The Senior Bowl - DMason084's Dynasty

DMason084's Dynasty Blog

The Senior Bowl

Posted on December 15, 2011 at 09:48 PM.

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Now, on to THE SENIOR BOWL!!!! (Side note: I will be scouting as many USC players as possible since my coach was their OC and wants a closer look at these incoming Trojans. Also my reasons for my selections will be straight from the coach�s mouth. Enjoy!)

QB�s � No real need here as far as a starter, but having a young backup doesn�t hurt at all. So I give Joe Flacco, Dennis Dixon, and John David Booty a look-see. Reason: �I�ve always liked John as an athlete, but I haven�t had a chance take a good look at him since I left USC in �06. Dennis Dixon�� ah two words that are almost always the bane of the Trojan faithful again since my departure. He could make a great change of pace option from starter Jay Cutler and his gunslinger mentality. And finally, Joe Flacco is one my GM Jim Treadway said was like Cutler, except bigger; sort of like Ben Rothelisberger I suppose. All I knew is that my GM liked this kid, although I�m not sold on guys from the small schools.�

HB/FB � With Selvin Young and Mike Bell, one would think we would be set at the tailback position, but not so fast. Denver has not had a 1,000 yard back since Clinton Portis came to town in 2002. So at HB I scout Chris Johnson, Matt Forte, and Tashard Choice, and at FB Jacob Hester, Owen Schmitt, and Peyton Hillis. Reason: �Mike Shanahan has had great success with running backs drafted in the later rounds, the best being Terrell Davis in the 6th round, but quality backs are lacking this season. Anyone worth drafting might be long gone before the 4th round. We need impact players, and Chris Johnson and Matt Forte just might fit that bill. Johnson has elite speed and agility, but Forte may actually fit our system better. Tashard Choice is sort of my wild card here at the Senior Bowl, so it�ll be interesting to see if he lives up to the hype building around him. Fullbacks on the other hand are not a pressing need for us in Denver since we just moved Daniel Graham to fullback. Jacob Hester, Owen Schmitt, or Peyton Hillis could fill in should Graham get hurt. Hester and Hillis have both been successful in the run game; Hester rushed for over 1,000 yards his senior season, and Hillis blocked for this draft�s top running back, Darren McFadden, while putting up some impressive numbers himself. Schmitt seems to be another favorite of Jim�s. I�m not sure what it is, but perhaps Schmitt could even be the power back we lack here in Denver.�

WR/TE � Brandon Marshall is Cutler�s favorite target, but after him there literally is no one else; to compliment his height I decided to scout Donnie Avery, Eddie Royal, and Marcus Smith at WR. TE�s in free agency are pretty scarce this time, and with only Tony Scheffler left standing at that position on the Broncos I felt it necessary to scout Fred Davis to see if he can become part of a tag team of receiving TE�s with Scheffler. Reason: �Marshall is a very talented young man from Central Florida, but he can�t do it all. Height is essential for receivers in our style of offense, but maybe some speed would make for a dangerous partner to Marshall�s height. Enter Donnie Avery and Eddie Royal; both speedy and explosive receivers that can stretch defenses out. Avery is known more for his big-play ability than Royal, but Royal can also double as a return man. Marcus Smith is from my alma mater of the University of New Mexico, and has been quite the receiver for coach Rocky Long. Like Marshall, he has height, which could spell trouble for opposing cornerbacks trying to outreach them. As for tight ends, Tony Scheffler is all we have left. Yes he is athletic, but what if we had two tight ends that can create mismatches by making themselves big targets for Cutler? That�s why Fred Davis could be a good fit in our system. He was a rather troublesome young man early on in his collegiate career but has since turned that around to become a solid player.�

O-Line � The only group of players that doesn�t speak to the press (their choice), the O-Line has been looking kind of wanting lately, with only Ben Hamilton and Tom Nalen holding things together in recent years. Tackles and guards are the priority here, thus scouting Sam Baker, Gosder Cherilus, Chris Williams, and Mike Pollak. Reason: �Sam Baker has been a phenomenal left tackle for USC even when I was still there. He would be a much cheaper option than Jake Long should Long actually fall to us at the twelfth pick in the draft, which I seriously doubt. Gosder Cherilus is another guy I like, this time at right tackle. He�s done a superb job protecting the top QB in this year�s draft, Matt Ryan. Chris Williams is a surprising left tackle that actually protected Cutler�s blind side back at Vanderbilt; perhaps he can do that here in Denver for his old college teammate. Mike Pollak could be our team�s next center as Tom Nalen looks to retire. Either that or he can slide out to guard should we sign someone else at center.�

