SENIOR BOWL PLAYERS TO WATCH: OFFENSE

https://www.profootballfocus.com/draft-senior-bowl-offense-preview/

Senior Bowl week has become the perfect buffer for the NFL between the Conference Championship games and the Super Bowl. Much of the league travels to Mobile, Ala., to get one last glimpse of game action for the nation’s top seniors before the workout portion of the draft process commences. At Pro Football Focus, we are once again proud to be heavily involved in the Senior Bowl’s evaluation process, also adding the same layer of detail to every practice rep that we apply to every play during the FBS season.

Here’s a look at the top offensive players to watch during Senior Bowl week.

Quarterback
Senior Bowl QBs

It may be an uninspiring group of quarterbacks on paper, but all of the participants have a prime opportunity to turn heads with a strong week of practice and good showing during game action. Pittsburgh QB Nate Peterman has some fans in the scouting community, but he’ll have to answer questions about Pitt’s offense, which was more about trickery rather than allowing Peterman to pick apart opposing defenses. His high percentage of big-time throws (6.9 percent) and turnover-worthy throws (4.6 percent) make for an intriguing boom-or-bust combination. Colorado’s Sefo Liufau has the best intermediate and deep accuracy numbers of the Senior Bowl quarterbacks, though he has some questions to answer about his work in the short game. Iowa’s C.J. Beathard took good care of the ball for the most part, and flashed strong downfield touch, but he had his struggles when facing pressure. Cal’s Davis Webb’s year was essentially split into two parts after he came out strong, but a hand injury contributed to an inconsistent effort in the second half. He has the arm to make special throws, it’s just a matter of tying up some decision-making issues. Josh Dobbs’ inconsistency was maddening for Tennessee fans, but he did an exceptional job this season making big plays under pressure, tying for the national lead with 12 touchdowns and ranking fourth with a passer rating of 105.4 when pressured. For Dobbs, it’s all about improving his accuracy at the short and intermediate levels, though he made strides in both areas this season.

Running back
Senior Bowl RBs

Toledo running back Kareem Hunt had the nation’s highest grade among running backs at 94.5 overall, using his quick-cutting ability and balance to force 76 missed tackles on the ground, second-highest in the nation. San Diego State’s Donnel Pumphrey broke former Wisconsin running back Ron Dayne’s all-time rushing record with his slippery style at 5-foot-9, 180-pounds. Pumphrey is out to prove that he’s more than just a change-of-pace back at the next level after forcing 73 missed tackles and averaging 3.5 yards after contact per rush. BYU’s Jamaal Williams broke out early in 2016, showing a good combination of speed and power and averaging 3.4 yards after contact per rush before an ankle injury slowed him down in the second half of the year.

Wide receiver
Senior Bowl WRs

All eyes will be on Eastern Washington’s Cooper Kupp, who dominated FCS competition and was similarly productive when playing FBS teams. He put up 206 yards and three scores to go with a gaudy 4.1 yards per route against Washington State early in the season. It was a breakout season for Syracuse WR Amba Etta-Tawo who took advantage of his transfer from Maryland to become a big-play threat in Syracuse’s vertical passing attack. He showed impressive downfield speed and ball skills, and he’s out to prove that he’s more than a one-year wonder. East Carolina’s Zay Jones put up a video-game like 160 catches and 1,805 yards, though seeing 46 more targets than any other receiver in the country certainly helped his cause. Two receivers with a chance to show off their downfield ball skills are Amara Darboh from Michigan and Josh Reynolds from Texas A&M, while Louisiana Tech’s Trent Taylor and North Carolina’s Ryan Switzer will show off their route-running that made both receivers so productive.

Tight ends/fullbacks
Senior Bowl TE and FBs

Tight end is one of the deepest positions in the draft, with Alabama’s O.J. Howard the headliner. He earned the nation’s top run-blocking grade, and Alabama fans have been begging to see more involvement from Howard in the passing game due to his good speed and receiving skills, which will be on display all week. Evan Engram of Ole Miss and Gerald Everett of South Alabama are both good receiving threats, perhaps better suited for work in the slot or on the move in H-back roles. Michael Roberts of Toledo is a big-bodied tight end who knows how to use it in the passing game; led the nation’s tight ends with his 16 touchdowns.

Offensive line
Senior Bowl Offensive Line

The 2017 offensive tackle class lacks headline names this cycle, but Western Kentucky’s Forrest Lamp has been a headliner at PFF for three years. He’s ranked among the top tackles in the nation every year since 2014, capping his career with a monster season that saw him allow only four total QB pressures while holding up better than any offensive tackle in the nation against Alabama’s defensive front. USC’s Zach Banner had his struggles early on, particularly against Alabama, but he settled down nicely to once again grade among the best right tackles in the country. Antonio Garcia of Troy is the other hot name to keep an eye on at tackle, and he backed up the hype in pass protection with only nine QB pressures allowed; however, Garcia had the worst ratio of positive to negative blocks in the run game among tackles at the Senior Bowl.

On the interior, Indiana’s Dan Feeney has produced three years of strong work in pass protection, allowing only 24 QB pressures on 1,217 attempts, which includes some time at right tackle. The center class is intriguing, as LSU’s Ethan Pocic can make the key blocks necessary in a zone-blocking scheme, while West Virginia’s Tyler Orlosky rarely loses in the run game.

