This week, NFL Network will air programming surrounding this weekend’s annual Senior Bowl in Mobile, AL. It helps NFL scouts evaluate incoming talent for this year’s Draft which will be held in New York later this year. So here’s what you’ll see this week on NFL regarding the Senior Bowl, plus look for some comments from NFL Network draft guru Mike Mayock after this first release.
FORMER HEISMAN TROPHY WINNER TIM TEBOW HEADLINES 2010 SENIOR BOWL ROSTERS2010 SENIOR BOWL GAME AND PRACTICE COVERAGE JANUARY 25-30 EXCLUSIVELY ON NFL NETWORKFor the fourth consecutive year, NFL Network introduces viewers to the NFL’s next generation of talent with exclusive coverage of the 2010 Senior Bowl from Mobile, AL. High-definition coverage begins with practices on Monday, January 25 and culminates with the 60th annual Senior Bowl game Saturday, January 30 at 4:00 PM ET.Miami Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano and his staff coach the South team, while Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz and his staff lead the North team. Former college stars participating in this year’s Senior Bowl include: former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow of Florida, Javier Arenas of the national champion Alabama Crimson Tide, Lamarr Houston of Texas, Taylor Mays and Stafon Johnson of Southern California, Jimmy Graham and Darryl Sharpton of Miami, Penn State’s Jared Odrick and Sean Lee, Pat Angerer of Iowa, Rhodes Scholar Myron Rolle of Florida State, Kurt Coleman of Ohio State, Brandon Graham of Michigan and Sam Young of Notre Dame.Live practice coverage from Ladd-Peebles Stadium runs Monday through Thursday, January 28 with one-hour telecasts for both North and South teams. Each night at 8:00 PM ET, a 30-minute Path to the Draft Senior Bowl Recap Show from NFL Network’s Los Angeles studios provides interviews and analysis in reviewing the day’s action.Coverage of the Senior Bowl game on Saturday begins at 3:00 PM ET with a NFL Total Access Senior Bowl Pregame Show from Los Angeles takes viewers straight up to the 4:00 PM ET kickoff. NFL Network’s on-air talent roster from Mobile includes Paul Burmeister, Mike Mayock, Corey Chavous, Lindsay Soto and Bucky Brooks with Randy Moss, Charles Davis and Michael Lombardi anchoring recap shows in Los Angeles. On gameday, Bob Papa, voice of NFL Network’s Thursday Night Football, has the call in the booth alongside Mayock and Davis with Burmeister and Chavous reporting from the sidelines.The annual Senior Bowl is one of the first opportunities NFL head coaches, scouts and general managers have to evaluate upcoming talent. Eleven participants in the 2009 Senior Bowl were drafted in the first round and Clay Matthews (Packers) and Brian Cushing (Texans) earned Pro Bowl honors in their rookie seasons.The 2010 Senior Bowl is part of NFL Network’s college football and Path to the Draft programming which includes the Insight Bowl, 2010 Scouting Combine and the 2010 NFL Draft. Live pick-by-pick coverage of the draft airs in primetime for the first time beginning on April 22 on NFL Network.2010 Senior Bowl on NFL Network Programming Schedule(all times are ET)Monday, Jan. 258:00 PM – Path to the Draft: Senior Bowl Recap Show: Day 1 (HD)
Tuesday, Jan. 2612 NOON – Day 2: North Team Practice (HD)3:00 PM – Day 2: South Team Practice (HD)8:00 PM – Path to the Draft: Senior Bowl Recap Show: Day 2 (HD)Wednesday, Jan. 2712 NOON – Day 3: North Team Practice (HD)3:00 PM – Day 3: South Team Practice (HD)8:00 PM – Path to the Draft: Senior Bowl Recap Show: Day 3 (HD)Thursday, Jan. 2812 NOON – Day 4: North Team Practice (HD)3:00 PM
– Day 4: South Team Practice (HD)8:00 PM – Path to the Draft: Senior Bowl Recap Show: Day 4 (HD)Saturday, Jan. 303:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD) – Senior Bowl Pregame Show4:00 PM – 2010 Senior Bowl (HD)7:00 PM – NFL Total Access (HD) – Post-game analysis
And get ready to scroll for a while. Here’s a transcript of a conference call with Mike Mayock.
