For NFL coaches, the big deal about the Senior Bowl isn’t necessarily the game itself, but rather the practices leading up to it. The players are coached by an NFL coaching staff, and scouts around the league get a chance to observe the practices.
Senior Bowl 2013: Mike Glennon on the rise
Mike Glennon impressed at Senior Bowl practices.
John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
As such, you’ll see more “winners and losers” lists after the conclusion of Senior Bowl practices more often than you’ll see those kinds of lists following the game itself. The practices consist of all kinds of drills and game situations, and they’re very telling for most scouts.
So who were the risers from the practices? Doug Farrar of Yahoo!'s Shutdown Corner blog took a look at some offensive players who impressed him. Some notable names include quarterback E.J. Manuel of Florida State, wide receiver Marquise Goodwin out of Texas and running back Johnathan Franklin out of UCLA.
One really notable name is Mike Glennon, the quarterback from North Carolina State. Here's what Farrar had to say about him:
None of the six signal-callers at the Senior Bowl looked “elite” (to use that overdone quarterback term), and that was expected in a generally weak class at the position. But of all the pocket passers, I thought Glennon showed the best overall skill set. He stood tall in the pocket and was not tentative with his throws, and he’s a better mobile thrower than you’d think at 6-foot-7. He’s still iffy under pressure (which shows up more on tape than in practices in which quarterbacks are not to be taken down) and there are mechanical issues to deal with, but Glennon at least set himself up to be a slightly bigger fish in that small pond.
As noted by Farrar, Glennon’s ability to impress at practices is significant due to the relative weakness of this quarterback class. There is no clear-cut No. 1 quarterback, and all of the top five is essentially up for debate. Usually, the top guys are pretty easy to spot.
If Glennon can find a way to continue to impress, he might just grab himself one of those top spots. Depending on where team needs are, Glennon could be a high pick or fall into the third round. His projections are really all over the place. Impressing can only help him.
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