Interesting - good size and athleticism.

MOBILE, Ala. -- Auburn's Nick Marshall expects to be a cornerback in the NFL, even though he's playing quarterback at the Senior Bowl.

Marshall came out to Tuesday's practice in a yellow quarterback's jersey initially but then worked with the defensive backs and also as a gunner on special teams.

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Marshall started as a defensive back at Georgia before getting dismissed from the team.

Marshall said he made the decision after talking to his mother and other family members.

"It wasn't difficult because I played cornerback also coming up," he said. "It won't be a hard transition for me to make. It's something that I know if I put my mind to I can do anything that I want."

Marshall played quarterback at junior college and led Auburn to the national championship game during the 2013 season.

He was a Maxwell Award semifinalist as a senior, passing for 4,508 yards and rushing for 1,866 in two seasons.

Marshall is on the Senior Bowl roster as a quarterback but is open to getting some practice time in the secondary.

"Whatever they ask, I'm going to do whatever they want me to play," Marshall said. "Go out and make a good impression on them."

Carl Davis, DT, Iowa

Davis has an NFL body on the interior of the defensive line (6’4", 315 lbs) and the length (34.48” reach) to play multiple positions. I can see Davis as the 3-technique defensive tackle (4-3 front) or the 5-technique defensive end (3-4 front) because of his size, quickness and power on contact.

Davis flashed his ability to get upfield in one-on-one pass-rushing situations, and I also saw the Iowa product utilize counter moves at the point of attack to win those matchups during the North squad practice session. Davis has an opportunity to boost his stock in Mobile as an interior pass-rusher who also has the size and technique to win versus the run game.

Hau’oli Kikaha, LB, Washington

Every year at the Senior Bowl, there are linebackers who get exposed a bit when they have to play in space as an underneath zone defender or when matching up in man coverage. On Monday, that was Kikaha (6'3", 260 lbs) when the coaches asked him to play off the ball in Cover 3.

Kikaha is better suited as a stand-up edge-rusher at the next level in a 3-4 front, where he can use his hands at the point of attack and play close to the line of scrimmage.

Matt Bowen@MattBowen41 · 1h 1 hour ago

DT Carl Davis (Iowa) having another impressive day for the North squad. Disruptive, quick up the field.

There are quite a few teams eager to see Colorado State quarterback Garrett Grayson. Sources from one of the top teams in the NFC that selected a franchise quarterback outside of the top 20 and is one of the best at evaluating and developing quarterbacks, told me during Grayson’s final game that he was the favorite to be their third-rated quarterback behind Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota.

Sources say that one team that is interested in getting an eye on Grayson is the Broncos. If Peyton Manning doesn’t come back for the 2015 season, Denver will want a quarterback to compete with Brock Osweiler, and Grayson could be in play for the Broncos in the second or third round. Grayson has displayed a strong arm, field vision to work through progressions, experience in a pro style system, and athleticism. Numerous league contacts have said that Grayson could be this year’s quarterback prospect who rises and may end up being a Jimmy Garappolo-type prospect. If that’s the case, the Broncos taking Grayson in Round 2 would mirror New England drafting Garappolo.

Your guy Danny Shelton had a rough morning from what I saw. Ineffective use of his hands and fatigue.

I also saw everybody raving about Carl Davis blowing everybody up.

At the weigh-in this morning you threw an arm up in the air after your weight was announced. Was that a celebration of making weight or maintaining where you wanted to be from the end of the year?

"It was just seeing improvement. I was excited to see it. I've been concentrating on dropping weight and it's finally coming."

Luc was one of a few guys who turned heads during Tuesday morning's weigh-in, when he checked in at 5-foot-11 and a stout 263 pounds. Despite looking every little bit of that 263, the Cincinnati linebacker still flashed impressive movement during practice. Luc was able to turn and run with the North's running backs, save for one takedown of Ameer Abdullah during a pass route.

The inside linebacker spot is one to watch this week, and Luc, off a 134-tackle season, might not be far off the lead.

—Miami linebacker Denzel Perryman didn’t practice Wednesday due to an injury, but I think he is a solid second-round prospect who can play in both the base and sub-packages at the next level.

—NFL scouts told me to focus on Mississippi State defensive end Preston Smith (6’5”, 270 lbs). He has length (34” inch arms) and power to win on the edge.