Transcript of NFL Network’s Conference Call with Analyst Mike Mayock Previewing Coverage of Senior Bowl January 25-30 on NFL NetworkNFL Network’s high-definition coverage of the Senior Bowl begins with practices on Monday, January 25 at 3:30 PM ET and culminates with the Senior Bowl game Saturday, January 30 at 4:00 PM ET.Former college stars participating in this year’s Senior Bowl include: former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow of Florida, Javier Arenas of the national champion Alabama Crimson Tide, Lamarr Houston of Texas, Taylor Mays and Stafon Johnson of Southern California, Jimmy Graham and Darryl Sharpton of Miami, Penn State’s Jared Odrick and Sean Lee, Pat Angerer of Iowa, Rhodes Scholar Myron Rolle of Florida State, Kurt Coleman of Ohio State, Brandon Graham of Michigan and Sam Young of Notre Dame.Select Quotes:“If you’re a highly rated kid, and you have no problem exposing yourself to the Senior Bowl and the combine, trust me, it makes a huge impression on the coaches and general managers because they value competition above everything…As a side note, the fact that Tim Tebow is coming here and willing to expose himself to this kind of scrutiny, I think speaks volumes to the type of kid he is.” – MIKE MAYOCK on the importance of players’ participation in the Senior Bowl and Florida QB TIM TEBOW“Most people think that he’s risking the most of any player coming to play this game. What I would say is I think it’s a brilliant move…The more pro people that are around this kid and understand that he’s a genuine item, he’s not faking any of this stuff, this is who he is, I think the higher his stock will go.” – MAYOCK on TEBOW“The two best players I’ve seen on tape this year, bar none far and away, are defensive tackles. Ndamukong Suh from Nebraska and [Oklahoma’s] Gerald McCoy. You can put them in any order you want because they’re different kind of defensive tackles, but they’re great football players.” – MAYOCK on DTs NDAMUKONG SUH and GERALD MCCOY“I watched the Big 12 Championship game on tape again the other night just because I wanted to take a little time away from it and see if it was as good as I thought. I went back to it again, and it might be the single most dominant performance I’ve seen in a high?level college football game.” – MAYOCK on the performance of SUH and MCCOY in 2009 Big 12 Championship game“By means of a comparison, Suh reminds me of Kevin Williams when he came out of Oklahoma State. Williams has been to five Pro Bowls in eight years, I believe. That is the type of player [Suh] is, and maybe even a notch beyond that.” – MAYOCK on SUHSee full transcript below for Mayock’s take on various Senior Bowl participants, as well as other 2010 NFL Draft prospects:MIKE MAYOCK: Hello, everybody. I’m not big on opening statements. But if you know me, if you’ve ever heard me, you know this is my favorite week of the year. All the kids I’ve been studying on tape for several months now kind of come to life.And atypically of most athletic events we all cover, the practices are just as important, if not more important than the games. And the practices are set?up by NFL coaches to expose weaknesses in individual and one?on?one drills.So it’s a pretty cool concept. We’ve got the Lions coaching staff, and the Dolphins coaching staff, and quite frankly, I can’t wait. So let’s open it up with some questions.Q. Wanted to get your take on Brandon Graham, where he rates in the draft as a whole, and whether you see him as a three?four outside linebacker or a four?three defensive end?MIKE MAYOCK: He’s a guy I really like. One of the reasons I like him so much is because of his motor. The first time I put a tape in on this kid, I thought LaMarr Woodley. He’s got kind of a similar build. A little heavier than Woodley when he came out. Maybe not quite as high a top?level pass rusher as Woodley, but a little more stout in the run game.So to me because teams like Pittsburgh that play the three?four, they don’t care quite as much about length and height, I think because of that there are other teams like New England who like their three?four outside linebackers to be 6’3″ or better.So I really believe that Brandon Graham right now has a solid second?round
