Ah, the end of another Senior Bowl week. For good reasons, it wasn’t actually a full week for me. The rest of the FCB crew headed up to Mobile, Alabama on Wednesday as I wrapped up a few things back home. Being gone for a 10 day honeymoon with no phone, no Internet and no cares can do that.
Although I didn’t get to see the prospects work during the practice sessions, I did get to set up in the press box to watch them during the actual game. Daniel Freer will be writing up details from the game for the QBs, Drew Smith will recap the RBs and for today, I’ll go over the WRs. Although the list of WRs was originally pretty deep, injuries before the week and during practices whittled the participant list down. Luckily for those that got to play, it meant more reps and therefore more opportunity to shine.
North WRs
Derrick Williams, PSU (left, courtesy of Jason Roberts) - He got the nod to start the game. This was an important week for him to show his skills since PSU didn’t exactly air out the ball like other offenses. His stat line for the year: 44 receptions, 485 yards and 4 TDs + 243 rushing yards with 3 more TDs. His first action in the game was a reverse for 5 yards, showcasing his speed. His first reception netted 8 yards and a 1st down as he showed the ability to adjust on a pass thrown behind him. In the second half, his second reception required him to come back to make up for yet another short throw by Graham Harrell for a 11 yard gain. Williams was also able to show his versatility when he took a kick back to the 49, giving the North team great field position. They eventually scored a TD on the drive. On the year, Williams had 684 returns yards and 3 TDs by either punt or kick return. This mixture of speed, hands and the ability to work special teams will get him drafted but he’ll need to show more at the Combine or private sessions to be a 1st day selection.
Brian Robiskie, Ohio St - He was tapped on the shoulder to be the other starting WR. On the year, he tallied 42 receptions, 535 yards and 8 TDs. In a common theme for the game, Robinskie’s first catch required him to came back to make up for an under thrown ball by Harrell, netting 8 yards. Later, he caught a nice pass for 19 yards from Rhett Bomar. In the second half, he caught his third pass on a 20 yard hitch. He had a nice overall showing, making up for a bunch of dropped passes in practice as reported earlier in the week by Drew Smith.
Juaquin Iglesias, Okla - Iglesias had a great season, catching 74 passes for 1,150 yards, 10 TDs for the prolific Sooner offense. The stats almost work against him as the team put up so many points that possibly he was benefiting simply from the system. And after a slow start to the game, I was wondering just that despite what Daniel wrote up in his notes. His first catch came in the second quarter on a tight out pattern to the sideline for 7 yards. Later in the quarter, he grabbed another ball for 9 yards. The second half is where he got hot, obviously after the coaching staff got the memo that Iglesias had a good week in practice. He ran a nice hitch for 17 yards. He made a nice non-move (not making the move expected) and almost got the defender to miss. A few plays later, he ran a crisp slant for 7 yards. The very next play was a stop and turn for 9 yards, getting to the 1 yard line. This set up the eventual TD for the North. The most spectacular play was on their final drive, when Rhett Bomar hit Iglesias on a fly pattern for 41 yards. He’s a little short at 6′0″ and before this week, he was likely a 3rd rounder. After 6 catches for 90 yards and an outstanding week of practice, he may have played himself into early 2nd round consideration.
Ramses Barden, Cal Poly - There was a significant amount of hype surrounding Barden after a dominating season. He needed this week to show that he could play against better talent. Unfortunately, a big hit during the week had him sitting out Thursdays session and he played sparingly in this game. He got a couple of looks in the 3rd quarter, catching one of the passes for 19 yards. Then in the 4th quarter, it was almost like the North team was trying to make up for not looking at him more, throwing four passes his way. He was only able to put his hands on one of the passes for a gain of 1 yard. As is often the case, it was not readily apparent if the missed passes were due to QB error or bad patterns. Having not seen him in action earlier in the week, I have to give him an incomplete grade.
South WRs
Mike Thomas, AZ - Thomas got the start for the South team after a season stat line of 74 receptions, 826 yards and 4 TDs. Standing at 5′8″, I envision Thomas to be more of a Santana Moss or Laveranues Coles type WR in the NFL. He opened the game with a kickoff return (24 yds). His first action as a WR was on a curl route for 10 yards, which he then turned into a 32 yarder by twirling out of the tackle. Unfortunately that was it for Thomas. He was targeted three other times, resulting in incomplete passes. One stood out at the end of the first half. There was a mix up on the play, where Cullen Harper threw to a spot and Thomas was in a different spot. Considering the other missed opportunities, this could be insight into one area Thomas needs to work on going into the Draft.
Mike Wallace, Ole Miss - The other starting WR for the South. One thing of note versus the other WRs is that Wallace blocked well upfield. One such instance set up an 18 yard run play in 1st. Early in the 2nd half, Wallace got his first pass catch. He made a nice move to juke the defender, causing him to slip and fall. Oddly, he cut back into the fallen player, getting tackled by the ankles. As my old coach used to say -always go up the field! Dancing sideways cost him at least a few more yards until the next defender would have had a shot at him. Of course, one way to go up the field is with a fly pattern. Early in the 3rd quarter he connected with Pat White for a 39 yard TD. He ran a perfect fly route and properly turned to collect the pass in the back corner of the end-zone. He still has some work ahead of him but he did well enough to open the scouts eyes…at least the ones I saw sitting in the row ahead of me in the press box.
Patrick Turner, USC - Turner has the makeup that the NFL scouts like…6′5″, 220 is a nice target in the redzone. He also backed up that concept by collecting 10 TDs this past season. Although he offers a big target, he looks soft on other aspects of the game like blocking on run plays. He caught half the passes thrown his way, showing some good route running throughout the night. His first catch was on a nice out that was thrown a little low, adjusting to catch it for a first down. Later on the drive, he ran a hitch that was good for another 1st down. He also showed he has a burst of speed with a quick slant across the middle for 12 yards. Honestly, I’m not high on Turner as a pro. He never stepped up during his time at USC. Sure the argument is that USC is always loaded with talent and the opportunities to shine are diluted. However, every pro team is going to have even more talent so its not going to get any easier for him. His measurables will get him a shot in the NFL and it will be up to him to do something with it.
Quan Cosby, TX and Greg Carr, FSU - The South ran the ball so well and had such a lead that it hurt Cosby and Carr as they were rarely used in the game. Cosby caught 1 of 3 passes, with his one catch snagged by going low to make up for an errant Pat White throw while on the run. He did run a nice deep pattern later that drive, getting separation from the defender. Unfortunately, Pat White’s throw was just a step ahead of him. Carr had even less to write about. He caught the lone pass thrown his way for a 9 yard gain. Both will need to showcase themselves more in the Combine and private sessions since this game did little to help their cause.
