As always, the 2008 Senior Bowl was a great scouting tool for the upcoming NFL Draft (April 26-27), as the top senior prospects from across the country went helmet-to-helmet. Unlike the Scouting Combine (Feb. 20-26) — where prospects run, jump and lift but do not play football — the Senior Bowl separates the real players from the posers in pads during a week of competitive practices leading up to Saturday’s game.

This year, the game itself was one of the most exciting in recent memory. After three consecutive years of North team domination, including a 27–0 shutout in 2007, the South squad rallied to take a 17–16 victory thanks to a late drive led by Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge and a game-winning touchdown run by Florida receiver Andre Caldwell as time expired.

The following are some of the highlights of what went on at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala., at the 2008 Senior Bowl:

USC — Unrivaled Senior Class

The Trojans had nine prospects participate in this year’s Senior Bowl — defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis, linebacker Keith Rivers, tight end Fred Davis, offensive tackle Sam Baker, defensive end Lawrence Jackson, quarterback John David Booty, running back Chauncey Washington, cornerback Terrell Thomas and offensive guard Drew Radovich. And the quality of USC talent may have exceeded the quantity.

Ellis entered Mobile as the top-ranked player on either roster and once again proved himself deserving of his elite prospect status. While his chief defensive tackle competition, LSU’s Glenn Dorsey, chose not to attend the Senior Bowl, Ellis dominated the trenches.

The 6’1”, 308-pound All-American mauler from Chino, Calif., fought through constant double-teams to record a sack for a safety of Kentucky quarterback Andre Woodson, prevent a fourth-quarter touchdown pass by bull-rushing Woodson (who short-armed Louisville’s wide open Harry Douglas in the back of the end zone) and assist in an Ainge forced fumble (statistically credited to Eastern Michigan tackle Jason Jones but initiated by the collapsed pocket created primarily by Ellis).

Although the Senior Bowl is only one step in a long process — and nothing is certain until Commissioner Roger Goodell starts calling names on Draft Day — Ellis’ performance caused his draft stock to rise from that of a likely Top-10 pick to that of a borderline Top-5 selection who may be just as good or better than the more publicized (and more oft-injured) BCS national champ Dorsey.

But Ellis wasn’t the only one of coach Pete Carroll’s players who had a good day. Defensively, Rivers showed range from sideline-to-sideline and had a forced fumble to show for it. Jackson made only one tackle, but it was a quarterback sack off the edge on a play where he was unblocked.

On offense, Washington led the North team with 38 rushing yards on 7.6 yards per carry despite playing most of the game out of position at fullback due to a late injury scratch from West Virginia’s mohawk-wearing fullback Owen Schmitt. And although Booty completed just 6-of-12 passes for 72 yards with one interception and one fumbled snap, he showed poise as well as the ability to bootleg and throw with accuracy on the run.

There were also three players from two of USC’s fiercest rivals — Notre Dame and California — who stood out in Mobile.

Fighting Irish defensive tackle Trevor Laws had a non-stop motor, with a sack of Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan, an athletic fumble recovery on a juggling reception of a ball that never hit the ground after being jarred loose from Woodson and a hustle-play tackle from behind on Tulane tailback Matt Forte. Meanwhile, Irish safety, return man and semi-pro boxer Tom Zbikowski provided his usual spark with a fumble recovery near the sideline and a 38-yard kickoff return.

The top wide receiver in the game was Cal’s Lavelle Hawkins, who had three catches for 63 yards and one touchdown, along with a 33-yard kickoff return. The Hawk had two NFL caliber catches — an adjustment in the end zone on an under-thrown 36-yard touchdown pass from Michigan quarterback Chad Henne and a tough sliding grab later in the game.

Small School Sleepers

Every year, the collection of talent at the Senior Bowl includes household names from Division I-A (FBS, Football Bowl Subdivision) football factories such as USC as well as diamonds in the rough from Division I-AA (FCS, Football Championship Subdivision) powerhouses like Appalachian State.

At the Senior Bowl — just like in the NFL — press clippings and perceived status can only take a player so far. The real money is made between the lines. Former unknown Mobile alumni include UT-Chattanooga wide receiver Terrell Owens (1996) and Villanova running back Brian Westbrook (2002), who went from low-profile prospects to high-priced All-Pros thanks in part to their Senior Bowl efforts against better known commodities from BCS conferences.

