Go back

Building the Beast: Who's turning heads at the Senior Bowl?

40m 9s

Building the Beast: Who's turning heads at the Senior Bowl?

In this episode of "Building the Beast," host Dave Helman interviews Dane, who is covering the Senior Bowl and Shrine Bowl. Dane shares insights from practices, noting the depth of the edge rusher class, with standout performances from Clemson's TJ Parker and Michigan's Derek Moore. Among quarterbacks, LSU's Garrett Nussmeier is highlighted as the top performer, aiming to redeem a disappointing season, while Diego Pavia's smaller stature raises draft concerns. The discussion underscores the significance of these all-star games for evaluating prospects, particularly for players from smaller schools like Cole Payton and Tyron Montgomery, who have opportunities to boost their draft stock. Overall, the episode provides a firsthand look at key prospects and the evolving draft landscape as teams assess talent in Mobile and Frisco.

Transcription

7376 Words, 37952 Characters

English
Welcome to another episode of Building the Beast. I am your host, Dave Helman. And we are on location. This week, Dane burglar is on his All-Star Games circuit. He was in Dallas, Fort Worth for the East West Shrine Bowl. He's currently in Mobile, Alabama for the 2026 senior bowl. And we got a lot to get to. There's prospects galore. There's edge rushers. There's quarterbacks worth talking about. And Dane is on hand to give us a firsthand account. Really fun episode with Dane. Let's get right to it. All right, Dane. Well, I got to say I am incredibly jealous, man, because while I'm just up here freezing and coping with the end of the NFL season in Chicago, you're watching live football. You are coming to us live. You were gracious enough to set up at your hotel after the first day of senior bowl practice. Not only that, but you were in Frisco for Shrine Bowl practices earlier this week. So I know it's not warm anywhere, but slightly warmer climates plus the ability to watch some live football. It sounds pretty good to me. Keyword slightly because it is crazy how because usually this trip is a warm trip, but especially compared to what we're used to in North. But man, it's been a rough trip. Otherwise, so I went to Frisco as in Frisco for a few days for the East West Shrine game and actually changed my flight to get out of there a little bit earlier before the storm hit because they were 70% of flights at a DFW were canceled and so tried to stay ahead of that. But yeah, now I'm in mobile. Today, Tuesday's practice is about 45 degrees. So not not the warmest tonight. And I packed for a light breeze, but not for a 40 degree weather. So sitting out there for five hours, you know, but it beats working for a living. So I'm not going to complain too much. We checked in with you yesterday when we wanted to get our ducks in a row about doing this show and make sure everything was good. And I was, I'll be honest, I was a little bit worried about you with all of the travel advisories and hearing everything about cancellations. And I know the FW got hit hard with ice and snow, but I should have known better. I should have known that you would not be denied with this with this road swing to see as many of these prospects as you could. No, it's such a big stepping stone in this process, being able to see some of these guys that close that I haven't seen in person yet, talked to some of these guys I haven't talked to yet. And you know, these two all-star games put together that probably 90% of them will be drafted. And a hundred percent of them will be in a camp. So, you know, these are guys that need to get eyes on and need to figure out. And eager to do that the rest of this week here at the Senior Bull. So Shrine Bull practices wrapped up. Actually, as we're recording this, the Shrine Bull is kicking off on Tuesday night. A lot of interesting names. I would encourage you if you haven't to go check out our conversation with Eric Galco, the director of player personnel for the Shrine Bull. Get you up to speed on all things in Frisco. And then it's right on to Mobile. So you wrote a story for the athletic.com. Highly encourage everybody to go check that out to about the biggest storylines in Mobile this week. So I'm debating how I want to do this because I mean, we could do the cliche thing. We could start with the quarterback and Garrett Nuss Meyer out of LSU is going to be one of the biggest names at Mobile this week. He went into the season with major, major hype as one of the top senior quarterbacks. The season could not have gone any worse for him. And now he's here trying to redeem himself. We could start there, but I don't, I don't want to, to be honest with you. I want to get back to the roots of you and me talking draft stuff. And I want you to tell me about the position drills at senior bowl practice on Tuesday, specifically because we talked to Drew Fabianich, the director of the senior bowl last week. And he was talking about how deep and how good this edger usher class is. And you got a chance to look at it today. So let's start there with what you actually saw at practice today because I got to imagine it was fun. No doubt. And it can be tough in these one-on-ones, especially when it's tough to be a corner, it's tough to be a tackle. When you are on an island, one-on-one, and not every rep, not every situation is exactly how things would go in a game. And so you're really at a disadvantage. And especially because this is a really good edge group and a pretty