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By David Ubben
If you haven't been keeping track of our Senior Bowl blog, you should be. Our draft analysts -- Todd McShay, Steve Muench and Kevin Weidl -- are down in Mobile, Ala.,* providing daily updates from practices, and they've had plenty to say about a lot of talents in attendance.
So far this week, two former Big 12ers have emerged as the most impressive players at the Senior Bowl:
Writes Todd McShay in our Senior Bowl buzz:
Each year, there are players who separate themselves from the pack. They enter the week among the handful of players with first-round grades, but they quickly emerge as the elite class. ...While there have been just two practices this year, Texas A&M OLB Von Miller and Colorado OT Nate Solder are well on their way to joining that list. ...From what we see on the field and what we're hearing about their interviews off it, Miller and Solder are standing out the most this week. ... [Miller] was allowed to leave the LBs and join the D-linemen for one-on-one pass rush drills Tuesday, and it was impressive. He was unstoppable against players who are expected to go in the first two days of the draft.
... On the other side of the ball, Solder continues to be dominant. The thing that's impressed me is how stong he's been at the point of attack and finishing. We knew about his size and natural feet, and he's been all those things, but he's been nasty this week and it's been good to see. There are no cheap shots, but a couple of times when he could have finished a play a little easier, he just finished the guy.
There's plenty more about both players on our buzz page.
Here's a little more about the Big 12 seniors.
On Oklahoma running back DeMarco Murray:
"Murray, who measured in at 6 feet and 214 pounds, is lean in the lower body. That could explain why he gets tripped up and goes down too easily. He has to get stronger in his lower body and also needs to learn to run with his legs higher. He's had that problem throughout his career and we saw it today as well. But he has the best burst and was the most explosive of the North running backs. He hit a crease faster than the other backs. During one-on-one passing drills, he looks like a wide receiver. He runs crisp routes, knows how to separate, has strong hands and makes it look effortless."
On Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller:
"Texas A&M LB Von Miller went down with the linemen to rush the passer in one-on-ones and was lights out. He's so quick around the corner and the blockers had no chance."
On Baylor offensive tackle Danny Watkins:
"Baylor OG Danny Watkins is a technician on the inside. He is very good at sliding and mirroring defenders to stay in front of them. He got a little chippy at the end of plays, too."
On Texas defensive end Sam Acho:
"Texas DT Sam Acho lacks quickness and power. He was shut out in one-on-ones, going 0-for-7 in the drill. Tough session for him."
On Nebraska receiver/tight end Mike McNeill:
"Nebraska TE Mike NcNeill lined up at fullback and did a good job of getting into position at the second level. He took good angles and made the blocks."
A couple other notes:
Originally posted by ESPN.com - Big 12 Blog
Click here to view the article.
If you haven't been keeping track of our Senior Bowl blog, you should be. Our draft analysts -- Todd McShay, Steve Muench and Kevin Weidl -- are down in Mobile, Ala.,* providing daily updates from practices, and they've had plenty to say about a lot of talents in attendance. So far this week, two former Big 12ers have emerged as the most impressive players at the Senior Bowl:
Writes Todd McShay in our Senior Bowl buzz:
Each year, there are players who separate themselves from the pack. They enter the week among the handful of players with first-round grades, but they quickly emerge as the elite class. ...While there have been just two practices this year, Texas A&M OLB Von Miller and Colorado OT Nate Solder are well on their way to joining that list. ...From what we see on the field and what we're hearing about their interviews off it, Miller and Solder are standing out the most this week. ... [Miller] was allowed to leave the LBs and join the D-linemen for one-on-one pass rush drills Tuesday, and it was impressive. He was unstoppable against players who are expected to go in the first two days of the draft.
... On the other side of the ball, Solder continues to be dominant. The thing that's impressed me is how stong he's been at the point of attack and finishing. We knew about his size and natural feet, and he's been all those things, but he's been nasty this week and it's been good to see. There are no cheap shots, but a couple of times when he could have finished a play a little easier, he just finished the guy.
There's plenty more about both players on our buzz page.
Here's a little more about the Big 12 seniors.
On Oklahoma running back DeMarco Murray:
"Murray, who measured in at 6 feet and 214 pounds, is lean in the lower body. That could explain why he gets tripped up and goes down too easily. He has to get stronger in his lower body and also needs to learn to run with his legs higher. He's had that problem throughout his career and we saw it today as well. But he has the best burst and was the most explosive of the North running backs. He hit a crease faster than the other backs. During one-on-one passing drills, he looks like a wide receiver. He runs crisp routes, knows how to separate, has strong hands and makes it look effortless."
On Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller:
"Texas A&M LB Von Miller went down with the linemen to rush the passer in one-on-ones and was lights out. He's so quick around the corner and the blockers had no chance."
On Baylor offensive tackle Danny Watkins:
"Baylor OG Danny Watkins is a technician on the inside. He is very good at sliding and mirroring defenders to stay in front of them. He got a little chippy at the end of plays, too."
On Texas defensive end Sam Acho:
"Texas DT Sam Acho lacks quickness and power. He was shut out in one-on-ones, going 0-for-7 in the drill. Tough session for him."
On Nebraska receiver/tight end Mike McNeill:
"Nebraska TE Mike NcNeill lined up at fullback and did a good job of getting into position at the second level. He took good angles and made the blocks."
A couple other notes:
- Colorado offensive tackle Nate Solder measured at 6-foot-8 1/4, the tallest player at the Senior Bowl.
- Baylor defensive tackle Phil Taylor weighed in at 337 pounds, the heaviest player at the Senior Bowl, but impressed scouts with the way he carried the weight.
Originally posted by ESPN.com - Big 12 Blog
Click here to view the article.