D-Line � Where do I really start here? The Broncos have not had any major threats in the pass rush until they added Elvis Dumervil, but he needs someone on the other side to generate some pressure too. On the interior is where a lot of cuts were made defensively (3 in total), and Marcus Thomas hasn�t shown much ability to stuff the run. This is where the USC duo of Sedrick Ellis and Lawrence Jackson would fit very nicely; even if they don�t pan out they won�t be that expensive to cut, and they�re trade value would be pretty good too. Reason: I don�t really have to say this in character; WE NEED HELP!!!!!!

LB�s � Two words: Keith Rivers. Anybody else scouted here is irrelevant. Reason (take it away coach!): �Wow. Keith �The Shark� Rivers out of USC has been learning under the watchful eyes of San Francisco 49ers linebacking great Ken Norton, Jr. I spoke with Ken last season, and he said Rivers is a beast. As part of their �Club 55� at USC (side note: only a linebacker that has the potential of becoming a USC football and NFL great is given the number 55) along with Junior Seau and Willie McGinest, Rivers has proven himself to become a force in the NFL. Just hope he�s available at #12; otherwise I just might have to trade up for him.�

DB�s � With Champ Bailey and his ability to shut down any WR in the game, and with Nnamdi Asomugha and Asante Samuel in the FA pool, there�s no huge reason to draft at the CB position this year. Top that off Eugene Wilson and Ken Hamlin are both quality FS�s that can slide over to SS if need be. Conclusion: no real need to scout here. Moving on.

I�m not going to even bother going in-depth with who I am scouting special teams wise at the Senior Bowl, but Alexis Serna is my only choice.

Scouting Results/Coach�s Thoughts:

QB � Booty (�Wow that kid really struggled out there to perform. Perhaps things weren�t all that great at USC after all.�) Flacco ( �Only problem is his ability to assess the situation, so far.�) Dixon (�Yes, Dixon may just be what I�m looking for in a QB to make plays with his feet. He could make a nice counter-part to Cutler.�)

HB/FB � Johnson (�This young man will make people miss by juking or spinning out of tackles.�) Forte (�They weren�t kidding when they said he has some power in his legs.�) Choice (�He seems lost in the backfield at times, but sometimes gets lucky juking defenders.�) Hester (�Perhaps not what we�re looking for as a blocking fullback, but he can still make plays carrying the ball.�) Schmitt (�Not a strong ball carrier or blocker; average at best.�) Hillis (�Are you sure he blocked for Darren McFadden?�)

WR/TE � Avery and Royal (�Both these guys can make plays on the ball and looked impressive all weekend.�) Smith (�Hmmm, I�m not sure how he was taught to catch at UNM, but I know he can do better.�) Davis (�Now that�s what I like to see in a USC tight end. Granted not too good of a blocker, but that�s not what I�m looking for.�)

OL � Williams (�It�s easy to see why Cutler was successful in Vanderbilt when they played together.�) Baker (�Maybe not the LT I�m looking for to protect Cutler�s blind side, but he can be an impact in the run game.�) Pollak (�Average at best; maybe better to move him to guard.�) Cherilus (�I thought he was better than what he showed at the Senior Bowl��)

DL � Jackson (�He truly would benefit from taking the LE spot here in Denver.�) Ellis (�Can cause trouble in the middle; could even break loose and get after the QB.�)

LB � Rivers (�This kid is the total package. He can cover sideline to sideline and then lay down the law with bone-shattering hits. Very disruptive force and looks like he can be moved anywhere along the defensive front.�)

Overall: Not a bad day at the Senior Bowl. Learned quite a bit about the players that could make an immediate contribution to the team. On offense, Avery and Royal were surprising since I never really paid attention to how well they caught the ball in previous dynasties I ran before joining the site. Cherilus was a disappointment since I thought he was a better pass blocker. Defensively, Lawrence Jackson open my eyes a little bit, seeing as I never actually scouted him during the Senior Bowl. Rivers was no surprise of course, but I�ve only drafted him at the #12 spot maybe once or twice. I�m still debating whether to draft a CB or sign a free agent� Oh well onward we march to the Scouting Combine!!!!!