good wide receiver group. And I think that's how it's played out. Even with no Rubin Bane who accepted his invite, but then later pulled out a key mezzadour, David Bailey, a lot of these ed rushers ended up not being here, but the ones that are here, I thought performance pretty well. TJ Parker from Clemson was here, a guy that, man, back in the preseason, we were talking about maybe a top 10, top 15 type of pick. He didn't have that type of season this year, but now it's okay. Can he get back into that first round conversation with how he does starting this weekend mobile and then at the combine. Based on the first day, pretty good start because he did a nice job using his power because he's not a speed guy. He is a 6'3, 260, 265 pound guy, the one wins with power, wins with his hands. And he did that consistently. And I think it was in the team drills, went right over treasune at left tackle, caught him with his feet up in the air and just planted him on his back. Then in one on ones, he won more than a few times using that leverage, using those hands. So TJ Parker helped himself, I thought in practice one, Derek Moore from Michigan, same type of deal. Moore is just one of those guys that I really like, not because he's great at anything, but he's good at everything. He's not going to have that one distinguishing trait that stands out, but he's just well rounded, solid. Just check the box all the way around. 6'4, 250 pounds. He had a good first day of practice. You see the power. You see the way he can use his hands, getting underneath the pads and the blockers. And so he's timing is really impressive. So not the most violent, but when he does connect, you see the power. And so Derek Moore, TJ Parker, those two guys specifically stood out among these past rushers. I don't want to, I don't even, I don't know who it was and I don't want to know because I don't want to single the guy out because that's not fair. Like the one on one drills are their design to help receivers and the ed rushers. We say that every year, but man, there's a video and a photo going viral as we speak of TJ Parker long arming this poor guy in the one-on-one drills and just, I mean, he's, he's just got him up on a, on a poster and it's, it's pretty, it's pretty great. But like I said, right here, right? We get one of the, like last year's Mike Green going up against Josh Connerley, right? Where it's just you catch him in the right spot and it's just, it's bad news for the tackle. And look, Connerley ended up still being a first-round pick, drafted ahead of my green. So, you know, but for these tackles, you are put in a really disadvantageous spot. And so it's, scouts know that, coaches know that, teams know that. It's all about digging yourself out and really you're playing defense as an offensive tackle. It's just, that's, that's part of how this drill works. So it's only one day of practice. If you didn't see anything that jumps out at you, that's totally okay. But a couple other guys I would want to highlight from this are Missouri Zion Young is down there. A guy that we've talked a lot about. Alabama's LT Overton, I believe is there and Texas Tech's Ramello Heights. So not David Bailey, but Ramello Heights. Another big piece of that Texas Tech front. So a lot of options here to, to be looking at. If you, if you find yourself in need of an ed rusher. Well, and Ramello Heights, I was kind of worried about what he was going to come in and weigh in at because in the summer, scouts had him at like 225. He was a good 235 here, which still not great for an ed rusher, but still a little bit better than what we thought it could be. And he, he plays bigger than he looks. And we saw that today during drills. Zion Young is a good size defensive end. And not another one of these guys. It's not going to win with pure speed. It's more with timing and just understanding how to beat the tackle. One on one combat. And so Zion Young, he didn't necessarily jump out today, but definitely eager to watch him, the rest of the week. But yeah, this is LT over 10. The other guy you mentioned, this is a big week for him because the flashes with him are first round. And this was true last year. And scouts will really hope this 2025 season his senior year. He would turn those flashes into more consistent production is just didn't happen. It was more the flashes where you watch his 10 best plays. You like, are you? Yeah, this is obvious or a first rounder, right? But when you watch snap to snap and just the full body of work, you don't see that necessarily from LT over 10. So hopefully this week, he can maybe be a little more consistent with his impact. It's kind of the story of Alabama's year, isn't it, where I know I'm, I know I'm not crazy. They got a lot of talented players, but the consistency and showing up for evaluators, I think is going to be a big part of it. Over 10 is one of those guys specifically at the senior bowl. Okay. I have, I have done, I have appeased the nerdy side of me, but I do have to, I have to pay the proverbial bills here. And I am, I'm curious for a variety of reasons, but on top of my own rooting interests, we talked to Drew Fabianich last year, our last week about the senior bowl. And if you, so is under selling it when he talks about Garrett Nussmeyer, what he's been doing to get ready for this opportunity and how healthy he might be because let's face it, regardless of what Brian Kelly and everybody else wanted to say at the time, Garrett Nussmeyer just did not look right when he was