Tin Bits - Tuesday, February 2nd - Senior Bowl Edition

Before I jump into some notes on what I saw in the Senior Bowl, I want to thank everyone who wished me well in the past couple of days - for the record I do not have any medical issues - although I just jinxed it by saying that.  I just had too much on my plate to do an update and found out at 5am that Parcells was going to do a live chat - which turned out to be the biggest waste of time ever.  Then today's update was delayed by someone not paying the internet bill.  Seriously, haven't these people ever heard of automatic payments? 

• One thing I did read into Parcells' 'chat' was that Chad Pennington will not be brought back.  Add this to comments made by Tony Sparano about Pat White, and all indications are that we'll continue into 2010's season with the same 3 QBs we ended 2009 with.  I don't know how I feel about the fact that Sparano wouldn't name Chad Henne the starter, but would put his full endorsement behind Pat White playing QB in the future, despite the results of 2009.  I'm pretty sure I'll know how to feel if we start the season with White as the 2nd string QB again...

• The Senior Bowl was both surprising and disappointing at the same time.  On the one hand, several of the players I was expecting to do well, did, but there were few standout performances.  For one, the North's defensive line looked to be unstoppable.  The reality is, while they did play well, it was the South's offensive line's play that made it look easy.  They were AWFUL.  The North's O-line was not much better.  Even Mike Iupati  played terribly.  I think he got called for 3 penalties, and there were loads of holding calls not being made on both lines through out the game.

• With that said, Brandon Graham did look very good, but not for easily running by the left tackle, but for his run defense.  Looking at him I can't help but see someone who could play inside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme, though he will likely go as a 3-4 OLB in the draft.

• Sean Weatherspoon is going to be a player in the NFL.  While his game was average, his energy level was off the charts.  Now, I don't know why anyone play-caller would send Dexter McCluster on a deep fade in the end-zone, but did you see Weatherspoon in coverage?  Even a 6'5" receiver wouldn't have stood a chance there.  Weatherspoon was practically running inside of McCluster's shoes there and had enough time to turn around and wait for the ball.

• Dan Williams.  In the first half, there was no better player on the field than Williams.  He took on double team after double team, occupying space and pushing people around.  Terrence Cody was absolutely invisible even in one-on-one situations.  Williams was clearly the best DT in the game.  The North squad had it too easy against a pathetic South O-line to be able to compare Williams with Jared Odrick and Mike Neal, though both played with a very high motor.  Personally, I'm more interested in Williams now than I was before.

• None of the wide receivers really moved up or down the boards in my opinion.  In fact, I didn't even see some of them on the field at all.  I was quite upset with the commentators bashing on Dorin Dickerson at least twice during the game, despite the fact he was playing well.  He had a bruising block down on the goal line to open up the go-ahead TD by Blount in the 2nd quarter.  He caught a quick drop-screen and absolutely ran over Patrick Robinson for an extra 4 yards.  He created good separation on a deep slant and Tony Pike overthrew the ball.  If anything, Dickerson proved he can play outside as a WR, but he probably needed to rack up some yards to shut up the Mayock's of the world.  Had he been playing with a QB he had chemistry and time with, I think he could've had a stand out performance.  Mardy Gilyard had the biggest afternoon, but also showed off his immaturity for the cameras whenever he could.  Note to Gilyard, when you're auditioning for a job, don't act like an idiot on the sidelines whenever the camera is on you.

• Tulane's Jeremy Williams had an amazingly inconsistent game.  I have not seen the stats for the game yet, but I would bet he had close to Gilyard's yardage if not better and definitely caught more balls, but he dropped at leat 3 if not 4 that were right in his hands, and he seemed to show no real energy - he was very sluggish between snaps.

• South Florida's George Selvie had a mixed game.  He got several QB hurries, but no sacks.  He made a special teams tackle and was around the ball a lot, but the North always seemed to run the play away from him.  The South coaches never played him standing up, which was a huge disappointment and probably hurt his stock.  The other USF Bulls in the game, Safety Nate Allen, and Corner Jerome Murphy, both had bad games.

• Patrick Robinson and Devin McCourty however, stood out as the two best corners in the game.  Both of them were stuck like glue to their receivers all game.  I was actually really impressed by Robinson, but since he got trucked by Dickerson, and McCourty was spectacular on special teams, I'm going to give the trophy to McCourty (who I actually had in my top 5 corners last year but he decided to stay in school).

