NFL Network started coverage of Senior Bowl practices yesterday with a 90-minute broadcast of the North team's first practice. Here's some observations from watching that, though I didn't start looking at it till after midnight, so some of it's bound to be foggy...
* Tebow's cons. They focused a lot on the Gators QB, and while acknowledging his storied college career, Mike Mayock indicated there's a lot to fix to get him up to par as a pro QB. His throwing motion has to be shortened significantly because he starts his windup from down by his thigh pad. His footwork and field-reading skills are raw as well. If the team that drafts him is going to use him, they may want to change their offense like the Titans did this year to suit Vince Young. At the end of the show, Lindsay Soto reported from the South practice (not televised) that Tebow also fumbled a bunch of exchanges from behind center, a big adjustment factor since he was a spread QB at UF.
Tebow grades out as a third-rounder as a QB but "intangibles" will very likely push him into the 2nd round. What I see so far, that sure isn't the Rams' second round pick.
* Coaching factor? Remember folks saying that Mike Martz ruined Andre Woodson's pro chances a couple of years ago when he coached QBs at the Senior Bowl? Does that mean all of the North players should be downgraded at least a round because they're being coached by Scott Linehan?
* Mays, maybe not. Taylor Mays of USC is 6'3, 231, has great range, great speed, and can tackle. He's built to be an NFL safety. He should be a top-15 pick. But why didn't the guy have more than 2 INTs his last three years in school? His stock could sink or rise on how much he shows up this week as a real playmaker at safety. There's some doubt out there.
* Tackling expert? Am I really listening to COREY CHAVOUS criticizing anybody's tackling?
* CB bull market. Some of the North corners turned in good work. Kyle Wilson of Boise State showed the best coverage skills and his name's been popping up a lot in draft conversations. He's one of the top corners coming out; I assume his 5'10" height isn't that big of a deal. Devin McCourty of Rutgers made some good plays and has added value as a special teams player. He can return kicks and he blocked a bunch of kicks in his college career. Mayock mentioned Perrish Cox as a great cover corner, but with bad hands. They also went over Syd'Quan Thompson of Cal, describing him as a terrific tackler but questioning his deep speed and his confidence staying with receivers deep. Still, throughout that rundown I thought of Thompson as Steve Spagnuolo's kind of CB.
* O-linemen to watch: Guard Mike Iupati of Idaho and tackle Vladimir Ducasse of UMass. Mayock is very high on both. Iupati should be the first guard drafted and has top-20 talent. Ducasse doesn't have a lot of experience but is a prototype LT who could really soar up the board.
* Downgrades. Like a lot of QBs coming out, Dan LeFevour ran a spread offense at Central Michigan, where 75% of his passes went 10 yards or less. Not thrilled to hear that... Cincinnati WR Mardy Gilyard had a bad case of the drops and weighed in at 179 (Rob Rang)... Bearcat QB Tony Pike came in at 212, (Rang) very light for his 6'6" frame. (Don't they feed their players in Cincinnati?) By means of comparison, Ben Roethlisberger is 6'5", 241... Meanwhile, the very definition of big, sloppy defensive tackle, Terrence Cody of Alabama came in at 370. Must be taking workout tips from Andre Smith. Down the board he goes...
* Your arms too short to block with God? Zane Beadles of Utah merits consideration for being a 4-year starter there, but his relatively short arms may limit him to RT at best. Illini guard Jon Asamoa was really downgraded for relatively short arms, and he came in at 300 lbs, 15 lbs lighter than expected. (Rang)
* Shocker of the night. I don't know if he just wants to be a contrarian, or wants Rams Nation to crap ourselves up until draft week, but Mike Mayock ranks Ndamukong Suh as the #2 defensive tackle, behind Oklahoma's Gerald McCoy.
Don't count on a daily report like this, but I'll review all the televised practices I can. I set the TiVo to get both practices today, supposedly for an hour apiece, but I'll bet they run long and I miss a bunch.
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