🏈 NFL Draft expert assesses three of Alabama's Senior Bowl attendees

[RTB X Bot]

 

[Tidestalker]

That's awesome news for Anderson! He's always been a really good play, I just didn't see how his position translated to the NFL.

Upshaw was kind of the same way, except he would put on lbs like nothing. Think he got up to 275 ish to move to DE? Not sure if Anderson can get that big but he's a good athlete, so maybe some type of LB position is not out of question.

 

[alabama mike]

I cant read the tweet on my computer but I have to say Ryan Anderson really improved his overall play this year. I think he will make a very good pro player.

 

[PhillyGirl]

I cant read the tweet on my computer but I have to say Ryan Anderson really improved his overall play this year. I think he will make a very good pro player.

Here is what the link in the tweet says:


Four seniors from Alabama’s 2016-17 team will spend this week around NFL scouts and coaches in Mobile, Ala., at the 2017 Reese’s Senior Bowl. And three of them are projected to be picked in the top-three rounds, according to one NFL Draft expert.

Tight end O.J. Howard, linebacker Ryan Anderson and defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson are each considered among the top-10 players at their respective positions, and ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. believes all three will hear their name called early.

The highest-rated player is Howard. This comes after the Prattville, Ala., native recorded 45 receptions for 595 yards and three touchdowns this season and ended his career at Alabama with 114 catches, 1,726 yards, which both rank 10th all-time for the Crimson Tide, and seven touchdowns.

According to CBS Sports’ rankings, Howard is the No. 1 tight end and No. 24 overall prospect in 2017, while Kiper slotted the 6-foot-6, 251-pounder just inside the first round. Can a productive week in Mobile help him bring that up before April arrives?

“To me, Howard’s a borderline first (rounder),” Kiper said during an hour-long teleconference Friday. “I gave him to New England. I could’ve given David Njoku from Miami to New England, so one of those two tight ends to New England, I thought, would’ve made sense at that point for the Patriots.

“With Howard, probably, somewhere in the late first, early second round.”

Anderson is next up, falling just outside the top-32 picks in Kiper’s latest mock draft. CBS Sports ranks the Daphne, Ala., native as the No. 6 outside linebacker and 59th-best player among those entering the draft. And he will look to decrease those numbers with a strong showing close to his hometown.

Anderson recorded 61 total tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 10 quarterback hurries, nine sacks, four forced fumbles, three pass breakups, two fumble recoveries and one interception from off the edge this fall. He tied for first in the SEC in tackles for loss.

“Just a great college player,” Kiper said. “He knows how to get to the quarterback. He’s got tremendous technique, he’s slippery coming off the edge, he plays incredibly hard. He’s just got a nose for the ball, and he’s always in the middle of the action.

“Look at the national championship game. If it wasn’t for Hunter Renfrow making a tackle -- that probably saved the day for Clemson. He gets a sack and a strip and he’s running, looks like he’s taking it into the end zone and he gets tackled.

“I have him as the fourth-best outside linebacker. I had him in the top 25 at one point during the regular season. Now, I have him at around 34th, so I have an early second-round grade on Ryan Anderson.”

And the third is Tomlinson, who is directly behind Anderson in terms of Alabama’s draft rankings after a quietly strong senior season. The 6-foot-3, 305-pound Tomlinson is listed as the No. 9 defensive tackle and No. 85 overall draft prospect for 2017.

Coming off a year with 62 tackles, seven quarterback hurries, 5.5 tackles for loss, four pass breakups, three sacks and one forced fumble, the McDonaugh, Ga., native caught a lot of eyes, including Kiper, who showered Tomlinson’s play with compliments.

“I like Dalvin Tomlinson a lot,” he said. “I’ve written him up on ESPN.com as an under-the-radar guy. He doesn’t get enough publicity. He can handle double teams. He’s a guy, I thought, got into the backfield and wreaked some havoc. He’s certainly a real good player, defensive tackle against the run. He has versatility. I love his consistency, his durability. I like him.

“I have him right now as the eighth-best defensive tackle in a strong defensive tackle group. ... He’s a real good player, I think a third-round pick for Tomlinson, I would say.”

A fourth senior will be in Mobile this week as one of the top players at his position in former Tide long snapper Cole Mazza. CBS Sports ranked Mazza as the No. 1 snapper but the No. 340 prospect. He is currently the only snapper on the South roster.

The 2017 Senior Bowl will be played on Saturday, Jan. 28 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile. The game and its three practices give players an opportunity to showcase their talents in front of NFL coaches, executives and scouts before the NFL Combine.