MOBILE, Ala. -- Here's what the scouts are saying after watching practices for the 2002 Senior Bowl:
Injury update: DE Dwight Freeney's MRI results have not been released, but his left ankle sprain will keep him out of Saturday's game. His future's too big to risk playing.
North practice -- Jan. 23
Defensive lineman Justin Bannan from Colorado looked good in the one-on-one drills. His attitude was great. He's aggressive and plays hard. Bannan's got a motor that doesn't stop -- something that teams love.
North Carolina DL Ryan Sims again showed strength, power and explosiveness. They had a hard time blocking him.
Oregon DB Rashad Bauman really showed up today making a number of nice plays. He exhibited good speed, quickness, ball skills and instincts. His height is still an issue, but he was around the ball all day.
Keyuo Craver, the Nebraska DB, showed good bursts and feet. He gave up a long pass down the sideline today to Ron Johnson that he could have made a better play on the ball. But Craver's got the size and corner skills to be a first round pick. He's looked good in all the practices.
Coy Wire, who played linebacker at Stanford, lined up at free safety and is really doing a good job. He's got great football instincts and awareness. He read the quarterback well and broke on the ball effectively. Wire's such a smart kid that he's picking up the position quickly. He'll make a team because of special teams and his intelligence.
Colorado DB Michael Lewis was very fluid in the hips and showed good speed. He did an excellent job of coverage in one-on-one drills.
Ohio State OL LeCharles Bentley was dominant at center. His strong hands, great balance and good feet were impressive. Bentley's improved each day.
Northwestern DE Napoleon Harris, showed good quickness. He's a muscular kid who is working as a linebacker. He looks lost at times because he hasn't played the position in a year or so (he switched to DE this season), but he keeps improving. Harris is gaining confidence each day.
Sam Houston State QB Josh McCown, who replaced Joey Harrington on the roster, continued to do a nice job. He made some nice throws and was more consistent. McCown looked much more comfortable in the environment. He did throw one pick in the red zone where he didn't read the safety, but that will be overcome with experience. His accuracy was improved.
Ladell Betts, the running back from Iowa, exhibited good run skills. He showed good speed around the corner during team drills. In the one-on-one drills against the linebackers, he ran good routes and caught the ball well. His receiving ability will really improve his draft status.
RB Jonathan Wells from Ohio State also showed good speed around the corner and straight line run skills. He shocked a lot of people with his speed.
South practice -- Jan. 23
Fred Weary (Tennessee), Kendall Simmons (Auburn) and Levi Jones (Arizona State) really stood out again today. All three of them dominated in the pass rush drills -- no defensive lineman came close to beating them. They showed good balance, good explosiveness and the ability to sit down and stop a bull rush. Their performances were among the best on the field and not just amongst the offensive linemen.
Kelly Campbell, the wide receiver from Georgia Tech, had a good day. He made a nice diving catch on a deep post route. Tim Carter, the receiver from Auburn, continued to impress. He can run very well and continues to help position himself for the draft.
LB Rocky Calmus showed tremendous instincts again. He can really find the ball. He just needs to get bigger, stronger and more physical. He needs to get his weight up from 229 pounds and be able to bench 225 a bunch of times before the NFL combine next month.
Seth McKinney (Texas A&M) did OK as a long snapper. He needs to get stronger and more explosive to handle the bigger guys.
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