Senior Bowl 2019 Attention Getters

February 4, 2019

Now let’s turn our attention back to the Senior Bowl and take a look at a half dozen players who certainly surprised me with their praise worthy efforts in Mobile. Game film from last season will still be the main influence in determining their value to perspective NFL teams, but getting extra attention at this time of year always has a high value. Names appear alphabetically, not in any sequence of performance.

DESHAUN DAVIS IB AUBURN 5’113/231
The slightly short DAVIS was an absolute tackling machine at Auburn, but the question coming into Mobile was whether he had the all-important ability to play in reverse, and handle coverage responsibilities. He was insistent in every interview opportunity to assert that he could handle such assignments, and be more than a running-down player. Certainly, a week’s work does not confirm or deny his self-confidence in his athleticism, but he looked, at least, adequate in all that he was asked to do, and on game day, guess what? He flew around the field, and was in on 8 tackles to tie teammate HANKS for the game high. He’s still not an elite athlete, but I feel better about his being drafted late April, than I did listening to him in the week opening presser.

KEELAN DOSS WR CAL-DAVIS 6’2/207
NFL radar has been on this smaller school player since the end of his 2017 season. He was one of the top dozen, or so, small-school prospects back when this past season began. After first accepting an invite to play at the Shrine venue, he accepted a “late” invite to join the Senior Bowl party. His first positive impression came at the weigh-in on Tuesday. He was a well proportioned physical specimen, with a solid height/weight combo. His 9″ hands were adequate, though not exciting to scouts, but his 33″ arms, combined with 6’2 height, indicated a large catch radius. I felt that he dropped a few too many balls during practice sessions, but also made some nice grabs. His speed and route running also looked above average, to my eyes. Come game day, he made his mark with 4 receptions for 55 yards, including a long catch/run of 21 yards. With his overall size, his speed/quickness numbers at the Combine will go a long way in determining how high he goes in the Draft. He’s got a shot at a Top 100 selection spot, IMO.

CHUMA EDOGA OT SOUTHERN CAL 6’036/303
When I first saw EDOGA’s name on the website, seniorbowl.com , my reaction was “Why? Then I decided that some team’s scout had requested an invite for him so they could see him work out as an OG. Surely, at less than 300 lbs. and under 6’4, he couldn’t be a serious OT prospect. Then at the weigh-in, he was over 300, looked solidly built, and was almost 6’4, but what really caught my attention were his 34 7/8″ arms and 81″+ wingspan, so I watched him a few times in drill work, and he was above average in form and productivity. He was also significantly quicker in his footwork in pass-pro, and looked like a natural knee bender. EDOGA did exactly what you hope a prospect does during a week in Mobile. I would give him a hard look if he’s still on the board in Round 4.

TRAVIS FULGHAM WR OLD DOMINION 6’023/210
I’m not going to proclaim FULGHAM as the find of the week, but I am going to tell you that for another guy that I had written off as the bottom of the WR totem pole, he makes for an incredibly long receiver when it comes to 50/50 and back-shoulder throws. He looks longer, and slimmer, than his numbers indicate. He also has 9 3/8″ hands and 34 3/4″ arms, like an OT should have. He made some nice catches during the week, and also dropped a few, of course. I would consider him a project, but his size numbers may buy him time, at the bottom of an NFL roster, to develop his skills a bit. Round 5/6 range in my eyes.

TYREE JACKSON QB BUFFALO 6’7/249 JR
I believe the Draftnik consensus take on JACKSON, was that he had the big arm and above average athleticism, but we all questioned his accuracy and ability to read the field, based on his overall collegiate play. He showed both, the good and the bad, during practices, but that arm strength, and better accuracy than many of us expected, was changing some minds. Then on game day, he came in late, with his team down, and led a couple of serious TD drives to tighten up the score a bit. On game day, he went 13/21- 62%- 2 TD’s- 1 INT. We saw it all, including the potential. Despite some skepticism overall, no one in my core group felt that he did not have long range pro starter potential.

CHARLES OMENIHU DE TEXAS 6’055/274
Overall, OMENIHU was one of the most intriguing personalities at the Senior Bowl. He was poised and articulate at the media luncheon. He wowed with his numbers and appearance at the weigh-in, and of course, he flashed on-field during practices. He had incredible numbers for length. He had 36 1/2″ arms, (longest of all players), and a massive wingspan of 84 3/4″, which trailed only giant UDOH by 1/4″. Those are the kind of numbers that scouts want to see in an edge rusher. He scored points from scouts in the game with 3 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 Sack, 1 FF. I would also guess that he scored some points in interviews, with his intelligent comments and self-confidence. He should test out very well at the Combine. He should be a 2nd Round Pick, with a chance to push himself into late Round 1.

TONY POLLARD RB/WR/RS MEMPHIS 5’115/200 JR
I think this guy is one of the most intriguing all purpose weapons in this draft class, and unlike many multi-purpose guys, he has enough size to not have touches tightly watched/limited. A couple of seasons ago, he led college football by averaging just over 40-yards per kick return. He was listed as a RB on the North roster. His 9 1/2″ hands are helpful as a ball carrier and a receiver. I also think the Combine will prove him to be fast and explosive. He showed his jack-of-all-trades ability in game action, with 60 yards rushing at 7.5 ypc & 1 TD, 2 receptions for 13 yards, and 1 KR for 16 yards. For NFL teams looking for weapons on Offense, I think POLLARD may see his value grow as the Draft approaches.

ROCK YA-SIN CB TEMPLE 5’116/189
The small school transfer helped his cause with a very solid season for the Owls, thus earning himself a Senior Bowl invite. He has average size for the CB spot with very nice hand size at 9 3/4”. He’s spindly through the legs, but showed exceptional change of direction work. He’s not going to lead his team in tackles, but is not afraid to get involved in run support. He was tough for receivers to gain separation from. He is reputed to have almost blazing speed, which we’ll see for ourselves at the Combine. ROCK had a very productive week in Mobile!

Just in case any of these guys were not on your Draft Watch list… I thought you should be made aware of them for scouting purposes.

Cheers

Pigskin