Senior Bowl 2014 Roster: Breaking Down Most Intriguing Players
The Senior Bowl 2014 takes place Saturday afternoon and features a number of players who are going to have a big impact as professionals.
The Senior Bowl is a showcase. For some of these players, it can mean the difference between fighting for a roster spot or a cushy life as a first-round pick.
With so much talent on both the North and South rosters, we'll break down some of the most intriguing players in Saturday's game.
North Roster
| Name | Position | School | Height | Weight |
| Jared Abbrederis | WR | Wisconsin | 6' 7/8" | 189 |
| Chris Borland | ILB | Wisconsin | 5'11 3/8" | 245 |
| Chris Boswell | K | Rice | 6'2" | 183 |
| Tajh Boyd | QB | Clemson | 6' 3/4" | 222 |
| Jonathan Brown | LB | Illinois | 6' 1/2" | 224 |
| Deone Bucannon | SS | Washington State | 6' 7/8" | 216 |
| Michael Campanaro | WR | Wake Forest | 5'9 3/8" | 191 |
| Will Clarke | DE | West Virginia | 6'6 1/8" | 271 |
| Kain Colter | WR | Northwestern | 5' 10 3/4" | 199 |
| Pierre Desir | CB | Lindenwood | 6'1 1/8" | 195 |
| Ahmad Dixon | SS | Baylor | 5' 11 1/2" | 205 |
| Aaron Donald | DT | Pittsburgh | 6' 7/8" | 288 |
| Kadeem Edwards | G | Tennessee State | 6'4 1/8" | 309 |
| Shaq Evans | WR | UCLA | 6' 3/4" | 210 |
| C.J. Fiedorowicz | TE | Iowa | 6'5 5/8" | 262 |
| David Fluellen | RB | Toledo | 5'11 1/4" | 226 |
| James Gayle | DE | Virginia Tech | 6'3 5/8" | 255 |
| Ra'Shede Hageman | DT | Minnesota | 6'6" | 318 |
| Seantrel Henderson | OT | Miami (Fla.) | 6'6 7/8" | 331 |
| Robert Herron | WR | Wyoming | 5'8 7/8" | 193 |
| Ryan Hewitt | FB | Stanford | 6'4" | 246 |
| Gator Hoskins | TE | Marshall | 6'1 1/8" | 244 |
| Josh Huff | WR | Oregon | 5'11" | 210 |
| Marqueston Huff | FS | Wyoming | 5'11" | 198 |
| Jeff Janis | WR | Saginaw Valley State | 6'2 1/4" | 212 |
| Stanley Jean-Baptiste | CB | Nebraska | 6'2 3/8" | 215 |
| Dontae Johnson | CB | North Carolina State | 6'2" | 199 |
| DaQuan Jones | DT | Penn State | 6'3 1/2" | 323 |
| Christian Kirksey | LB | Iowa | 6'1 3/4" | 234 |
| Tyler Larsen | C | Utah State | 6'3 1/2" | 317 |
| Nevin Lawson | CB | Utah State | 5'9 7/8" | 184 |
| Isaiah Lewis | SS | Michigan State | 5'10" | 205 |
| Brandon Linder | G | Miami (Fla.) | 6'5 3/8" | 316 |
| Kareem Martin | DE | North Carolina | 6'5 7/8" | 272 |
| Zack Martin | OT | Notre Dame | 6'4 1/8" | 305 |
| Jack Mewhort | OT | Ohio State | 6'5 5/8" | 306 |
| Stephen Morris | QB | Miami | 6'1 3/4" | 208 |
| Trent Murphy | DE | Stanford | 6'5 3/8" | 252 |
| Tyler Ott | LS | Harvard | 6'2 3/4" | 252 |
| Jake Pedersen | TE | Wisconsin | 6'3 1/8" | 242 |
| Cyril Richardson | G | Baylor | 6'4 1/2" | 343 |
| Weston Richburg | C | Colorado State | 6'3 1/2" | 300 |
| Michael Sam | OLB | Missouri | 6'1 5/8" | 260 |
| Michael Schofield | G | Michigan | 6'6 5/8" | 303 |
| Charles Sims | RB | West Virginia | 5'11 7/8" | 214 |
| Marcus Smith | OLB | Louisville | 6'3 1/2" | 258 |
| Dez Southward | CB | Wisconsin | 6' 1/8" | 206 |
| Shamar Stephen | DT | Connecticut | 6'4 5/8" | 308 |
| Brandon Thomas | OT | Clemson | 6'3 1/2" | 316 |
| Logan Thomas | QB | Virginia Tech | 6'5 3/4" | 250 |
| Kirby Van Der Kamp | P | Iowa State | 6'3 3/4" | 202 |
| Jimmie Ward | S | Northern Illinois | 5' 10 3/8" | 191 |
| James White | RB | Wisconsin | 5'9 3/4" | 206 |
| Jordan Zumwalt | LB | UCLA | 6'4" | 231 |
Stanley Jean-Baptiste, CB, Nebraska
B/R's own Matt Bowen, who knows a thing or two about the secondary, raved about Jean-Baptiste:
"At 6'2", 215 lbs, the Nebraska product has the length/power to jam, reroute and impact wide receivers on the release from a press-man alignment.
