Matt Miller's Scouting Notebook: Top Storylines to Watch for at the Senior Bowl
No event on the NFL calendar brings me more joy than the Reese's Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. As you're reading this, I'm likely packing for Mobile (and can't wait to leave the single-digit temperatures in Missouri for some sunshine) and finishing last-minute film study of the players on the North and South rosters.
The Senior Bowl is a unique event. Executive director Phil Savage and his team of scouts do a great job stacking the rosters with both top-tier talent and hidden gems from small schools most of us didn't get a chance to see in-season. Not only does the week of practices matter for a player's draft stock, but the Tuesday morning weigh-ins will give scouts an accurate height, weight, hand size, arm length and wingspan for prospects.
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I can't overstate the importance of the Senior Bowl on the offseason calendar. And while it's important for players, this is also the NFL's biggest job fair. If you're an out-of-work scout, you're headed to Mobile next week in an effort to network and get a job. Same if you're an unemployed or transitioning coach. For those of us in the media, it's a chance to meet up with existing friends in the scouting and coaching businesses and make new friendships with those who will hopefully become sources.
It's a hectic week of little sleep, a lot of football and many cold beverages after hours, so it's easy to get lost in all that's going on. I'll lead this week's column with the biggest storylines I'll be following from Mobile.
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1. Baker Mania
It will all start early Tuesday morning when Baker Mayfield walks across the stage in a pair of Under Armour compression shorts and is weighed and measured by an NFL scout in front of hundreds of scouts and media. The expectation is that he'll come in just under 6'1", but I'm most interested in his hand size.
Why does hand size matter? Being able to control the football. Not only does a bigger hand help a quarterback secure the ball, but it allows him to generate more velocity when throwing. Russell Wilson is only 5'11" but has massive 10 ¼" hands. Meanwhile, there was a storm of debate when Jared Goff's hands measured right at the nine-inch threshold.
The Baker Mania will no doubt follow to the practice fields, but don't get too caught up in things like completion percentages in practice. We're looking to see how he adapts to coaching, how well he leads the team and how his mechanics look when playing in an unfamiliar scheme.
2. Is Josh Allen Legit?
The Senior Bowl is a great stage for Josh Allen to show exactly who and what he is—but the biggest question mark with Allen is accuracy. He won't quiet those concerns in a week of practices with wide receivers he's never thrown to before. But there's no doubt Allen's arm strength, athleticism and character will be on display in Mobile. I have him ranked as a top-10 player. If he has a good week and connects with John Dorsey and his crew, he could cement himself as a potential first overall pick.
3. Hidden Gems
One of the best parts of Senior Bowl week is getting a chance to see some hidden gems in person. Nick DeLuca (LB—North Dakota State) and Austin Corbett (G—Nevada) are two players I haven't seen a ton of tape on yet. Being able to not only evaluate potential hidden gems but also see them in person is a big part of the week. There is no substitute to evaluating in person—doing self-scouting, I've found a lot of my misses were from guys I didn't get to see live. So whether it's DeLuca or Corbett or quarterback Mike White (Western Kentucky), there will be a small-schooler coming out of this week who vastly improves his draft stock.
4. Shaquem Griffin's Stock
What does the NFL do with Shaquem Griffin, the one-handed stud linebacker from UCF? I have no idea, and next week will hopefully help shed some light on Griffin's stock.
On the field, he's one of the best defenders in college football. Griffin, who has played safety and linebacker, flies around the field making plays. In the Peach Bowl against Auburn, he made play after play.
Nothing like this has come up in my time covering the NFL draft, and there's no precedent for how teams will assess Griffin's situation. I'm anxious to get to Mobile and talk to some trusted scouts and coaches about him.
5. Titans and Cardinals' open jobs
As of this writing, two head coaching jobs remain open in the NFL. Well, technically five do, but we all know the Giants (Pat Shurmur), Colts (Josh McDaniels) and Lions (Matt Patricia) have filled those jobs and are just waiting to announce them. For the Cardinals and Titans, if their jobs aren't filled this week, Senior Bowl week will be another chance to talk to prospective candidates and potentially meet with assistants to fill out staffs.
