MOBILE, Alabama -- While Tony Pauline took us through the winners and losers from the second day of Senior Bowl practice for the North and South squads, let's focus on one position of interest for the Eagles - linebacker - and how that group of prospects performed on Tuesday.
The flashiest performance of the day came courtesy of Miami (FL.)'s Sean Spence. At 5-11, 228, Spence is a bit undersized, but he was decisively downhill throughout the afternoon practice for the South, blowing up several plays in the backfield during the inside running drills. The Redskins coaching staff lined up the defense in a 3-4 occasionally, in which Spence played inside and called plays in the huddle. At one point, he was lauded for his communication. At the next level in a 4-3 scheme, Spence probably wouldn't hold up in the middle, but he is an impressive talent and a very sound tackler.
North Carolina's Zach Brown is more impressive physically than Spence and was outstanding in coverage all afternoon long. Brown, 6-1, 236, projects as a first-round pick and has the athleticism requisite to cover at the next level.
Texas' Keenan Robinson, 6-3, 240, certainly looks the part and he turned in a solid performance Tuesday as well. Robinson moves very well for his size and can get to the ball with ease, but there have been questions about his tackling. The test for Robinson is whether he has the versatility to project anywhere outside of the SAM position in the NFL.
The last South linebacker of interest isNigel Bradham of Florida State (6-1 1/2, 237). Bradham made an impressive play in the flat on defense, sniffing out a swing pass to Florida running back Chris Rainey, one of the fastest players in Mobile. He would likely have to play on the outside in a 4-3 scheme.
Nebraska's Lavonte David, 6-0, 224, struggled in coverage in the morning practice for the North. His athleticism isn't a question, though he struggled a bit in coverage. He projects as a likely second-round pick thanks in part to his sure tackling ability.
Finally, Nevada's James-Michael Johnson took the MIKE reps for the North team and was given encouragement for his ability to run the huddle. He moved forward well in run drills and was able to penetrate into the backfield, but he was a bit on-and-off in coverage.
The problem with evaluating linebackers in practice, of course, is that they're not tackling to the ground. Because of that, Saturday's game will take on an added importance for the position and it will be interesting to see who shines. Tune in Saturday afternoon at 4 PM (EST) on NFL Network.
