The 2015 Senior Bowl is now in the books and while it’s extremely hard to watch every single player in the game after only one viewing, Here are a few players that stood out and a few that the Pittsburgh Steelers might even be interested in.
Ameer Abdullah, RB, Nebraska – Abdullah was named the game’s MVP after registering 113 total yards of offense. While a lot of his rushing yards came from good blocking by the North’s offensive line, Abdullah showed the ability to run both inside and outside with good vision and burst. At 5’8″ and 198 pounds, Abdullah might not be an every down back at the NFL level, but he does seem to have value as a change of pace back as long as he gets the fumbling problem that he had in college under control. He’ll also probably need to work on his blocking. Abdullah will probably come off the board way too early for the Steelers to take him, but he’s probably on their radar nonetheless.
David Cobb, RB, Minnesota – Cobb rushed for 78 yards on 11 carries Saturday and also chipped in two catches for 16 yards. Like Abdullah, Cobb showed the makings of being at least a change of pace back at the NFL level. Cobb figures to be a second-day selection.
Tyler Varga, RB/FB, Yale – Several teams will now take a closer look at Varga after his Saturday performance. The Yale product kind of reminds you of a beefed up Danny Woodhead. He is a high-effort player that despite his short stature, even functioned well as a fullback. Varga had the lead block on Cobb’s short touchdown run and even showed great agility on his own touchdown run. If he can contribute on special teams at the NFL level, he might wind up being a hard player to cut. He will more than likely be a late day-three selection after his showing in the Senior Bowl. At worst he will be signed as an undrafted free agent.
Rannell Hall, WR, Central Florida – Hall only had two catches for 44 yards in the Senior Bowl but he stood out. He showed tremendous body control during his 32-yard reception in the game and at 6’0″, 193 pounds, you can bet that his college tape will gone back over by quite a few NFL teams. Hall caught 145 passes for 2051 yards and nine touchdowns during his college career.
Nate Orchard, DE/OLB, Utah – Orchard was chosen as the North’s most outstanding player for the week and he recorded five total tackles in the game. He really seemed to move well out in space and also was disciplined on the edge against the run. Orchard checked in at 6-foot-3, 251 pounds at the Senior Bowl and it looks like he secured his spot in the first-round. I really can’t wait to dive into his tape more as he finished second in the country in sacks last season.
Steven Nelson, CB, Oregon State – While a bit undersized, Nelson really had a strong showing in the Senior Bowl as he recorded two pass breakups and four total tackles. He looks like he can play in the slot at the next level and I liked his aggressiveness Saturday.
Quentin Rollins, CB, Miami (Ohio) – Rollins registered one interception in the game and should have had two. While he does need to work on his open-field tackling, the four-year basketball player looks and plays the part of a boundary cornerback well. There are questions that he will need to answer about his long speed at the combine, but you have to know he turned a lot of heads during his week in Mobile, AL.
Kevin White, CB, TCU – White intercepted one overthrown pass in the game to go along with two solo tackles. At 5’9″ and 180 pounds he’s probably best suited to play in the slot at the NFL level. He certainly looks every bit of a second-day selection.
While I’m sure there are several other players that stood out in the game Saturday, these are the ones that I thought really stood out. Feel free to add your own to this list in the comments below.