Here's what else is going on this week:
- News, rumors and notes from around the league
- Final list of Senior Bowl attendees
- The New Orleans Saints won the 2017 draft
- Stick to Football Episode 41: A full Round 1 mock draft with co-host Connor Rogers
The Scout's Report
• LSU running back Derrius Guice should not be forgotten in this talented class of backs.
In talking to a source close to the player, I was told Guice is running the 40-yard dash in the mid-4.4-second range at 221 pounds. That's good, folks. He should be the second running back off the board.
• This news became expected as we got closer to the January 15 deadline for underclassmen to declare for the 2018 draft, but it is still a surprise that the entire Clemson defensive line will return to school for next season. Christian Wilkins, Clelin Ferrell and Austin Bryant all announced they'd return for another season. The trio will join stud Dexter Lawrence on a line that might feature four first-rounders in the 2019 draft.
• Another top player, Heisman runner-up Bryce Love, announced he will return to Stanford for his senior season. It's rare to see a junior running back return to school for another season when he is projected to be picked in the first three rounds, but Love is an intelligent guy and clearly wanted another year in Palo Alto. My hope is that he'll be used more as a receiver in the Cardinal offense this fall.
• UTSA defensive end Marcus Davenport has received plenty of love before in this column, and he's going to get more this week.
Davenport, a player my podcast co-host mocked to the San Francisco 49ers at No. 10 overall, is shooting up boards as more scouts watch his tape. I polled 10 scouts or executives this week, and all said he's a top-40 player.
• Draft crush time! Virginia Tech's Tremaine Edmunds is a stud. The 6'5", 240-pound linebacker is only 19 years old and was one of the most impressive players I saw all season. The only reason he wasn't ranked on my boards before is because a school source said he wasn't declaring. He did, though, and now Edmunds is in my top 15.
• Can we talk about Ohio State center Billy Price? The dude is special and should be a first-rounder. His leadership, athleticism, instincts and toughness are everything you want in a center prospect. The 2018 center class is a good one overall, with Frank Ragnow and James Daniels also projecting as second-rounders.
• I reported this Thursday afternoon, but sources close to the player told me Boston College's Harold Landry pulled out of the Senior Bowl due to a high ankle sprain. Landry, who was my top-ranked senior heading into the season, struggled with injuries this year but is still considered by scouts to be a first-round talent.
Parting Shots
8. The New Orleans Saints won the 2017 draft class. However you want to grade it, put the Saints at the top. Look at this haul:
Rd 1, Pick 11: CB Marshon Lattimore
Rd 1, Pick 32: OT Ryan Ramczyk
Rd 2, Pick 42: S Marcus Williams
Rd 3, Pick 67: RB Alvin Kamara
Rd 3, Pick 76: LB Alex Anzalone
Rd 3, Pick 103: DE Trey Hendrickson
Rd 6, Pick 196: DE Al-Quadin Muhammad
The first four picks were named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team. You could argue that Alvin Kamara and Marshon Lattimore should win Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year, respectively. And outside of one bad play in the playoffs, Marcus Williams was great for the Saints defense.
Not only did the first four picks dominate, but Alex Anzalone showed enough promise to be a future starter at linebacker, and Trey Hendrickson was an impact rusher in a situational role who should grow in his second year.
He won't win it, but Jeff Ireland should land Executive of the Year for the draft he put together last year.
7. NFL Draft Sleeper: South Florida Defensive Tackle Deadrin Senat.
One of the big moneymakers from the East-West Shrine Game practices this week in St. Petersburg, Florida, was South Florida defensive tackle Deadrin Senat. One scout who was at the practices told me he was the "St. Pete version of Aaron Donald" and was unstoppable all week. Only 6'0" and 305 pounds, Senat doesn't fit the height profile of many teams, but his week of dominance at the Shrine Game should get him noticed.
6. NFL Draft Riser: West Virginia Safety Kyzir White.
One of the great things about this time of year is getting access to game film to study the players who will be competing at the Senior Bowl. I've been blown away by Kyzir White's tape and athleticism. He's 6'3", 215 pounds and lined up all over the field for the Mountaineers. I wouldn't be shocked if he makes his way into the first-round conversation.