There was another strong class of small school sleeper-stars this year. Tennessee State cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Delaware quarterback Joe Flacco and Appalachian State receiver Dexter Jackson are all intriguing prospects who competed well in Mobile.

Rodgers-Cromartie played as well as anyone (Ellis excluded) on Saturday. The athletic 6’1”, 185-pound cousin of San Diego Chargers lockdown corner Antonio Cromartie (who led the NFL with 10 INTs, then added three more in the playoffs), lived up to the family name at the Senior Bowl. Rodgers-Cromartie had an impressive interception of Flacco — going up and catching the ball at its highest point with inside position on Hawkins — along with a pass deflection and several aggressive wrap-up tackles. The TSU product is also Deion Sanders’ newest workout partner.

Flacco entered the week with a spotlight squarely on his 6’6”, 230-pound frame. The strong-armed Blue Hen passer wore an all-white (Penn State look-alike) helmet during Senior Bowl practices but finally donned the Delaware (Michigan-style) helmet when he hit the field on Saturday. Flacco struggled, completing 2-of-7 passes for 22 yards and one interception — a desperation heave snagged by Rodgers-Cromartie on 3rd-and-20. Flacco also zipped a ball over the head of an open man in the end zone and badly missed a dump off out of the backfield.

As is the case with all shotgun-only, spread-formation quarterbacks transitioning to the NFL, Flacco’s footwork and center exchange will be just as important as the cannon he calls a right arm — which he displayed on a fade-away sideline throw to New Mexico receiver Marcus Smith. But in a draft loaded with project passers, Flacco’s tools and upside may cause him to go higher than one of his BCS counterparts on Draft Day.

Jackson was a late addition to the Senior Bowl roster. The speedster who had three catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns, along with one rush for 19 yards, in Appalachian State’s shocking season-opening 34–32 upset at Michigan did not have a catch in the Senior Bowl. The 5’10”, 180-pound reigning Southern Conference 200-meter track champion did show his quickness with two kick returns for 35 yards.

Big Names M.I.A.

No one expected the early contenders for the No. 1 overall pick — Dorsey, Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long or Virginia defensive end Chris Long (son of former Oakland Raiders end Howie Long) — to compete in Mobile. Due to the advice of their agents, fear of heights and concerns over NFL Draft stock sliding with the NASDAQ, those three avoided Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

There was, however, a potential quarterback duel between Boston College’s Matt Ryan and Louisville’s Brian Brohm that never materialized due to a lack of participation by both players — which did not help either prospect’s momentum.

Also, one potential first-round pick, Troy cornerback and return man Leodis McKelvin, missed a golden opportunity to match-up one-on-one during the game due to a hamstring injury. But the latest Troy product — following in the footsteps of fellow Trojans-turned-NFL stars DeMarcus Ware and Osi Umenyiora — was able to practice during the week.

After mismanaging Notre Dame golden boy Brady Quinn leading up to last year’s draft, super agent Tom Condon appears to be right on pace with client “Matty Ice” this year. Like Quinn (who withdrew his name from the Senior Bowl roster at the last minute), Ryan chose not to test his right arm and leadership skills in direct on-field competition against Woodson, Brennan, Henne, Booty, Flacco and Ainge.

Brohm, on the other hand, cited a right ankle injury which he suffered in the season finale against Rutgers as his reason for not participating.

Of the quarterbacks who did play, Michigan’s Chad Henne and Tennessee’s Erik Ainge helped their status, while Hawaii’s Colt Brennan fueled fiery “undrafted” speculation. Henne completed 5-of-9 passes for 64 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions, while Ainge completed 13-of-21 passes for 159 yards and a well-executed game-winning fourth-quarter drive.

Meanwhile, Brennan’s numbers (2-of-6 passes for 29 yards and one interception thrown to Penn State linebacker Dan Connor) were even worse than they appear on the surface. The side-armed gunslinger who owns 31 NCAA records misfired on nearly every pass, with multiple short throws and one sure interception dropped by Boston College cornerback DeJuan Tribble. Looking confused, Brennan wasted two timeouts at the line during his limited time on the field. To his credit, Brennan was reportedly fighting through flu-like symptoms during the week.

Just Walk, Baby?

