There were a number of standouts on the defensive line during the week in Mobile. Marcus Spears of LSU entered the week amongst a pretty solid defensive end group, and he ended the weak as possibly the top defensive tackle in the entire draft. He checked in at 6’3 302lbs, and was great in drills all week. With that extra weight, teams may feel his best position may be inside at tackle, and with the draft looking relatively weak at that position, he may have made himself the top player on the board at that position. Anttaj Hawthorne of Wisconsin solidified his stock in the late first, early second round with his performance this week. He didn’t dominate, but he held up well at the point, and displayed nice quickness for an interior player. Bill Swancutt had a very good week too. He impressed with his attitude all week, then finished the week with a great game, showing the ability to consistently pressure the QB. Matt Roth of Iowa is a guy that many people were impressed with. I think he had a solid week and game, but I am not as impressed as others are. Roth has one pass rush move, and with his lack of bulk, the bull rush is not going to cut it in the NFL. He also has only one goal in mind on the field, and that was to rush the passer. On numerous occasions, he would overpursue or overrun a play he could have made because he was so intent on getting upfield to the passer. Tackle Mike Patterson of USC was hurt the most by the measurements. He came in less than 6’ tall, and is officially 5’11. People knew he was short, but he is going to have some work to do in workouts to show he can play despite his lack of height.

No player in the Senior Bowl impressed me more than San Diego St. linebacker Kirk Morrison. Morrison was everywhere and displayed great all around ability. Morrison displayed excellent closing speed, great reaction to plays, and was great in one on one tackling situations. He is a solid second rounder after this week. Demarcus Ware of Troy is a combo end/linebacker, but his future appears to be at OLB in a 3-4 scheme. He displayed fantastic athleticism all week, and was all around the field in the game. He even made an impact on special teams. He too looks to have solidified himself in the 2nd round with his performance this week. Lance Mitchell did nothing to hurt himself as the top ILB in the draft, displaying impressive speed and ability to play in space. Al Fincher of UConn was very impressive this week too. He is very good at moving forward and making plays in the running game, and is a player teammates seem to rally around. He is a borderline Day 1 draft pick right now.

In the secondary, there were some surprising performances, and one player that left the week reeling. Bryant McFadden of Florida St. had a great week, and has solidified himself in the second round of this years draft. Darrent Williams, an undersized corner out of Oklahoma St. displayed very good cover ability, and should hear his name called on Day 1. Ronald Bartell of Howard came into the week with a chance to really shoot up boards, and while he didn’t disappoint, he did little to raise his stock also. He is impressive physically, but he is so raw as a corner that he spent some time at safety. He’s a long term project at the next level, but he is definitely talented. Travis Daniels of LSU had a very good week, and was quicker than most thought he was. He was much more impressive than his college teammate Corey Webster, who really did some damage to his stock this week. Webster lacks a lot of polish, and was beaten routinely this week. He’s got the physical ability, but he really needs work at the next level. He entered the game as a top corner, and he may have left the week being a late second, early third rounder. At the safety position, Jamaal Brimmer was unimpressive in practice. He was beaten easily in cover drills, but once the game came around, it was a different story. Brimmer was everywhere, attacking the ball upfield and making some solid tackles. He’s simply a gamer, but he may suffer with the games all over from here on out. It’s workouts now, and he is not a physical specimen that will impress. Junior Rosegreen of Auburn stood out during the week, but at 5’11 190, it raises questions about his ability to be a starting strong safety at the next level. Georgia Tech’s James Butler had an up and down week of practice, but had a nice pick on the first pass from Kyle Orton. He is impressive physically, but he needs to put it together on a more consistent basis.

Senior Bowl week is a great chance to see these players one last time before they are drafted, and overall, the players did a very good job of not hurting their draft stock. It’s all workouts and interviews from here on out.

BMG can attest, I\'ve had a football crush on Lance Mitchell for a while now. Wouldn\'t hurt my feelings to nab him in the 2nd. Before his injury, he was clocked at a 4.4/40, if my memory serves me correctly. :drool: