Tag: weigh ins

Laiatu Latu helping his draft stock at Senior Bowl practices

UCLA pass rusher Laiatu Latu is helping his draft stock at Senior Bowl practices. It’d be hard for the Saints to pass him up — if he makes it to their pick:

The New Orleans Saints are getting a good look at one of the top defensive ends in the draft this week at the Senior Bowl. UCLA defensive end Laiatu Latu has been off to a very hot start in Mobile, Ala.

Latu was once medically retired from football after a neck injury while playing at Washington. He then transferred to UCLA where he was cleared to play and has dominated ever since. He finished with 34 tackles for a loss and 23.5 sacks in his two seasons as a Bruin, as well as five forced fumbles. Pro Football Focus charting credited him with 127 quarterback pressures during that span.

The Saints have always gone after their archetype at defensive end, and college scouting director Jeff Ireland reiterated that importance earlier this week when talking about pass rushers with the media.

He also opened up about thinking outside of that box: “I still think you have to play with power, but they come in all shapes and sizes and you have to be ready to have a really clear vision for how are you going to utilize that player.”

Latu has the size that the Saints like — having weighed in at 6-foot-4 and 261 pounds, with 32.5-inch arms giving him an impressive 79-inch wingspan– as well as looking like a faster defensive end as well at times. He’s seen as a first-round lock in this year’s draft class but he could lift his stock into top-10 territory if he keeps up this strong week of practice in Mobile.

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Four Former Notre Dame Football Stars Weigh In at Senior Bowl

who doesn’t love the Senior Bowl or eventually the combine where you hear more about arm length, hand size and wingspan than you do about actual football ability.

It’s that time of year again where men around the age of 21 or so get parades around in the tightest fitting workout clothes imaginable to show that they’ve got the physique to play in the NFL.

Ah, who doesn’t love the Senior Bowl or eventually the combine where you hear more about arm length, hand size and wingspan than you do about actual football ability.

Just like recruiting is to college teams to being successful the attention to detail at these events can be what separates great draft classes from the awful ones for the 32 NFL teams.

With that in mind – four Notre Dame players from the 2019 squad took part in Tuesday’s weigh-ins at the annual Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. Here’s how they measured out:

Chase Claypool, WR: 6-4.3″, 229 pounds, Arms – 33 1/8″, Hands – 10″, Wingspan – 80″

Jalen Elliott, S: 6-0.4″, 205 pounds, Arms – 32″, Hands – 9 1/8″, Wingspan – 76 5/8″

Alohi Gilman, S: 5-10.5″, 202 pounds, Arms – 31 5/8″, Hands – 9″, Wingspan – 73 3/8″

Troy Pride, Jr., CB: 5-11.3″, 193 pounds, Arms – 31 3/8″, Hands – 8 3/8″, Wingspan – 73 3/4″

Weigh-in information courtesy of Pro Football Network.

Be sure to stay with us throughout the week if you’re interested in the NFL Draft stock of these four. We’ll be following news and reports out of Mobile all week and will break down anything that happens to the four participating Fighting Irish.