still starting games at LSU. So again, I don't want to go overboard off of one afternoon of practice, but what have you seen and what is at stake for Garrett Nussmeyer so this week in mobile? Yeah, and I don't want to go overboard either, especially it's the first day. Usually I try to give the quarterbacks a lot of grace on the first day. They've never thrown these receivers, you know, it's just, it's a very new environment. It's a tough situation to just be dropped into. And so I want to see you get better day one, day two, day three, just show that development, that progression throughout the week, but just on going off a Tuesday's practice, Nussmeyer, clearly the best quarterback here, clearly. And you see the ball the way it comes off his hand, you see the anticipation, putting the ball in spots where his guy can make a play. So I think for a guy that came in as obviously the top quarterback here, I don't think there's much debate about that. So you expect him to look good and I think he did. And the way the rest of the week goes, I would expect him to get even more comfortable and it just looks a lot different than the Garrett Nussmeyer. We saw back in November and when Ella, she was really struggling to get going on offense. And so good sign for him. Hopefully we see him continue to build these days and hopefully all these quarterbacks. Diego Pavia was actually pretty good. There's a lot of, like I said, given these guys grace on the first day, the running back quarterback exchanges, like they, stuff like that, they need to fix the ball hit the ground too many times. But in terms of timing and putting the ball where receivers can go make a play, Pavia did a nice job. I know there's a lot of lot made of his official weigh-ins, but let's talk, let's talk about it. Because I mean, you can wave off a lot of things, but Diego Pavia measuring in just shy of five, 10 officially. So five, nine, and seven, eights. Does that, does that matter? I mean, we're, I'm talking to a guy. I mean, you've been very consistent about Diego Pavia's draft prospects this entire time. So I mean, in the context of a guy that you're drafting on day three, regardless, if he gets drafted at all, do you think that matters? But any, our listeners already knew he was going to be under five, 10, right? I mean, like our, because we have talked about what he was in the spring and, you know, like so it shouldn't be that much of a shock for the people that listen to this podcast. Now, does it matter? Of course it matters. There's not many quarterbacks in the NFL who were under five, 10, under, under 200 pounds. That was maybe a little more surprising than me than the height. We knew he was short in the spring. He was closer to 210. Now he's under 200 pounds and it's just not a great combination. It's just going to take the right, the right situation for, because there's only going to be so many teams that are going to be willing to take a chance on them in the draft. And it's just going to take the right sequence of events for that team to be looking for a quarterback when he get the rounds five to seven and they may be willing to roll the dice on Pobby at that point. But like I said, I want to give him credit because I thought he threw the ball pretty well in day one. Taylor and Green was low up and down from Arkansas. You know, overall these quarterbacks, I'm eager to watch them the next two days just to see who gets better from day one and who can put together the most consistency. And based off of the first practice, I'd say it's a pretty good start from us, Meyer. One guy you did mention in your story that I want to shout out just because he's the least likely for the average fan to have seen, I would say would be Cole Payton out of North Dakota state. Right. Um, measuring in at a at six two two 29. And again, like, yes, let's not overreact to one day of practice. But we've seen what the senior ball can do for, I hate to call North Dakota state a small school because we know how good they've been at the FCS level. But we've seen what the senior ball can do for guys that don't come from blue blood programs. I mean, Gray's able at a North Dakota state just did it last year. And I don't mean that to say that Cole Payton would be a first round prospect. But this seems like a guy who has a ton to gain with some good practices and good performances against players like this. Oh, I mean, he's here for a reason, right? I mean, in North Dakota states had a pretty decent run a quarterbacks getting drafted. I think what three of their last four starters have been drafted in the NFL. Um, so, you know, and that's going back that Carson Wentz and Tray Lance and, you know, so like you said, he's not going to be a first rounder like those guys were. But he's still going to be somebody that has a shot to get drafted. And I can't help but see Michael Penex with him. And maybe it's the lefty thing that's messing with my mind. But, uh, you know, he's also because he has a pretty good arm and he can sling it. I mean, he will throw it, you know, those far out routes and some of the deep overs, but he also scatter shot as well. Kind of like Michael Penex. And so I can't help but see Michael Penex with Cole Payton. But yeah, this is a big week for him just to see him, um, how he does with, you know, better competition on a more consistent basis. Um, there's a couple of small, so the small school thing is big for the senior ball for these all-star games in general just to see, and we see a few of them these days