First we have several from Walter Football, where Charlie Campbell is doing a fine job covering the action in person.
So do want a Watkins in this draft? Sammy might be out of reach but his brother, a CB is not:
WalterFootball.com: 2014 Senior Bowl Practice Report
Florida cornerback Jaylen Watkins also had a good day. He moves well and has some agility to go with speed. That shouldn't be surprising considering he's the brother of Sammy Watkins, but the Gators have been loaded at corner in recent years so Watkins has flown under the radar. Watkins was beaten by Tulane's Ryan Grant deep and had to resort to a pass interference to break up a pass. He came back to have tight coverage on a number of plays. In the team scrimmage, he blanketed Jordan Matthews running a go route down the sideline to force an incompletion. Watkins also blew up a wide receiver screen and was able to slap the ball out for a forced fumble. Watkins is an interesting sleeper to keep an eye. He has athleticism, but needs to improve his ability to play the ball.
So wondering who the Panthers have talked too? First we heard they met with LB Adrian Hubbard from Alabama. Now we have two more players they have met with, both Badgers from Wisconsin:
WalterFootball.com: 2014 Senior Bowl Prospect Meetings Report
Carolina Panthers - Wisconsin linebacker Chris Borland and Wisconsin wide receiver Jared Abbrederis.
Anyone know anything about these guys?
Here's a DT that is getting raves from all in attendance:
WalterFootball.com: 2014 Senior Bowl Practice Report
Pitt defensive tackle Aaron Donald completed his phenomenal week of practice with another dominant session. Donald couldn't be stopped in the pass rushing one-on-ones. He got started by burning Baylor guard Cyril Richardson with a speed rush. He used some power and then speed to get by Utah State's Tyler Larsen. Donald showed great hand usage to shed a block from Tennessee State's Kadeem Edwards with speed to burst away. Edwards and Clemson's Brandon Thomas were able to get some draws against Donald by stuffing bull rushes. Donald got penetration, but not enough to get to the quarterback marker. During the team scrimmage, Donald blew by Edwards to get a tackle for a loss on a run play. Donald has been one of the best players in Mobile and has made himself a lot of money this week. His pass-rushing skills as a three technique are very rare and he could be a potential double-digit sacker in the NFL.
He sounds like this year's Kawann Short.
Another list a player meetings though the Panthers are not included. So here's who the Falcons met with if we want to play spoiler:
WalterFootball.com: 2014 Senior Bowl Prospect Meetings Report
New Orleans Saints - Georgia Tech linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu, Mississippi State guard Gabe Jackson, San Jose State quarterback David Fales and Liberty cornerback Walt Aikens.
CSR favorite WR Jordan Matthews made an impression yesterday:
WalterFootball.com: 2014 Senior Bowl Practice Report
Patton and Vanderbilt's Jordan Matthews did well on Wednesday. Patton was using his speed to get some separation and made some nice catches downfield. Matthews showed his ability to work the short to intermediate part of the field. He beat Georgia Southern cornerback Lavelle Westbrooks on a slant for a nice gain. However, Florida cornerback Jaylen Watkins continued his strong week by blanketing Matthews to force a pass breakup.
More on the Falcons and their interest in an OT:
WalterFootball.com: 2014 Senior Bowl Rumor Mill
Don't be surprised if the Atlanta Falcons draft Miami offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson in the mid rounds. Falcons offensive line coach Mike Tice has been giving Henderson a lot of extra attention in practice this week. Henderson and Tice both hail from Minnesota, and as one contact from Minnesota said, "there are so few of us guys from Minnesota in this industry, we kind of stick together and look out for another." Henderson needs a firm hand to give him some guidance and discipline. Tice, a big man who commands respect with the experience of being a player and head coach, is the perfect mentor to straighten out the gifted Henderson. The Falcons have stated that they want to get bigger and more physical on the offensive line. Henderson would provide a lot of upside to develop. Tice and Atlanta would be a perfect landing spot for Henderson, and those stars could be aligning.
From the rumor mill I can see the Panthers falling into a trade back scenario with a team wanting to jump back into the first round to grab a QB:
WalterFootball.com: 2014 Senior Bowl Rumor Mill
There are quarterback-needy teams that are picking high in the first round that like Johnny Manziel as a player, but are afraid of drafting him because of the off-the-field concerns. Manziel's party lifestyle is scary to a lot of teams that can't afford to blow a top-10 pick. Even teammates and coaches at Texas A&M are unsure of how Manziel is going to react when he has millions in his bank account and is an instant celebrity as a NFL quarterback. Those concerns about Manziel are causing some teams to view Teddy Bridgewater and Blake Bortles as safer picks even though they like Manziel's game. Manziel could mitigate that damaged reputation by interviewing well with teams at the Combine and on team visits.
Another OT that could be in play for the Panthers:
Scouting The Senior Bowl: Interior Offensive Linemen
Baylor guard Cyril Richardson is one of the top prospects at the Senior Bowl, a projected second-round pick. He’s played up to that standard. Richardson is a 6-foot-4, 343-pound monster. He’s the heaviest player at the Senior Bowl. He uses that size to try to physically dominate players. Richardson notched a couple of pancakes Wednesday. Richardson is more nimble than you would think for 343 pounds. He can pull and get around the edge. But that’s not his strong suit. Richardson was beat back-to-back times by two different defensive tackles with speed moves. They beat him with their hands and easily got past. Pass protection is where he needs to improve because Baylor runs a quick passing attack, so he didn't need to do too much.
I'd love to see the Panthers land him in the 2nd.
Thoughts?