5. NFL Draft Faller: Memphis Wide Receiver Anthony Miller.
A surprise drop from the Senior Bowl, Anthony Miller really needed the week to alleviate concerns about his size (he's listed at 5'11", 190 lbs) and about drops and bobbles that show up on film. I've heard all season that age and injury concerns would hurt Miller's stock, and it appears the injuries are the reason he's removing his name from the Senior Bowl.
4. Which underclassmen declared for the 2018 NFL draft? The official deadline has passed, but the NFL has not yet released an official list. Here's the unofficial list as of Thursday afternoon.
• Josh Adams, RB, Notre Dame
• Olasunkanmi Adeniyi, DE, Toledo
• Jaire Alexander, CB, Louisville
• Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming
• Kyle Allen, QB, Houston
• Mark Andrews, TE, Oklahoma
• Dorance Armstrong Jr., DE, Kansas
• Jerome Baker, LB, Ohio State
• Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State
• Jessie Bates III, S, Wake Forest
• Orlando Brown, OT, Oklahoma
• Taven Bryan, DT, Florida
• Deontay Burnett, WR, USC
• Deon Cain, WR, Clemson
• Antonio Callaway, WR, Florida
• Will Clapp, C, LSU
• Simmie Cobbs Jr., WR, Indiana
• Keke Coutee, WR, Texas Tech
• J.J. Dallas, CB, Louisiana-Monroe
• James Daniels, C, Iowa
• Sam Darnold, QB, USC
• Carlton Davis, CB, Auburn
• Michael Dickson, P, Texas
• Terrell Edmunds, S, Virginia Tech
• Tremaine Edmunds, LB, Virginia Tech
• DeShon Elliott, S, Texas
• Minkah Fitzpatrick, DB, Alabama
• Nick Gates, OT, Nebraska
• Rashaan Gaulden, DB, Tennessee
• Frank Ginda, LB, San Jose State
• Rasheem Green, DL, USC
• Derrius Guice, RB, LSU
• Ronnie Harrison, S, Alabama
• Taylor Hearn, OG, Clemson
• Quadree Henderson, WR, Pittsburgh
• Holton Hill, CB, Texas
• Nyheim Hines, RB, NC State
• Jeff Holland, OLB, Auburn
• Sam Hubbard, DE, Ohio State
• Mike Hughes, CB, UCF
• Hayden Hurst, TE, South Carolina
• Joel Iyiegbuniwe, LB, Western Kentucky
• Ryan Izzo, TE, Florida State
• Donte Jackson, CB, LSU
• JC Jackson, CB, Maryland
• Josh Jackson, CB, Iowa
• Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville
• Derwin James, S, Florida State
• Richie James, WR, Middle Tennessee
• Malik Jefferson, LB, Texas
• Kerryon Johnson, RB, Auburn
• Ronald Jones II, RB, USC
• Sam Jones, OL, Arizona State
• John Kelly, RB, Tennessee
• Arden Key, Edge, LSU
• Christian Kirk, WR, Texas A&M
• Du'Vonta Lampkin, DT, Oklahoma
• Jordan Lasley, WR, UCLA
• Tanner Lee, QB, Nebraska
• Chase Litton, QB, Marshall
• Tavares Martin, WR, Washington State
• Hercules Mata'afa, DT, Washington State
• Ray-Ray McCloud, WR, Clemson
• Tarvarus McFadden, CB, Florida State
• RJ McIntosh, DT, Miami
• Kahlil McKenzie, DT, Tennessee
• Quenton Meeks, CB, Stanford
• Kolton Miller, OT, UCLA
• D.J. Moore, WR, Maryland
• Ryan Nall, RB, Oregon State
• Nick Nelson, CB, Wisconsin
• Quenton Nelson, OG, Notre Dame
• Kendrick Norton, DT, Miami
• Isaiah Oliver, CB, Colorado
• Brian O'Neill, OT, Pittsburgh
• Da'Ron Payne, DT, Alabama
• Kamryn Pettway, RB, Auburn
• Harrison Phillips, DT, Stanford
• Eddy Pineiro, K, Florida
• Byron Pringle, WR, Kansas State
• Trey Quinn, WR, SMU
• D.J. Reed, CB, Kansas State
• Justin Reid, S, Stanford
• Will Richardson, OT, NC State
• Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama
• Korey Robertson, WR, Southern Mississippi
• Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA
• Christian Sam, LB, Arizona State
• Bo Scarbrough, RB, Alabama
• Dalton Schultz, TE, Stanford
• Tim Settle, DT, Virginia Tech
• Andre Smith, LB, North Carolina
• Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia
• Tre'Quan Smith, WR, UCF
• Van Smith, S, Clemson
• Breeland Speaks, DE, Ole Miss
• Equanimeous St. Brown, WR, Notre Dame
• Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU
• Josh Sweat, DE, Florida State
• Auden Tate, WR, Florida State
• Maea Teuhema, OG, Southeastern Louisiana
• Trenton Thompson, DT, Georgia
• Kevin Toliver II, CB, LSU
• Leighton Vander Esch, LB, Boise State
• Vita Vea, DT, Washington
• Mark Walton, RB, Miami
• Denzel Ward, CB, Ohio State
• Toby Weathersby, OT, LSU
• Jordan Whitehead, S, Pittsburgh
• JoJo Wicker, DL, Arizona State
• Jalen Wilkerson, DE, Florida State
• Connor Williams, OT, Texas
• Eddy Wilson, DT, Purdue
3. The draft order is almost set with just three more games on the NFL schedule—and, yes, that made me incredibly sad to type.
1. Cleveland Browns (0-16)
2. New York Giants (3-13)
3. Indianapolis Colts (4-12)
4. Cleveland (from Houston Texans 4-12)
5. Denver Broncos (5-11)
6. New York Jets (5-11)
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-11)
8. Chicago Bears (5-11)
9/10. San Francisco 49ers (6-10)
9/10. Oakland Raiders (6-10)
11. Miami Dolphins (6-10)
12. Cincinnati Bengals (7-9)
13. Washington (7-9)
14. Green Bay Packers (7-9)
15. Arizona Cardinals (8-8)
16. Baltimore Ravens (9-7)
17. Los Angeles Chargers (9-7)
18. Seattle Seahawks (9-7)
19. Dallas Cowboys (9-7)
20. Detroit Lions (9-7)
(Draft order is determined by playoff exit and not record for the following teams:)
21. Buffalo Bills (9-7)
22. Buffalo (from Kansas City Chiefs 10-6)
23. Los Angeles Rams (11-5)
24. Carolina Panthers (11-5)
25. Tennessee Titans (9-7)
26. Atlanta Falcons (10-6)
27. New Orleans Saints (11-5)
28. Pittsburgh Steelers (13-3)
29. Jacksonville Jaguars (10-6)
30. Philadelphia Eagles (13-3)
31. New England Patriots (13-3)
32. Minnesota Vikings (13-3)
2. The final Senior Bowl attendees have been announced as we get closer to the January 22 kickoff of the week in Mobile, and so far, this group looks good. This list has changed since last week with a number of players dropping out due to injury, and I've reformatted it by round projection. If you'd like to print the rosters out, you can find them here: North | South
First-Rounders: QB Josh Allen (Wyoming), QB Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma)
Second-Rounders: OT Brian O'Neill (Pitt), DE Marcus Davenport (UTSA), TE Dallas Goedert (South Dakota State), DL Derrick Nnadi (FSU), OT Chukwuma Okorafor (Western Michigan), TE Mike Gesicki (Penn State), DL Harrison Phillips (Stanford), DL Da'Shawn Hand (Alabama), OT Desmond Harrison (West Georgia), S Kyzir White (West Virginia), C Frank Ragnow (Arkansas), EDGE Uchenna Nwosu (USC)
Third-Rounders: RB Rashaad Penny (San Diego State), EDGE Ogbonnia Okoronkwo (Oklahoma), OG Will Hernandez (UTEP), DL Taven Bryan (Florida), OT Tyrell Crosby (Oregon), OG Isaiah Wynn (Georgia), CB M.J. Stewart (North Carolina), EDGE Jalyn Holmes (Ohio State), S Marcus Allen (Penn State), WR D.J. Chark (LSU), WR James Washington (Oklahoma State), WR Michael Gallup (Colorado State), OT Martinas Rankin (Miss. State), CB Duke Dawson (Florida), EDGE Tyquan Lewis (Ohio State), TE Ian Thomas (Indiana), OG Austin Corbett (Nevada)