• My 4th ranked Outside Linebacker, Austen Lane of Murray State, lined up at DE in the game and showed tremendous speed as he recovered a fumble then returned it for a touchdown.  Now, I don't know why after showing the replay four times, not a single commentator or referee noticed that he was downed by contact by the QB (he slid into him as he recovered the ball), but it was one of the few moments of the game where someone on the field seemed to understand the rules, as he recovered on the ground, then got up and ran it in.  There were at least 10 moments in the game where guys were standing around not covering up fumbles, or lining up after a 1st down.  

• Let's talk inside-linebackers. My 9th and 10th ranked LBs, Darryl Sharpton of Miami, and Jamar Chaney of Mississippi State were unimpressive.  My 8th ranked Daryl Washington of TCU looked good early on but his name did not get called much throughout the game.  Weatherspoon was the clear winner here, and the fact that he played both inside and outside during the game really upped his value.

• RB Joique Bell did what I expected he would do, run-down hill with force and get his name mentioned a few times.  He didn't get a ton of reps, but he was powerful at times.

• And finally, I don't know who the illiterate guy that NFL Network had patrolling the sidelines was, but he sounded terrible with his crackly yet ultra-nasal voice and his questions were ridiculous.  Anyone watching would be blind to have missed Jim Schwartz' body language towards the guy that said it all.  He thought the guy was a complete idiot, and so did I.   The fact that we missed a good handful of plays, including the Austen Lane fumble recovery because he was trying to make himself look good on the sidelines, really pissed me off.  Come on, NFLN, class it up a little, not all football fans want to pay to listen to some one less understandable than the players themselves.  That said, did anyone see the Myron Rolle interview?  It would be interesting to compare his speech now to how it will sound after 10 years of banging heads in the NFL.

So, in review, there were a lot of things I wish I had seen more of in the Senior Bowl, most of all, more competition - I thought at times some of the players were goofing off too much.  I didn't mind the in between plays celebrations, I actually miss some of the spectacle that the refs have taken away, but there was a lack of energy at times and a definite lack of focus.  Even Coach Sparano looked like he was tripping on mushrooms for half the game.  I didn't see a lot of efforts of the kind you'd expect from the players who are trying to get drafted.  The East-West Shrine Game was much more competitive than this one.  And one of the players from that game, WR Freddie Barnes, remains the top WR from these all-star games.  And Mike Kafka still had the best QB performance of the two games.

Basically, only Brandon Graham clearly moved up his stock this week, with standout performances both in practices and in the game.

Those are my thoughts.  What about you guys?

Heads Up!

Due to several factors, including the Bill Parcells live chat at miamidolphins.com and a medical appointment, there will be no update today at Tin's Fins. Regular service will resume on Tuesday.

Senior Bowl - are you ready for some fundamentals?

There have been so many conflicting accounts of who is doing well and who isn't  at this week's Senior Bowl practices it's impossible to know exactly how many players stock has been affected.

For example, I have read about 50 reports praising Mardy Gilyard, and about 50 reports saying how lousy he's been performing.  A similiar treatment has been given to George Selvie, Perrish Cox, Ciron Black, Danario Alexander, Dorin Dickerson, Austen Lane and Cam Thomas just to name a few.  The truth is, what one scout sees as a strength, another can see as a weakness.  And it's all in the wording as well.  One guy can say a player has a dominating bull-rush and puts blockers on their backs, and the next guy could say he's one-dimensional and can't do much other than bull-rush.

Well, like with just about anything in life, these reports and opinions have to be taken with a grain of salt.  I fail to understand how one scout can say Selvie struggled in coverage as a line-backer and another say Selvie has steadily been raising his stock and has been impressive all week.  Then it dawned on me that these guys are not attending every practice.  There are separate practices for the North and South teams, held either at the same time at different locations (which would make it impossible to attend both) or at different times at the same location (which makes for a long day of watching practice).  The reporters tend to go to whichever practice contains players they are most familiar with - so the Southern reporters attend the South, and the Northern reporters attend the North.  They may check out the opposition for a while, but not with the same fervor of their own side.

