Can George Selvie show he’s more than a stat freak?
Will Mardy Gilyard prove scrawny legs and toughness are not mutually exclusive?
Has Devin McCourty made first round noise, is Jarrett Brown really turning the talk from Tim Tebow and did Mike Windt really sing Cincinnati’s fight song before Tuesday’s practice – while sprinting?
The last one gets a yes. But outside the Bearcats’ long snapper, the Big East’s Senior Bowl invitees are still in the process of answering all sorts of questions. They’ve been in Mobile all week, interviewing with NFL coaches and general managers, practicing for scouts and personnel directors, and hoping to send their draft stock skyward.
Eleven Big East players were invited down to college football’s premier all-star game. Syracuse defensive tackle Arthur Jones, after undergoing knee surgery in the fall, decided not to attend. Windt hasn’t net much of a scouting report – at least for his on the field attributes. Here’s a look at how everyone else rates before Saturday’s 4 p.m. kickoff at Ladd-Peebles Stadium:
Pittsburgh TE/WR Dorin Dickerson (6-1, 222)
With 529 yards and 10 touchdowns, Dickerson was an All-American at tight end. After a weigh-in that showed he’s two inches shorter than the Pitt media guide said, he practiced at wideout this week. The experts at NFLDraftScout.com said he lacked the speed to make the switch; ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay said the switch sent his draft stock up.
“It was a somewhat risky move going to the outside, because instead of looking like the most athletic tight end, he could have turned into the slowest wide receiver,” McShay wrote. “But the versatility he showed this week has improved his stock.”
Dickerson has very good hands and an ability to get vertical. The more he works at wideout these next few weeks, the better he’ll be served. Of course, Mike Mayock thinks he’s actually an H-back.
“He’s intriguing,” the NFL Network draft analyst said. “He can contribute in a few ways. He’s most likely a third or fourth round guy.”
Aditi Kinkhabwala has written a regular column for SI.com and been published in Sports Illustrated.