Inside The Bills

Marrone had different purpose in Mobile

As reported in Bills Focus on Buffalobills.com by play-by-play man John Murphy on assignment at the Senior Bowl, Buffalo head coach Doug Marrone made a pitstop in Mobile on Tuesday, but his primary purpose wasn’t to get more familiar with the draft prospects on hand.

Marrone’s main aim was to meet the Bills scouting staff as a group.

“It was important, the one part of the organization I hadn’t met yet was the scouts,” Marrone told Buffalobills.com. ”I just wanted to make sure I got down here and introduce myself to them and get a feel, and for them to get to know me a little better. I wanted to tell them how I excited I am, and the coaches, to be working with them, so we had a meeting.  Then coming out here, and I’m trying to get a feel for the rest of the young players that we have out here.”

Marrone is already back in Buffalo after departing from Mobile Tuesday afternoon. While he recognizes the importance of the Senior Bowl, with his staff and team in a transitional stage it’s more important to assess the talent that’s already on his roster rather than the prospective talent that could be added in late April.

“We have a lot of work up in Buffalo,” he said. ”I think we’re ahead in a lot of different areas, but we wanna get back up there. We finally have the full staff together.

“We’re excited about the players that we have on our football team. We’re looking at them and evaluating them and that’s a process, that takes a while. It’s not like you just watch a bunch of tape and then you go ahead. So we’re doing that, but we’re getting a lot of things set up—we’re getting our schedule set up for minicamps and OTAs and things like that, getting our daily schedule set up, getting our playbooks, making sure they’re organized and getting them together.  That’s what  really going on right now.”

Nix: Senior Bowl is key to evaluating players

It’s a process, the road to the April NFL Draft. And this week’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama is just one step in the process.

But according to Bills General Manager Buddy Nix, the Senior Bowl is the most important event leading up to the draft, once the college football season ends. Nix was a guest Tuesday night on The John Murphy Show live from Mobile, Alabama, the site of the Senior Bowl.

“I think this is the most important,” Nix said, comparing this week’s events in Mobile to the other offseason events: the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, and individual “Pro Day” workouts for players.

“This is my third bowl game in two weeks. But the Senior Bowl is coached by NFL coaches, so they know what you’re looking for. They make sure you see what you’re looking for. And these guys are going against the best competition. It makes it easy to evaluate. The hard part is evaluating a guy against somebody that you think is inferior or much better, then it makes it tough. But all these guys are pretty equal.”

Nix thoughts were echoed by Arkansas QB Tyler Wilson, who says he considers the Senior Bowl the best chance he has to impress NFL scouts.

“It’s one of the three hurdles as a prep player coming into the professional ranks,” Wilson says. “This is a big week for me, I want to come out here and compete, and meet a lot of these guys that I’ll be playing with on the next level. I look forward to it. I’ll use it as an opportunity for me, and then continue to train down at IMG and prepare for the combine.”

Nix says he was happy to see the competition level ramped up during Tuesdays padded practices at the Senior Bowl.

“They put the pads on today and they went really hard. I think you can really see if a game’s too big for a guy, or too fast for them, which is hard to tell sometimes doing college tape,” he said.

The John Murphy Show will broadcast live from the Senior Bowl Wednesday night from 7-9pm, on the flagship station of the Bills, WGR Sports Radio 550.

South Senior Bowl Tuesday Practice

Midway through the afternoon practice at the Senior Bowl, it’s already apparent where the strength of this roster lies-the wide receiver corps. There’s plenty of wideout talent on the field, working out under sun splashed skies and 55 degree temperatures. The most impressive WR so far is Georgia’s Tavarres King. Through the 7 on 7 portion of practice he’s made several strong catches. He seems to play bigger than his listed size (6-1, 200lbs). And King is expected to run the 40 somewhere in the 4.3-4.4 range next month at the combine.
We”ll have more on the Senior Bowl tonight when The John Murphy Show broadcasts live from Mobile, Alabama. The show airs weeknights from 7-9pm on the flagship station of the Bills WGR Sportsradio 550.

Nassib on Hackett: “Buffalo lucky to have him”

The Bills are looking at all the quarterbacks on the Senior Bowl rosters this week in Mobile. But the one the Buffalo coaching knows best, knows them pretty well, also.

Syracuse QB Ryan Nassib is one of three quarterbacks on the North roster. And his name has been linked strongly to the Bills, ever since his Head Coach at SU, Doug Marrone, was named the Bills Head coach two weeks ago. And when Marrone brought Syracuse Offensive Coordinator Nathaniel Hackett to Buffalo to handle the same job, the speculatikon instensified.

At the Senior Bowl Tuesday, Nassib had nothing but praise for his former Offensive Coordinator, and said he made him a better player every year at Syracuse.

“He did a great job of developing me,” Nassib told The John Murphy Show. “He’s a great developer of players, and each and every year I was with him I got better. Statistically, internally, I felt myself getting better every day I was with him. Buffalo is really lucky to have him as an O-C.”

Nassib says playing for the Bills would be a great situation for him, given his familiarity with the Buffalo coaching staff, and his comfort level in Upstate New York. And he dispels the notion that at age 33, Nathaniel Hackett may be too inexpeienced to coordinate an NFL offense.

“All I can say is coaching is in his blood,” Nassib told host John Murphy. “That’s what his family does. His dad (Paul Hackett) has coached in college and the NFL for forty years, so he’s been around football his whole life. He may only be 33-years old , but he’s been a ballboy, a tape cutter, the guy in the film room, since he was ten years old. He’s been around the game, he knows a lot of stuff, trust me. The good thing about that, is that he’s got a great consultant with his father.”

We’ll have more with Ryan Nassib tonight at 7pm on The John Murphy Show live from the Senior Bowl. GM Buddy Nix joins us live as well. The John Murphy Show airs weeknights from 7pm-9pm on the flagship station of the Bills, WGR Sports Radio 550.

Dysert knows Buffalo wind

Having played his college ball in the Mid-American conference, Miami-Ohio QB Zac Dysert, who is on the North team roster at the Senior Bowl this week, knows all about the challenging weather conditions when playing in Buffalo.

Dysert was last in Buffalo on Nov. 3rd when his Red Hawks came to play the U.B. Bulls. After a slow first half the game heated up in the third quarter. Dysert led three 70-plus yard touchdown drives, capped with TD passes by Dysert as he became his school’s all-time leading passer, surpassing Ben Roethlisberger.

“We definitely got off to a slow start,” he said. ”That’s always a tough place to play. I got sick about two days before, so I wasn’t feeling too great either. But I stuck it out and tried to stick in there with my team and we just couldn’t come back.”

Despite Dysert’s best efforts on a 25-44 passing day for 242 yards and three TDs during a windy November afternoon, U.B. won the game on a last second field goal (27-24).

Dysert is eager to show this week that despite playing at a mid-major school he’s got the talent to hang with some of the best in the college game.

“Just show them my skill set,” he said. ”Show them what I thrive in and show them that I do have some things to get better, but I’m definitely working on them. I know my weaknesses and I’m trying to improve them every day.”

Nassib on Buffalo: “A match made in heaven”

Syracuse QB Ryan Nassib is finding the question unavoidable in the first few days of Senior Bowl workouts in Mobile. How would he feel about playing for the Buffalo Bills? Doesn’t it make sense for the Bills to draft him?

After Tuesday morning’s workout the North team at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Nassib had a ready answer.

“It would be a match made in heaven,” he told reporters.

Nassib’s Head Coach at Syracuse Doug Marrone is now the Bills head man. And Marrone brought along Offensive Coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and several other Orange coaches for his new Bills staff. So in classic connect-the-dots mode, most observers make the connection between the talented Syracuse quarterback and a potential landing spot in Orchard Park.

Nassib says that would work for him.

“That would be a great situation, I love the city of Buffalo,” he said Tuesday morning. “I’m a Central New York guy, that type of weather, and going to Buffalo with all those Syracuse guys there, that would be a match made in heaven.”

Nassib is one of three quarterbacks on the North roster this week, splitting time with North Carolina State’s Mike Glennon and Miami of Ohio’s Zac Dysert. The three have been rotating through the reps through the first two days of practice.

Playing for the Bills would be “a great situation for me” Nassib told The John Murphy Show. And we asked what would make it so great.

“Just like anybody would like to be with the coach that they’ve been with for the last three years,” he answered. “That’s just definitely an advantage, instead of building a relationship with somebody new. You already have a relationship with somebody else. But that’s a rare situation, that usually doesn’t happen. It’s just kinda like a special circumstance.”

We’ll have more with Syracuse QB Ryan Nassib, along with Head Coach Doug Marrone and Bills GM Buddy Nix will be live, when we broadcast The John Murphy Show from the Senior Bowl tonight. The show airs from 7pm-9pm on the flagship station of the Bills, WGR Sports Radio 550.

Mayock: 3-4 QBs will go round 1

Just days after ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper chose not to put a single quarterback in his initial first-round mock draft, NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock had a much different opinion.

Mayock during NFL Network’s Senior Bowl coverage said he expects as many as four signal callers to come off the board in round one come last April.

“It’s early in this entire process,” Mayock said. “Everyone says there’s no Andrew Luck, there’s no Robert Griffin III. … I guarantee you by the time we get to April, there will be three to four quarterbacks taken in the first round, and most of them are coming out of this game.”

Mayock made reference to four of the QBs participating at the Senior Bowl this week, including N.C. State’s Mike Glennon and Syracuse’s Ryan Nassib.

Senior Bowl North Practice-Tuesday

The North Team is on the field at Land Peebles Stadium in Mobile for their Tuesday workout. And it looks like the QB rotation has been switched up from yesterday. Mike Glennon of NC State is taking the first reps with the offense with Miami’s Zac Dysert second and Ryan Nassib of Syracuse third. Yesterday the rotation went Nassib-Glennon-Dysert. Glennon, who measured in at just under 6’7″ tall yesterday, has been the most effective passer of the three.
Michigan QB Denard Robinson has been taking reps with the WR group
but only limited reps. Robinson is still recovering from an injured elbow. His work so far has been limited to individual drills and he had a few notable dropped passes during those drills
We’ll be broadcasting live from the Senior Bowl tonight at 7pm. Bills GM Buddy Nix will join us live. The John Murphy Show airs weeknights from 7pm-9pm on the flagship station of the Bills WGR Sports radio 550.

Orange O-lineman out early-ready for NFL

Syracuse offensive lineman Justin Pugh is part of Senior Bowl history this week. The Pittsburgh native is one of two non-seniors eligible to participate in the Senior Bowl. It’s the first time in the 64-year history of the game non-seniors have been allowed to play. Pugh and Alabama offensive lineman D.J. Fluker were given clearance to play since they both earned their degrees and had been in school for four years.

For Pugh, it wasn’t just the NFL and the Senior Bowl that had to give him the OK. He had to get it from his Mother also.

“My mom told me that if I ever wanted to play in the NFL, I had to get my degree first,” Pugh told The John Murphy Show, at the Senior Bowl in Mobile this week. “She’s a teacher so she’s real big on education. Before the season even started, she said you better take enough classes so you can graduate, or you’re not going anywhere.”

Pugh graduated from Syracuse last month with a degree in finance. And he’s interested in that, or perhaps broadcasting, as a post-football career.

For now, his focus is on football, and after being selected All-Big East for the last few years, Pugh has a chance to make a good living in the NFL. The 6-5 301 pounder got reps at tackle and guard Monday, on the first day of Senior Bowl workouts in Mobile. He wants to make an impression this week as he works out in front of NFL coaches and scouts.

“I want people to say I compete and I’m a tough kid,” he said. “That’s something I take pride in, going out here and being physical and being a smart player. I want them to know I can pick up the playbook and run with it.”

Pugh played all three years of his college career for Doug Marrone, the new Head Coach of the Bills. And he says Bills fans will like what they see of Marrone once he settles into the job.

“They should be excited. Just look what he did with the Syracuse program. It was probably one of the darkest times in program history when we first got there in ’09, and to where we are now, it’s very respectable program. Two bowl games in three years, we should have gone to three in three years but we kinda faltered in 2011. He’s very disciplined, I think that’s something that teams need that are trying to find that winning mentality. I think he brings that to the table. I’m excited to see what he does and hopefully we can work together in the future.”

The John Murphy Show will broadcast live from the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama at 7pm Tuesday and Wednesday. The show airs on the flagship station of the Bills, WGR Sports Radio 550.

Texas DE a day one standout in Mobile

Texas DE Alex Okafor picked up right where he left off.

The Longhorn defender had a huge game in Texas’ Alamo Bowl win over Oregon State last month. He finished with nine tackles in the game, six of them for losses. He had 4.5 sacks, and forced one fumble.

On day one of practice at the Senior Bowl, Okafor looked just as dominant. He helped the North defense shut down the offense during most of the team work Monday. And Okafor says his performance at the Alamo Bowl last month was the result of some good luck.

Related: Senior Bowl coverage homepage

“Everything fell in line for me. It was a perfect opportunity for me,” he told The John Murphy Show in Mobile, after the North practice in the afternoon. “Coaches put me in a good situation and I just took advantage of it, and had a helluva game.”

