Senior Bowl Practice Notes

The senior bowl is over and here is the low-down on the Irish Offensive players in the game. Scout.com

Rhema McKnight/Notre Dame

Ht: 6.007 Wt: 207 Arm: 32 1/4 Hand: 10

Monday Practice Notes: The coaches were working with him about improving his route running and he seems to improve in that area as the session went along. He did a decent job of catching the ball.

Tuesday Practice Notes: Will make some incredible catches but will drop some easy ones, too. He is quick off the line, competes for every ball thrown his way and catches the ball well over his shoulder.

Wednesday Practice Notes: Does a nice job beating the jam at the line of scrimmage and makes himself available to his quarterback once downfield. He tends to round off his routes and too often lets the ball into his body, but will fight for any pass thrown in his direction.

Thursday Practice Notes: Best practice of the week. Made a lot of difficult receptions all session. Got verticle and contorted over McCauley coming away with a great deep catch.

Analysis: A nice sized target who fails to distinguish himself due to a lack of big plays. He is a fluid player who catches the ball very naturally, but he lacks the burst to create separation. He is a hard worker and will fight for the ball against tight coverage.

Ryan Harris/Notre Dame

Ht: 6.046 Wt: 299 Arm: 33 3/4 Hand: 9 1/2

Monday Practice Notes: Excellent leverage player, plays low in run blocking which can get him overextended. Very strong hands, nimble feet, could be a tackle or guard in NFL.

Tuesday Practice Notes: Technically sound in regards to his initial steps and hand play, but from there everything tends to break down. His stance is a pet peeve simply because he angles himself even before the snap and thus tends to turn his shoulders a little early. If he hits his punch in pass protection then he was fine today, but if he did not; then showed no recovery ability. Saw action at both tackle spots.

Wednesday Practice Notes: Very solid morning playing both right and left tackle. Again, technically he performed very well especially in his pass sets. Showed very nice positioning all day in regards to the passing game and was very strong to his post leg. Much better day today and did not get beat often.

Thursday Practice Notes: Really struggled at points today. His pass blocking was subpar and even caught the wrath of Coach Gruden being beaten clean in the team session. Simply had trouble working against the speed rushers.

Analysis: Rollercoaster performance has hurt his stock. It is obvious Harris was coached well at Notre Dame and overall technique will not be an issue at the next level. Athletically he is certainly going to struggle against top professional defensive linemen. A left tackle in college, Harris will likely find his place in the NFL as a right tackle, or even guard.