because if you're good enough, chances are you transferred up to FBS and probably even a power five school. But some of these guys stay put and, you know, for the Cole Paytons and a few of these other guys, this is a big opportunity for him down here. The John Carroll wide receiver, uh, Montgomery, like I'm all I'm a D3 guy. As much as I dislike John Carroll, because I'm a mountain union guy. He can't, you showed up today and made some noise. He created a little bit of a buzz with the way he plays. Not a big guy, six foot, just under 200 pounds, but he could run and he won the catch point more than a few times. So small school definitely a theme of, uh, this week, even though we don't have as many of the, the non FBS guys as we usually do. Tyron Montgomery out of John Carroll, which, so he's either going to break onto the scene as a player or he's going to be somebody's passing game coordinator here in the next three years based on the future GM, like, yeah. No, the John Carroll Illuminati in the NFL is wild. So I'm definitely circling Tyron Montgomery's name. One last thing I'm going, I'm going to take a break. But I do just, I want to hit on that with Nuss Meyer really quickly is just the idea of it's weird to think about this guy's ceiling in an environment like this where, I mean, like we said, the season couldn't have gone worse. And it's hard to imagine that he would get drafted too highly based on that. But we know the talent is there. We know that the 2024 tape is definitely up and down, but very, very exciting compared to what we got this year. He's a coach's son. He's Doug Nuss Meyer son, longtime quarterbacks coach and offensive play call offensive coordinator, offensive play collar and college and the NFL. Right. If teams fall in love with this guy, it's, I mean, in a draft where there's like only two quarterbacks definitively above him. I'm not trying to sell him as a first round guy, but it's, it's wild to think what his ceiling could be if this draft process goes really well. I think it's really unsettled at this point just because a lot of teams loved him over the summer and even though that love was maybe pushed to the side, it didn't go away. So a lot of teams still really like Garrett Nuss Meyer. And for all the reasons you just mentioned, you know, he's not a big guy. He's six, one just over 200 pounds. You know, he's a good athlete, but not a difference making athlete. He what really separates him is the arm talent and then just the command of the offense. That's what really separates him and that command of the offense comes from exactly what you just said, being the son of a coach and growing up in just learning how to play the position. You know, he received his graduate degree in quarterback playmaking at a very young age. And so Nuss Meyer is going to be if he stacks good tape from this week, or day after day practice after practice. Yeah, I mean, he's going to be in his, it'll help that this is just a week class where you have Fernando Mendoza who's going to be the number one overall pick. And then it's anybody's guess where the next quarterback comes off the board. Most likely going to be Ty Simpson. Now is that going to be at pick 20? Could it be at pick 35? I mean, I think that's what we're just going to try. trying to figure out here the next few months. But then whose quarterback three, right now of the draft for today, I say pretty confidently that's going to be Garrett Nussmeyer, but where he's going to be drafted, that's where I don't have any confidence at all. I would guess it would be like mid-third round. That'd be my guess right now. But again, like you said, if he has a good week and he keeps stacking these practices, could he get into the second round? Sure. Why not? I mean, could he get in Tyler Schuck territory, you know, right around the 40th pick or so? Yeah, you can't rule that out either. So yeah, I think this is a big opportunity for Nussmeyer. Let me flip on some of these practices on NFL network and see him rip a couple missiles. And I'll be back to my reckless ways in no time at all. All right. We're going to take a quick break. And after that, I've got, I'm just going to pepper Dane with names I want to know about at the senior ball right after this. All right, Dane, I'm going to do exactly what I said. I got the senior ball roster in front of me and I've got your article in front of me as well. And I'm just going to ask you about guys that I'm curious about. Let's start with a guy that we both loved heading into the season. And unfortunately, another guy where injury has just got in the way. But I was ecstatic to see that Florida's Caleb Banks took a senior ball invite. And I was even happier to hear that he's healthy enough to do stuff. And man, I'm going back to 2024, but my God, what a disruptive player when he was healthy last year. And so curious what you've seen and curious again, very similar to Garrett Nussmeyer, even though they have very different jobs of just how high can a guy's guy like this ceiling be when when you don't have much of a 2025 season, but getting in front of some evaluators and kick the right guys asses and you never know what can happen. It's very different body types as well. Caleb is so impressive in person. Just when you see him in person and you see how big he is and he's a legit six six three hundred and thirty five pounds, just a massive massive dude. And it's it's all good weight. Like it's not it's not all in his like this is something that happens with scouting is you