And ultimately, if a player gets beat a few times in Mobile, it doesn't necessarily mean he's not the player that shows up on tape.  Anyone can have a bad day or two especially those players being asked to play in new positions.  They are already learning new plays, new terminology, new coaches, new team-mates and being inundated with media attention and attending charity and publicity events.  It's a busy week, and while it gives them a chance to showcase themselves both on and off the field, it is just part of the picture.  College career, game tape, the Combine, Pro Day, and team visits all play a significant role in a player's draft stock.  The Senior Bowl is just a part of that process, but it's singularly important because it's actual football, with Pro coaches, Pro rules, and a higher level of competition than they faced in College.

Below are the Senior Bowl rosters.  Players that are highlighted were on my Top 10 lists I published a couple of weeks ago.  The cornerbacks had the highest match rate, with 7 of my top 10 playing in the Senior Bowl and 1 playing in last week's East West Shrine game.  There were 37 matches to start the week, but two players were injured (Jon Asamoah/G, and O'Brien Schofield/OLB).

I will be keeping my eyes on Dorin Dickerson lined up at WR.  He is one of three players I want the Dolphins to draft at WR (even though he was a TE/FB in College) and want to make sure my projection was right.  I'm also interested obviously in seeing George Selvie lined up at OLB and in Dexter McCluster running the Wildcat.  And I'd love to see this Boise State cornerback everyone's talking about.  I thought his custom paint job on his 1971 prison bus/RV was hilarious.  Also, I'd like to see if Sean Weatherspoon can dispel those early-week critiques about him not being able to play inside.  

Who here will be watching and what player are you most interested in?

Forget Joey Porter, We have More Important Fish (Dolphins Aren't Fish, They're Mammals) To Fry

It's easy to get caught up in the media frenzy surrounding the unsubstantiated reports of Joey Porter lashing out at the Dolphins and wanting to be traded.  The simple fact of the matter is that no one can quote what he said on a Bakersfield radio station morning show, and no one can provide an audio recording or transcript.  I'm not saying it didn't happen, I'm simply saying there's no reason to believe it happened other than a South Florida resident who doesn't have access to the show in question, saying that it did (I checked, the show is not streamed or podcasted, and even if it was, he would have had no way of knowing that Porter was going to call into it).

And while the Dolphins have insinuated that they may not bring back Porter for 2010, they have also insinuated that fact for just about every player on the team, including Ted Ginn, Ronnie Brown, Anthony Fasano, Pat White, Jason Ferguson, Jason Taylor, Patrick Cobbs, Gibril Wilson, Akin Ayodele, Paul Soliai...should I keep going?  The truth is, every team with any sort of common sense says things like the Dolphins have been saying since the end of the season.  They have not made these decisions yet, so why say something they may have to go back on later.  Tony Sparano couldn't even bring himself to name Chad Henne the incumbent starter in 2010.  He did for Pennington in 2009, but you kind of got the impression that Sparano felt he had to play Pennington after that statement, despite the fact he was absolutely terrible in training camp, the pre-season, and marginally better in the regular season.

So any roasting of Joey Porter at this time is unwarranted and a desperate attempt by the media to latch on to any story they can.  Really, who cares if Porter was suspended for a game in 2009?  2009 is over, and Charlie Anderson had a pretty damn good game in Porter's absence.  It didn't affect us getting into the playoffs or our losing record.  Porter played well in our final three losses.  So having him in the game getting sacks didn't actually help us to win.  

Turnovers, bad referee calls, and stagnant play-calling on both sides of the ball, coupled with giving up big plays, is what prevented an injury-riddled team from putting up another AFC East winning season.  Joey Porter led the team in sacks even in a down year hampered by injury, suspension, and sharing the reps with JT, Wake, Anderson, and Moses.  And the reports of Porter refusing to come off the field are overblown as well.  Porter didn't get nearly the same reps in 2009 that he usually gets.  There was an incident during the season where he refused to come off the field.  THEN he was suspended for the following game.  It had nothing to do with him going out on a Friday night.  Please, if Randy Starks could run over a cop on South Beach and Brandon London (remember him?) could live the life of excess he was living on South Beach and in Manhattan without any repercussions, then surely someone of Porter's status could go to a Miami Heat game in a controlled, family friendly environment without being thrown in the doghouse.  Also, the ridiculous assumption that his saying he wasn't ready to resume practice after a nagging knee injury somehow makes him a prima donna or lazy or worse, a liar, is completely unfair.  Just this past season, there were several players, rookies included that did not practice at all on certain days for the entire season.  Anyone who plays Fantasy Football knows this to be true.  If a 33 year old pass-rusher is banged up and after being evaluated by trainers/team doctors (they do have these people on staff, it's not like the players do their own diagnoses) is deemed to be better off by sitting out and resting (it should be noted that Porter was in attendance at both practices and did stretching and light movement drills - it's not like he was at home playing Call of Duty), then why does a reporter get to call him out on it?

