Wednesday


Afternoon Practice


At wide receiver, both Donnie Avery and Andre Caldwell have been the most impressive so far this week. They both have improved their stock and are now among the top senior wide receivers in this year's draft.


Matt Forte, running back from Tulane, is a strong, powerful player. He looks like an NFL running back and could have a shot at being a productive fantasy player next year.


Andre Woodson continues to impress me. His drops have been nice, he's got a strong arm, and he takes care of the football. I'd have no problem with taking him in the 1st Round of this year's draft.


Brandon Coutu is looking good as the kicker from Georgia was drilling balls from 48 yards out. He's the top kicker in a class that doesn't have a true superstar. Could he be 2008's Nick Folk for fantasy owners? Possibly, but I also wouldn't put it past the North Team's kicker Alexis Serna, who only stands 5 foot 6 and weighs 170 lbs.


Morning Practice


Chad Henne is raising his draft stock more than anyone so far this week. He's shown a very strong arm, had great accuracy, and showed to me that he is capable of throwing the ball on the run. I wouldn't be shocked if he snuck into the 2nd Round come April.


Dorien Bryant, the wide receiver from Purdue looked good today. He was running some nice routes and looks like he could be a great slot receiver at the next level. He's being projected as a Mid-Round pick.


Eddie Royal and Lavelle Hawkins continue to shine. They are both doing everything right and have both raised their draft stock. Hawkins seems like he'd be a good #2 receiver at the next level and Royal seems more like borderline #2 or #3 receiver.


Justin Forsett was impressive today. He catches the ball well and is a nice little scatback. He's being projected as a Mid-Late Round pick due to so many juniors coming out.


Adarius Bowman improved today. He didn't drop as many balls as in previous days and he also showed how he is nice redzone target when he went up in the endzone and came down with the ball.


Tuesday


Afternoon Practice


Early Doucet is a player to keep an eye on. The former LSU Tiger and National Championship winner was impressive today as he looked like a player that was worthy of being a 1st Round pick in this year's draft. In fantasy leagues, he's a player that I'd consider for Dynasty or Rookie leagues.


Houston's Donnie Avery is another receiver that I would look at, as his speed and athleticism could really help a team at the next level. He is also a very good returner, so that should help his fantasy value in terms of defense/special teams.


While Andre Woodson likely won't begin the year as a starting quarterback, he has all of the tools to be a great quarterback at the next level. He'd be a player that I would really consider stashing away on a dynasty league team or in a rookie league draft.


Morning Practice


From a Fantasy perspective, Chris Johnson from East Carolina has really impressed me. His speed is among the elite down here and he is really showing the scouts why he is being projected by some as the top senior running back in this year's draft. I think he has the potential to be a great player at the next level and his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield is going to be a huge plus for the team that drafts him.


Adarius Bowman continues to struggle as he dropped at least another three balls today. I don't know if it's a lack of concentration or just nerves, but he's definitely not helping his draft stock so far this week. Fantasy wise, Bowman isn't as much a player that I would like at this year in regular drafts, but in dynasty and rookie leagues, I'd say he'd be a nice Mid-Round prospect.


Eddie Royal and Lavelle Hawkins have both looked great so far this week. They have the potential to be a nice #2 or #3 receiver at the next level. It also helps that they both have nice return skills, so that should help their stock. They have a chance to have an impact fantasy wise at receiver and for the defense/special teams that they are drafted to.


At quarterback, Chad Henne has had the best two days of practice so far. He's looked very poised and has done a great job of delivering the ball on time. He's had some really nice looking throws. Joe Flacco has looked pretty good as well. I think he could use some coaching on his footwork as his drops seem to take longer than the other quarterbacks.


John David Booty hasn't really impressed, but he has disappointed. He's looked like an average quarterback that should be a Mid-Late Round selection, which is what he is. While none of these quarterbacks will likely start next year, I think that both Henne and Flacco are players to look at in dynasty or rookie leagues. Flacco likely ahead of Henne, but with the way Henne's been playing this week, it could be a lot closer.


Monday


For the first practice of the week, I headed to Ladd-Pebbles Stadium to see the North team. Overall, the defensive lineman impressed me the most. There were a few that really struggled, while there were a couple of receivers that really looked good. Here's a look at which player's stood out the most today:

Sedrick Ellis DT USC: There's a reason that Ellis is being projected as a lock for the Top 10 of this year's draft. His strength is unbelievable, and to see it in person is really a treat. He literally overpowered his opponent at least two or three times today. I was very impressed with him and expect him to be among the top players taken this year.

Kentwan Balmer DT North Carolina: Balmer is a player that a lot of people don't know about; however, that should change pretty quickly. Balmer possessed a nice combination of quickness and strength today as he he was another defensive lineman that had a great day. I really like his quick hands and his ability to find the ball.

Eddie Royal WR Virginia Tech: Royal had a few grabs today that were just sick. On one play he put a double move on the defender and sprinted up to the field to catch the ball in the back of the end zone. In another play he made a circus-like catch over a defender that had slipped to the ground, as got two feet down in bounds. He really opened some eyes today.

Lavelle Hawkins WR California: Hawkins really displayed his ability to make plays today as he made a few acrobatic catches that most other receivers wouldn't be able to make. He showed good quickness and nice elusiveness in the open field.

Thomas DeCoud S California: DeCoud quietly had a nice practice. I really like his ability to quickly get in and out of his breaks. He also showed nice hands in some of the individual drills for the defensive backs.

DeMario Pressley DT NC State: I really like Pressley's quickness. He showed this today when he, on back-to-back plays, gave the lineman a quick juke-move and got into the backfield. He also showed quick hands.

Gosder Cherilus OT Boston College: Cherilus was a beast today as he, from what I saw, didn't lose a single one-on-one battle with a defensive lineman. He has great size and showed the quickness and athleticism that you look for in a top offensive lineman. He also, at times, lined up at right tackle. I was very impressed with him today.

Adams S Michigan: Adams struggled at times in coverage today, which really worries me, but he did have a couple of plays where he literally would have been on the "jacked up" highlight reel. On one play, West Virginia fullback Owen Schmitt caught the ball out of the backfield, turned up and field, and Adams was there to deliver the blow. Adams hit him so hard that Schmitt's helmet went flying off in the other direction. Adams' big hits today made up for his struggles in coverage.

Adarius Bowman WR Oklahoma State: I was really unimpressed by Bowman today. He clearly showed his athleticism, which was nice, but he dropped at least three very catchable balls. This did not bode well for him and he had better step it up the rest of the week.

Charles Godfrey CB Iowa, Terrence Wheatley CB Colorado: Both of these guys had a bit of a tough day. They both seemed to struggle a bit in coverage and each of them dropped a few passes in the individual drills. They both showed flashes at times, but overall they didn't have that great of a day.

Drew Radovich OG USC: Radovich did not have a good day today as he really struggled in the one-on-one drills against the defensive lineman. He had a lot of trouble with Kentwan Balmer and DeMario Pressley. It'll be interesting to see how he does the rest of the week.