Conference championships are complete, and the football Gods have given us a little something to chew on between now and the Super Bowl: the Senior Bowl. Scouts and draftniks alike are descending on Mobile, AL to eat fried pickles and watch prospect for the 2011 NFL Draft.
Right now, players are preparing for weigh-in, which is always good for a few early surprises. Let's take a quick morning round up to get prepped for Senior Bowl action.
Mocking the Draft has ten players to watch this week, though plenty more will end up surprising us for one reason or another. We mentioned Miami DT Allen Bailey yesterday, and he gets another nod here. Bailey has pass rushing skills and this week he'll get the chance to give scouts a better idea about where he might fit on a defensive line in the pros. A few big plays might put TCU wide receiver Jeremy Kerley on the map as a return man, and Cal DE Cameron Jordan has the chance to shine with Cameron Heyward having surgery and Adrian Clayborn skipping the event.
Official new obsession: small school wide receivers. There's talent in them thar small schools! If you think the St. Louis Rams could use a tall receiver capable of getting jump balls and being a constant red zone threat, then South Alabama WR Courtney Smith is a guy to watch. He's listed in that link as 6'6" 230 lbs, but I've seen him listed elsewhere at 6'4", he could be an interesting side story at wiegh-in today. More than his size are the numbers he put up in college. This will be a good chance to make a name for himself against some better competition.
And don't kid yourself, Jake Locker will get 99 percent of the headlines this week.