More Senior Bowl Stuff
Posted: January 23rd, 2014 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 26 Comments »Long day of traveling on Wednesday and getting back to normal life today delayed my post. Enough about that and onto the good stuff.
I am home from Mobile. I had a great time down there. This wasn’t the best set of Senior Bowl players, but there were some really talented and really interesting guys. I think the Eagles can take 3 or 4 of these guys and help fill some holes on the roster.
I wrote a review of Day 3 and posted that.
Some Eagles notes…
* Maybe this was purely coincidence, but when the North team did their 11-on-11 work yesterday, a whole slew of Eagles scouts was sitting at a spot where they could watch the defense from behind. Essentially they had the All-22 angle. Jimmy Bama and I happened to be 5 rows behind them and I don’t know if the guys were there the whole time or moved to that spot to catch the 11-on-11 session.
Jimmy and I were there so we could chat up a couple of friends.
* Players are people. And who they are can affect how much you like them. Chip Kelly loved Matt Barkley and Bennie Logan. He then drafted them. A group of Philly reporters spoke to Safety Jimmie Ward yesterday and I have to say that I’m more intrigued by him after listening to him than when just going off the tape.
Ward isn’t big at 5103, 191. He is aware of that and after talking to teams he’s going to try and bulk up to 200 pounds. Being a shade over 5-10 and 200 pounds isn’t ideal size for the NFL, but that is big enough for a starting Safety. Ward admitted that proper nutrition hasn’t been part of his life to this point.
You really want this kid to succeed. He is from Mobile, AL. Sounds like he grew up poor and has made the most of his life. He knows he’s coming from a small school and he’s got a bit of a chip on his shoulder. A good chip. He’s not angry at anyone, but is driven. Some pro prospects have a sense of entitlement. Ward is hungry. He wants to be an NFL player. He’ll do what it takes to make it in the league.
I’m looking forward to watching more of him. I love his versatility, man cover skills, and downhill, attacking style of play. I do worry about size and the fact he doesn’t look like a special athlete.
* I also thought Deone Bucannon, the S from Washington State, came off pretty well in the interviews.
* Kyle Van Noy seemed like a sharp cat.
* I came away not sure what to think of Tajh Boyd. He didn’t say anything bad or obviously dumb. It just felt like he was trying to sell you on the idea that he was ready to be your team’s QB. I’ve mentioned before that he could be a good fit for the Eagles. Will Boyd go in the 2nd round? The 3rd? The 4th? He didn’t have a great week of practice and that won’t help his value. If Chip thinks he can turn Boyd into a quality starter or valuable asset, take him. I’m less enthusiastic after Mobile.
* One player was trying to tell a reporter that he wouldn’t take anything for granted…only he couldn’t think of “for granted”. I won’t take…I won’t take…I won’t take…ummm. I came really close to saying “for granted” to help the kid out, but didn’t want to ruin the reporter’s audio of the interview. There is nothing worse than when speaking publicly and a phrase you know won’t come to you. It’s on the tip of your tongue, but it might as well be on Mars.
* Eagles scouts weren’t talking to players after Wednesday’s practice. Heck, almost the entire on-field gathering of people was media and agents.
It should be noted that teams had a chance to speak with every player in Mobile. They have arranged interviews that are short. Those are the NFL equivalent of speed dating. There is an area in the main hotel where teams can chat up players for longer periods. Trying to figure out who is talking to who there is complicated. You can bet the Eagles talked to just about every player. The more important question is who they liked and who they didn’t like.
* I’ve got a few more Senior Bowl posts to write. They are more long form so I’ll get busy on them tonight. The game itself is on Saturday.
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Who do you think will be the better safety: Haha Clinton-Dix or Deonne Bucannon? Also, how high should they go?
Tommy, what do you think of Pierre Desir?
Jeremiah Attaocho, he played as a 3-4 OLB then a 4-3 DE. He says he prefers 3-4 OLB and watching some of his tape He is a pretty good pass rusher. Where do you think he get’s drafted and do you think the eagles will have interest drafting him at 22?