grade, very similar to Woodley. And I think this is a big week for him to show people.You know he’s got a great motor, you know he can stop the run. Now the question is does he have the technique and explosion to consistently win in the pass?rush game.Q. So do you expect him to get some reps at outside linebacker this week? If so, how important is it to show those three?four teams that he can do that?MIKE MAYOCK: Typically what happens is it’s a four?three front in most of these games. He’ll probably play defensive end in the game. But the more important thing is how he does in the practices, especially in the pass?rush drill. What they’ll probably do in the one?on?one drill, start with a three?point stance and standing up.Obviously, I’d love to see him do some pass?drops also. But if we don’t get that this week, we’ll get it at Pro Day and at the combine.Q. Over the years we’ve seen a lot of guys come here, but every year or two there are a couple of guys whose draft stock is so high they choose not to come. For these NFL scouts coming in and looking at this game, do you think they place any stock as to whether or not a guy comes here and competes? Is it a red flag for them if they choose not to?MIKE MAYOCK: That’s an interesting question. I can tell you with my private conversations with people that what teams want are competitors. And it doesn’t mean that if a kid doesn’t come, he’s not a competitor.But Tony Dungy once told me that it’s not like you can put a red check against a guy for not competing in the combine or not going to the Senior Bowl. You’re not going to de?grade him half a round or anything.However, if you’re a highly rated kid, and you have no problem exposing yourself to the Senior Bowl and the combine, trust me, it makes a huge impression on the coaches and general managers because they value competition above everything.As a side note, the fact that Tim Tebow is coming here and willing to expose himself to this kind of scrutiny, I think speaks volumes to the type of kid he is.Q. To follow that up: Who are maybe a couple of the guys that you think can help themselves the most here this week?MIKE MAYOCK: Couple guys I’m really intrigued with are two offensive linemen that might not be as sexy as every position, but with what’s happened at the tackle position in the draft the last several years, those guys don’t last too long. Vladimir Ducasse from UMass, a 1?AA kid. The first time I put the tape on, I thought of Jeffrey Otah, first?round pick out of Pitt a couple years ago, now with Carolina. He’s a big strong kid with way better feet than I anticipated when I put the first tape on.Like any kid coming out of 1?AA, he’s got to show he can play with the big boys. I can tell you right now if he has a good week, he’s a first?round prospect because his physical skill set measures up. But people are going to be quicker, stronger and faster than he’s ever seen.Along those same lines, Mike Iupati, who is a guard/tackle from Idaho, is a kid with a great punch. He’s a really strong kid with great feet. He played left guard. I think he could play tackle in the NFL.Both these kids came to America at age 14. So they’re tremendous stories as well as development football players. They both have first?round talent and it’s a huge week for both of these kids.Q. Just wanted to know if you consider this kind of an offensive heavy draft or defensive heavy draft? And which positions stick out to you so far?MIKE MAYOCK: If you run through it quickly, I can tell you that I think quarterback is average at best. I think at running back you have one first?rounder in C.J. Spiller. After that, three or four guys will have to fight real hard to get into that first?round like Ryan Matthews, Jahvid Best, McKnight. Three or four potential first?round wide receivers.The tight end class is very average. Gresham is healthy, he’s a first?round pick. The Gronkowski kid from Arizona, the junior, he’s coming off a back injury where he didn’t even play the entire season.I think the strength of this class offensively are the tackles again. I could easily see five or six first?round tackles this year.On the defensive side of the ball, you have four defensive ends that are first?round picks. To be honest with you, the two best players I’ve seen on tape this year, bar none far and away, are defensive tackles. Ndamukong Suh from Nebraska and Gerald McCoy. You can put them in any order you want because they’re different kind of defensive tackles. But they’re great football players.In the linebacker position, when you start talking about Rolando McClain, Spikes, Kindle, Weatherspoon, you’ve got some real solid four?five first?round linebackers.We’ve got at the Senior Bowl three or four potential first round d?backs. I think that’s phenomenal. I can’t wait to see.
