The Senior Bowl is a lot of things, and it's anything but simple.
It's late January and 125 NFL hopefuls descend on the University of South Alabama in Mobile, and they're joined by far more team and media representatives all trying to learn that extra bit to give them an edge heading into the coming draft.
If anything, particularly this year with the new coaching format, it almost serves as a giant job fair. Players meet with teams. Teams meet with players. Basic offensive and defensive schemes are taught and learned. Opinions are formed.
And that last bit is the complicated part. There's a long way to go, and early opinions often aren't correct. And with that in mind, here are three things I think I think about this Senior Bowl field and week after a four-piece of practices, about a dozen interviews and a lot of interesting performances.
YOUR NEXT STARTING QB ISN'T HERE
Well, at least not on the field. I'm not quite sold on Tennessee standout Hendon Hooker quite yet, but I'm in the market. It could happen. But he's still recovering from a knee injury, so that won't be for a while yet.
And because of that and Kentucky's Will Levis declining his invitation, I can say this with conviction: There are no Day 1 or 2 NFL draft talents among the six QBs taking reps this week. Those include:
- Jaren Hall, BYU
- Jake Haener, Fresno State
- Clayton Tune, Houston,
- Max Duggan, TCU
- Tyson Bagent, Shepherd
- Malik Cunningham, Louisville
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That's not to say they can't be projects in the NFL. Hall, Tune and Haener are probably the most intriguing. They could land as Day 3 selections or UDFAs. But go look at how many Day 3 selections from the last decade have become starters in the NFL. There aren't many. The fact is, if you aren't picking a QB in the first or second round of the draft (and honestly, really just the first round), you aren't trying to find your next QB. At best, you're prospecting for a career backup.
Now, I'd love to be proved wrong. But for every Tom Brady and Brock Purdy, there are hundreds of Sean Canfields. Wait, who? I guess you could be forgiven for not remembering the Saints' 7th round draft pick from 2010 who was out of the NFL by 2011.
There's a lot of meat in this Senior Bowl field, it's just not at the QB position.
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I LOVE THESE 3 RUNNING BACKS
Might this be the year the Saints break the trend? Dating back to 2000, they've selected 49 players that were out at the Senior Bowl. Of those, ZERO have been running backs. And it's not for lack of talent.
The results of that are pretty clear. This is a Saints team that relied heavily on 32-year-old Mark Ingram this past season, and while he had his ups, there were too many downs for a player with such little long-term upside. Meanwhile the mid-round names from this last draft leave you grimacing as you continue to have no choice but to overload Alvin Kamara between the tackles.
- No. 36: Breece Hall
- No. 41: Kenneth Walker III
- No. 98: Brian Robinson Jr.
- No. 107: Dameon Pierce
- No. 151: Tyler Allgeier
- No. 251: Isiah Pacheco
That's not even all the picks with big potential upside, just the ones that had standout rookie seasons. Every year it seems there are clear value picks at RB in the middle rounds of the draft. The Saints never budge. They haven't spent a pick at RB since 2018 when they selected Boston Scott in the 6th round. They cut him and he's about to play in a Super Bowl with the Eagles. It infuriates me.
So in the interest of that potentially changing, here are the three running backs I've instantly become smitten with over two days of practice:
Tyjae Spears, Tulane
He says he can do it all, and it's hard to argue. He's a New Orleans kid. He grew up idolizing Reggie Bush. A better match there could not be. The only issue: He's starred so big at the Senior Bowl that it's likely his stock gets too high. Still ... geez, I really enjoy watching this kid. Saints fans would, too.
Evan Hull, Northwestern
He's not the snazziest of cars in the garage, but you'll be impressed once you get out on the highway. OK, lame analogy, but I'm serious. What becomes clear quickly in watching Hull run is he's got some of the best feet you'll find in a young running back. He has the ability to almost appear to freeze time in the hole and make people miss in a phonebooth. It's an impressive skill that was on display early and often in Mobile. I don't know if he has the top gear of some of the truly elite prospects, but I'm OK with that at running back. I'm more worried about whether you can make people miss. Evan can do that.
Chase Brown, Illinois
A hat tip goes to WWL's Mike Detillier for this one, because he pointed me in Chase's direction. And once you start watching, it's hard to look away. He's built like a tree trunk. His center of gravity allows him to keep his balance through contact. He has NFL-ready blocking ability. He can catch. He's got that top gear I'm not sure about with Evan. He'll be able to contribute immediately at the next level given the opportunity. My only question is pass-pro.
I'd be ecstatic with any of these backs in black & gold. Heck, tell me I'm wrong and pick somebody else. Just pick SOMEBODY, and stop forcing me to try to sell myself and everybody else on the next Abram Smith project that will be dumped before the season even starts. Get Alvin and the offense some help -- some real help -- at running back. It's there to be had.
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I MIGHT JUST BE A HOMER, BUT...
Tulane linebacker Dorian Williams is legit, legit. And I'm not talking about a fun, root for the local kid story. I'm talking about All-Pro potential at linebacker.
About 6-1, 228 pounds and with clear power behind his pads. The only question I had was coverage. His hips looked a bit stiff when I watched him on Tuesday, but that was nowhere to be found on Wednesday. His reactions were quick, he put himself in position to lay massive hits on pass-catchers if such was allowed in a Senior Bowl practice. He destroyed backs simply trying to prove they can pass-protect. It was truly impressive.
But even more impressive was the speed. Zebra technologies tracks a variety of next-gen stats for the players in attendance. Linebackers were lumped together with tight ends for the American team's practice. Williams was tracked at just under 20 mph and a half-mph faster than any other body on the field.
In today's NFL, speed and coverage ability is almost as important for any linebacker as power and tackling ability. You still have to be able to tackle, of course, but you have to be able to get there for it to matter. When you can move the way Williams can, teams will take notice quickly. And they have. When I asked the former Tulane star what came up in his interviews with teams, you can guess what he said.
I didn't expect to show up in Mobile and be this impressed with the first-ever Tulane duo to show up at the Senior Bowl. They made sure it was impossible not to.
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LAGNIAPPE
I know I said three things, but here are a few more notes...
WRs that were virtually unguardable: Jayden Reed, Michigan State; Nathaniel Dell, Houston; Don'Tayvion Wicks, Virginia
The most pro-ready TE: Davis Allen, Clemson (because he's one of the only TEs in attendance I trust as a blocker right now)
The mountain: OL, Dawand Jones, Ohio State ... he might be the biggest human I've ever seen in person
Dark horse for Saints: OL Olusegun Oluwatimi, Michigan ... he was impressive, and another center that could convert to guard wouldn't surprise me at all
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