Does he need to be coached up when playing from an off-man position? Sure. I could see that on the field when looking at his technique, eye placement and footwork at the top of the route stem.
But given the matchups NFL offenses can create outside the numbers to run inside breaking routes, finding a cornerback with size who can challenge receivers at the line of scrimmage is key. As one NFC scout told me on Jean-Baptiste, “Hard to miss that body, and he moves well for his size.”
"
Everybody's looking for the next Richard Sherman. Jean-Baptiste has the size and length to duplicate Sherman's skill-set.
His size and speed will give him an excellent chance to enter the first round. In fact, it wouldn't be that surprising to see a team like the Seattle Seahawks to go after him. If Jean-Baptiste can shut down opposing receivers in Saturday's game, then he could find himself with a big payday.
Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh
If Aaron Donald was 6'3", he could be the No. 1 overall pick.
Instead, he's a shade under 6'1". That's a problem if you're a defensive tackle.
But Donald didn't let that stop him in college. He had a ridiculous 28.5 tackles for loss this past season and won multiple awards, such as the Chuck Bednarik award and Outland Trophy.
Matt Miller of B/R raved about Donald's skill-set:
"Donald's only real knock is his height, but during the week of practices against the best senior offensive linemen in the nation, he excelled at every stop. Donald used his lower center of gravity to fire off the ball and make himself a tiny target for the hands of interior blockers. And with his outstanding first-step quickness added onto his small target area, he was able to consistently get into the backfield and make plays.
"
For his part, Donald doesn't think his height will be an issue, as he told Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun:
"I got leverage, I got the quickness, I got the power. I can hold 600 pounds on a double team, I can shed blocks. I can do everything the others can do. I just come with a plus because I got the leverage. It is what it is. I can't get no taller, but I can just keep playing hard and getting better.
"
Most NFL teams crave the perfect measurables, but if you ask me, I want to see consistent production. If you can't have height, you need quickness. That's what Donald has.
A big game with a few blow-ups in the backfield could do wonders for those who doubt Donald. I think he will.
South Roster
| Player | Position | School | Height | Weight |
| Walt Aikens | CB | Liberty | 6' 5/8" | 205 |
| Antonio Andrews | RB | Western Kentucky | 5'10 1/8" | 225 |
| Jeremiah Attaochu | OLB | Georgia Tech | 6'3 1/4" | 252 |
| Lamin Barrow | ILB | LSU | 6'1 1/4" | 229 |
| Joel Bitonio | OG | Nevada | 6'4" | 307 |
| Terrence Brooks | FS | Florida State | 5'11" | 197 |
| Derek Carr | QB | Fresno State | 6'2 1/8" | 215 |
| Deandre Coleman | DT | California | 6'5" | 315 |
| Aaron Colvin | CB | Oklahoma | 5'11 3/8" | 186 |
| Chris Davis | CB | Auburn | 5'9 3/4" | 201 |
| Mike Davis | WR | Texas | 6' 1/4" | 193 |
| Justin Ellis | DT | Louisiana Tech | 6'1 7/8" | 342 |
| David Fales | QB | San Jose State | 6'1 3/8" | 220 |
| Dee Ford | DE | Auburn | 6'2 1/8" | 243 |
| Jimmy Garoppolo | QB | Eastern Illinois | 6'2 1/4" | 219 |
| Ryan Grant | WR | Tulane | 6' 1/4" | 197 |
| Jon Halapio | G | Florida | 6'3 1/2" | 320 |
| Cody Hoffman | WR | Brigham Young | 6'3 7/8" | 218 |
| Adrian Hubbard | OLB | Alabama | 6'5 7/8" | 255 |
