Dixon Smith

Senior Bowl North squad head coach Mike Smith of the Atlanta Falcons talks with North safety Ahmad Dixon of Baylor (6) while the squad stretches during practice at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, on Monday.

(The Associated Press)

The Senior Bowl is but the first stop of many in the five months between the end of college football and the NFL draft, but Josh Huff believes when he leaves Mobile, Ala., he'll have "turned some heads" for the better this week, an evaluation that is not his alone.

The record-setting former Oregon wide receiver said he entered the week of Senior Bowl with two priorities: Remind teams of his versatility on returns as well as routes, and show he can stretch the field with better-than-expected speed.

"I came out here to prove something, and that was just to prove I'm a receiver and guys are going to have to respect that and understand that I'm not just a system guy," Huff said. "I definitely feel like I've turned some heads. There have been numerous scouts coming up to me just telling me about the job I've done and that they're surprised about how well I've been able to stand out these last three days."

The Senior Bowl is not an easy atmosphere for individual players to stand out because of the sheer numbers said Matt Miller, Bleacher Report's lead NFL draft analyst for three years and a former scouting consultant in the league. With 110 players and as many or more NFL front office personnel -- not including media -- it's hard to focus on one player's performance consistently.

Unless, however, that player does things to make the observers take notice. Huff accomplished that through practices that are uncommon for the all-star circuit, such as doing push-ups after a drop as a form of self-discipline, or extending full-length for catches.

"He was playing hard, harder than any other receiver there, I feel comfortable saying that," said Miller, who projects Huff as a selection in the fourth-to-fifth round range. "He was attacking the ball, making the sideline grabs and tapping his toes and the rare occasion he dropped a pass he hit the turf for pushups.

"A lot of guys are loafing around and they're not in a hurry, but he had a ton of energy the whole time I was there. You could see he wanted it."

Three weeks ago Huff set Oregon school records for single-season receiving yards and touchdowns for a season and career on Dec. 30 in the Ducks' 30-7 Alamo Bowl victory against Texas in his UO finale. But since then, 20 underclassmen receivers declared for the draft -- part of a record 98 early entrants -- and that glut of talent hurt Huff's standing, Miller said.

It's why showcases such as the Senior Bowl, which kicks off Saturday and draws scouts from Sunday through Wednesday practices, was such an important piece of extra exposure for Huff, in addition to the university pro day and the NFL scouting combine in February he'll also attend, Miller said. Senior Bowl practices begin with individual drills and progress into full-team periods to give scouts a range of opportunities to see players.

After practices, Huff has met with teams for extra non-practice evaluations, among other meetings that have included financial advisers and lawyers for a better grasp on the non-football side of the draft process.

"The schedule is jam-packed," Huff said. "It's definitely been different than what I expected."

Though he is not entirely sure what scouts expected from him, Huff said he knows he improved his standing in many estimations. After Saturday Huff, who is in talks to be represented by Rodney Williams of United Sports Group, will return to Eugene to continue his training with Oregon strength and conditioning coach Jim Radcliffe.

Miller compared the steady stream of positive reviews around Huff to Marquise Goodwin of Texas last year, who entered with the reputation as a small-framed Olympian track and field star who blew past expectations once in Mobile.

"I said this to my colleague that Huff was the one who seemed like every time I watched a wide receiver drill I had something positive to say about him," Miller said.

A player not able to benefit from that time in front of scouts was Taylor Hart, the former Oregon defensive lineman who recently broke a bone in his foot while training. In an interview, Hart said he anticipates being healthy enough to participate in next month's NFL combine, however.

Williams has tried to caution Huff against putting too much stock into even a head-turning week of practice because it is only part of what is essentially a five-month job interview.

"But Josh understood already and that's why he never got too high or too low," Williams said.

After a good first impression, Huff will now see whether he can keep moving higher as the draft gets closer.