As a matter of fact, the defensive back field has Perrish Cox, Taylor Mays from USC, and Patrick Robinson from Florida State. All three of them could be first?round picks and they’re all playing for the same team in the Senior Bowl.So if you hear me talking ?? then in the safety class, you’ve got two high?level kids, Berry and Taylor Mays, and with the Texas kid coming out and the LSU kid coming out, all of a sudden the safety class is deep.So that’s a long way of saying you add it up and the defensive side of this draft right now ?? I’m talking about the top?level guys ?? I don’t know the depth of these classes because I have to watch more tape of the later?level kids, but right now I’d say it’s better on the defensive side.Q. Would you say with the defensive ends you’re talking about, that most of the good ones fit a four?three or a three?four?MIKE MAYOCK: Jason Pierre?Paul, who is probably the top?rated defensive end out there, is a four?three guy. Derrick Morgan is probably a four?three guy. Dunlap is definitely a four?three guy. I think Everson Griffen from USC could play both. Corey Wootton from Northwestern is a four?three guy. Then you get more of the three?four guys like Brandon Graham, Jerry Hughes, Koa Misi, they’re all more three?four type guys.Q. Wondering if you can tell me what you think some of the things that Tim Tebow has to do next week, some of the things he has to show those guys in order to convince them that he’s able to play at that level?MIKE MAYOCK: Here’s the thing: Most people think that he’s risking the most of any player coming to play this game. What I would say is I think it’s a brilliant move. Here’s a guy who is arguably the best football player that ever played college football, yet most NFL scouts would probably put him in the third round if you’re talking about the quarterback position. He’s got mechanical issues, and you’ve got philosophy issues if you’re going to draft the kid. Philosophy as far as what offense you’re going to run.So the kid’s got major issues here. But he’s so impressive a kid, and his intangibles are so high, leadership, work ethic, toughness. All the things we talk about and hold in high esteem, especially at the quarterback position.The more pro people that are around this kid and understand that he’s a genuine item, he’s not faking any of this stuff, this is who he is, I think the higher his stock will go.Whether or not he competed in this game ?? he’s got mechanical issues. There’s no question about it, and they’re not that easy to get rid of. But this kid will work his tail off and do whatever anybody tells him to do to work on those issues.Once the ball finally is released, he’s got a good arm. But it takes a while to get the ball out of his hands. So I really believe that by spending a week being coached by NFL people and letting the whole league start to get to know what kind of kid he is, I think he just no matter what the ball looks like, whether it smothers, whether it takes too long, I think he’s going to win just because people are going to want him in their huddle.Q. Do you remember a time or remember a draft prospect that’s been sort of that polarizing where there is so much difference of opinion on whether the kid can or can’t play or where he belongs?MIKE MAYOCK: Yeah, I think the two easiest examples are Vince Young and Pat White. Vince Young was at a completely different level. Most people thought he was a first?round pick. But he had the same two major issues. He had mechanical issues for a different reason. He pushes the ball. He didn’t bring it all the way down low like Tebow. But he had mechanical issues. And he had philosophy issues. Can you change your offense? Can he accommodate a certain level of NFL?style passing attack.The fact that he’s now finally come on this year I think helps Tebow a little bit. They’re not the same kind of player, but it’s a similar situation.Patrick White, running the spread offense last year. Patrick White has a big arm. He also has an elongated delivery. And people wanted him to play a different position, a lot like Tim Tebow. Pat White went in the second round to Miami because a lot of people felt there was value with him as a wildcat or potential wide receiver.To me you can say the exact same thing about Tim Tebow. There is value there. The way I look at this kid is I want the ball in his hands. And whether it’s at wildcat, whether he’s in motion as an H-back and catching the football, I really don’t care, but I want the ball in his hands, because the kid’s a winner.I think as this process plays itself out, my guess is all these people that are going in the third?round pick, I’m guessing the kid’s going to get ?? as we move closer, more and more people will like him more and that will move closer into the second round. It only takes one team to go in the first round, obviously.Q. Just wanted to check on Jonathan Dwyer, the Georgia Tech running back. Any thoughts on other Georgia Tech kids that are coming out and will be down there?MIKE MAYOCK: Well, most of the Georgia Tech kids are underclassmen and won’t be there. But Jonathan Dwyer is ??