Okafor was one of many standouts on the defensive side of the ball for the North team. And he says the unit can play even better with more reps.

“We started off a little slow, but that just comes from rust,” he said. “A lot of us haven’t played since the bowl games, some of us didn’t even have bowl games. It’s hard getting back into football shape. But as practiced picked up, we got better and better, and I think we finished off on a good note.”

Okafor is considered a prototypical 4/3 defensive end. He’s 6-5, 265 pounds, with a frame that should allow him to pack on more bulk. And he’s got a wide frame and impressive wingspan-important for swatting down passes.

But what Okafor did most impressively Monday at the Senior Bowl practice, was set the edge on the left side of the defense.

“Just the Oakland coaching staff, they emphasized that a lot during film last night. The five technique has to set the edge. So, I’m going into practice today thinking set the edge, set the edge. So when you hear it all the time, it kinda falls into place and you do it,” he said.

The John Murphy Show will broadcast live from the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama Tuesday and Wednesday nights at 7pm.

San Diego GM loves his Buffalo roots

He just got the job two weeks ago, so it stands to reason that Tom Telesco, the new General Manager of the San Diego Chargers, would have his hands full at the Senior Bowl.

But the Hamburg native had a chance to talk with The John Murphy Show this week in Mobile, Alabama. The 40-year old GM of the Chargers says he’s proud of his Western New York roots, and he’s made a point to mention them ever since he took the new job.

“I know in my press conference, I made sure everybody knew I was a Buffalo guy,” Telesco told host John Murphy. “I love Buffalo so much,I have friends and family back there. I still keep in touch with my high school coaches who were so much of my life.”

Two weeks ago on the radio show, one of those coaches, Jerry Smith of St Francis High School in Athol Springs, was effusive in his praise of Telesco, his former player. And Telesco returned the favor in his Monday interview in Mobile.

“Everything I’ve learned in football, it started with Jerry Smith and John Scibetta,” he said. “They kinda gave me my background in football, the foundation of the game, and my, passion for it, too. I was a basketball guy in high school but with those two coaches and their passion for it, I just started to gravitate more towards football than basketball and it’s led me in this direction.”

Telesco hit the ground running, hiring a new Head Coach for the Bolts late last week. He tapped Broncos offensive assistant Mike McCoy for the San Diego Job in what will probably be his biggest decision of his San Diego tenure.

“Some guys come in prepared for their interview, some guys come in prepared for the job,” Telesco said. “He came in prepared for the job. He had an answer for everything but he was flexible. So we got him done, which was big, and now we’re working on the assistant coaches.”

The interview with Tom Telesco is part of the podcast Monday for The John Murphy Show. Tuesday night, the radio show will air live from the Senior Bowl on the flagship station of the Bills, WGR Sports Radio 550.

Arkansas QB likes Jim Kelly comparison

The time for hype is here, when it comes to the prospects in the 2013 NFL Draft. More than 100 draft eligible players have assembled here in Mobile, Alabama for the Senior Bowl.

And with the Buffalo Bills fans focused on the quarterback spot, one bit of hype hits home.

ESPN Draft Guru Mel Kiper made waves last week, when he compared Arkansas QB Tyler Wilson to Bills Hall of Famer Jim Kelly.

“We all remember Jim Kelly when he came out of Miami he was recruited as a linebacker at Penn State,” Kiper said. “(Wilson) is a guy with an NFL arm and tremendous toughness. Under the previous coaching staff and with the talent around him, remember they lost their top three receivers from the prior year you expected this year to be a tough go and then he had an injury early on.”

We had a chance to talk with Wilson today at the Senior Bowl, and asked him about Kiper’s comparison.

“I heard that in the past week,” Wilson said. “Obviously, those are pretty good words. I got to go out and prove it this week and have a good week. That’s exciting though.”

Wilson will appear on Monday’s podcast of The John Murphy Show from the Senior Bowl in Mobile. And the Razorback quarterback takes pride in his toughness, playing through multiple hits to the head during his senior season.

“The quarterback position is not something that at practice you’re able to go out and bang heads with guys,” he told host John Murphy. “So in the game, it’s an opportunity to show your toughness and your ability to compete and play the game. And with that, a number of your teammates will rally behind you and really respect you.”

Wilson earned high marks for assuming a leadership role with Arkansas in his senior season, after Head Coach Bobby Petrino was dismissed last April. The quarterback said he took it upon himself to fill the void when his team’s Head Coach was suddenly fired–he considered it his duty.

