Hughes, Mebane standouts in Senior Bowl

Cal seniors Daymeion Hughes (cornerback) and Brandon Mebane (defensive tackle) are getting noticed in the Senior Bowl. Scouts, Inc/ESPN’s Todd McShay has a lot of good things to say in “Monday’s Buzz”:

The defensive player that impressed us the most was Cal cornerback Daymeion Hughes. The 5-10, 192 pounder displayed outstanding agility and instincts throughout practice. There wasn’t a receiver on the team, including standouts such as Jason Hill (Washington State), Rhema McKnight (Notre Dame) and David Clowney (Virginia Tech), who could shake Hughes in one-on-one drills. While it’s important to put everything into perspective this week, I think it’s safe to say that Hughes showed better man-to-man cover skills this afternoon than Michigan’s Leon Hall, who is widely considered the top cornerback prospect and a potential top-15 pick in this year’s class.

There’s more about Hughes and Mebane in the Tuesday article:

Cal CB Daymeion Hughes continues to stand out in practice. He has good size with wide shoulders and a natural feel for making plays and getting his hands on the football. He is fluid and closes suddenly. His lack of pure speed is a clear drawback, however, and he will not be able to keep up with the faster receivers in the NFL if left alone deep downfield in man-to-man coverage. Therefore, we think Hughes has the looks of a starting Cover 2 cornerback to best use his skill set — which is impressive if utilized correctly. …

Cal’s Brandon Mebane and Louisville’s Amobi Okoye aren’t doing a great job of holding their ground when they get reached. However, both defensive tackles are showing good quickness and getting into the backfield.

McShay also talks highly of Hughes in a TV segment on SportsCenter. You can watch the video segment here. Meanwihle, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers also have an article expressing how impressed they are with Mebane:

Cal DT Brandon Mebane (left) surprised Bucs coaches with his quickness off the ball …

California’s Brandon Mebane, a 6-1, 304-pound defensive tackle who might measure out as a bit undersized but who showed off impressive power during a lengthy one-on-one session with the North’s offensive linemen. … At one point, Mebane went head-to-head with the left guard and left him on the ground as he simply bulled over him.

“[He has] a bunch of power,” said the coach, who was essentially in his first day on the job with Tampa Bay. “He’s got a great center of gravity, gets his hips under him and he understands pass rushing. He understands how to use his hips. I’m shocked by him and how quick he is off the ball. He showed great intensity.”

It’s great to see our Cal players raise their draft status and get noticed for the next level of play. I think we’ll be seeing both Hughes and Mebane taken high in the upcoming NFL draft.