the comment I get from a lot of NFL teams is he’s a difficult kid to do because of the type of offense that he’s coming out of. But he’s a big, strong kid with great straight line speed.The hard thing will be watching tape and saying okay, how do you envision him out of that on offense and into a traditional seven?yards deep in the back field or standing next to a quarterback and shotgun. His skill set and toughness and size should translate.I think the wide receiver, Thomas, another underclassmen, he reminds me a little of Hakeem Nicks coming out of North Carolina last year. Good sized kids. Strong hands. Probably not as fast as most of the elite wide receivers, but still a good football player, and a late 1 to mid?2.The safety is a tough, aggressive kid. Sometimes a little bit overly aggressive. We get to him in play action a little bit, but he’s a physical kid with a good, physical skill set. He’s probably a second? or third?round pick somewhere in there.I think, off the top of my head, they’re probably the major guys coming out of tech this year.Q. Just a follow?up. I missed the first name. I got Mays and Robinson, but who was the other corner on the South you said we need to look at?MIKE MAYOCK: Perrish Cox from Oklahoma State. Physically gifted kid with first?round talent.Q. Can you talk a little about the top USC guys from the Senior Bowl? And particularly Stafon Johnson, given his situation?MIKE MAYOCK: I think it’s hard for any of us really to define Stafon Johnson right now because we haven’t seen him. Medically if he’s 100 percent and that never presents any type of issues, what you’re really looking at is, okay, a productive guy who as a junior had a good average per carry, fairly tough kid with good size.I don’t think you can sit there and say he’s a first? or second?round pick either before or after his surgery. But he’s a good solid back, that, again, if healthy, he’s the kind of guy that can make a living.He averaged over 5 yards a carry, and he had some value in the punt return game. Assuming he’s healthy, I think he’s a fourth? or fifth?round pick.Now Taylor Mays we all know is a high first?round pick. Only question there is with his size, speed and the quality of teammate that he has, I don’t understand why he didn’t make more plays as a four?year starter. I need to watch some more tape and figure that out on. But he unquestionably will go early.Then Charles Brown, the tackle, is a really interesting guy to me. You know, you’re talking about 6’3″, 300, athletic feet, long arms. He needs to get stronger like a lot of those former tight ends. He needs to get bigger and stronger and work on his technique. But those kind of guys typically don’t last beyond the second round.And Anthony McCoy, the tight end. Another second? or third?round guy. Not a great blocker, but a vertical threat down the field. He needs to get his nose in the face of defensive linemen and linebackers and show people he can be a tougher blocker than he presented on tape this year.I think ?? have I hit all the guys going to the Senior Bowl? Byers, Jeff Byers is going. Byers is going, he’s a draftable guy. Smart, tough. He can play three interior line positions. That will help him make a team.Outside of that, there are guys that aren’t in this game. Kevin Thomas, the corner, is a good football player. Better than most people thought. He could be a third?round pick. The other corner, Pinker, could be a draftable kid.So, once again, we don’t have quite as many first?round picks coming out of there. But when you talk about Mays, Everson Griffen is a really gifted pass?rusher. Can play both in the four?three, and the three?four. Joe McKnight and Damian Williams, two underclassmen that are probably second?round picks. So there are a ton of kids that will represent USC.Q. Brian Price is not going to be there, of course, but what are your thoughts on him?MIKE MAYOCK: I like his toughness and explosion out of UCLA. He’s only about 6’1″, 300. But from what I’ve seen, this is a very good defensive tackle class. He probably fits somewhere in that second round.Q. You mentioned Patrick Robinson, the corner from Florida State. What have you you seen out of him? You mentioned he could potentially be a first?rounder. What does he bring to the table as a defensive back?MIKE MAYOCK: What he’s got is naturally he’s got a naturally gifted ?? it doesn’t take real long to put the film on to watch this kid backpedal and change direction.So when you start talking about the first thing you look for for corners, I always look at their feet. His change of direction, his transition ability, I want to