“I think so. Once you’re in that kind of role and that kind of responsibility, you take it by the horns and do the best you can with it,” Wilson said. “I felt like I came to work every single day with a lunch pail and did what I could.”

The John Murphy Show from the Senior Bowl will be availble via podcast later today on BuffaloBills.com

A Dysart review from Kiper

Miami of Ohio QB Zac Dysart is participating in the Senior Bowl this week down in Mobile. He’s one of the lesser hyped quarterbacks on hand. ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper was asked for his take on the Mid-American conference QB in a national conference call.

“Dysart is a kid that has all the physical qualifications you look for,” said Kiper. ”He has the size, he’s over 6’3” 226 pounds. He has the ability to make some people miss in the pocket and if he has to run he can. Dysart it’ll be interesting with the interviews and all the quarterbacks that have come out of the Mid-American Conference like Ben Roethlisberger. I think Dysart has a chance to be a kid that people look at. I’d say more third to fifth round area for him. I think day 3 he could be one of the first quarterbacks to come off the board.”

Follow Buffalobills.com’s coverage of the Senior Bowl all week with Bills play-by-play man John Murphy filing daily video reports from Mobile in Bills Roundup.

A sleeper WR at Senior Bowl

There are always players that surprise during the week of the Senior Bowl in the practice setting. ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper believes there’s one at the wide receiver position in Mobile this week.

Appearing on a national conference call, Kiper gave his sleeper receiver.

“A guy to watch out for is Aaron Dobson from Marshall. He’s a kid that could be a lot like Brian Quick was last year from Appalachian State,” Kiper said. ”Dobson is going to have a big Senior Bowl. He has size and didn’t have a QB that could get him the ball on a consistent basis. He’s very athletic. When he’s had the opportunity to go up and make a play he’s made it. He’s very athletic. He could be in the late first round discussion or certainly in the early to mid-second round discussion as a guy that nobody is talking about that could emerge.”

Kiper a Glennon fan

ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper was breaking down quarterback prospects in the draft pool this year on a national conference call and was asked which QB he’d pick first between N.C. State’s Mike Glennon, Syracuse’s Ryan Nassib and Florida State’s E.J. Manuel. Here was his answer.

“To me Glennon at 6’5 ½” played for Tom O’Brien and Dana Bible, the same guys that developed Matt Ryan,” said Kiper. ”They see similar characteristics to Ryan with Glennon. Glennon was there and he’s why Russell Wilson ends up at Wisconsin. Glennon you look at the talent around him and how many dropped balls were there?

“I looked at six N.C. State games including their bowl game and all you saw were drops. A ton of drops in a lot of games. He can see the field and is smart. I think he maneuvers well in the pocket, is very accurate, throws a great ball, throws into tight windows. I think he’s a guy that could emerge. It’ll be interesting to see Senior Bowl week for him. He could be a late first round possibility maybe even a mid-first round possibility.”

Kiper said he’d take Nassib next in that trio and Manuel third. All three quarterbacks are taking part at the Senior Bowl.

Kiper: Nassib has been skyrocketing

In a national conference call ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper was asked a lot about the quarterback prospects in this year’s draft. Syracuse’s Ryan Nassib name came up and Kiper wasn’t shy in shedding some light about the fact that arrow on Nassib is pointing up as the pre-draft process begins.

Nassib, who is participating in the Senior Bowl this week in Mobile, is a player that’s very familiar to Buffalo’s coaching staff, since Doug Marrone and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett coached him for three years as their starting QB. Here’s what Kiper had to say about Nassib and where he sees him coming off the board.

“Nassib has been skyrocketing all year,” said Kiper. ”He’s right now in the second round discussion. That next tier beyond the top group that could end up being a second round pick. But a lot of people have high hopes for him. He obviously has an NFL arm, played in that system for Marrone and really came on. He was a guy that was a good decision maker and was really precise throwing the football and is firmly in that second round discussion right now.”