legitimately. And this is why scouts show up early for just guys stretching you body shame. Okay. And it's not something that you necessarily are proud of, but it's part of the report. And you got okay, he's got a little bit too much weight in his belly. He's got you know, the little too much weight in this section, whatever. But the thing with Caleb Banks is from the calves to the bubble to the shoulders. It's well distributed. That's three hundred and thirty five pounds is really well put together in that frame. And to see him move the way he does with the power, the length. It's this is why even though he missed most of the year, he's still in that first round conversation. It's just hard to find guys that look like him that move like him. And I just talking to before this week, talking to who he was training with, how motivated he was to get right for because he came back late in the year, played what two games. I think late in the year for Florida. But still I think a lot of guys in his position would have skipped this. Let's just get ready for the combine. No, he wanted to train extra hard to make sure he was good to go for this week because he knew just how much it could help him just to see for scouts to see him back out there. So Caleb Banks right there in that conversation to be the highest drafted player that's out of this game. Jumping over to corner backs, there's two guys I wanted to talk about for similar reasons. I think they both qualify under the radar is not the way to describe it, but guys that maybe aren't getting talked about as much. And we've talked a lot about the top of the cornerback position. We've talked plenty about Tennessee's Jermad McCoy, who didn't have a 20 25 season and is not at the senior goal because he's an underclassman. His teammate Colton Hood is there. And I feel like he gets lost in the shuffle when you're talking about the guys at the top of the cornerback position, or at least he does for me. And then a guy that you've talked about several times is at the senior goal. That would be Chris Johnson out of San Diego state who he seems like he's got a lot of fans in the hipster football community. Like the number of people that have told me, yeah, yeah, they're cool. But have you watched the San Diego state kid? Like I hear that regularly. So what are we looking for from these guys this week? Man, Chris Johnson was my guy back in September is like, you know, my sleeper, my, this is going to be my guy. And then the secret guy out. And it's just it's not cool anymore to say Chris Johnson's your sleeper. But he's having a good first day of practice, really clean pedal, very fluid in his transitions. I like the way he can balance looking for the football while still understanding the route. He recovers well. And I think that was my biggest question with him is just how fast would Chris Johnson be? It wasn't an issue for him today. You know, he when he did get beat by a step, he was able to recover, get back in phase. You know, he is a he's good size. He's six foot 190 pounds. So I there are ball skills instincts. I mean, Chris, Chris Johnson and big fan. I think this guy is going to be, he has a good chance to be a second round pick. Colton Hood is, you know, he was in my first round mock. You know, he's a guy that I think, okay, Mansour Delane, Jermon McCoy, and then I think it's a discussion. You know, who's that next quiz? Is it Evian Terrell? Is it Colton Terrell? Yeah. C.C. You know, I think that yeah, there are all those guys in a similar conversation and good on hood for being here to kind of put his best foot forward about why he should be that guy. Yeah, it wasn't a perfect practice. I mean, he did get beat by, and it's kind of nature of the position. It's going to happen. But he's so patient and then fluid in his transitions that it just, you don't see a ton of separation. There was one time. I came over to who the receiver was, but it would stop and Colton Hood just kept going. So there was a few times where, you know, like we said, it's tough to be a corner in these one-on-one situations. But credit to Hood, he had more good plays and bad plays. You understand why we're talking about him as a first-round pick when you see him move out there at that size. And it's also interesting. So I've talked to a ton of players over the last week. Two of the players I talked to down in Frisco at the Shrine game. Two Georgia players, Dylan Bell, Kobe Young, the two receivers. I asked both of them, who's the toughest corner that you face this year? They both, without a hesitation, said Colton Hood. And I think that says a lot. And these were separate interviews, by the way, they didn't know who these guys were, who they were going to say. So for both of them to say Hood, I think that, and when I asked why they gave great explanations about just how, how patient he is, how sticky he is as a corner, like he's just, he there's a lot to like about him at the next level. So Colton Hood, you know, he's going to be one of the top highest drafted players that comes out of this game. It's like I said, it's not fair to call him under the radar because if you're paying attention to the draft, you've definitely heard Colton Hood's name a lot. But I do think it's fair to say he is not usually lumped in up there with with delaying and with his teammate, McCoy, and the way that we talk about him. Well, go have, go have three great practices and see where that lands you because we see it happen every single year where a guy who's maybe, again, not off the