STRENGTHS: Boasts an impressive wingspan and heavy hands to engage and dispose of blockers, using an array of rush moves to tear through blocks. Smith also lines up as a 1-technique lineman inside on obvious passing downs, using his initial quickness and power to penetrate the A-gap and create interior pressure.
WEAKNESSES: Is not a quick-twitch rusher and rarely beats offensive tackles with speed off the edge.
IN OUR VIEW: While not a dynamic threat, Smith plays motivated and has the versatile skill-set that will be attractive to pro scouts.

Waiting to hear how Tom Brady likes to handle his balls is cutting into my Senior Bowl practice viewing. I don't care how he likes his balls.

I have to admit that Senior Bowl practice analysis is far, far better than watching these dudes do drills at the combine.

Do you children mind that you sit around and watch young men practice footall?

Not sure. Have you seen them?

I haven't seen anything or noticed him in the practices.

But, he might be a monster this afternoon. I wouldn't know. Tom Brady is still smiling at people.

Washington defensive tackle Danny Shelton was superb once again. He destroyed Marshall center Chris Jasperse on a few one-on-ones. Shelton is such a heavy load that he is a mismatch as a nose tackle lining up over the center. It would be a massive surprise if Shelton wasn't the first player drafted from the 2015 Senior Bowl.

Thursday practice was an interesting session for the two most productive edge rushers in college football last year, Washington's Hau'Oli Kikaha and Utah's Nate Orchard. Kikaha started out with some struggles in man coverage against tight ends. The Huskies had Kikaha constantly rushing off the edge, so he needs to learn coverage technique to play outside linebacker in the NFL. Tight ends consistently achieved separation from him when they made their break on out routes.

When it switched to pass-rushing, Kikaha had a lot more success. Penn State left tackle Donovan Smith had a nice rep holding Kikaha up on the edge, but Kikaha came back to burn Wisconsin's Rob Havenstein with a speed rush around the corner. Kikaha also had a nice play in the run scrimmage as he strung out a block along the edge from Notre Dame's Ben Koyack before almost clotheslining Minnesota running back David Cobb. Kikaha is a work in progress for the NFL as he will need to learn to pass coverage. That along with his size puts him more as a second-day prospect.

Orchard also struggled in pass coverage. Delaware tight end Nick Boyle burned him on an out and up. Orchard tried holding Koyack, but he broke free for a reception. Koyack also had some wins against Orchard in the pass-blocking one-on-ones as he held him up on a few reps. In the team scrimmage, Orchard came back to make some nice plays, including a tackle for a loss after staying home on a reverse. He also had some good rushes. Orchard looks more natural as a defensive end. If he goes to a 3-4 defense, he'll need some developmental time.

Petty is my guy. I would draft him in the 2nd round to be safe.

Petty is my guy. I would draft him in the 2nd round to be safe.

Stephone Anthony/LB/Clemson – Possibly the most underrated linebacker in the upcoming draft, Anthony, 6-2, 245, turned in a complete performance on Tuesday. He did exceptionally well in coverage drills, which he carried over into the scrimmage period. Anthony got depth on pass drops and easily stayed step-for-step with running backs or tight ends who came over the middle of the field. He also showed speed and range in pursuit, quickly getting outside the numbers then cutting off the corners as he ran down ball carriers.

There’s something to like about every linebacker in Mobile. It when one of them shows off two or three really good traits that you take notice. That was the case with Clemson’s Stephone Anthony on Wednesday. Anthony consistently looked good in space. That’s known about him. The extra thing he showed was great closing speed. There was one play where a wide receiver caught a short swing pass and Anthony closed with incredible speed. If it were a game, the hit would have been the stuff of .gif legend.

One player who has had a mixed Senior Bowl is Iowa defensive tackle Carl Davis. He has displayed a nice skill set with strength, size, and a burst. However, Davis has flunked the team interviews. He has said he didn't work hard in practice at Iowa because he was going against young scout team linemen and he didn't want to risk injury against some overzealous underclassmen. He told teams that he should only play about half the snaps in a game in order to be effective. Teams felt he came across as very arrogant and lazy. Davis is going to need to turn that around before his Combine and pre-draft visit interviews.