Fourth-Rounders: OC Mason Cole (Michigan), S Quin Blanding (Virginia), WR Marcell Ateman (Oklahoma State), LB Davin Bellamy (Georgia), RB Akrum Wadley (Iowa), S Armani Watts (Texas A&M), TE Adam Breneman (UMass), TE Troy Fumagalli (Wisconsin), LB Shaquem Griffin (UCF)
Fifth-Rounders: CB Levi Wallace (Alabama), LB Shaun Dion Hamilton (Alabama), QB Kurt Benkert (Virginia), OT Alex Cappa (Humboldt State), DL B.J. Hill (NC State), TE Christian Herndon (Miami), RB Royce Freeman (Oregon), S Kameron Kelly (San Diego State), WR Allen Lazard (Iowa State), QB Mike White (Western Kentucky), TE Tyler Conklin (Central Michigan), OG Sean Walsh (Iowa), RB Kalen Ballage (Arizona State), EDGE Duke Ejiofor (Wake Forest), LB Skai Moore (South Carolina), OG Taylor Hearn (Clemson), CB Jeremy Reaves (South Alabama), CB Christian Campbell (Penn State), CB Chandon Sullivan (Georgia Southern), CB Siran Neal (Jacksonville State), CB D'Montre Wade (Murray State), LB Micah Kiser (Virginia), OG Skyler Phillips (Idaho State), LB Marquis Haynes (Ole Miss), QB Luke Falk (Washington State)
Sixth-Rounders: CB Isaac Yiadom (Boston College), EDGE Kylie Fitts (Utah), CB Michael Joseph (Dubuque), LB Dorian O'Daniel (Clemson), OG Wyatt Teller (Virginia Tech), TE Durham Smythe (Notre Dame), C Scott Quessenberry (UCLA), CB Kamrin Moore (Boston College), OG Timon Parris (Stony Brook), OT Brandon Parker (North Carolina A&T), EDGE Andrew Brown (Virginia), OT Cole Madison (Washington State), EDGE Kemoko Turay (Rutgers), WR Braxton Berrios (Miami), S Tray Matthews (Auburn), CB Taron Johnson (Weber State), OT Joseph Noteboom (TCU), RB Ito Smith (Southern Miss), OT Brett Toth (Army), FB Dimitri Flowers (Oklahoma), FB Jaylen Samuels (North Carolina State), LB Nick DeLuca (North Dakota State), CB Darius Phillips (Western Michigan), DL Christian LaCouture (LSU)
Seventh-Rounders: WR Cedrick Wilson (Boise State), LB Garret Dooley (Wisconsin), S Trayvon Henderson (Hawaii), LB Mike McCray (Michigan), DL Justin Jones (North Carolina State), LB Darius Leonard (South Carolina State), WR Jaleel Scott (New Mexico State), WR J'Mon Moore (Missouri), QB Kyle Lauletta (Richmond), LB Fred Warner (BYU), QB Brandon Silver (Troy), QB Tanner Lee (Nebraska), DL Poona Ford (Texas), P JK Scott (Alabama), C Bradley Bozeman (Alabama), TE Jordan Akins (UCF)
UDFAs: P Johnny Townsend (Florida), K Daniel Carlson (Auburn), K Michael Badgley (Miami), DL Nathan Shephard (Fort Hays State), CB Jamarcus King (South Carolina), LB Myles Pierce (The Citadel), FB Nick Bawden (San Diego State), OT Colby Gossett (App State), DL Greg Gilmore (LSU)
1. Stick to Football Episode 41 is ready for download—and if you haven't already, go ahead and subscribe and leave a five-star review!
This week, Connor Rogers and I go head-to-head with a Round 1 mock draft with a whole lot of quarterbacks coming off the board early. We explain what we're hearing and why the picks will happen. We also close the show out with your questions in #DraftonDraft.
Matt Miller covers the NFL and NFL draft for Bleacher Report.
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