Wedged adroitly between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl is Senior Bowl week. This is an outstanding event and also an extremely valuable one for the scouting of future NFL players. There is much to learn from the practices, the game, the interviews, and the behind-the-scenes action. However, it is easy to put too much stock into this week when finalizing a grade on a prospect.
Before we get into a few key things to look at from each position group, let's just give an overview. First of all, we must realize this (like the combine) is very much a grind on these draftable players. They get little sleep and basically no free time. Operating and performing well under these conditions, with teammates they have never played with, is difficult to do. That shouldn’t be forgotten, although it often is.
It is important not to overreact to the first practice, either. In fact, it is a fantastic trait in a young man if he puts in the work during the week to show improvement each day.
Behind the scenes is also of the utmost importance. At night, the 32 teams get to interview and interact with the players. But, more importantly, they can see if players (in a new system) can take coaching from the whiteboard to the playing field. It is also a massive advantage for the two teams that are coaching the North and South.
There are many examples of teams falling in love with a certain player, with the San Francisco 49ers and Patrick Willis immediately coming to mind. There are also obviously countless unreported examples of teams scratching players off their board or dropping them dramatically.
Just think, the entire Denver Broncos coaching staff, including the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, gets to spend a ton of time this week with Baker Mayfield and Josh Allen. As a result, one of these quarterbacks could end up in Denver with the fourth overall pick.
Speaking of Mayfield and Allen, let's do a brief dissection of things to look for during Senior Bowl week for each respective position group.
Quarterback
This one is obviously critical. It is very different scouting the way a quarterback throws in person rather than just on tape.
Seeing the ball come out of his hands carries a lot of weight in the evaluation process. But more importantly, how do his new teammates respond to each quarterback throughout the week? Are they quick to show a command of the offense? Do they learn new things well? Can they operate under center if they’ve never done it before?
There is a ton to see from quarterbacks at the Senior Bowl, but don’t overreact if snaps are fumbled or if the accuracy isn’t where you want it to be. Timing in the passing game and knowing your receiver is extremely important and it is very hard to develop that in a few practices.
Running Back
One-on-one pass-blocking drills are very important when analyzing running backs. Also, seeing how a back runs routes and catches the football can be telling throughout the week of practice.
Kalen Ballage wasn’t used much in the passing game at Arizona State but impressed in that capacity in Senior Bowl practices. But until game day, it is tough to tell how good of a pure runner these guys are in terms of their vision, tackle-breaking ability, etc.
Wide Receiver
As mentioned with quarterbacks, completions in practice might be hard to come by, but wideouts run a lot of routes while in Mobile and much can be taken from their practices.
As with every position, you see peers doing the same things on the same stage and it becomes much easier to evaluate things such as a wide receiver’s speed, body control, and burst out of his breaks. How well do these guys catch and fight for the football? As important, and something you learn early in scouting, is evaluating wide receivers against man-to-man coverage, which is utterly crucial in their ability to make the next step to the pros.
Byron Pringle is a name to watch as a Senior Bowl riser for all the reasons mentioned above.
Tight End
Tight end is one of the tougher positions to evaluate at the Senior Bowl. Nonetheless, these guys will do plenty of blocking as well as route running. In Mobile, tight ends are often asked to do things they were not asked of in college and watching them execute out of their respective comfort zones can be helpful.
Offensive Line
The best part of Senior Bowl practices is “The Pit” where we see the big men square off one-on-one. Of course, in the real world, offensive linemen have more help in pass protection than in this drill. Still, throughout the course of the week, an offensive lineman’s athletic traits and the level of technique work they need quickly becomes apparent.
This may not sound like a big deal but left tackles are asked to play right tackle. Guys who have never snapped a ball in their life are asked to play center. Also, in team drills, the offensive line has zero continuity and rarely works well in unison, giving the defense a huge advantage. The smart evaluator realizes this.
Defensive Line
As is the case with their offensive counterparts, much becomes exposed in “The Pit.” Do these guys have just one pass-rush move that they rely on or can they string several together? And though it is true at every position, you see small school players battling well-known names from much bigger college football programs.
Nathan Shepherd from Fort Hays State is a perfect example this year. Also, edge players who have never dropped in coverage in their life will be asked to do that in Mobile. Along those lines, Andrew Brown was asked to eat up blockers and two-gap at Virginia. But in Mobile, Brown has, all of the sudden, become an attacking upfield defensive tackle.
Linebacker
Like running backs, without tackling involved, linebackers can be a tough evaluation throughout the week, especially in the run game. However, in today’s NFL where the passing game is king, it has become more and more important to evaluate this position as space and coverage players, which is on full display at these practices.
Safety
As is the case with the linebackers, safeties can’t wallop receivers and ball carriers. But you can get a feel for how physical these guys are and want to be. Safeties will be asked to play man coverage against tight ends and sometimes wide receivers at practice, which is something they have possibly done very little of before now.
Their range is also fully on display, especially the further away from the ball these young men align. Behind the scenes, it is also very important to see what sort of communicators safeties and linebackers are and how well they recognize what an offense is trying to accomplish.
Cornerback
After reading the wide receiver section, you might have guessed the key with cornerbacks is playing true man coverage. We see many snaps of man-to-man against every receiver available and those who are successful see their stock skyrocket. North Carolina's M.J. Stewart could fit that bill this year. Cornerback is also a position where small school players often get to show what they can do against prospects from bigger schools.
Special Teams
This is crucial. Of course, it is important for kickers, punters, and long snappers, but it is of paramount importance for most of these non-linemen who won’t be first round picks. If you are a running back or linebacker drafted in the middle rounds, you must be a contributor on special teams.
Since these guys were stars on their respective college team, this week is often the first time any of these players cover a kickoff or block on the punt team. How many of these running backs have made a tackle since high school? Showing up on special teams can raise the stock of a player by a round or two.
Matt Williamson is a former scout for the Cleveland Browns and spent 10 years at ESPN as a scout and co-host of "The Football Today Podcast." Find him on Twitter @WilliamsonNFL.
(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)