see what he’s going to run. I think he’s more comfortable as a press corner than he is at anything else.But to qualify this, I think he has first?round talent. I have some concerns about how consistent he plays. His technique isn’t always consistent. He takes some plays off. I want to see what his real speed is, his 40 speed. And people beat him off the line of scrimmage when he got lazy with his hands.So what I’m saying is people are going to look closely at him next week at the Senior Bowl, because he has the ability, but he didn’t always demonstrate it on a game?by?game and snap?by?snap basis.Q. And to follow up, there are two other Florida State guys in the Senior Bowl, one is linebacker Dekoda Watson, the other is Myron Rolle, who, as you probably know, didn’t play his senior year here but is still going to be participating this year. What have you seen out of those guys? What do you think their prospects are? What are they going to have to do to make an impression?MIKE MAYOCK: Watson’s an interesting kid. He looks the part. Big shoulders, tiny waist, good physique, very athletic. I think he’ll test very well. He’s played both the Sam linebacker, he plays the Will first year.So I think what he looks like is a real linebacker in the NFL to me. I think he’s somewhere around a fourth?round pick.He’s had some elbow, knee, groin type issues, durability issues. He’s a natural athlete. He can rush the quarterback a little bit, too. So some of the three?four teams might look at him also. But he’s only 6’1 1/2″, and about 222. So I think his best fit is the four?three Will.The Rolle kid is really interesting. The intangibles are off the charts. Production was good. He didn’t get his hands on a lot of footballs. As a three?year starter, he only had one interception. And people are going to question his speed, his tightness in his hips, and whether or not he can truly play the safety position. I’ve heard some people talking about outside linebacker, but he’s a little small for that.So what he has to show next week, forgetting the fact that he hasn’t played football in a year, is he’s got to show speed, footwork, and an ability to transition from the backpedal to cover a zone or cover a man. That’s going to be important to him.Q. My question is about Suh and McCoy. You talked about them as the top two players. Could you break those two guys down?MIKE MAYOCK: Sure. I watched the Big 12 Championship game on tape again the other night just because I wanted to take a little time away from it and see if it was as good as I thought. I went back to it again, and it might be the single most dominant performance I’ve seen in a high?level college football game.By means of a comparison, Suh reminds me of Kevin Williams when he came out of Oklahoma State. Williams has been to five Pro Bowls in eight years, I believe. That is the type of player [Suh] is, and maybe even a notch beyond that.He’s tremendously stout against the run and can get up the field and push the pocket with the pass game. If you get a defensive tackle that can do both, you’ve got a Pro Bowler.He’s not as quick twitch as McCoy, but McCoy’s not quite as good against the run as Suh. So some of those one?gap, up?the?field penetrating teams are going to like McCoy a little bit better because he’s quicker. He can get to the quarterback more quickly, and he still is stout against the run. He’s just not quite as good as Suh is.So it depends on what you’re looking for within the framework of your defense. I think to me they ought to be the first two players off the board, they’re both that good.Q. Is there any chance in your mind that a quarterback sneaks up to the number one spot and drops those guys?MIKE MAYOCK: I think it’s a big reach. The logical guy is Bradford. We all need to do more work on Bradford since he didn’t play this year basically. But at first blush off his junior year was I impressed with his National Championship Game two years ago? I was. Accuracy, poise, that was the only game all year where he was under some pressure because for the most part he could have sat in a lawn chair and thrown the football most other games.So, no, I’m not a big Clausen fan. I think Bradford’s the guy that could be a Top 10 pick. But there’s no way in the world in my mind today, and I have more work to do on Bradford, but today those two players just dwarf the quarterback issue.Q. I don’t think you mentioned Kurt Coleman when you were talking about the safeties earlier. Is he that far behind some of those big?named guys?MIKE MAYOCK: Yes. Coleman’s a really good college football player. I like watching him on tape. He’s probably got very average speed. I think he had five interceptions this year and three forced fumbles. He had four interceptions a year ago. So he had nine interceptions in two years. Pretty much a three?year starter.So