Senior Bowl Preview

Bruce Matson

The Senior Bowl is a major stepping stone in the draft process. It will be the first time we see some of these players take on live press conferences and interviews with scouts, coaches and the media. The practices throughout the week are just as important as the game because they provide a detailed snapshot of how some players handle certain drills and situations. Some will be fighting for an opportunity to get drafted, while others making a push to get into the first round. This will be the final time we will get a glimpse of these players until the NFL Scouting Combine in February.

NORTH TEAM

QUARTERBACK

JOSH ALLEN, WYOMING

Allen has been the talk of the town ever since Mel Kiper made him the first overall pick in his latest mock draft. This will be Allen’s opportunity to quiet some of his critics and prove to everyone that he is worth a first-round selection in this year’s draft. He has the size and the arm strength to make all the throws, but his 56.2 career completion percentage has raised a lot of eyebrows. Nonetheless, Allen can stifle a lot of the critics if he has a good showing during the Senior Bowl.

LUKE FALK, WASHINGTON STATE

Falk is a candidate to sneak into the first round of this year’s draft. Although he doesn’t have the strongest arm in the class, it’s still above average. He’s more known for his accuracy as he completed 68.3 percent of his passes over the course of his collegiate career. In 12 games this year, Falk passed for 3,593 yards and 30 touchdowns and led the Washington State Cougars to a 9-4 record. He had seven games with over 300-yards passing and eight games where he passed for multiple touchdowns. The Senior Bowl will be Falk’s opportunity to showcase his abilities and increase his draft stock.

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BAKER MAYFIELD, OKLAHOMA

This will be our last look at Mayfield until the Scouting Combine in February. His on-field antics have created a lot of doubters when it comes to his maturity. However, he is one of the top quarterbacks in this draft class, and he will more than likely be drafted within the top 15 picks of this year’s draft. He’s a gunslinger who is not afraid to throw the football into tight coverage. Mayfield is also an accurate passer, completing over 70 percent of his passes in his last two seasons. This year he passed for 4,627 yards and 43 touchdowns. He had a big win on the road against Ohio State, and a tremendous performance where he passed for 598 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Sooners to a 62-52 victory over Oklahoma State.

RUNNING BACK

KALEN BALLAGE, ARIZONA STATE

Ballage is one of the most intriguing running back prospects in this year’s draft. He is highly athletic and will dazzle scouts at the Combine. Having a good showing at the Senior Bowl is very important for his draft stock considering he had a lackluster senior season. He rushed for just 669 yards and six touchdowns, and caught 20 passes for 91 yards. Even with the subpar production, he still has the talent to breakout at the NFL level. He has the speed to score from anywhere on the football field and he’s tremendous pass-catcher out of the backfield.

JAYLEN SAMUELS, NORTH CAROLINA STATE

He was a versatile H-Back in college and he will try his hand at the running back position in the Senior Bowl. At North Carolina State, he rushed for 407 yards and 12 touchdowns during his senior season. What makes him stand out from the pack is his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. He caught 75 passes for 593 yards and four touchdowns last season.

AKRUM WADLEY, IOWA

Wadley is a fun player to watch. He is very creative in the open field and will utilize a lot of spin moves and jump cuts to avoid defenders for extra yardage. He’s also very explosive and has the speed to break long runs. Wadley excels at catching the ball out of the backfield and he is very dynamic once he is in open space. This year, he rushed for 1,109 yards and ten touchdowns while exceeding the 100-yard mark five times. His best game came against Nebraska when he rushed for 159 yards and three touchdowns. Although he doesn’t have the size to be a three-down back at the NFL level, he could easily make a living as a pass-catching specialist in a committee.

WIDE RECEIVER

BRAXTON BERRIOS, MIAMI

Berrios doesn’t receive much notoriety because he doesn’t have the size and athleticism that we all look for in a wide receiver. However, he’s a natural slot receiver who excels at finding the holes in the defense and making tough catches over the middle. He’s a quick-twitch athlete who can become a mismatch for most linebackers while operating out of the slot. Last season, he caught 55 passes for 679 yards and nine touchdowns.

MICHAEL GALLUP, COLORADO STATE

If you want to talk about production, Gallup is your man. He caught 176 passes for 2,690 yards and 21 touchdowns in the last two seasons. He’s currently flying under the radar and will need a solid performance during Senior Bowl week to rise up draft boards. Gallup is a fascinating player and I wouldn’t be surprised if he develops into one of the top receivers from this class.

DAESEAN HAMILTON, PENN STATE

At the East-West Shrine Game, Hamilton caught two passes for 42 yards. He will be looking to build off his performance by having a decent outing at the Senior Bowl. Although he’s not one of the most polarizing talents in this year’s draft, Hamilton still excels with excellent route-running and has solid hands. He led Penn State in receiving with 53 passes caught for 857 yards and nine touchdowns.

ALLEN LAZARD, IOWA STATE

At 6-foot-4 and 227-pounds, Lazard has the size to be a prototypical flanker at the NFL level. His size creates a tremendous mismatch against smaller corners and makes him threat along the goal line. Last season, he caught 71 passes for 941 yards and ten touchdowns. His biggest play of the season came during week five when he scored the game-winning touchdown against the Oklahoma Sooners. Lazard will need to prove that he has the speed to compete against NFL level competition.

JALEEL SCOTT, NEW MEXICO STATE

If there was a true dark horse in the class, it would be Jaleel Scott. He’s completely flying under that radar even though he’s 6-foot-4 and weighs 216-pounds and caught 76 passes for 1,079 yards and nine touchdowns last year. Scott needs to get his name out there and a tremendous performance at the Senior Bowl could allow him to rise up draft boards quickly.

