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Jene Bramel’s 2018 Senior Bowl Defensive Review
In most years here in Mobile, one or two defensive players stand out as likely difference makers in the NFL. Aaron Donald dominated nearly every individual and team practice repetition. Melvin Ingram and Dee Ford and Ezekiel Ansah routinely disrupted the pocket during team drills and made it difficult for quarterbacks to find any comfort…
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Jene Bramel’s Defensive Player Recap: Day 1
Jene Bramel drops by the Rookie Scouting Portfolio for a recap of the 2018 Senior Bowl’s defensive units on Day 1. The Tuesday Senior Bowl schedule includes two events that invite sweeping generalizations and over-reactions – the weigh-in and the first on-field practice for both teams. The measurables provided by the weigh-in are helpful. But…
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Senior Bowl Practice Wrap: Defense – 2017 NFL Draft Prospects
The week of Senior Bowl practices is a worthwhile evaluation period. NFL coaches take teaching drills seriously and are encouraging but demand improvement. Many of these players are facing the best competition they’ve seen all season. However, it’s important to understand the limitations of the week. Practices are non-contact and repetitions are limited. This year’s…
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Senior Bowl Day 2: Defensive Practice Report – 2017 NFL Draft Prospects
The second day of Senior Bowl practice confirms first impressions and highlights the players who quickly grow comfortable with newer concepts and better competition. We’re still seeing limited repetitions in non-contact situations but, many players take a day to understand a drill they haven’t seen in college or fully assimilate the alignments and schemes they’ll…
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Senior Bowl Day 1: First Impressions, Defense
Prologue In reality, college players turned aspiring NFL athletes get many chances to make a positive impression. Teams evaluate multiple games on film and get access to players for interviews here in Mobile, at the combine, and at Pro Days. But Senior Bowl Week is the first time the NFL calendar and news cycle turns…
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Senior Bowl Defensive Wrap
There’s really no sugar coating it; it was a weird Senior Bowl week. The North practices were strong, but there weren’t any clear difference makers among the front seven prospects. The South roster was strong, but their practice sessions were light on full speed drills. And it didn’t help that there were 17 front seven…
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Rod Marinelli: Mickey Goldmill and the Physics of Defensive Line Play
Widely recognized as one of the best teachers in the game, Rod Marinelli’s direct, passionate, encouraging, and personable demeanor was on display throughout practice. As I stalked Rod Marinelli from one end of Ladd-Peebles Stadium today, I kept hearing Mickey Goldmill and Richard Feynman in my head. Stay with me. The parallels to Rocky Balboa’s…
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The Senior Bowl Weigh-In: Where Size No Longer Matters
Many of the best NFL schematic trends are born and developed in college. The Miami 4-3 front of Jimmy Johnson spurred the development of smaller, speedier players at every front seven position. Johnson couldn’t successfully recruit five star players with an elite combination of size and talent at Oklahoma State. So he recruited smaller players…
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Defenders I’ll Be Watching In Mobile
Bramel shares where practice helps analysts value defensive prospects and who he’ll be watching perform these drills in Mobile. Some argue the limited playbook and lack of full contact during team drills prevent a full reckoning of a defensive player’s talent during Senior Bowl practices. I always counter that there’s much to see in the…