MOBILE, Ala. -- Here's what the scouts are saying after watching Thursday's practices for the 2003 Senior Bowl:

North squad -- Jan. 16
The pads came off and the intensity level dropped at this morning's North practice. Cold temperatures and a light drizzle didn't help. Surely many of the players noticed that many of the NFL scouts and coaches left last night or this morning.

	Louisville QB Dave Ragone has really helped himself with good workouts this week.

The usual suspects performed well. Cal QB Kyle Boller was excellent. He displayed amazing touch while throwing fade routes. Boller has really helped his draft status this week. Louisville QB Dave Ragone has helped himself too. He was accurate and threw with great velocity. Iowa State QB Seneca Wallace stayed behind and worked on catching the ball after practice. That was a good idea. Although Wallace puts nice zip on his passes and is accurate, his size remains an issue.

The receivers had a tough morning. There were way too many drops and a lack of focus was evident. Penn State's Bryant Johnson and Utah State's Kevin Curtis had the best performances. Johnson has solidified his position as one of the top receivers. Curtis has displayed good hands and speed.

Without pads, it's difficult to judge linemen, but Illinois' Tony Pashos was impressive anyway. He's a solid anchor who rarely gets pushed around. Nebraska DL Chris Kelsay is one guy who successfully got to Pashos. Kelsay sent Pashos to the ground with a quick move and drive to the chest today. Cal's Tully Banta-Cain showed pretty good quickness in his first Senior Bowl practice.

As for the DBs, Nebraska's DeJuan Groce broke on the ball well and broke up a few passes. Washington State's Marcus Trufant continued to display superior cover skills.

Maryland kicker Brooks Barnard had a difficult time with kickoffs, many didn't reach the 20-yard line.

South squad -- Jan. 16
The skies had cleared by the time the South team took the field, but the drops continued. The intensity level was better in the afternoon session, but the lack of pads made a difference here too.

The South worked on goal-line situations, 2-minute drills and special teams. The offensive performance was not sharp -- especially the 2-minute drill. Receivers dropped some passes and there were quite a few errant throws.

Florida WR Taylor Jacobs showed excellent speed, quickness and agility. He juked a defender and exploded into the end zone in the goal-line drills. USC QB Carson Palmer was solid again, while Texas' Chris Simms produced a mixed bag. He rifled the ball nicely, but Texas A&M's Sammy Davis picked him off. Texas Tech's Kliff Kingsbury did not alleviate any concerns about his arm strength.

USC RB Justin Fargis and showed great excelleration -- exploding through the hole on a draw play and breaking it to the outside. LSU's Domanick Davis looked good returning kicks.

Small school DBs Drayton Florence (Tuskegee) and Rashean Mathis (Bethune-Cookman) continued to show they belonged.

Each team will have a short walk through tomorrow afternoon, before Saturday's game.

For more information on the 2003 Senior Bowl, go to the official site.