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On the day of Senior Bowl practices, our digital editor John Sahly writes: The Senior Bowl is one of our favorite draft-related events at Pro Football Weekly. Our staff is in Mobile, Alabama, joined by more than 110 of the top senior prospects, all with a chance to impress scouts, coaches and front offices ahead of the NFL Draft. It's the first big event in a months-long process leading up to the draft April 26-28 at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, in Arlington, Texas. But every year, it seems like we don't remember the Senior Bowl and what happened until after the draft. Some sleeper we like goes in the fourth round, and suddenly it's "oh yeah, he really did well at the Senior Bowl." With that, I dug into the recent archives of Pro Football Weekly's reports from Mobile. One of many reasons to follow Arthur Arkush and Eric Edholm as they're reporting from the sidelines ... From Arthur's 2017 reports: "It’s tough not to notice Eastern Washington WR Cooper Kupp, one of the North team's big winners through two days of practice. Kupp not only always seems to be open, he consistently snatches balls away from his body. Kupp was also a good sport while explaining the transition from small school EWU, contrary to popular opinion, not being as daunting as many perceived." Kupp's performance bumped him up to a third-round pick. He caught 62 balls this year for the Rams for 869 yards and five touchdowns. The rookie was second on the team in receptions and first in yards. "Kareem Hunt (pictured above) of Toledo continues to look like the North team's most most well-rounded back, with creativity supplementing his power, low center of gravity and natural receiving skills. Hunt, for a second consecutive day, stood out on a swing pass, which he showed good urgency after corralling by quickly turning up field. "He added some shake-and-bake to his growing resume, freezing a linebacker before beating him to the perimeter for a big gain up the left sideline." Hunt, another third-round pick, exploded onto the scene in his rookie year with the Chiefs, finishing with 1,327 rushing yards. Go back another year, to 2016: "Carson Wentz appeared to be the only North quarterback not affected by the strong wind Wednesday. His arm strength allowed his ball to zip through the cold Mobile air to his targets more efficiently than his teammates at the position. We knew he had better tools, but in tough conditions, they were highlighted." Wentz was in the conversation for MVP this year until his knee injury. What I like about the Senior Bowl is that it has a tendency to reveal which seniors look ready for the rigors of NFL competition. A lot of the guys we'll be writing about this week have real chances to move their draft stock into that same third round where Kupp and Hunt found themselves last April. We've highlighted a few players we're watching this week. Arthur's Senior Bowl primer is here. Our newest draft addition Marcus Mosher has 7 guys you need to keep an eye on here. One guy I'll have my eye on: Shaquem Griffin, linebacker out of Central Florida. The identical twin brother of Seattle cornerback Shaquill Griffin, Shaquem has an inspiring story. Despite having his left hand amputated as a child, he's managed to terrify offenses. Can he silence the doubters this week? •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Take advantage of signing up for our draft newsletter with this special offer for our draft guide. |
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