
Zay Flowers — 6.35
B.J. Ojulari — 6.35
Bryan Bresee — 6.35
Darnell Wright — 6.34
Mazi Smith — 6.34
Derick Hall — 6.34
Felix Anudike-Uzomah — 6.34
Anthony Richardson — 6.33
O’Cyrus Torrence — 6.32
Joe Tippmann — 6.30
Deonte Banks — 6.30
Will Levis — 6.29
Steve Avila — 6.29
Cody Mauch — 6.28
Jaxon Smith-Njigba — 6.25
Nolan Smith — 6.24
Trenton Simpson — 6.24
Tyrique Stevenson — 6.24
Zach Charbonnet — 6.23
Davis Allen — 6.21
Sam LaPorta — 6.12

For comparison, here’s Lance’s top-20 from a year ago:

Kyle Hamilton — 6.81
Aidan Hutchinson — 6.80
Evan Neal — 6.76
Ikem Ekwonu — 6.73
Sauce Gardner — 6.72
Kayvon Thibodeaux — 6.72
Tyler Linderbaum — 6.70
Trent McDuffie — 6.70
Jordan Davis — 6.50
Derek Stingley Jr — 6.50
Treylon Burks — 6.50
Garrett Wilson — 6.50
Jermaine Johnson — 6.49
Travon Walker — 6.48
Jameson Williams — 6.48
Kenyon Green — 6.45
Charles Cross — 6.44
Chris Olave — 6.43
Malik Willis — 6.41
Matt Corral — 6.40

Here were Seattle’s picks last year:

Charles Cross — 6.44
Boye Mafe — 6.35
Ken Walker — 6.35
Abraham Lucas — 6.15
Coby Bryant — 6.20
Tariq Woolen — 6.00
Tyreek Smith — 6.00
Bo Melton — 5.92
Dareke Young — 5.68

Here’s Lance on Jalen Carter:

“When assessing a player’s draft grade, we take into consideration areas like traits, toughness, explosiveness, skill level, potential for growth and positional projections. Across the board, Carter checks out in a big way. However, his maturity will need to be vetted by each team as they make their evaluations.”

Also…

“Scouts say maturity has been an issue for him at times.”

This is the second time, after Todd McShay voiced some concerns, that maturity and character have been raised with Carter. Along with the work we’ve done to track concerns over his conditioning (stated as a priority for improvement last April and not acted upon) — there’s some important context being provided here that the mainstream is otherwise ignoring.

Nevertheless — a 7.11 grade speaks to Carter’s talent and why he will be a challenging assessment for teams. He’s clearly an excellent player but will he deliver on his obvious potential?

On Tyree Wilson:

“His length and lateral quickness are ingredients for chaos as a back-side run game disruptor. He’s capable of ranging and tackling from distance if the run flows wide. On the flip side, he’s not very instinctive as a run defender and his play demeanor could stand to be a little thornier when attacking blocks. Wilson has the physical tools to create pocket push as a power rusher early on but the hand usage and rush plan will need tutoring for him to become a well-rounded, two-way rusher. He might not set the world on fire in Year 1, but the talent and vaulted ceiling will be easy to see soon enough.”

A personnel executive for an AFC team offered this quote on Keion White:

“You have to see him in person to get a feel for how he moves around for how big he is. Really athletic with a high floor. He’ll be a riser.”

Lance on C.J. Stroud:

“NFL teams will have to balance what they saw on tape from Stroud during the 2022 regular season against his great College Football Playoff semifinal performance, when he shined versus Georgia’s impressive collection pro prospects. If he did it once he can do it again, and grading the flashes for Stroud might make the most sense.”

An executive for a NFC team provided this quote on Will Levis:

“People are being too hard on him from what I’m seeing in the media. He was hurt for most of the year and gutted it out. He’s a good teammate, he’s big and he has arm talent. I like the pro potential a lot. He just needs to get healthy and keep working at it.”

I will keep saying — I think the mainstream media, including Lance, are really underrating these quarterbacks. They have flaws, yes, but the potential is extreme.

Lance on Anthony Richardson:

“Richardson’s potential to strike with the deep ball, attack the secondary from sideline to sideline and gash teams with his legs creates greater leeway in his projection as a developmental prospect. Ultimately, he will succeed or fail based on his ability to play with better post-snap recognition and deliver the football with consistency.”

Lance on Will McDonald:

“McDonald’s hard-nosed demeanor and pass-rush talent are winning play traits that will help him become a successful 3-4 outside linebacker and sack artist.”

And here’s a personnel executive for a NFC team also discussing McDonald:

“He’s going to put up big workout numbers and be one of the buzziest prospects headed into April once the media catches up on him.”

Lance is extremely high on Drew Sanders:

“He’s a tough out for interior protection as a blitzing linebacker and has natural rush talent to hunt quarterbacks off the edge. Sanders’ athletic gifts, versatility and toughness could help him become a highly impactful playmaker with Pro Bowl upside.”

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