Dispatches from Senior Bowl practice

knapplc

knapplc

Active member
We've got a slew of guys in the Senior Bowl this year. Practices started this week, and I've tracked down a few blurbs about how each guy is doing:

Niles Paul

It seemed as though Nebraska wide out Niles Paul was a man on a mission today, catching every ball tossed in his general direction. He displayed good concentration all practice, saw every throw into his frame and really plucked the football cleanly. Add that to the fact he has a good initial burst off the line, does a nice job changing gears in order to set up his routes and at 225-pounds possesses the type of physicality to consistently shrug off defenders in man and separate. Chalk up a very solid first impression for Paul today in Mobile, as he looks like a guy who could line-up inside or out at the next level and separate from NFL caliber corners.
However, as good as Paul was it’s going to be tough for any senior wide out this week to play at the level of Boise State receiver Titus Young. Young not only is an out and out burner who has the ability to consistently get up to full speed quickly and separate vertically down the field. But, he’s a really savvy route runner who is sudden in and out of his breaks and does a nice job changing speeds in order to separate. Reminds me of a more polished/savvy version of Johnny Knox.
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Wes Bunting - National Football Post
Another receiver mentioned by Bunting is Nebraska's Niles Paul, who caught everything thrown his way, as well as his 225 lbs frame and how well he can separate himself from defenders. Paul has two alcohol violations and questions about his off-field demeanor.
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VanRam - TurfShowTimes
Niles Paul, Nebraska: Paul had a very good day. He has a knack for making tough catches seem routine, and can climb the ladder to catch high passes. He naturally catches the ball with his arms extended away from his body. In jump ball situations, he does a good job of catching the ball at its highest point. Paul showed off a strong lower body at the weigh-in, and showed how that helped him on the practice field. Paul reminds some in the scouting community of Ravens WR Anquan Boldin because of his strength and run-after-the-catch skill.
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CECIL LAMMEY AND MATT WALDMAN - The Fifth Down
Boise State wide receiver Titus Young's slight build (5-11, 174) won't impress scouts, nor will his concentration lapses on Monday. Young dropped an early pass, was caught offside and was so angry at himself for letting a ball slip through his hands late in Monday's practice that he didn't give any chase to Virginia Tech cornerback Rashad Carmichael, who intercepted the pass and ran down the sideline for an uncontested touchdown. Inconsistent passing didn't allow many of the other receivers to make the type of dramatic plays that can change the educated opinion of scouts who studied the prospects before and during the 2010 season, but Nebraska's Niles Paul made impressions in another way -- destroying cornerbacks as a run blocker. The 6-1, 225-pound Paul was bigger and stronger than the cornerbacks he faced. He was able to lock on and keep defenders away from the ballcarrier throughout early drills and during late scrimmage sessions.
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Rob Rang - CBS Sports
-Nebraska wideout Niles Paul is a very physical guy on the outside. Unfortunately for him, he has extremely small hands — they measure 8 5/8″. Compare that to the hands of WVU’s Noel Devine (8 1/2″) who is half a foot shorter and sixty-five pounds lighter and you can see where the small hands are a concern. However, Paul — 6-foot-7/8-inch and 225-pounds — is thicker than all eight running backs participating in this year’s game.
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Josh Sanchez - NFL Mocks


Roy Helu

Roy Helu, Nebraska: N.F.L. scouts describe Helu as a “momentum” runner who is tough to bring down when he gets a head of steam. He does run with authority between the tackles, but fails to get the edge consistently when running outside. Helu knows how to avoid trash at the line of scrimmage, and even hopped over a small pile to gain positive yardage in Monday’s practice. He’s a one-dimensional player who gets turned around as a receiver. Helu isn’t a natural hands catcher and doesn’t look all that comfortable as a receiver.
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CECIL LAMMEY AND MATT WALDMAN - The Fifth Down
Nebraska running back Roy Helu Jr. had several good runs in which he showed good acceleration and movems.
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Gerry Fraley - Dallas Morning News



Mike McNeill

Mike McNeill, Nebraska: Of all the tight ends on the field Monday, McNeill was the one most often used as a receiver. He did a good job of getting open and, in at least one case, leaving his coverage behind and making a nice catch with his hands away from his body. McNeill was consistent and a reliable target for the quarterbacks on the North Squad.
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CECIL LAMMEY AND MATT WALDMAN - The Fifth Down


Pierre Allen

One defensive lineman who really struggled was Pierre Allen from Nebraska, which came after his impressive weigh-in. Allen was getting controlled by the offensive lineman on every rep. As soon as he engaged, he would be get pushed out of the play as he was unable to get any separation.
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Josh Sanchez - NFL Mocks

Alex Henery

Nebraska P Alex Henery didn’t look particularly good, struggling with his hang time and putting up some ugly ducks. However, Henery will most likely be a kicker at the next level anyway so this may very well be a moot point.
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Scott Wright & Shane Hallam - Draft Countdown
 
Beat me to it Knap, i was just starting a thread. Anyways, good to hear the huskers are representing well, aside from Pierre. Would like to see how Hagg is doing at safety i presume.

 
Eric Hagg

In the secondary, Nebraska’s Eric Hagg and Joe Lefeged of Rutgers had very rough days. Lefeged was unimpressive and had very uncoordinated feet. He was constantly tripping over his own feet and falling off balance. Hagg was also too high in and out of his breaks and was another guy who showed some poor footwork in the secondary.
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Josh Sanchez - NFL Mocks
Nebraska safety Eric Hagg seemed out of place. He struggled in every drill with hip placement. This continued to show in the one on one drills where he was beat by Austin Pettis on one throw and then came back made illegal contact on the next snap. He didn’t seem to react well to run plays either in the 7-on-7’s.
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Scott Wright & Shane Hallam - Draft Countdown
Had to put Hagg in another post - IPBoard only allows ten quotes per post.

 
Yeah, I was surprised to hear about Hagg and Henery. Neither sounds like what we've seen. Alex is MONEY punting the ball. Hagg is MONEY in coverage. Gotta chalk it up to a first day in a new environment, and see how they're doing by Friday.

 
Hagg and Henery are gamers. Wouldnt put too much stock into a single practice.

The urge to ruffle knapplc's feathers here is almost uncontrollable... chuckleshuffle

 
mmmtodd said:
Hagg and Henery are gamers. Wouldnt put too much stock into a single practice.

The urge to ruffle knapplc's feathers here is almost uncontrollable... chuckleshuffle
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Agreed. Especially in Niles Pauls case. I really dont expect him to make it at the next level. I would love for him to make it, but he just doesnt have the mental fortitude.

 
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