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01-23-2008, 03:36 PM
Adam Gorney
Special to Rivals.com College Football
More Senior Bowl Coverage
MOBILE, Ala. – Kentucky tight end Jacob Tamme called teammate Andre' Woodson the best quarterback in the country, but Woodson laughed when he heard that Tuesday.
However, Tamme might not be overstating the case that much.
Woodson threw for 3,709 yards, with 40 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He completed 63.1 percent of his passes this season, and he also rushed for three scores. He led the Wildcats to a second consecutive Music City Bowl victory, the first time in 56 years that Kentucky has won back-to-back bowl games.
His touchdown total was a single-season SEC record. He also owns the lowest interception ratio in conference history. In addition, Woodson set an NCAA record as a senior with 325 consecutive passes without an interception.
"You can't ask to play with anybody better," Tamme said. "He took over the program, and we all went for the ride with him. He's a competitor and he's the best quarterback in the country."
Kentucky's Andre' Woodson is the top-rated QB at the Senior Bowl, according to scout Frank Coyle.
Frank Coyle of Draft Insiders' Digest | Premier NFL Draft and Free Agency Publication (http://www.draftinsiders.com) has him going No. 14 in his mock draft, which makes Woodson the highest-rated quarterback and second-best player regardless of position at the Senior Bowl.
Coyle said of the six quarterbacks at the Senior Bowl, Woodson is the only one he thinks will go in the first round. The others are Michigan's Chad Henne, USC's John David Booty, Hawaii's Colt Brennan, Tennessee's Erik Ainge and Delaware's Joe Flacco.
"He needs work on his throwing mechanics," Coyle said. "He has kind of an elongated delivery. That telegraphs things to defensive backs. He's got a good arm, but overall athletically - for a kid as tall as he is - he needs to get stronger. …
"He needs some time. He needs to settle into a system, get some mechanics and footwork set up, a little strength work and there's a real player there."
Woodson is the No. 3 quarterback overall on Coyle's list behind Boston College's Matt Ryan, the No. 1 pick in the mock draft, and Louisville's Brian Brohm. But Woodson, from Radcliff, Ky., wasn't always at the top of the quarterback charts.
During spring practice in 2006, Woodson almost lost the starting job to Curtis Pulley. When that reality sunk in, Woodson – who had started all 11 games in 2005 – started to take things more seriously and re-dedicated himself to football.
"At first, it didn't bother me much," Woodson said. "I just kind of let it go by. Then all of a sudden I took things a lot more serious and had the passion back, and that's something you have to get to be successful or if you want to keep playing football."
Woodson became a national name in his junior season. He threw for 3,515 yards and 31 touchdowns and led the SEC in passing yards per game (270.4), total offense (259.8) and TD passes.
"I understand what it takes now to compete at this level and get myself ready for the next level," Woodson said. "That's what it's all about. You really have to do a good job of understanding how to watch film and prepare yourself mentally and physically for each game."
But Woodson knows there still is work to be done. He was a bit inconsistent during his first two Senior Bowl practices. Not surprisingly, timing has been an issue between the quarterbacks and receivers who haven't worked together before.
He showed some improvement in the second half of Tuesday's practice, and more progress should be made as Saturday's game approaches. A solid week here could be a nice first step for Woodson heading into the pro ranks.
Woodson said that while he was in high school, he never thought about playing in the NFL. He's hoping to take the same low-key approach to the next few months leading into the draft.
"I'll be excited to go anywhere," Woodson said. "It's a long road for all of us
Special to Rivals.com College Football
More Senior Bowl Coverage
MOBILE, Ala. – Kentucky tight end Jacob Tamme called teammate Andre' Woodson the best quarterback in the country, but Woodson laughed when he heard that Tuesday.
However, Tamme might not be overstating the case that much.
Woodson threw for 3,709 yards, with 40 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He completed 63.1 percent of his passes this season, and he also rushed for three scores. He led the Wildcats to a second consecutive Music City Bowl victory, the first time in 56 years that Kentucky has won back-to-back bowl games.
His touchdown total was a single-season SEC record. He also owns the lowest interception ratio in conference history. In addition, Woodson set an NCAA record as a senior with 325 consecutive passes without an interception.
"You can't ask to play with anybody better," Tamme said. "He took over the program, and we all went for the ride with him. He's a competitor and he's the best quarterback in the country."
Kentucky's Andre' Woodson is the top-rated QB at the Senior Bowl, according to scout Frank Coyle.
Frank Coyle of Draft Insiders' Digest | Premier NFL Draft and Free Agency Publication (http://www.draftinsiders.com) has him going No. 14 in his mock draft, which makes Woodson the highest-rated quarterback and second-best player regardless of position at the Senior Bowl.
Coyle said of the six quarterbacks at the Senior Bowl, Woodson is the only one he thinks will go in the first round. The others are Michigan's Chad Henne, USC's John David Booty, Hawaii's Colt Brennan, Tennessee's Erik Ainge and Delaware's Joe Flacco.
"He needs work on his throwing mechanics," Coyle said. "He has kind of an elongated delivery. That telegraphs things to defensive backs. He's got a good arm, but overall athletically - for a kid as tall as he is - he needs to get stronger. …
"He needs some time. He needs to settle into a system, get some mechanics and footwork set up, a little strength work and there's a real player there."
Woodson is the No. 3 quarterback overall on Coyle's list behind Boston College's Matt Ryan, the No. 1 pick in the mock draft, and Louisville's Brian Brohm. But Woodson, from Radcliff, Ky., wasn't always at the top of the quarterback charts.
During spring practice in 2006, Woodson almost lost the starting job to Curtis Pulley. When that reality sunk in, Woodson – who had started all 11 games in 2005 – started to take things more seriously and re-dedicated himself to football.
"At first, it didn't bother me much," Woodson said. "I just kind of let it go by. Then all of a sudden I took things a lot more serious and had the passion back, and that's something you have to get to be successful or if you want to keep playing football."
Woodson became a national name in his junior season. He threw for 3,515 yards and 31 touchdowns and led the SEC in passing yards per game (270.4), total offense (259.8) and TD passes.
"I understand what it takes now to compete at this level and get myself ready for the next level," Woodson said. "That's what it's all about. You really have to do a good job of understanding how to watch film and prepare yourself mentally and physically for each game."
But Woodson knows there still is work to be done. He was a bit inconsistent during his first two Senior Bowl practices. Not surprisingly, timing has been an issue between the quarterbacks and receivers who haven't worked together before.
He showed some improvement in the second half of Tuesday's practice, and more progress should be made as Saturday's game approaches. A solid week here could be a nice first step for Woodson heading into the pro ranks.
Woodson said that while he was in high school, he never thought about playing in the NFL. He's hoping to take the same low-key approach to the next few months leading into the draft.
"I'll be excited to go anywhere," Woodson said. "It's a long road for all of us