Day three, the North team was in full pads again. For the most part, players have been consistent this week. Those that have been having solid practices, continue to do so, and those who have underwhelmed, continue to do so as well. There were a couple of surprises though. Below is a quick run down of what I saw from the North team (via NFL Network) during their morning practice session.
The Good:
1. Oklahoma State RB, Kendall Hunter – This guy is turning some heads. Despite his lack of size, he is one of the most physical players on the North team at the skill positions. Today he put his fantastic pass blocking abilities on display, consistently stone walling linebackers at the point of attack. During team portions of practice, Kendall brought an extra spark to the offense. I liked Hunter before the Senior Bowl, but I like him even more now.
2. Cal DE, Cameron Jordan – I am running out of compliments to give Jordan. Again, he showed excellent pass rushing ability during practice. During the team portion of practice, I saw Jordan get into the backfield quickly on numerous occasions. If that would have been a real game, Jordan would of had a couple of sacks.
3. Wisconsin OT, Gabe Carimi – Carimi is showing some versatility at the Senior Bowl. The coaches have him playing at three different positions, both tackle positions and guard. I’ve been impressed with Carimi’s strength and ability to sit in the seat and anchor against power rushers. I went into the Senior Bowl having questions about his technique against speed rushers. I saw him over extend his arms a bit during the season, and unfortunately there aren’t really any speed rushers at the Senior Bowl to answer that question.
The Bad
1. Oklahoma RB, Demarco Murray – Murray definitely looks the part of a NFL RB, but i’m not sure he will be a good one. He’s very good at catching the ball out of the backfield, but he isn’t showing that explosiveness that NFL Backs needs. He also had a poor showing during pass protection drills. He continually dropped his head and failed to anchor. Right now, he is being out-shined by Kendall Hunter.
2. Colorado OT, Nate Solder – Solder faced off against Kerrigan quite often in today’s practice, and Kerrigan consistently got the better of him. He beat him with inside moves and outside moves. Most consider Solder to be the best OT in the draft. If he wants to maintain that label, he will need to be better than what he showed today.
PRO Prospects 