Anyway, I don't want to sound like Joey Porter's agent, because you all know I petitioned for Cam 'Earthw'Wake from the get-go and still believe he is the immediate future for the Dolphins.  But I can't stand being beaten over the head with lies, innuendo and drivel.  In the old days they used to call these reports slander and people got sued for it and their careers were over.  And it doesn't matter if the details come out, and audio evidence is provided in the future.  At the time of these reports, there was no evidence.  And there still isn't.

And the Dolphins have not yet decided the future of anybody, not just Joey Porter.  I still would not be surprised if Dan Henning gets fired or pushed into retirement before the draft, Bill Parcells says goodbye to the Dolphins, Pat White is named the starter (okay, that one would surprise me a little) and Randy Starks is traded for two mid-round draft picks.

This week is the Senior Bowl and Pro-Bowl, last week was the East West Shrine Game and Conference Championships.  Still to come, the Texas vs The Nation game, the Super Bowl in Miami, the start of Free Agency, the Combine, the re-signing of current Dolphins and the release of others, trades, more coaching changes, another celebrity minority owner or two, pro-days, the Draft, undrafted free agent signings, Rookie Camp, etc.

There is so much going on of interest and right in front of our eyes.  So why do we focus on things we didn't see, hear, or prove?  And why are we even worrying about it now?  Surely no decisions should or will be made until a plan is in place.   And for all the shouting for Porter to go, it serves only as a distraction from what we should be paying attention to, which are the options.  The Draft scouting, the free agent scouting, the brand new to Miami 'Capologist' (ridiculous job title) the new Defensive staff and scheme, the continued development of young players, the continued outreach to the community in an effort to raise funds for Haiti, Sean Smith's continual search for the best burrito in South Florida.  There is stuff going on people.  Oh yeah, the fact that not a single report on the Dolphins coaching staff's efforts/style at the Senior Bowl has come from the Miami media is another sign that they are distracted by gossip, rumor, and tabloid-reporting.

There is a time for all that stuff, it's called the Summer, when there's absolutely nothing going on other than the occasional rookie-contract signing.  But right now, I'd really appreciate some focus on the football.

One Down...89 to go.

Of the 90 or so football players attending the Senior Bowl week, it's likely that the Dolphins are paying attention to all of them, even if they don't play at a position of dire need.  You know they like to 'turn over rocks'.  Well the Senior Bowl week allows them to sit back and have the rocks roll downhill.  They get to see all sides without doing the heavy lifting.

But even at this early juncture it seems that 'heaviness' itself has actually caused the Dolphins, specifically Head Coach, Tony Sparano, to pass judgment on one of the players he is coaching on the South team.  And it's none other than Terrence Cody, the 370 pound Nose Tackle who helped push Alabama to the National Championship a few weeks ago.

 
Sparano was asked if Cody would need to lose weight to make it in the NFL.

"I play in a division where there's some pretty heavy people across the ball," Sparano said. "I would say that it's not for me to say what some of the other teams might consider too heavy or not too heavy and I think that when a team gets him into their system they'll make that evaluation one way or the other.

"I would say that he would have to lose a few for me."

I think it's fair to say that since Sparano made these comments to the media, he's using his usual down-playing verbage, and actually means that Cody would have to lose a LOT of weight rather than a few pounds.  The actual physique of Cody is another issue.  Jason Ferguson is not chiseled by any means, but he definitely is more muscle than fat.  Cody seems to have little musculature at all in his upper body.  

And if they wanted Paul Soliai to come down to 330-ish, then they'd probably want Cody to lose 30 or 40 lbs, which obviously isn't going to happen.  The guy knew he was going to get undressed in front of hundreds of people and get poked and prodded, and he actually turned up weighing more than people expected him to.

There are enough red flags and implications here to safely say that Cody would not be a safe draft pick, especially in the 1st round, and especially for the Dolphins.