Update 1/19 in red.

Update 1/21 in green.

Update 1/24 in orange.

Head Coach Sean McVay

Offensive Coordinator

Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips

Special Teams Coordinator John Fassel

Secondary Aubrey Pleasant

Linebackers Joe Barry

Defensive Line Bill Johnson

Quarterbacks Greg Olson

Offensive Line Aaron Kromer (reportedly)

Wide Receivers

Tight Ends Wes Phillips (presumably)

Running Backs Skip Peete

zn wrote:

t what to make of Trump’s victory. Is it, in the main, a recrudescence of bigotry on American soil—a reactionary scream against a nation less white by the year? Or is it more properly understood as an economically grounded response to the privations that neoliberalism has wracked upon the heartland?

To me…clearly and obviously both.

And Trump is no solution to either thing, of course. He’s a worsening of both things.

wv wrote:

Well, i dont know how you can say there isn’t a ‘real difference.’

I said, “Obama is a mass-murderer”

And you replied:
“I think Obama continued some benighted pre-Obama policies both in the economy and in foreign policy. Of that there is no question.’

I mean, to me, you dont see him as a ‘mass murderer’ and i do. I mean there must be a reason why you dont see his drone strikes as ‘murder’. Or else you’d call them ‘murder’. So, i assume you see it differently.

BUT, the major point to me, is Big Deal. I may come across as ‘testy’ but honestly this group is my favorite group on the internet. Always will be. I know we agree on all kinds of core, fundamental stuff. I never question that. I think sometimes you think that is being questioned or threatened. Not from me. I dont give a shit if you see Obama differently than me or if as you say its just a different language we use, etc. It doesnt change how i feel about you or this group of goofballs.

I always, always trust the bonds we have built up on this board. It never enters my mind to worry about that or question it. We’ve been together since 98. Thats longer than any relationship Ive ever had.

So, have some toast. Lightly toasted. With tea.

For the record, I have resented you ever since you tried to denigrate Vermeil in 98.

This aggression will not stand.

reiteration

…

Rich Hammond‏ @Rich_Hammond
Longtime NFL assistant Aaron Kromer on track to be Rams’ offensive line coach, as first noted by @TomPelissero. Not announced yet.

https://mobile.twitter.com/TomPelissero/status/823932521524166656

Aaron Kromer is here in Mobile with the #Rams contingent. He's going to be their offensive line coach.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 24, 2017

wv wrote:

I’m not the least bit interested in debating whether Hillary was “extravagantly corrupt” or not. To me it would be like arguing about whether the rams “extravagantly sucked” this year — clearly they did, and clearly she is. You disagree. No problem. We see it differently. I dont intend to debate it.

But the difference is this. The Rams DID suck last year. And I see nothing indicating Clinton was extremely corrupt.

Over some things, it is not enough to say it’s a matter of perceptions. Cause sometimes, on some things, perceptions are wrong. Even if deeply believed.

In terms of core beliefs, yes, truth is, those are beyond debate. In terms of core beliefs, about all we can do is “vote”…and then respect the differences we can respect.

In terms of empirical statements about … say … degrees of corruption, yes they are open to scrutiny and issues of fact.

For example, is Trump corrupt? I take corrupt to mean that they sell out the office they occupy and the laws they are supposed to uphold in the name of direct financial gain. Like a judge taking bribes to decide cases a certain way. And the truth is I don’t see Trump as directly corrupt that way.

He’s a lot of OTHER things. But that’s just not one of them.

And none of the following is accurate btw:

Where we are different is in things like … ‘Deep state’ stuff. Or if i were to say “Obama is a mass murderer” (which i believe) you’d probably resist that kind of language. So, ya know, blah blah blah…

No you;re wrong about that, in fact.

My main thing in this sub-issue is to resist right-wing narratives. And here’s this entire article revealing some insights into how Trump backers think and why…and it ain’t purty…but, then, we end up with a difference over the empirical validity of statements about Clinton.

And, it sure has gotten testy around here. I have been doing it too. What gives?

wv wrote:

“… I was amazed how even the most liberal students took for granted certain dubious narratives in which they (and much of the rest of the country) were marinated all year long, like the notion that Hillary Clinton was extravagantly corrupt…”

Well 2 can play that game.

How and in what way was HC “extravagantly corrupt”?

I have no particular emotions about her either way. I found her lacking in several policy areas. So voting for her was like voting for Obama. It was just the best the 1 1/2 party system could do. Though to be honest the reviling she attracted struck me as strange. It didn’t seem to involve anything real in any demonstrable way.

AND I always found the “extravagantly corrupt” routine just to be a right-wing narrative. Is there any good reason to doubt that?

So how is calling her “extravagantly corrupt” NOT a dubious narrative?

.

sanbagger wrote:

If that’s the case…why the delay? It seemed like a no brainer they were waiting for a guy from one of the teams still playing.

This just seems a little strange to me.

i don’t know. Has any other team hired all its coaches? And, therefore, is this a delay? Or just the normal way things play out?

.