Mobile; Tuesday; January 21, 2020 …The scene has changed from St. Petersburg to Mobile, AL. I drove the 480 miles today and joined the throng of football junkies here for the Senior Bowl. Funny thing, I ran into some very cold southern weather on the way.
The only event for today was a Press Conference conducted by JIM NAGY, Executive Director of the Senior Bowl. Just as a reminder, NAGY was himself an NFL Scout before taking his current position overseeing this venue.
For those of you who are not quite as hardcore as some of us, the team rosters have fluctuated greatly over the past week or so. It is an annual occurrence that as the game gets closer, some of the players announce that they will NOT be attending the game. Quite often, it is because of an injury situation, (often incurred during a bowl game), or an agent advising his new client not to risk injury here, but to go straight to his performance camp to prep for the Combine. It can be rather discouraging as big name players disappear from roster sheets, but NAGY keeps a stiff upper lip and has assured us this is still a very talented collection. He admitted that the 10 first rounders from last year’s roster’s will be tough to achieve, but he does think the figure of 93 out of 115 from last year may be able to be duplicated. I am not convinced of his optimism being a reality, but we shall see. Seeing is believing, and that’s why we are here.
The presser was opened up to questions from the media present, which I would estimate at close to 100 strong.
He feels that JUSTIN HERBERT/QB/Oregon might be considered as a diamond still waiting to be finished. Because of multiple sports and heavy academic interests, NAGY feels like more training and QB technique work will refine HERBERT’s skills considerably. I’m translating his comments to indicate that the upside for HERBERT may be rather high.
He’s also looking to the work from the Utah seniors on the current rosters. There are 4 Utes currently in town, and NAGY is intrigued by the potential as a pass-rusher of BRAD ANAE, who may not be as flashy as some, but whose college stats cannot be questioned.
NAGY also expressed excitement about local Alabama native LAMICAL PERINE/RB/Florida, who was last seen holding the MOP Trophy at the Orange Bowl. He truly feels that PERINE has the potential to be an even better pro player than a collegian.
My ears perked up when he flatly proclaimed that he expects BRANDON AIYUK/WR, Arizona State to be a certain 1st Rounder. He stated that he considers Aiyuk to have more pro potential than his former teammate N’KEAL HARRY, drafted last year by the Patriots.
He expressed fascination with former high school basketball star ALEX TAYLOR/OT/S.C. State, who is estimated to stand 6’8 or more. We will find out his exact numbers Tuesday morning at the weigh-in. His initial scouting reports indicate that with time and coaching, TAYLOR has the athleticism to translate into a starting NFL LT.
ADAM TRAUTMAN/TE/Dayton is another small school star who fascinates his scouting staff. JIM got a call last Fall from his scout that was at a Dayton game to watch TRAUTMAN. He called JIM on his cell to report that he was moving on to his next school sooner than expected. He was leaving the Dayton game early, having checked all the boxes on TRAUTMAN, who had scored 4 TD’s in the first half of his game.
Scouting reports on his staff have also been very high on JOSH JONES/OT/Houston, who he feels could show enough in the coming months to warrant a first round call.
Despite disappointment that some of the bigger name players were dropping out, NAGY expressed enthusiasm for the group of smaller school prospects still in the game. Key among them may be JEREMY CHINN/S/Southern Illinois; BEN BARTCH/OL/St. John’s (MN), and KYLE DUGGER/S/Lenoir-Rhyne.
Brief interviews were held featuring JALEN HURTS/QB/Oklahoma and JAVON KINLAW/DL, South Carolina.
Pigskin Paul Guillemette