I think he’s a solid player. I think he’s a tough kid that reads blocks and supports the run. I think he’s an average player in zone. Average hips and change of direction. I think he’ll be a special teams player and probably have the ability to back up at both safeties and right now I see him more as about a fourth? or fifth?round pick as opposed to those other safeties that are first? or second?round picks.Q. Do you think ?? has there been any change? It seems to me there is change in the past about picking a safety as high like, you know, the ?? Buffalo did it. I’m just curious with these guys, you’ve got to sound pretty special this year. Could they move up, I don’t know, Top 10 or, you know, all that kind of thing?MIKE MAYOCK: I think people are really intrigued with Berry and Nate. Both those kids have the ability to go in the Top 15. And one or both ?? depending on team needs and free agency, one or both could be Top 10 picks because people think they’re difference makers.If you heard what I said about Mays earlier, I’m still concerned about whether he’s a difference maker despite his awesome physical abilities. But both of them will be gone by the first 15 picks.Q. Wanted to ask you about a couple other guys. You mentioned polarizing figures earlier. It seems another one that is closer to home here is Terrence Cody. I’d like to get your thoughts on him, and a couple of instate guys, Antonio Coleman and Javier Arenas.MIKE MAYOCK: Sure. Cody should be a first?round pick, especially given the scarcity of big?time three?four nose tackles. If you look back a few years ago, the Patriots took Vince Wilfork with the 20th or 21st pick, if I remember correctly. And that’s to me about where Cody should go.However, because he’s so big and there’s been the weight question off the field, I’m not sure he’s going to sneak into the first round.So I think this is an important week for him to show that he’s in shape. The question of how many downs can a guy his size actually play in a game at a competitive level.So when you start talking about a first?round defensive lineman, yeah, they can play in the rotation, and you can give them a blow during the game. But how many snaps are you going to get out of Cody? Ask are they going to be high?level snaps or is he going to be dying? Is he only a first?down player? Can he play first and second? What is he going to do on pass downs? So there are questions to be asked of him.Arenas is a kid I really like. He may be undersized and all those things. 5′ 8 1/2″, 190. He’s feisty. Even though he’s short and compact, he’s very strong. He will tackle, he’s physical. I think he’s an ideal slot defender and nickel package. Very quick feet. He can blitz off the slot. Did a nice job using him as a blitzer this year.People will question his size and long speed. I don’t think he’s real fast. I think he’s quicker than he is fast. He also brings value in the return game.So you’re talking about a guy with good ball skills of the five interceptions this year. Whether you have seven career punt returns for touchdowns, I think there is some real value there. But he’s going to get dinged for size and speed. I would anticipate second or third round.Who else did you want to know about?Q. Antonio Coleman, the defensive end from Auburn?MIKE MAYOCK: Talented kid. Motor doesn’t always run at 100 percent. Can bring some pressure off the edge. He’s a guy, in my opinion, when you talk to people around the league, people are all over the board about this kid. I know he’s a hometown Mobile kid. He ought to have a big week. But he needs to bring it every single play, not just ?? he can’t afford to take any snaps on off.Little bit of a tweener sizewise. 6’1″, 250 plus or minus. Is he a true defensive end? Can he stand up and play outside linebacker? Those are some of his issues.Q. Wanted to talk to you about a guy who is an underclassman, Golden Tate from Notre Dame. What do you see as the pluses and minuses and where do you predict him going?MIKE MAYOCK: I think he’s probably a first?round pick. I think the pluses in his game are that he has extremely strong hands. He high points the football. He fights for the football.Number two, once he makes the catch, he almost looks like a high?level running back. He’s got the attitude of a running back, and his run after the catch might be the best of all wide receivers in this draft.As far as minuses, I don’t think he’s a route runner at this point in his career. But I think he’s got a lot to learn. Just to learn to get in and out of cuts. How to set up a defensive back. He’s fairly raw in those areas, but I don’t think that will be a problem learning.I think he’s a guy somewhere in that 20 to 32 range, he probably goes.
