Stage set for UCLA, USC players to shine

MOBILE, Ala. — He made the statement two years ago, after deciding to delay the start of his NFL career despite being draft-eligible.

“I don't want to be a second- to sixth-round pick,” Zach Banner said. “I don't even want to be a first round. I want to be the No. 1 overall pick.”

Reminded of that quote early this week at the site of the Senior Bowl, the former USC offensive lineman chuckled.

“I can’t say that anymore,” Banner said of becoming the top pick. “That might have been a little bit of immaturity on my part.”

Banner, however, remains steadfast about his ability to help an NFL team. He said he has matured mentally and physically and was prepared to earn his opportunity.

On Tuesday, Banner was measured at 6 feet, 83⁄8 inches and weighed in at 361 pounds. He intends to be “in the 330s” by the NFL scouting combine at Indianapolis in late February, he said.

Senior Bowl practices provided Banner his first chance to impress NFL coaches, general managers and owners. Saturday’s game at LaddPeebles Stadium is another.

“This is one of those steppingstones where I seriously have to prove myself this week against some good players,” he said. “I think I can do it.”

Banner is playing for a North team that is coached by the Chicago Bears staff. USC defensive lineman Stevie Tu’ikolovatu also is on the roster.

UCLA defensive lineman Eddie Vanderdoes and Bruins offensive lineman Conor McDermott are playing for the South team, coached by the Cleveland Browns staff.

Banner played almost exclusively at right tackle for the Trojans. He did the same during Senior Bowl practices but said he got some snaps at left tackle Thursday.

“He’s obviously very big, very long,” Bears Coach John Fox said. “I think our O-line coach has been pleased with how he’s done technique-wise and I think he’s got a bright future.”

The adjustment to an NFL offense, Banner said, was not difficult.

“The playbook was easy,” he said. “We’ve been doing that at USC for lots of years — the pro-style offense.”

And Banner also was prepared for the barrage of interviews that all players are put through during the Senior Bowl and the combine.

“I think, honestly, I destroyed the interviews,” he said. “I really do. I feel the interviews are my strength because I know how to talk to people.

“I think that’s where I’m going to separate myself from every other prospect, I really do, because everything on the field — I’m just as good as everybody else.”

Late addition Vanderdoes might have been the happiest player at the start of workouts.

He did not learn of his opportunity to play in the game until about a week before he reported, so when he got the call from game organizer Phil Savage, he jumped at the chance.

“It worked out perfect because now I get to showcase my ability and show scouts what I’m really about,” he said.

Vanderdoes said he had filled out paperwork that might have led UCLA to petition for an extra year of eligibility because of a medical hardship. But the paperwork had not yet been filed to the NCAA, so Vanderdoes technically had completed his eligibility.

“I called the [NFL] about a particular player who was an underclassman, checking on his availability to us,” Savage said. “They wrote me back and said, ‘Hey, that guy is not eligible, but we found out that Eddie Vanderdoes is because his eligibility has expired at UCLA. Just so you’re aware.’”

The 6-3, 320-pound Vanderdoes said he had lost 20 pounds since the end of UCLA’s season. After receiving the late invitation to the Senior Bowl, he went into overdrive to prepare.

After the first practice, he said he lost his balance a few times — “that comes with not playing football in a couple months,” he said — but was confident that would improve as the week continued.

“Everything is coming back to me,” he said. “It’s just knocking all the kinks out.”

Moving around

McDermott said UCLA’s absence from a bowl game gave him a few extra weeks to train for the Senior Bowl and the combine.

After playing mainly at left tackle for the Bruins, coaches worked him at right tackle early in the week.

“That’s what I need, to show that I can be versatile,” said the 6-8, 305pound McDermott. “Go out and show you can play any position on the line. That’s how you lengthen your stay in the league and how you can have a 10-year career.”

Weights and measures

Before he arrived at the Senior Bowl, Tu’ikolovatu sought counsel from former Utah lineman Jason Fanaika, who went through the process last year.

“He said just expect the normal stuff,” Tu’ikolovatu said.

That included the weigh-in before hundreds of scouts seated in bleachers in a large exhibition hall.

“It wasn’t as bad as I thought,” the 6-1, 350-pound Tu’ikolovatu said, laughing. “I just kind of zoned out everybody.”

Tu’ikolovatu said he had a simple goal for the week: “Show that I can be a dominant force in the middle and be disruptive to the run and the pass,” he said.