Thoughts on the Senior Bowl

The top college all-star game has come and gone, and there were some lasting impressions from the 2013 Senior Bowl. In the past two drafts, 8 QB's were selected in the first round (Cam Newton, Jake Locker, Blaine Gabbert, Christian Ponder, Andrew Luck, RGIII, Ryan Tanehill and Brandon Weeden), and with the offensive emphasis officially shifted to the passing game, today's NFL is QB-hungry. There are two expected first rounders in West Virginia's Geno Smith and USC's Matt Barkley, and the Senior Bowl was a chance for several other QB's to jump up into that conversation. That's now how things unfolded, though, as defense had the upper hand all day long. Here are some players who made some noise in the game, both good and bad:

Quarterback

Zac Dysert, Miami (Ohio): Dysert has been drawing comparisons to Joe Flacco as a big-armed QB from a smaller program, but Dysert didn't take advantage of his opportunity the way Flacco did at the Senior Bowl. Dysert had little talent around him in Oxford, but didn't look very sure of himself with the country's best seniors around him.

Mike Glennon, NC State: Glennon was a true fringe first rounder that likely bumped himself down to the second round barring a fantastic combine and pro day. He looked terribly inconistent all day long.

EJ Manuel, Florida State: Manuel won the game's MVP award, leading the South team on two early scoring drives. He flashed some mobility that scouts love and looked like a field general during his time on the field. He doesn't have the body of work at Florida State to be a first rounder, but probably jumped up into the third round discussion.

Running Back

Mike Gillislee, Florida: Despite names like Kenjon Barner and Stepfan Taylor on the rosters, it was Florda's Gillislee that looked like one of the top backs in the game, averaging 4.6 yards per carry on 10 touches.

Jonathan Franklin, UCLA: Franklin made the most of his five carries with 41 yards and a TD, making his case for the best back in the 2013 draft class.

Wide Receiver

Conner Vernon, Duke: Duke isn't exactly known as an NFL factory, but Vernon proved to be a reliable security blanket for some less-than-stellar QB's all day long. Vernon looked an awful lot like Rams zone-busting WR Danny Amendola.

Offensive Guard

Kyle Long, Oregon: Despite only 9 starts at the top collegiate level, Long proved he has the size, attitude and lineage (he's the son of Howie Long and brother of Rams DE Chris Long) to succeed at the NFL level.

Defensive End

Datone Jones, UCLA: It was a bad day to be a South QB with pressure from the North DL all day long. Jones had a big day with a couple tackles, a half sack and a tackle for loss.

Ezekiel Ansah, BYU: Ansah wins the "Man Amongst Boy" award, leading in every front-seven category with 7 total tackles, 1.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss. He was all over the place and answered some questions about his diminished production during the 2013 season.

Defensive Tackle

Kawann Short, Purdue: The other half of the North DL domination should be credited to Short, who was unblockable all day long. Flashed a variety of moves while penetrating the backfield.

Linebacker

Vince Williams, Florida State: Williams was second on the South team with 6 total tackles and showed some great range shadowing the speedy North backs.

Cornerback

Robert Alford, Southeast Louisiana: Alford put on a show from the opening kickoff, returning it 88 yards to set up the South team's first TD. He was also very active on defense racking up 5 total tackles and looking solid in pass coverage. Alford officially has small-school stud written all over him.

Jordan Poyer, Oregon State: Poyer followed up a solid week of practice with a good game on Saturday, demonstrating the consistency you want from the CB position.

Safety

Duke Williams, Nevada: Despite suffering what appeared to be a shoulder injury, Williams returned to the game and kept making big hits. Tied for most tackles on the North team with 6 and made some big special teams plays as well. He might not be an NFL starter on day one, but he'll get there eventually as a punishing defender.

Jonathan Cyprien, Florida International: The Senior Bowl is custom made for players like Alford and Cyprien that come from small programs with little visibility. According to scouts Cyprien was the most put-together DB at the weigh-ins, and continued to impress when the pads came on in practice. He followed that up with 5 total tackles and a tackle for loss during the game.