radar, but not in the square center of it either. You can sure wind up in the middle of that thing by the end of the week. No doubt. That's it. And it's, we've seen it. I mean, Dave, how many Cedric Bulls have you been to where, you know, whether it's Zach Martin or Aaron Donald back in the day, but guys that come in with some hype, they're not totally unknowns. But then they play at a much higher level than some more expecting. And now all of a sudden it's like, okay, well, why aren't we talking about him to the top 20 guy? Why aren't we talking about him as a top 15 guy? You know, and so that happens every year and Colton. I mean, it's an, it's an easy comparison to draw because they play the same position. But like, and again, everybody knew who Quinyon Mitchell was when he got to the senior bull. Right. But by the end of the week, it was like, oh, hell yeah. Quinyon Mitchell is a baller and it like, it just sort of solidified it in a way that maybe it wasn't as unanimous before senior bull practices. And Colton is, he's not a G five player. He plays in the SEC. So it's not a one to one. But there's no denying what a good week can do for you, not just in the eyes of evaluators, but just public perception too. Yeah. No doubt. And obviously, it means more for a guy like Quinyon Mitchell coming from the Mac and compared to Colton Hood coming from the SEC, but it still doesn't hurt. And I hoods one of those guys where he's on the short list of, you know, Caleb bangs Colton Hood. Like it's a short list of guys that are have a chance to be first round picks here at the senior bull. Before we move on, let's take one quick break. So there were a couple linebackers you wanted to talk about. And we can definitely do that. but just looking through the roster, man, there are. there are a ton of fun and interesting linebackers in mobile. And I think that just plays to the overall class. I mean, so two guys you wanted to highlight Arizona States, Keishan Elliott, as well as Pittsburgh's Kyle Lewis. But that's on top of Bryce Betcher from Oregon being down there. Jacob Rodriguez from Texas Tech is down there. Scooby Williams, the A&M linebacker. I mean, my goodness, we got we got we got a lot to sift through here. But but Elliott and Lewis were two guys that stuck out to you. Well, and this is just a great linebacker class in general. You know, obviously it starts with sunny styles. And then as you move through, which just there's a lot of names that are just just good football players. And Kyle Lewis is, see, he's this is the senior ball set up for him specifically because that he has undersized. There's no way around that. He's under six foot two hundred and twenty four pounds. So, you know, like that's that's what you worry about. He's not a take on guy. And so watching his tape from pit coming into the week is a really tough player to get an idea of, okay, what are you? Because he's he's he's at his best in space. He's not going to take on blocks. This is not who he is. His there's not a ton of coverage stuff. So it's just he had an his grade is incomplete because it's just okay. How am I how am I going to use you? You're not a stack linebacker. You're not quite a safety. And so this week is kind of made for him where it's all in space. It's all just show us what kind of athlete you are. And that's what he didn't in the first practice, especially these one on ones against running backs. He had an interception. He had a couple other knock downs. So Kyle Lewis is still I don't think we're going to come away from this week with a better idea of kind of what are you? But I think we're going to hear some buzz about just what kind of athlete he is and competitor he is because this is set up for him to play well. Now with Keishan Elliott, he's more of okay, he looked the part. He's six to two hundred and thirty five pounds. I think I heard great finish at least five times when we're talking about Keishan Elliott and his reps, whether it was in the in the run game, it is tackles the way he'd square up the ball carrier and finish. And then they don't take guys to the ground and especially in the first practice. But the way he'd square guys up and be able to be in a position to wrap finish. And then playing through the hands of running backs and tight ends and coverage. So I mean Keishan Elliott, whether it's poppin guys in the whole finishing, making plays and coverage, I thought he had a great first practice and he's making a case why he should be considered a top 100 player. I've always thought linebackers and running backs are really hard to evaluate at these sorts of practices. But when they kick ass though, it kind of it kind of pops out where you're like, all right, it's hard to evaluate, but that looks the way it's supposed to look. Yeah, that's fair. And running backs especially because it's aside from the past pro drills, you know, it's kind of tough to take too many big takeaways away. But yeah, I think the line, like we said, it's a good linebacker group and so far so good for those guys here. Couple more guys to hit before we get you out of here. When you brought up small school guys before the break, I thought you were going to tell me because it's so obvious already, like you talked about them in your article, we talked about them with Drew Fabianich last week. You're a Ted Hurst guy. Like maybe that's your new guy. If like if that's not too obvious, like is that under the radar enough to be your guy? Because I feel like you're a fan and just based on following your