Senior Bowl 2011: Who Will Impress In Today's Game?

Quarterbacks: Ricky Stanzi, Jake Locker, and Colin Kaepernick will split the snaps for the North squad. Andy Dalton, Christian Ponder, and Greg McElroy are the quarterbacks for the South. None of these quarterbacks is a guaranteed first round pick (Locker has received the most attention), but they all have plenty to play for. I’ll be interested in seeing Christian Ponder, who has battled injuries but has talent, and whether he can make a positive impression. Kaepernick for the North is athletic and will get to show scouts whether he can play out of a more traditional offense (he ran the Pistol at Nevada).

Offensive Line: The North has the names that should be drafted in the first or second round at tackle, but Gabe Carimi (Wisconsin), Anthony Castonzo (Boston College) and Nate Solder (Colorado) have had their ups and downs in practice this week. I’m not convinced any are a really early pick, but we’ll get to evaluate them against some pass rushers from the other side. Derek Sherrod (Mississippi State) is a guy to watch for the South, as he projects as a good RT prospect.

 Defense: Christian Ballard (Iowa), Ryan Kerrigan (Purdue) and Clay Matthews’ younger brother, Casey (Oregon), will be players to watch on the North. Kerrigan is an intriguing prospect as a 3/4 OLB and will be looking to showcase skills that would make him attractive early in the draft to teams running that defense. Von Miller of Texas A&M, playing for the South, is a playmaker at outside linebacker for the South and could solidify a draft spot in the top half of the first round with an impressive performance.

Running Back: I’ve seen both Kendall Hunter and DeMarco Murray play a fair amount in the Big XII, and both have gotten good reviews this week in Mobile. Hunter was hurt last year, but has been impressive when healthy. The undersized Murray is drawing comparisons to Jamaal Charles for his speed.

Click here for the full North Roster or the full South Roster.

[photo via Getty]