In an awkward turn of events, North coach Lane Kiffin had to deal with rumors of a letter of resignation drafted by Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis during Senior Bowl week. Although he would neither confirm nor deny the speculation, Kiffin did not wear Raiders gear on the sideline on Saturday. Instead, Kiffin wore only black Under Armour apparel.

Apparently, the volatile 78-year-old Raiders owner is upset that his 32-year-old coach was mentioned as a candidate for several college coaching jobs — UCLA, Arkansas and Michigan — after his first year in Oakland. Now, instead of using the Senior Bowl coaching opportunity to the Raider Nation’s advantage with up-close scouting, a new staff (possibly headed by retired former Arizona Cardinals coach Dennis Green) will have to start from scratch.

Or maybe Kiffin — along with high-profile defensive coordinator Rob Ryan — will have another uncomfortable season of “just winning” between two and four times a year.

On the other sideline, San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Nolan led the South squad for the third consecutive year. Nolan is one more Senior Bowl coaching stop from tying former Dallas Cowboys icon Tom Landry, who holds the record with four straight years on the sidelines in Mobile.

Last year, Nolan and defensive assistant Mike Singletary coached Ole Miss inside linebacker Patrick Willis, who led the NFL in tackles (174 total, 135 solo), was named Defensive Rookie of the Year and was voted to the Pro Bowl in his first season after being the No. 11 overall pick by the 49ers.

Willis was just one of six Senior Bowl players drafted by San Fran last season, along with Central Michigan offensive tackle Joe Staley, Washington State wide receiver Jason Hill, Florida defensive end Ray McDonald, Nebraska defensive end Jay Moore and Kansas State running back Thomas Clayton. 

Fourth-and-Goal Finish

Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge and Florida receiver Andre Caldwell were SEC East rivals for four years. But, trailing 16–10 with 2:48 remaining in this year’s Senior Bowl, the two former foes became fast friends.

On a game-winning drive that started with a 1st-and-15 from the South 9-yard-line, Ainge (whose uncle, Danny Ainge, is a former NBA guard and current Boston Celtics executive) and Caldwell (whose older brother, Reche Caldwell, is a former Gator and current NFL receiver) were the two main reasons South offensive coordinator Mike Martz looked like a play-calling genius in what was technically his first game as a member of the 49ers.

Ainge completed 6-of-11 passes for 83 yards on the final drive, including an 18-yard completion to Caldwell on 4th-and-10 for the drive’s initial first down. Following a timeout on 1st-and-Goal with 15 seconds to play, Ainge threw three straight incomplete passes before Martz reached into his bag of tricks. With one play remaining in the game, Martz called an end-around reverse run for Caldwell, who went two yards for the game-winning touchdown as time expired.

The first half ended with similar drama, as Oklahoma State receiver Adarius Bowman bobbled what appeared to be a touchdown catch near the sideline. After referees huddled together, they determined that despite primarily college rules (only one foot inbounds necessary for a completed pass) Bowman did not score. With a reputation for shaky hands being Bowman's main drawback, he did not help himself with a clean catch in the end zone.

Then to make matters worse for the North team, Oregon State kicker Alexis Serna missed a chip shot 22-yard field goal. The North squandered two scoring opportunities and as a result could only take its 9–7 lead into the half instead of a 16–7 or at least a 12–7 margin into halftime.

Mobile MVP

Tulane running back Matt Forte was named the 2008 Senior Bowl MVP, joining a long and decorated list of players who have earned that honor. Forte finished with eight carries for 59 yards (7.4 ypc) and four catches for 38 yards (9.5 ypc) for a game-high 97 all-purpose yards.

The bruising 6’1”, 220-pounder from Slidell, La., ran for 2,127 yards and 23 touchdowns for the Green Wave as a senior after rushing for 2,138 yards and 16 touchdowns during his first three college seasons combined.

Forte joins a list of Senior Bowl MVPs that includes Pro Football Hall of Fame caliber players such as running back LaDainian Tomlinson (TCU, 2001), linebacker Derrick Brooks (Florida State, 1995), running back Thurman Thomas (Okla. State, 1988), quarterback Dan Marino (Pitt, 1983), quarterback Terry Bradshaw (La. Tech, 1970) and defensive end Bubba Smith (Michigan State, 1967).

The Senior Bowl has been played annually since 1950. After being held in Jacksonville, Fla., the first year, the event has been played at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala., every year since 1951.