work over the last couple weeks. Yes, maybe before Thanksgiving, I had an article where on the athletic where I had speaking to a skydowing director, he gave me five names and this is all in the article. Five names that were considered under the radar guys and Ted Hurst was one of them and look, Georgia State has not been a good program. At least in the wins and loss the record this past year, I think. You know, if you're going to watch Georgia State tape, you better be standing out and Ted Hurst does that. His production for a program that's not very good is off the charts. A lot of big plays down the field. He is a big guy. He's 63 207 and he consistently wins down the field. He had a play in one-on-ones this week or today where he didn't have a ton of separation, but the way he tracked the ball went up and got it, I think he caught it with one hand in the corner of the end zone. It was just really, really impressive. So Ted Hurst is one of those names that I think is going to be a little buzzy this week with the way he plays, the way we go come out of this week, how they're talking about him. He's just a really impressive player and if he played at Ohio State or Alabama or Georgia, one of these other schools, we'd be already talking about him as a day two player, but I think is a chance to get there this week by the way he plays. It is the easiest position. Ed Rusher and receiver, like we said, the easiest positions to really pop at the senior bowl. Ted Hurst from Georgia State, Jacobi Lane from USC is down in mobile. You mentioned Tyron Montgomery at a John Carroll. Josh Cameron, the Baylor receiver. He's sick to do. Got about Josh Cameron, baller. Yeah. He had just taken back to that SMU Baylor game from earlier in the season where I mean, he went nuts so did everybody else in that game, but yeah, really fun player. And he's a big dude. I mean, he got the weigh-ins in front of me. I mean, I think he weighed in, yeah, 223. So he's six one in a quarter, 223 pounds. He's a big dude. His parents own barbecue food truck. So, you know, he's he's in feeling down there. Yeah. Yeah. But he had a really nice fingertip grab down the field. I think he was one of the winners of day one. So glad we're able to mix his name in very eager to see if he can keep it up throughout the week. Oh, man, my guy, Ramello Brinson from SMU is also at the senior bowl. Another guy who went crazy in that game. Yeah, there's there's so many players worth getting excited about. One more for you. I know you got to go. Lee Hunter. We talked about Ramello height already. David Bailey didn't make the trip, but again, this Texas tech front had so many players on it. And this seems like a big week for I would say the least hero did member of it in Lee Hunter. Yeah, talking about a big boy, six, three and a half, three hundred and twenty pounds. And you know, you see it with the way he just clogs up run lanes, taking on doubles. Then he had a few plays and I'm eager to watch the tape, you know, because when you're when you're a practice, you're watching this, you're watching that there's so much to watch at once. You try to take it all in. I saw the end of one of those one on ones. I think it was against both Stevens, the guard from Iowa. Well, I like a lot. I think he's going to be probably drafted somewhere the top four rounds. But Lee, just Lee Hunter went right over him. I just pure power. And that's what I want to see more out of him. Like I know you can hold up versus the run. Can you give me a little more juice as a pass washer? And I think based off of day one of practice, he was able to do that. I could just keep asking you players. But like I said, I know, and here's the fun part. I'll take you all behind the curtain. I told Dane we would get him out of here. And I assumed he had dinner or drinks with like a scouting director or a GM or something fun and and very prestigious going on. And he was like, well, before I do anything else, I got to watch the tape of practice. And that is why that's why Dane's the best is because he's going to finish. He's going to finish doing this pod and go grind tape for two hours before he goes and tries to get intel at is it still beats? Yeah, it's got to be beats. Yeah, I mean, that's still going strong there downtown. Most barbecues are good one for you. There's always some scouts there. But yeah, you know, I've got to, it's always with practices now being later in the day. You don't care as much about how late you stay out because practices don't start to one o'clock now. Which is a good and bad thing. But it definitely helps in terms of the night before and not having to worry about making sure you're getting back and actually getting some sleep. That is a great point. You can you can grind tape till your hearts contend and still get into plenty of mischief afterwards and learn plenty of new nuggets and tidbits that you can then tell me which speaking of which we got a schedule change for y'all. We are actually coming back. We will do with the Super Bowl coming up. We will do next week's episode of Building the Beast. We'll do that Sunday for Monday. So heading into Super Bowl week, Dan and I will recap everything else that happens at the senior bowl. We'll talk about the rest of practice, whatever, Dan learns at Mobile's various watering holes as well as the game itself. We'll have plenty of info for you. I'm really looking forward to that. But until then, Dan, stay warm, have fun, we'll talk to you soon and we'll catch y'all next week. (upbeat music)

