NFL GM: Worst Senior Bowl Talent Ever

The Senior Bowl may be undergoing some signficant changes soon because of what one NFL general manager had to say about the players participating.

To wit: "It's the worst Senior Bowl talent I've seen."

That's saying a mouthful. For years, the Senior Bowl has been the game most graduating football seniors attended because they would be coached and seen by NFL scouts, other coaches, owners, and general managers.

The problem is, a lot of the best talent out there are underclassmen who can't play in this game. Blue chippers like Johnny Manziel -- who looks to be one of the top picks in this year's draft -- won't be seen because he's an underclassman. Part of the issus was caused by the current collective bargaining agreement between the NFL owners and the players' union. It contains a stipulation that free agency can't be claimed until a player has completed three seasons.

It's now quite clear that many underclassmen who submit their names to the NFL for evaluation and get a promising report have decided to get that three-year clock ticking sooner rather than later.

So change will have to come to the Senior Bowl, according to one of its directors, Phil Savage, who also does play-by-play for Alabama football.

"There's no question, there's got to be a discussion about where it's all going," said Savage on the NFL Network.

Duh! Especially when you have 98 underclassman declaring themselves for this year's draft, change must and has to come if this game is to survive.

Although there were  a few standouts this week in Mobile, apparently there were not enough to impress NFL scouts and GM's. 

Maybe Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron was smart, after all, for skipping this game; he may have just increased his chances of being a first round draft choice.