| Gabe Ikard | C | Oklahoma | 6'3 1/4" | 302 |
| Gabe Jackson | G | Mississippi State | 6'3 3/8" | 339 |
| Ja'Wuan James | OT | Tennessee | 6'6 1/8" | 315 |
| Marcel Jensen | TE | Florida State | 6'5 3/8" | 264 |
| Wesley Johnson | OT | Vanderbilt | 6'5 1/4" | 290 |
| Christian Jones | OLB | Florida State | 6'3 3/8" | 234 |
| Kenny Ladler | FS | Vanderbilt | 6' 1/8" | 200 |
| Craig Loston | SS | LSU | 6' 3/8" | 214 |
| Arthur Lynch | TE | Georgia | 6'4 1/2" | 258 |
| Cody Mandell | P | Alabama | 6'2 1/4" | 216 |
| Jordan Matthews | WR | Vanderbilt | 6'2 5/8" | 209 |
| Daniel McCullers | DT | Tennessee | 6'6 7/8" | 348 |
| Keith McGill | CB | Utah | 6'3" | 214 |
| Jerick McKinnon | RB | Georgia Southern | 5'9" | 209 |
| Morgan Moses | OT | Virginia | 6'6 1/8" | 325 |
| Aaron Murray | QB | Georgia | 6' 3/8" | 201 |
| Kevin Norwood | WR | Alabama | 6'2" | 197 |
| Cody Parkey | K | Auburn | 6' 1/4" | 189 |
| Solomon Patton | WR | Florida | 5'8 1/2" | 179 |
| Jay Prosch | FB | Auburn | 6' 3/4" | 256 |
| Caraun Reid | DT | Princeton | 6'2 1/8" | 301 |
| Jalen Saunders | WR | Oklahoma | 5'8 3/4" | 164 |
| Chris Smith | DE | Arkansas | 6'1 1/8" | 266 |
| Telvin Smith | LB | Florida State | 6'2 7/8" | 218 |
| Ed Stinson | DE | Alabama | 6'3 1/8" | 292 |
| Bryan Stork | C | Florida State | 6'3 1/2" | 306 |
| Will Sutton | DT | Arizona State | 6' 3/4" | 315 |
| Travis Swanson | C | Arkansas | 6'5" | 310 |
| Lorenzo Taliaferro | RB | Coastal Carolina | 6' 3/8" | 210 |
| Jemea Thomas | CB | Georgia Tech | 5'9 1/2" | 190 |
| Jordie Tripp | OLB | Montana | 6'2 3/4" | 237 |
| Billy Turner | OT | North Dakota State | 6'5" | 316 |
| Brent Urban | DE | Virginia | 6'6 3/4" | 298 |
| Kyle Van Noy | OLB | Brigham Young | 6'3 1/4" | 244 |
| Jaylen Watkins | CB | Florida | 5'11 3/8" | 194 |
| Lavelle Westbrooks | CB | Georgia Southern | 5'11 3/8" | 195 |
| Marcus Woodside-Heit | LS | Kansas State | 6'2 5/8" | 252 |
Derek Carr, QB, Fresno State
Adam Caplan of ESPN believes that Derek Carr is the "cleanest" quarterback in the draft:
Carr, who threw for 5,082 yards, 50 touchdowns and just eight interceptions this year, has a real chance to be drafted in the first round.
B/R's own Matt Miller was quite impressed with Carr, saying:
"The most talented player at the 2014 Reese's Senior Bowl, Fresno State's quarterback was dominant throughout the week. He may have been helped by the poor talent level of the other quarterbacks in Mobile, but Carr took advantage and went to work.
The most impressive aspects of his week were shown both on and off the field. His velocity and accuracy were at the highest of levels. Even during a very cold and windy Tuesday practice, the California kid was able to excel in the elements.
"
Carr is going to have to fend off critics who think he's just a system quarterback. But with a big performance in Saturday's game, he can do that and rocket up the draft boards into the first round.
Kyle Van Noy, LB, BYU
Every team wants a dynamic pass-rusher, and that's exactly what Kyle Van Noy is.
Not only is he a strong pass-rusher, but as Peter Schrager of Fox Sports notes, he's also quite a smart player:
Van Noy had 17 tackles for lost last season and is a consistent and disruptive presence.
In all likelihood, Van Noy will be a first-round pick. He's a perfect fit as an outside 'backer in a traditional 3-4 scheme, and he could find a home on a team like the New York Jets.
If he has a big game, then Van Noy could potentially sky-rocket to the Top 10.
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