Podcast Summary

Key Points:

  1. The podcast discusses the Senior Bowl and Shrine Bowl, focusing on player evaluations and standout performances from practices.
  2. Key prospects highlighted include edge rushers like TJ Parker and Derek Moore, and quarterbacks such as Garrett Nussmeier and Diego Pavia.
  3. The importance of these all-star games for draft stock, especially for small-school players and those seeking redemption, is emphasized.

Summary:

In this episode of "Building the Beast," host Dave Helman interviews Dane, who is covering the Senior Bowl and Shrine Bowl. Dane shares insights from practices, noting the depth of the edge rusher class, with standout performances from Clemson's TJ Parker and Michigan's Derek Moore. Among quarterbacks, LSU's Garrett Nussmeier is highlighted as the top performer, aiming to redeem a disappointing season, while Diego Pavia's smaller stature raises draft concerns.

The discussion underscores the significance of these all-star games for evaluating prospects, particularly for players from smaller schools like Cole Payton and Tyron Montgomery, who have opportunities to boost their draft stock. Overall, the episode provides a firsthand look at key prospects and the evolving draft landscape as teams assess talent in Mobile and Frisco.

FAQs

The Senior Bowl is an annual college football all-star game in Mobile, Alabama, where top senior prospects showcase their skills. It's a key scouting event because most participants will be drafted or signed to NFL camps, offering teams a close evaluation opportunity.

TJ Parker from Clemson and Derek Moore from Michigan were notable. Parker impressed with his power and hand usage, while Moore showed well-rounded skills and effective timing, both helping their draft stock.

Garrett Nussmeier was clearly the best quarterback on the first day, displaying strong arm talent, anticipation, and command. He looked much improved compared to his inconsistent 2024 season at LSU.

Diego Pavia measured under 5'10" and under 200 pounds, which limits his NFL appeal due to his size. While he threw well in practice, his physical traits may restrict him to late-round consideration.

Cole Payton is a quarterback from North Dakota State, a program known for producing NFL QBs. This week is a big opportunity for him to prove himself against higher competition and potentially improve his draft stock.

One-on-one drills are designed to favor edge rushers and wide receivers, putting offensive tackles at a disadvantage. Scouts understand this context, focusing on how players recover and compete in challenging situations.

Chat with AI

Loading...

Pro features

Go deeper with this episode

Unlock creator-grade tools that turn any transcript into show notes and subtitle files.