CEDRICK WILSON, BOISE STATE

Wilson caught 83 passes for 1,511 yards and seven touchdowns in 2017. He owned a 41.09% market share of Boise State’s passing production. Considering he might be one of the most underrated wide receiver prospects in this draft class, he will need an impressive showing in order for him to standout from this year’s pack.

TIGHT END

TROY FUMAGALLI, WISCONSIN

Fumagalli is one of the top tight end prospects in the nation. This year he caught 46 passes for 547 yards and four touchdowns. He was one of the key staples of Wisconsin’s passing offense. His ability to create separation from defenders and make tough contested catches makes him an intriguing prospect.

MIKE GESICKI, PENN STATE

Gesicki is another tremendous tight end prospect in this class. He caught 57 passes for 563 yards and nine touchdowns. With a versatile skill set, Gesicki can line up in the slot or inline as a blocking tight end. What separates him from a lot of other tight end prospects is his ability to create separation while running routes. He’s a very reliable pass catcher.

SOUTH TEAM

QUARTERBACK

MIKE WHITE, WESTERN KENTUCKY

White is flying under the radar in this draft class. He is a highly accurate quarterback who does a tremendous job at surveying the field while going through his progressions. However, his arm strength is considered well below average and could inhibit his ability to make some of the tough throws at the NFL level. He will need to prove to everyone that he can consistently convert passes downfield and hit tight windows while under duress.

RUNNING BACK

RASHAAD PENNY, SAN DIEGO STATE

It’s going to be interesting to see how Penny looks this week while playing against high-level competition. He’s one of the best running backs in this draft class and he is ranked in many people’s top three. Penny is a one-cut runner who has excellent vision and is very explosive once he hits the hole and gets to the second level of the defense. He led the nation in rushing with 2,248 yards. Compared to the rest of the running backs in this draft class, he is one of the few that has the power, speed, burst, vision and lateral agility to become a serious threat at the NFL level.

ITO SMITH, SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI

Smith eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark and had 40 or more receptions in his last three seasons. He’s a dynamic running back because he excels at catching the ball out of the backfield and also has the ability to score from anywhere on the football field. Unfortunately, for him, this year’s class is loaded with talent and he needs to play well this week to prevent him from falling through the cracks.

WIDE RECEIVER

DARREN CARRINGTON, UTAH

He started his collegiate career at Oregon before transferring to Utah. There, he caught 70 passes for 980 yards and six touchdowns during his senior season. Carrington is a very talented player but he has some off-the-field issues that have disrupted his career in the past. He needs to nail all of the interviews at the Senior Bowl and prove that he has matured and his past is behind him. Carrington needs a good showing to show scouts, media and dynasty leaguers that he’s worth being compared to some of the top wide receivers in this draft class.

D.J. CHARK, LSU

Chark wasn’t hyper-productive at LSU, but he owned a 33.04 percent of his team’s passing offense. He had four games with over 100 yards receiving and his best game came against Arkansas where he caught four passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns. Chark is a deep threat who has the ability to track the ball in the air to make tough contested catches downfield.

J’MON MOORE, MISSOURI

Moore is going to be a favorite amongst many in the draft community. He’s a highly athletic prospect who can also take the top off the defense with his speed. This week will be very important for his evaluation because he’s currently not considered as one of the top prospects. Last year, he caught 65 passes for 1,082 yards and ten touchdowns and owned a 26.97% market share of Missouri’s passing production.

JAMES WASHINGTON, OKLAHOMA STATE

Washington might be the best wide receiver in this year’s draft. He has strong hands and he’s very aggressive at the catch point. By being able to blow by defensive backs with his speed and track the ball while it’s in the air to make fantastic catches downfield, Washington is one of the most dangerous wide receivers in this draft class. He had three straight seasons where he eclipsed the 1,000 yards mark and scored double-digit touchdowns. Last year, he caught 74 passes for 1,549 yards and 13 touchdowns and owned a 30.62% market share of Oklahoma State’s passing offense.

TRE’QUAN SMITH, UCF

Smith caught 59 passes for 1,171 yards and 13 touchdowns this season. He’s a magician when it comes to converting tough, contested catches. Even when he is covered, he is still open, because he will always find away to use his body to box-out the defender to create just enough separation to make a play on the football. A good performance at the Senior Bowl could really help his draft stock.

TIGHT END

IAN THOMAS, INDIANA

Thomas is currently flying under the radar, which is insane because he’s one of the better tight ends in this draft class. His size-speed-ratio makes him a miss match nightmare in the open field. Ohio State struggled to crack the code when they had to figure out how to cover Thomas in week one. In that game, Thomas caught five passes for 53 yards and two touchdowns. The Senior Bowl and Combine will be essential parts to his evaluation during the draft process.

DALLAS GOEDERT, SOUTH DAKOTA STATE

At 6-foot-4 and 260-pounds, Goedert possesses the prototypical size for a tight end at the NFL level. He’s a jack-of-all-trades because he’s a solid inline-blocker and he can also run routes, create separation and catch passes as a receiver. This game will be a great opportunity for Goedert to showcase what he can do in front of NFL scouts.

ADAM BRENEMAN, MASSACHUSETTS

Breneman was a five-star prospect who signed his original letter of intent with Penn State. A knee injury caused him to leave Penn State and enter the political arena as a campaign manager. He eventually found his way back onto the football field playing for the University of Massachusetts. This season, he caught 64 passes for 764 and four touchdowns. He’s a highly athletic tight end prospect who is very tough to cover in the open field. Keep an eye on him, because he could find himself rising up draft boards if he has a good performance.

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bruce matson