NFL Network schedule of Senior Bowl practices

Here’s the rundown of the broadcast times of the Senior Bowl practices on NFL Network this week. We remind you that Bills play-by-play man John Murphy is in Mobile this week and will file daily reports from the Senior Bowl in Bills Roundup. He’ll also be broadcasting the John Murphy show live from Mobile this week from 7-9 pm on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Monday, January 21
4:00 PM – 2012 Senior Bowl: Day 1 North Practice
10:30 PM – Senior Bowl Day 1 Recap 

Tuesday, January 22
2:00 PM – 2012 Senior Bowl: Day 2 Practice – North team
3:00 PM – 2012 Senior Bowl: Day 2 Practice – South team – Live
10:30 PM – Senior Bowl Day 2 Recap 

Wednesday, January 23
2:00 PM – 2012 Senior Bowl: Day 3 Practice – North team
3:00 PM – 2012 Senior Bowl: Day 3 Practice – South team – Live
10:30 PM – Senior Bowl Day 3 Recap

Thursday, January 24
2:00 PM – 2012 Senior Bowl: Day 4 Practice – North team and South Practice
10:30 PM – Senior Bowl Day 4 Recap 

Saturday, January 26
4:00 PM – 2012 Senior Bowl – LIVE from Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, AL

Kiper: QB Wilson as tough as Jim Kelly

Arkansas QB Tyler Wilson lost his three top receivers following the 2011 season, but still put together a pretty respectable 2012 season. That fact wasn’t lost on ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper when asked for a thumbnail sketch on the Razorbacks signal caller.

Wilson is participating at the Senior Bowl this week, and Kiper gave his assessment on where he might come off the board. He also feels that Wilson is comparable to Jim Kelly in one key area.

“Tyler Wilson going into the year you thought could be a first round pick, and now more of a second or third rounder,” said Kiper. ”A kid that can throw the football. Tough, a guy that looks down that gun barrel and makes a lot of throws. When the pressure is on him he showed he is tough and would hang in there and make some nice, accurate throws. As tough as they come. Has the toughness of a linebacker.

“We all remember Jim Kelly when he came out of Miami he was recruited as a linebacker at Penn State. It’s a guy with an NFL arm and tremendous toughness. Under the previous coaching staff and with the talent around him, remember they lost their top three receivers from the prior year you expected this year to be a tough go and then he had an injury early on.

“So I think Tyler Wilson is the kind of guy maybe second round, at worst third, but second round is where you look at him. Had he had the great year you thought was possible based on what we saw two years ago he might’ve been a mid-first round pick.”

Wilson completed better than  62% of his passes, threw for over 3,300 yards with 21 TDs and 13 INTs. He was sacked 14 times.

Why no QBs in Kiper’s 1st rd. mock

Earlier today ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper released his first mock draft and he did not have a single quarterback come off the board in the first 32 selections. In a national conference call Kiper explained why.

Kiper referenced the Arizona Cardinals at seven and Buffalo Bills at eight in need of a quarterback, but he doesn’t see them taking one in round one.

“I couldn’t put a first round quarterback in my mock because I don’t think one is going to go seven or eight,” said Kiper. ”After that nobody else is looking at a quarterback. The teams that are, Kansas City obviously and Arizona and Buffalo, but they’re second round possibilities. To me if you want to project a quarterback at seven or eight go ahead. I just don’t think there’s any quarterback worthy of going that high.”

Kiper then raised the potential of one of those teams trading back into the bottom of round one to get the signal caller they want.

“That’s where do you see a team trade back into the first round in the 20’s to get a Mike Glennon, a Geno Smith or a Matt Barkley? Certainly that could happen,” said Kiper. “We all thought that was going to happen with Andy Dalton two years ago and it never did. Cincinnati stayed where they were he fell to them and Colin Kaepernick went a little higher to the 49ers and there they were. Everybody said if you want Andy Dalton you have to move back into the first at about 25 and nobody had to move to 25.

“The late great John Butler was running the Chargers organization and he took LaDainian Tomlinson and didn’t trade up in the late first for a quarterback and there he was sitting there in the early second round. They didn’t have to trade up to get him. So that’s why this notion that you have to trade up to get their quarterback doesn’t happen.”

“So I can’t project that trade when I’m doing a mock first round. It distorts the whole thing. So could Geno Smith, Glennon or Barkley go in the late first? They could. Could one of these guys get hot during the pre-draft process? Yes.”

QB Nassib headed to Senior Bowl

Syracuse QB Ryan Nassib, who will be in the 2013 NFL draft class is going to be playing in the Senior Bowl.

That according to his agent.

Congrats to client @ryan_nassib on his invite to the 2013 Senior Bowl!

— Brian Ayrault (@BrianAyrault) January 8, 2013

Nassib will obviously be an NFL prospect that’s linked to the Bills having played under Buffalo head coach Doug Marrone in college.