| Here's a look at some Senior Bowl news and notes perspective from around the country:
Like many quarterbacks making the transition from college football to the pro game these days, Zac Robinson finds himself to be one of many who piled up the numbers working in a spread attack, playing out of the shotgun much of the time in college. NFL teams are indeed throwing it more than ever and do play plenty out of the shotgun in some situations, but the passers still have to adapt to more traditional drop-backs as well, working from behind center in three-, five- and seven-step drop-backs as they survey the defenses in front of them. So footwork, how they carry the ball in their delivery and scanning both sides of the field on the move all become parts of the job they may not have had much experience with before. "You know it's really just getting comfortable with the guys around you, the centers, the receivers and just taking the five-step drops, or seven or three, whatever the situation calls for," Robinson said. "We didn't do a whole lot of that - we were under center some in college, but not much. So it's a change, something you know you're going to have to adapt to.” – Denver Post
The NFL is suddenly all in with Riley Cooper. A player previously perceived as a likely fourth- or fifth-round pick is being looked at as a possible third- or even second-round selection. "He's going to run faster than people think," said NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock, who is among a host of scouts who have always been under the impression that Cooper would thrive in the NFL if he would commit to the game. "I'm committed now," Cooper said. "This is definitely what I want to do. I'm going to miss baseball, but I know I made the right decision. I'm a football player, and the way I look at it, all I can do is go up." – Tampa Tribune
Joe Webb has impressed scouts with his ability to adapt to wide receiver. One scout said Webb could "work his way into being drafted. ... He's so versatile. He's played quarterback, so he could take some snaps there. I think teams are going to be intrigued with Joe. He's real raw, but he's got good size, a good body, his speed is good enough ... the Senior Bowl has been very good for Joe Webb." – The Birmingham News
Colin Peek has been through his share of injuries in the last 12 months, but the University of Alabama tight end has rebounded to full health at a critical juncture: the Senior Bowl, and the National Football League combine that will follow. “I know when you’ve dealt with injuries teams are going to pry on you, poke and prod you to see if you are 100 percent. I’m so thankful that I’ve been able to come out of this situation (healthy) after dealing with tough injuries like I’ve had,” Peek said. “I think teams are going to look at that, but at the end of the day, I played all season and I’m playing in the Senior Bowl and hopefully will do very well at the combine.” Peek sustained a foot injury prior to last year’s Sugar Bowl loss to Utah which hampered him throughout the offseason. The UA coaching staff limited his practice participation enough for him to heal in time to assume a starting role at the beginning of the 2009 season. Peek sprained his knee during warmups before the Tennessee game, missing that contest and, despite an idle week that followed, playing only sparingly in a subsequent win over LSU. – Tuscaloosa News
Despite almost totally immersing himself in academics as he studied medical anthropology and experienced a learning environment that he said was unlike anything he had ever encountered, Myron Rolle said he never gave up on his dream to be a professional football player. "Frankly, being a pro provides financial security, provides a certain status and it provides a completion to a dream," Rolle said. "And it provides validation for everything I've tried to do in my life -- trying to be a student and an athlete. Becoming a Rhodes Scholar was the pinnacle of academic achievement, and being a professional football player will be the pinnacle of being an athlete." If his devotion to the game was ever in doubt, Rolle's workout schedule while at Oxford should probably clear that up. With his brother, McKinley, helping out, Rolle went through a workout regimen designed specifically for him by one of the top trainers in the U.S. He also worked out with the Oxford rugby team. – Montgomery Advertiser
When this week began, Donald Butler was considered a somewhat surprising participant at the Senior Bowl, something that reflects more on Washington's waning national profile than Butler's talents. By the end of the week, Butler was considered one of those prospects who really helped himself. Scouts liked his athleticism, specifically his backpedaling ability and his feel for dropping into coverage. His size came as a surprise, too. Butler weighed a very defined 244 pounds when he was measured Monday morning, while a room full of NFL scouts, coaches and general managers watched and scribbled notes as if he were a runway model. "It's definitely a meat market like everybody says," Butler said. "To go up there in front of hundreds of guys who are checking you out, it definitely made your heart pound a little bit, being up there in just your spandex shorts. – Seattle Times
Kyle Wilson, known for his intense competitive streak, has been working out in Orlando, Fla., with several other draft prospects. Among them is former Florida State cornerback Patrick Robinson - and word at the Senior Bowl is that Wilson tries to beat Robinson at everything, including stretching. Said Wilson: "I'm always looking to do more. I'm really just looking to finish strong, to put together another solid game and make as many plays as possible out there." Before this week, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. didn't even have Wilson listed among the top five cornerbacks available. – Idaho Statesman
Ole Miss wide receiver Shay Hodge, one of the Southeastern Conference’s top receivers last season, has seen plenty of UA’s Javier Arenas. Both were longtime starters for their respective schools and they played against each other each year as divisional opponents. Hodge said Arenas was among the most impressive cornerbacks in coverage in early Senior Bowl workouts. “He’s very smart. He pays attention to details on where receivers break, and the number of yards they’re supposed to break on. And he’s very quick on the ball,” Hodge said. “When I played against him, we didn’t hardly ever go deep. We usually threw it back shoulder. The way he plays his technique, can’t get necessarily get over the top on him unless you just get way outside him and try to straight up outrun him.” – Tuscaloosa News
*The All Access Football ninth annual 2010 NFL Draft Bible Package Is Now Available! Click Here To Learn More… Photos Courtesy of Zach Green
|