ACC Has A Strong Showing At The Senior Bowl

Another All-Star Game is in the books, and our guys from the ACC made a ton of money. As great as last week went for ACC players, this week, almost every player surpassed expectations. The only player to have a bad week was Pitt’s TJ Clemmings, and he remains firmly in the 1st round. These guys impressed the most:

Shaq Mason-OL, GT.

No player helped themselves more than GT’s Shaq Mason. Watch film of Georgia Tech and Mason jumps off the screen, but scouts have questioned his ability to play in an NFL offense. Those questions were put to rest for good this week. Mason had a rough first day of practice, as anyone would expect. However, the rest of the week of practice, Mason showed phenomenal improvement. Teams are considering a move to Center for Mason, but after this week, Mason has jumped up the board to a 2nd-3rd round projection.

Laken Tomlinson-OG, Duke.

Tomlinson projected well heading into this week with a solid 3rd round grade. Scouts raved all week long about Tomlinson, referring to him as safe and dependable. He consistently handled the best defensive prospects through the week, gaining momentum up draft boards. At this point, Tomlinson is a legitimate top-50 prospect.

Jamison Crowder-WR, Duke.

Crowder had a mediocre Senior Bowl. However, his week of practice was impressive enough to overcome a shaky Senior Bowl performance. Scouts like his fluid route running, his explosiveness, and his ability in the return game. Crowder is the perfect slot receiver in today’s NFL. Crowder looks like a Day 2 lock, most likely the 3rd round.

Clive Walford-TE, Phillip Dorsett-WR, Denzel Perryman-LB, and Ladarius Gunter-CB, Miami.

The crew from “The U” had an impressive showing this week. Clive Walford has positioned himself as the top TE on a lot of draft boards after proving he is more than capable as a run-blocker and a weapon in the passing game. Walford should be taken off the board in the 2nd round. Both Dorsett and Perryman sustained injuries this week, but both prospects helped themselves during their time in Mobile. Mike Mayock is a big fan of both players and had the 1st round as a possibility for each. Dorsett can play inside or outside at the receiver position and possesses incredible speed. I’d say the 2nd round is his landing spot, up from a 4th round projection before the Senior Bowl. Perryman faced similar questions as Dorsett coming into this week; too short, but abundant athleticism. Like Dorsett, Perryman saw his stock rise this week, and he too should be off the board before the end of the 2nd round. Ladarius Gunter is an interesting prospect. Getting a read on where his draft stock is at the moment is difficult, but he is definitely trending up. There is still work to be done for Gunter. The combine and pro-day will go a long way in determining Gunter’s final grade, but if I’m an NFL GM for a team that values physical defense and tight man-to-man corners, there’s no way I let Gunter get out of the 4th round. When all is said and done I still see him as the next quality corner in Seattle.

As one class of prospects heads out, another class is on the verge of signing. National Signing Day is just around the corner and InsideTheACC’s recruiting coverage is set to kick off tomorrow. Trust me, you don’t want to miss out.

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