Birds24/7 had an article about him, and he really comes across well. Seems like he’d be a great locker room addition. I mean, he cooked chicken with an iron!!!
yeah I read it earlier today haha. Here is a scouting report on him which was very detailed. They project him as an early second rounder but Good Pass Rushers go quickly so maybe trade down a couple of spots and get him would be ideal!
http://draftchargers.creanium.net/jeremiah-attaochu-scouting-report/
Great read. It makes him sound pretty pro ready with all of the small things listed in cons.
If he performs well at the combine then I wouldn’t say he’s a reach at 22. But I don’t know how’ll test at the combine so I’ll stick with saying he’s a reach at 22 right now. Would love to have the guy though.
Attaocho? Is that anything like Ochocinco?
Sounds like Buddy Ryan coaching Donovan Mcnabb…Atta 5.
Tommy did you happen to see if the eagles talked to Derek Carr. I think he would be a good fit in Chips offense.
Calvin Pryor been supposedly timed at 4.47! Oh yeah you know who i want at S! Bring on the BOOM!
Yeah, he’s high on my list
Tommy – Like how you plugged in KVN as a sharp cat without going overboard on him.. Hes growing on ya aint he lol
if you read his notes it sounds he like he still does not think he is a pass rusher, but still more of a SAM
Would love to hear more on Justin Ellis, Pierre Desir, and Brandon Thomas. They were considered later round guys but now their draft stock is rising.
Will you and Jimmy be doing a Senior Bowl recap episode of the H2H show?
I see KVN as another Kendricks in a lot of was. Undersized but somehow always around the ball with a knack for big plays. Sign me up for KVN, Pryor and Jean-Baptiste…
From what I hear KVN was Ziggy Ansah’s mentor.
Thank god they fixed this injustice:
http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2014/1/23/5339390/eagles-qb-g-j-kinne-goes-to-the-pro-bowl
I am pretty sure this is how Kinne is going to get to the HOF in about 20 years, too.
A comparison of Celek and Telvin Smith (the 219 lb LB) seems to highlight what Chip is looking for in these interviews. He said it somewhere recently: He wants guys that love the game, and will do anything to keep playing it. The other character issues can be dealt with. Celek’s been noted as one of Chip’s favorites, and he’s said he’ll do anything the coaches ask, because he’s being paid to play a game. This also goes along with Chip’s stated intent to keep the game “fun” for his players.
On the other end of the spectrum, I feel, is Smith. He made a statement about how he didn’t want to play safety. Maybe (probably, but I’m trying suss out a point here) I’m making more of it than it deserves, but that struck me as “anti-Chip.” The right answer, for Chip, is “Whatever I can do to keep playing the game that I love.”
Given no other information, it’s just a guess, but Ward’s comments make him sound more like Celek than Smith, and I could definitely see the Eagles taking a gamble on the kid.
It kind of reminds me of when he had players switching positions last year, like Avant to CB and Harbor to OLB. Maybe it was part testing their commitment?
Size/speed are all good but can he hit? You see those 9ers short arm balls because of the hit that’s coming? There’s nobody on this Eagle squad that the other wr’s are afraid of. We need to bring some pain.
Yanks go Tanaka — who played for the Eagles. It’s like a full circle for me :).
I stumbled upon this: http://www.joshmcdanielssucks.com/timeline/ which made me laugh. It’s likely puffed up some but makes me wonder why he was again sought after as a head coach this year.
Also, at the end it mentions the NFL fined him for taping the other team’s walk thru practices. I hadn’t heard that. Obviously learned from Belicheat.
My NE friends all stick with the “everyone was taping signs” back then excuse. Does anyone believe that? I remember a couple of talking heads saying that but I never read/heard from a source I found reliable.
Yes, I can’t let Spygate go. The fact that they never told us the details and destroyed the tapes still bothers me.
It goes with the stress of living behind enemy lines. We all appreciate your dedication and bravery.
I have a feeling Chip “Machine Gun” Kelly is gonna have one helluva draft. Getting on board with Pryor in the first.