Your thoughts?

Tin Bits - Tuesday, January 26th 2010

It wouldn't be Tin's Fins on a Tuesday if I didn't get a Tin Bits article out there, and surprisingly there is a lot of interesting stories out there this week.

• Wes Bunting of NFP had this to say about the Senior Bowl weigh-ins: "Alabama nose tackle Terrence Cody tipped the scales at a whopping 370 pounds and looked every bit of it...On the other hand, Tennessee defensive tackle Dan Williams carries his 329 pounds very well and possesses one of the thickest bases I have ever seen. The guy has a massive bubble, really powerful-looking thighs and looks built to sit into his stance and overwhelm inside."

• According to multiple reports, Bill Parcells is not attending the Senior Bowl week at all this year, but did attend at least some of the East-West Shrine Game week.  I wonder who he went to see there....Torrell Troup, maybe?

• Wisconsin OLB, O'Brien Schofield (#8 on my Top 10 OLB list) was named the Defensive MVP of the Shrine Game, and two days later tore an ACL in a Senior Bowl practice drill.  Schofield probably felt he had to show more of his conversion to LB, but in hindsight he should have gone out on a high note and waited for the combine/pro-days.  Now his draft stock will plummet.

• WalterFootball.com had this to say about converted QB, Joe Webb (#8 on my Top 10 QB list): "Former U.A.B. quarterback Joe Webb had a pretty good day as he attempts to make the transition to wide receiver. Webb is extremely raw, not very explosive and may not have natural hands but he was extremely physical. Not only did Webb show the ability to get off the line and beat the jam against guys like Taylor Mays and Nate Allen but he did it in a violent fashion. On one rep he simply threw Javier Arenas to the ground and on another he delivered a bona fide headslap to Taylor Mays. Later in the practice Webb drew cheers from the crowd as he beat Patrick Robinson on a deep pass, which may have been the day's biggest play."
  

• Florida State Safety and Rhodes Scholar, Myron Rolle, was said to have the body of a 'Greek God' at weigh-ins this week and in practice, "displayed excellent technique, used his hands well and did a nice job of jamming wideouts at the line".

• And one unidentified member of the Dolphins staff got visibly and audibly angry with USC Safety, Taylor Mays, after he delivered a crushing hit on a WR during practice.  Mays needs to save that stuff for the game, not the first day of practice in shells.

• Speaking of Dolphins' coaches, here is what Head Coach, Tony Sparano had to say about Mike Nolan replacing Paul Pasqualoni as Defensive Coordinator.  Nolan, by the way, is not working with the staff in Mobile this week.  He is probably relocating and doing Orientation classes, i.e. Sexual Harassment 101, OSHA training, etc.  You know, the kind of thing many of us have to do every year working in corporate America. - UPDATE:  Reader 'son of a son of shula' reports that Nolan was in fact on the field in Mobile.  I got my info from reports on Monday, so maybe he showed up late?
  

• There are now 3 confirmed mock drafts from established draft sites now listing Miami taking Jason Pierre-Paul with the 12th overall pick.  Mike Mayock of NFLN has ranked JPP as the top DE in the draft.  If he really is the top DE in the draft, then he will likely go in the top 15, but if he really is the top DE in the draft, then he won't be going to Miami, as they have no need for a 265 lb DE.  Since he is an underclassman, there will be no opportunity for him to showcase his ability to play 3-4 OLB in an All-Star game setting, thus he will be drafted per his game film, which is at DE in a 4-3.

• My #1 TE (who I actually class as a WR), Dorin Dickerson, is listed on the Senior Bowl roster as a fullback, an obvious conversion, but is getting lambasted by the media saying he can't get any separation.  How much separation does a full-back usually get?  Stay tuned on this one, as once the practices get more physical, I think he will start to gain more positive reviews.  Plus you really have to take these reports with a grain of salt.  For example I saw one report on Sean Weatherspoon that said he was "a strong filler that plays downhill from the middle very effectively. He struggled to move laterally in tight space however, he downright looked silly on the outside."  Well, that's odd considering he played predominantly outside at Missouri and was All Big Twelve at the position.