Q. I wanted to ask you about Jared Odrick, what you’ve seen on tape. Do you think he’s a first?rounder still? Is he rising or falling?MIKE MAYOCK: I’ve talked to a couple people about him recently. Most everybody likes him. You know, you’re talking about a guy with great size. For his size, you’re talking about 6’4″, 300?plus?pound guy who is a Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.He plays every snap. He’s got a good motor, good agility and athletic ability. He’s got the length to also play the five technique, which is the defensive end in a three?four. So he’s got some scheme versatility, too. Inside on the four?three, or outside on the three?four.So when you add all that up, it should be late first round. Some of the questions I have on tape and I’ve heard from a couple of other guys is that he’s got to be more efficient getting off blocks. He’s got a good initial pop. If somebody gets their hands on him with some strength, he struggles to get off some of those blocks. He’s on the ground sometimes too much.Now, they’re not major issues, but they could be the difference between first round and second round.Q. Does he strike you as an Eagles type of guy? Kind of a pass?rushing, interior tackle or an upfield guy?MIKE MAYOCK: He’s probably stronger and not as quick as what the Eagles have right now. The Eagles have the Patterson kid and the Bunkley kid, and they also have Notre Dame kid, Trevor Laws. All three of those guys are smaller and quicker.I like Odrick because I think he brings a little different dimension than those three guys do. He’s a little more stout in the run game. Maybe not as quick in the pass?rushing game.Q. I’m thinking of Brandon Minor when I ask this question. How do NFL teams value or downgrade a running back with such an injury history like that? Is there a magic number for carries you can expect to get out of somebody at the NFL level? Can you talk about that in general a little bit.MIKE MAYOCK: You’re talking about because of his history of injuries?Q. Yeah, yeah. I was just thinking of Brandon Minor when I was asking the question up here in Michigan. But, in general, how do NFL teams value a running back that has such a significant injury history?MIKE MAYOCK: They look at it at every position, obviously. The running back position,what guys do is sit there and go, okay, most running backs have a certain number of carries in their body. Very few of them get past age 30, so whether it’s in college or in the NFL, when you start looking at the body of work, how many carries they’ve had, number one, and number two, what kind of significant injury history do they have.If they continue to break down, most NFL teams at the running back position are going to downgrade a guy significantly, because it’s already a position that breaks down anyway. If you show a history of it early, most teams are going to do their homework and just in their own mind say, okay, at a certain point maybe this kid makes sense. But his natural ability ?? I’m not even talking about Minor; I’m giving you an example ?? his natural ability might dictate a second? or third?round grade. But since he had two knees and a shoulder, and had only played X amount of snaps, that second? or third?round guy might be a fifth? or sixth?round guy.Q. When it comes to Minor, have you done any evaluation on him yet?MIKE MAYOCK: I have not even looked at him yet. I’ve got him on the side. What I basically do is I’ve got to get ready for the top 150 players for the Senior Bowl. I spend all my time watching tape on those guys. Then I get feedback from my league sources about the other guys. Once the Senior Bowl is over, I start to move past that and get into some of the later rounds as I get ready for the combine and the draft. So I haven’t studied him yet.
I told you this was long. That’s it.
