Green Bay Packers

Green Bay Packers draft: The overrated and underwhelming Senior Bowl prospects

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 6:46 p.m. ET

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Fansided, Ralph Mancini/FanSided via Lombardi Ave

An upcoming NFL draft deep at a number of defensive positions, including cornerback, should put the Green Bay Packers’ front office in position to shore up an anemic unit in dire need of difference-makers to support an Aaron Rodgers-led offense that’s ready to win now.

The recently-concluded Senior Bowl week featured several young athletes that could instantly impact an NFL roster, much like previous participants Keanu Neal and Kevin Byard did for their respective teams this past season.

The annual Mobile showcase, though, can be a double-edged sword in that it could highlight a player’s flaws along with his attributes.

This year’s edition both confirmed and revealed individual weaknesses that may have already torpedoed the draft stock of some prospects in the eyes of league talent evaluators.

The following pages include a few names that didn’t exactly shine during their week-long job interviews under the watchful eye of coaches, scouts and countless draftniks alike.

Nov 28, 2015; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines running back De’Veon Smith (4) rushes on Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Darron Lee (43) in the first half at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

De’Veon Smith

De’Veon Smith (RB-Michigan): The 220-pound bruiser is the type of take-no-prisoners runner that loves putting his head down, running into contact and knocking defenders back for positive yardage.

But with that comes a total lack of vision to cut back or show any type of patience to find an open lane to run through.

In Saturday’s game, Smith gained six yards on five carries with much of his action coming early on.

A 2nd-and-10 play saw No. 44 futilely shifting his feet before surging into the teeth of the defense for two yards. Later on that same drive, Smith did nothing but run into a blitzing Cameron Sutton, who at 186 pounds was able to wrestle the bigger man down on a minimal gain.

The plodding back’s utter lack of burst and quickness on the play allowed the defensive back to easily corral his opponent.

On one of his three receptions, the ex-Wolverine couldn’t elude the oncoming Alex Anzalone, who stopped him for a four-yard loss in the one-on-one confrontation.

Watching Smith move may remind some of Boston College product Andre Williams, who the Giants comically blew a fourth-round pick on back in 2014.

In his three years in the pros, Williams has averaged 3.3 yards per carry and that’s that type of production one can expect from his Big-Ten clone if he becomes a member of some team’s committee backfield.

To his credit, he does have a reliable set of hands on your garden-variety screens and dump-offs, but in a year where running back may be the most plentiful position in the draft, Smith is barely worth a seventh-round pick.

Amara Darboh

Amara Darboh (WR-Michigan): The 6-foot-1-¾-inch receiver has some appealing traits that will get him drafted, but hearing some draft analysts gush about him being a Top-10 prospect at his position turned out to be quite misleading heading into Senior Bowl week.

The Sierra Leone native is coming off a strong year at Ann Arbor where he put up a 57-862-7 stat line by demonstrating a strong set of hands and physical style of play that helped him turn shallow screens into chunk plays.

But Darboh did little to stand out in the company of some of the nation’s top wideouts in Mobile outside of beating Desmond King on a comeback route where he knocked his man off balance – more on the Iowa cornerback later.

But overall, the Wolverine’s leading pass-catcher struggled versus press coverage and failed to flash any separation skills when defenders played him tight.

His routes weren’t always sharp during the week’s practice sessions and he looks to be the type of player that will need to consistently come down with contested catches to make it at the next level.

Maybe he ends up being a big slot weapon in the mold of fellow Michigan man Jason Avant, who put in some solid years with the Eagles not too long ago.

But those that compare him to DeAndre Hopkins are ignoring the fact that Darboh isn’t nearly as athletic as the Houston Texan nor does he have his hands or catch radius.

Zach Banner

Zach Banner (OT- USC): The 6-foot-8, 361-pound human colossus was easy to spot and undoubtedly casts an imposing sight for many pass rushers that weigh 100 pounds less than the former USC Trojan.

But why take the mammoth Banner head-on when one could simply go around him?

And that’s exactly what several edge rushers did last week, including Haason Reddick, who got under the bookend and sped by him to penetrate the pocket in practice sessions.

He continued struggling in game action by giving up a sack to defensive end Keionta Davis.

Again, force him to move laterally and redirect … and he’s toast.

Not many defenders will be able to bull rush Banner given his size and his natural wide base in pass protection, but he’s not light on his feet and thus can get beat to his left or his right.

The larger-than-life tackle has great bloodlines, as many will remember his father Lincoln Kennedy, who played for three different NFL teams along with being a three-time Pro Bowler.

But unlike his dad, Banner looks to be better suited to move inside at one of the guard positions where he could best use his size and strength without worrying about smaller guys running circles around him.

Conor McDermott

Conor McDermott (OT-UCLA): The second-team All-Pac12 selection is surprisingly nimble at 6-foot-8, 305 pounds, but can be considered nothing more than a project at the pro level given his deficiencies in strength and overall technique.

He continually struggled versus smaller rushers both in his senior season and in Saturday’s game, as evidenced by the 2nd-and-10 sack he surrendered to Derek Rivers in the third quarter.

On the play, the former basketball player underset when preparing to engage the oncoming defender and failed to properly square his shoulders allowing Rivers to get his outside shoulder and close in on the quarterback.

McDermott’s timing seemed to be off as well in that he wasn’t coming off the snap quickly enough.

The Tennessee-born right tackle must keep moving his feet to generate any force when locking up with opponents either as a run blocker or pass protector.

In addition, he has a tendency to be a leaner rather than a knee bender which leaves him susceptible to being thrown off balance.

Unfortunately, Mc Dermott did nothing to help or distinguish himself during Senior Bowl week and remains very much a work in progress.

His superior agility may get him drafted in the seventh round, but I can’t see him doing much better than that.

Iowa Hawkeyes defensive back Desmond King (14) prepares to defend Miami (Oh) Redhawks wide receiver Sam Shisso (10) during the fourth quarter at Kinnick Stadium. The Hawkeyes won 45-21. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Desmond King

Desmond King (CB-Iowa): The Detroit-born cornerback has been an absolute ballhawk over the past two seasons by using his instincts and physical style of play to record 11 interceptions, but his Senior Bowl performance brought to light many concerns about his size and athletic ability.

Simply put, King lacks the traits to consistently cover wide receivers in man coverage and that was easy to see from Day 1 with Cooper Kupp exploding by him on multiple plays right off the snap.

The former Walter Camp Player of the Year finalist also struggled to transition of out breaks in matchups versus (Amara) Darboh.

The 5-foot-10 defensive back’s short arms don’t give any sort of advantage in press coverage and his less-than-fluid backpedal prevent him from effectively reacting to any sudden movements.

In game action, King allowed Grambling’s Chad Williams to easily shield him on a reception in which the receiver tacked on extra yards by running past his opponent with a burst of speed.

Some observers have suggested slot corner as the former Hawkeye’s best position going forward.

But King’s stiff hips can (and will be) exploited versus fluid athletes that line up inside, such as Julian Edelman, Jarvis Landry or Doug Baldwin just to name a few.

The fact that the 200-pound prospect is best suited to play in zone-coverage schemes makes him more projectable as a pro safety that can use his anticipatory and ball-tracking skills to get his hands on plenty of downfield throws.

In addition, one of King’s biggest strengths is his ability to diagnose running plays and attacking the ball downhill.

This Big-Ten standout needs room to roam and will be a physical tone setter at safety.

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