East-West Shrine Game Re-Cap A La Dolphin

I know what happened.  Some of you probably decided to watch the East West Shrine Game for the first time in your lives this year, got about 4 minutes into the 3rd quarter, and promptly fell asleep.  I don't blame you.  I struggled to keep my own eyes open after a late night and a morning filled with extravagant LEGO architectural planning and utterly incompetent construction.  

The first 3 quarters of the game were completely dominated by both defenses.  The East, in particular, completely shut down the game, led by South Florida's Kion Wilson, Connecticut's Lindsey Witten, and the pair of free safeties, Virgina Tech's Kam Chancellor (pictured above taking off the helmet of BYU tight end Dennis Pitta) and Eastern Carolina's Van Eskridge - but it was the West who finally broke the scoring drought in the 4th quarter and looked to have it all but wrapped up after blazing performances by a trio of tight-ends - namely, Pitta, Eastern Washington's Nathan Overbay, and UCLA's Ryan Moya.

Then, despite the low-scoring affair and the rough and tough front four that both teams had shown all game, the true purpose of the game itself came to light.  The scouts don't attend the games, they attend the practices, before packing up and moving on the the Senior Bowl, but they do watch the game tape, particularly to see competitiveness on the field.  And this year they will see a young Quarterback who may have just played his way onto an NFL team's draft board with his game-winning drive that showed he had nerves of steel and lots of potential.  Northwestern's Mike Kafka (pictured below) took possession of the ball with 1:49 left on the clock trailing by four points, and led his team on a 10 play drive that was capped by the game-winning touchdown pass to Penn State tight end, Andrew Quarless, with 6 seconds remaining.  During that time he showed excellent management of the clock, and he knew who to throw to when the game was on the line - Bowling Green WR Freddie Barnes.  He also made an incredible escape from a sure-sack.  It reminded me a bit of Big Ben.

It was a thrilling end to an otherwise unthrilling game.  However, there were several stand-out performances that should get some notice by the NFL.  Here are my risers and fallers:

RISERS

• Freddie Barnes, WR - Barnes showed his route running is immaculate and he's as sure-handed as they come.  Despite a lack of respect from the various Draft websites, Barnes is one of the top-tier receivers in the draft.  there's a reason this guy caught 155 passes in 2009.
• Kion Wilson, LB - Wilson hasn't been mentioned anywhere in the linebacker conversation, but like another South Florida linebacker a year ago (Tyrone McKenzie), the guy just gets downhill in a hurry and makes plays.  His size will hurt him, but he made the first 3 tackles of the game and showed he can play MLB.
• Mike Kafka, QB - I'd never seen this kid play before Saturday, and he was the only QB in the game who didn't look overwhelmed at times.  Romeo Crennel rotated the QBs twice, so no one had a great chance to get in a rhythm, but he definitely took advantage and learned from his 1st set of reps.  
• Lindsey Witten, DE - This UConn defender was constantly in the backfield and showed that a 6'4", 250lb player can stay on the D-line.  He made a wise choice not to switch to OLB like O'Brien Schofield did.
• Andrew Quarless, TE - He didn't get quite the opportunities and exposure as the West's tight-ends, but what Quarless did do was flex his muscles and show that he was the physical specimen of the game.  He and Darryl Clark must be absolute gym freaks up at Penn State.  And of course, showing your red zone prowess and composure is ultimately what he was there to do, and he did.
  
  
• Jamar Wall, CB - Wall looked cocky after every play, but he was making those plays, so he can talk.  He just entered the conversation.  I think I had him rated about 15th position-wise, but he showed even at 5'10" he can be disruptive and may have crept up to about 12th
  
• Van Eskridge, FS - Another player who was not really on my radar before the game.  Watch the highlights and see the way he plays 'center-fielder' for the INT.  He made a couple of good plays after that one as well.
• Rahim Alem, DE - Alem showed real corner-turning speed and ability in getting to the QB.  Fortunately for him the scouts will be watching official game tape instead of the TV presentation, as Alem made at least two big plays while the commentators were talking about Brian Griese's  illustrious career or the fact that there was nice weather in Orlando, FL.
  
