MOBILE — Terrence Cody and Antonio Coleman are learning this week that when it comes to the NFL, size definitely matters.

The former collegiate rivals are teammates on the South team for Saturday’s Senior Bowl.

They are also out to prove they can be more than role players at the next level.

Cody, the All-America standout defensive tackle from Alabama, is considered by some NFL scouts to be too big at 6-foot-4, 370-pounds.

Coleman led the SEC in sacks and tackles for loss as an Auburn senior. At 6-foot-2, 255 pounds, though, the NFL scouts wonder if he’s big enough to play defensive end at the next level.

Cody is considered a run-stopper; Coleman a pass rusher. Neither is necessarily projected as an every-down player and both, scouts suggest, might be best suited for a 3-4 defense instead of the more traditional 4-3.

As Miami Dolphins coach Tony Sporano pointed out during Tuesday’s press conference, modern defenses might work to the duo’s advantage. The 3-4 defense has gained in popularity in recent years.

Even teams that base in a 4-3 still employ at least some semblance of a three-man front.

The new defensive trends certainly help Cody, who said the move from nose tackle to defensive tackle was a big change. Cody spent the last two years as the anchor of Alabama’s dominant 3-4 defense.

Cody said he models his play after that of Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Shaun Rogers.

“He’s powerful, disruptive. He’s a big guy,” Cody said. “We’re pretty much similar to each other.”

Even in a foreign system, one scout described him as a “dominant” presence in the middle against the run. That same scout, however, said his pass rush is nothing special.

Cody said Tuesday he hopes to prove he is an every-down player. To do so, he said he aims to drop 20-25 pounds from his mountainous frame.

That might prove necessary. Cody weighed in at a higher weight at the Senior Bowl than what he was listed at while with the Crimson Tide (354) or when he first arrived in Mobile (365).

The weight loss could also come in handy, especially with some of the skills he already possesses.

“He’s got some unique abilities. There’s no question about it,” said Sporano. “A big guy like that, seeing him move his feet the way he does — he’s definitely not a stationary guys.

“There aren’t too many 370-pound guys running around out there. When you find a guy that’s that big and he can play that position and you look around the league at the teams that have those types of players — New England has (Vince) Wilfork who’s that big guy down there, and then (Kris) Jenkins with the Jets — you realize how rare they are.”

With more teams running the 3-4 defense, Sporano said, a player like Cody has an increase in value — if he can keep his weight in check.

Coleman, conversely, finds himself in the opposite circumstance.

Many scouts wonder if Coleman can effectively play every down in the league at his current size or even if he adds weight because of his relatively small frame.

Coleman isn’t said he isn’t fazed about some scouts considering him an outside linebacker instead of defensive end. He played the position at Auburn briefly in 2007 under Will Muschamp and thinks he could fit the role well in a 3-4 defense as a rush specialist that splits reps between the two spots.

“Most of them want me to work on defending the run a little bit, but mostly they want me to do what I do and that’s rush the passer,” Coleman said. “Some scouts want me at outside linebacker. Some say they want me at end. I’m hearing a lot. I’m just out here to play football. Anything to play at the next level.”

Sporano contested the idea that Coleman isn’t big enough to play end.

“He’s done some good things,” Sporano said. “He’s shown good strength and good hands. I haven’t seen that as a factor – but that’s just one man’s opinion.”

It’s the opinions from other coaches and scouts about which Coleman and Cody must be concerned.

Both players hope a strong showing this week will help squelch any doubts about their abilities.