• Kam Chancellor, FS - the knock on Chancellor was that he was too big to play safety.  He proved he can play safety, can cover, and, excuse my language, can knock the shit out of people.  He reminded me of why I liked him so much in 2008 with two bone-cracking hits and a redzone leaping deflection that forced a 4th down.
• Blair White, WR - There's a load of college WRs that get labeled as 'slot' receivers the second they enter the draft.  White showed he could line up outside, work the sidelines, and well as get underneath in zone coverage.  He led all receivers and backs with yards from scrimmage
  
• Torrell Troup, DT - Troup's name didn't get called a lot, but he absolutely destroyed any chance of the West running the ball up the middle.  On one play he just burst up the middle in about a millionth of a second to get to the running back in the backfield right at the moment of the handoff.  It's fair to say he was one of the main reasons the East's defensive ends look so good throughout the game.  
  

FALLERS

• All of the running backs.  They just couldn't get any running games going in this one.  I think QB scrambles accounted for 90% of the rushing totals.  Andre Dixon, Chris Brown and Javarris James were the only recognizable names, but they didn't impress.  James suffered from having Clark as the QB, who failed to connect with James on two screen passes.
• The QBs not named Mike Kafka.  Other than a little glimmer of hope from Max Hall on his final drive, his favoring his college tight end, Pitta, showed that he was afraid to go elsewhere with the ball.  Clark showed his inaccuracy, at one point missing an open Freddie Barnes on the goal line, resulting in a near INT instead of a sure TD.  Todd Reesing played horribly (though he was the top rusher in the game) and came into the game weighing 188 lbs.  His chances of a pro-career are just about shot.
• Joe Pawelek, LB - My 6th ranked LB failed to impress.  With both the East and West defensive lines owning most of the game, it was surprising to not see more big plays from linebackers.

You may have noticed I didn't put Dennis Pitta in my 'Risers' section despite him having probably the best game of any offensive player.  Well the reason for that was I already had him ranked as the 4th best TE in the draft.  I feel he played as well as that and thus doesn't drop or rise on my board.

Next up is the Senior Bowl which includes 3 dozen players from my Top Ten lists.  One of them, Alabama's Terrence Cody, has just weighed in at 370 lbs, thus has already made my 'Fallers' list before the week even gets going.

2010 Draft – Tinshaker’s Top 10 by Position Projections - DEFENSIVE END

Well, despite being out sick this week, and being under deluge of winter storms, I actually have here the final Top Ten list posted before the deadline I set for myself which was the end of the day on Friday.

That's because, you see, tomorrow is the first All-Star game, and of the 109 prospects I've listed in the past two weeks, a whopping 13 of them will be playing in the East-West Shrine game on the 23rd. Of the remaining 96, a whopping 30 are confirmed to play in the Senior Bowl on the 30th.  A surprise attendee of the Senior Bowl is Myron Rolle, the 2009 graduate of Florida State who chose to accept a Rhodes scholarship and put off the Draft for a year.

So enjoy the final list, keeping in mind that in a 3-4 defense there is always some crossover between DE, DT, and OLB and it's too early to guarantee where any of these players will line up in the NFL.

2010 Draft – Tinshaker’s Top 10 by Position Projections - OUTSIDE LINEBACKER

It wouldn't surprise me if the Dolphins did not make an attempt at picking up a big name OLB this offseason.  They got another camp body in Brian Johnston, and they have a stable of young players in Wake, Walden, Moses, and Anderson.  They may choose to keep both Porter and Taylor as well.  Another camp body or two and we'd have a full menu.  But it all depends on what Coach Sparano and Mike Nolan come up with as their initial proposal to a defensive scheme.  This would give Jeff Ireland a sense of direction in which players to keep and/or pursue.

In any event, the Coaches are likely to be tempted by what they see at the Senior Bowl next week as well.  I also feel that the addition of a dynamic inside linebacker and a few tweaks to blitz schemes would greatly decrease the need to get another top-price pass-rusher this year.

While I welcome the addition of any of the players on the list below, I really do feel that we already have a future Pro-Bowl talent at pass rusher in Cameron Wake.  In a way I suppose I'm saying I'd rather draft a run-stopper than a pass-rusher in this category, though it would be nice to have someone who can do both.

2010 Draft – Tinshaker’s Top 10 by Position Projections - OFFENSIVE LINE

I'll be the first to admit that offensive line is something that I pay attention to, but never really enjoy thinking about.  I'm not into high-priced free agents, or top draft picks.  I just want some 300-plus pound men to stand in a line and block somebody.  I don't care if they make $10 mil a year or $400k.  Just block your guy.  But for the sake of a Top Ten listing, here goes: