The Senior Bowl is never about perfection. It is about exposure, adaptability, and answering questions that scouts already have. The top stars like Rueban Bain, David Bailey, and Akheem Mesidor while originally accepting invitations, all later decided not to participate. That did not stop the excitement of this week of practices, because there are plenty of guys with a LOT to prove here this week in Mobile and not only are they putting in the work but unlike in year’s past they are staying around to compete. A quick disclaimer, this evaluation is being written immediately after the conclusion of Practice 3 at the 2026 Senior Bowl. I have not gone back and watched the full tape yet. What follows is based on live observations from Days 2 and 3, combined with conversations and insight from scouts, evaluators, and players on the ground in Mobile.
Some players came in with momentum and lost it. Others arrived anonymous and left with people scrambling to get their names right. That is how this week works.
Starting with the quarterbacks on the National Team, Diego Pavia had a difficult week. There was plenty of early conversation around measurements, but that was not the real issue. The bigger problem was the throws. Ball placement was inconsistent, the velocity was not there, and operating outside of a system he is comfortable in clearly affected his rhythm. It just was not a good week for him from a throwing standpoint. He looked like a player who is better when everything around him is familiar, and that matters in an all-star setting like this. He still has time to stabilize things in the game, but the practices did not help him. The game will be HUGE for Pavia, some scouts believe with his height, weight, and lack of elite athleticism that it might be the late time we get to see Pavia Magic. However, Pavia has the heart of lion and he also told us that those weight concerns were unfounded as he can probably weigh in at 204 right after lunch. He said he got sick prior to Senior Bowl week and lost some weight, but it (the weight) is slowly coming back.
On the opposite end of the quarterback spectrum, Sawyer Robertson was the steadiest passer on the field all week. He was not flashy and he did not wow anyone with arm talent, but he consistently got the ball where it needed to be. He managed pressure well, escaped when necessary, and played under control. In a week where quarterback play was uneven, being steady mattered. He looked like a quarterback who understands what he is and plays within it. He had the best practices as it relates to quarterbacks, though Garrett Nussmeier finished Practice 3 very strong.
Among the receivers on the National Team, Tyren Montgomery from John Carroll was one of the biggest early stories of the week. Days one and two were outstanding. He created separation, finished routes, and generated real buzz among evaluators. Day three was not as clean. He got locked up in a few one-on-one reps and had some drops that took a little air out of the balloon. Still, the overall body of work matters. Before this week, very few people knew his name. Now, they do.
Josh Cameron from Baylor quietly had one of the more productive weeks. He does not look fast. He does not look explosive. He just gets open and catches the football. Quarterbacks trusted him, and that showed up repeatedly. He reminded me of the type of receiver who sticks in a room because he is always where he is supposed to be. For long-time Saints fans, he has the reliability of Willie Snead, and those guy stick and stay in the NFL for a long-time.
Vinny Anthony II from Wisconsin consistently won at the catch point. He made contested catches over and over again and played with confidence. He did not rely on speed. He relied on strength, timing, and hands, and it worked. His game feels similar to Cameron in the sense that he consistently got open and made the contested catches look easy.
Reggie Virgil from Texas Tech showed exactly what you want to see from a speed receiver. He looked crisp in his routes, created space consistently, and confirmed why people around that Texas Tech program feel good about the talent they sent to Mobile. His speed is noticeable and he is a player that I will be looking for in Indy to run an impressive 40-yard dash. Somewhere in the 4.3 – low 4.4 range. He is 6’2 and 188lbs, and clocked the 4th fastest time of any receiver at Senior Bowl week running at 20.83 MPH.
Ted Hurst from Georgia State helped himself as much as any receiver here. From the one-handed catch early in the week to consistent physical play throughout, he showed that his college production was not a fluke. Anyone who has watched Georgia State football knew he was their best player. This week made sure the rest of the football world caught up. He said in our interview with him when asked about what he put on tape this week he said “I feel like I put on tape that I can run vertically, I’m a go getter, am a valuable asset rather you’re bringing me to play special teams (right now), or you’re bringing me to make big plays.” He is well aware that he is coming from a small school and that he may have to work his way into starting lineup through special teams, however, based on this week and several games we covered at Georgia State last season, I see him as an immediate contributor to any offense he joins.
Kevin Coleman, Jr. consistently created separation and looked comfortable against top competition. He did not look overwhelmed by the moment at all. He said ” I just showed a glimpse of who I am, there is still more I can do , and the sky is the limit.” During his college career he moved around nearly every season after starting off as a key addition to Jackson State along with Coach Deion Sanders, Sheduer, and Travis Hunter. Coleman looked crisp in his routes and he has some speed. He finished 15th in clocked speed at the combine at 20.06 MPH. He has reliable hands, but there may be some weight concerns at 5’11, 174lbs.
Jacobi Lane looks the part physically. He is big (6’4, 196lbs), strong, and has good hands. The speed question is real, but the size and catch ability give him something to work with at the next level. According to the speed and acceleration data being tracked by Zebra he had the most explosive efforts at 161, meaning high acceleration and high deceleration (when a player reaches at least +or – 3.5 yards per second), but one of the slowest recorded MPH (4th slowest amongst WRs at the senior bowl). Still there are teams looking for big bodied guys that can win contested opportunities, and Lane fits that bill.
On the offensive line, Markel Bell had an early moment that went viral for the wrong reasons, but what mattered was how he responded. He came back and put together solid reps afterward. He showed that he can handle adversity, and that matters to evaluators. (See comments from Derrick Moore)
Defensively, Lee Hunter was one of the most impactful players on the field. Some people called him unblockable, and while that might be a stretch, there is no question he was disruptive. In team periods, he was constantly around the football. He chased quarterbacks, held his ground in the run game, and showed explosiveness and mobility for a big body. He made a real name for himself this week. His stock was so high after Day 1 and 2, most analyst were shocked that he was there for Day 3. I heard from several analysts that were watching, that they were completely shocked that his agent would allow him to continue to compete after such an incredible showing early in the process. Most guys with little to prove leave the Senior Bowl after dominant performances, but Hunter is staying around to show that he might be the best interior Defensive Lineman in this class.
Nadame “I am sorry sir I was unfamiliar with your game” Tucker, had his best showing on Day Two. Back-to-back sacks on one drive stood out, and he consistently flashed disruption. Day Three was quieter, but the impact reps were there. He was not on my radar going into Day 2, but he made analyst find out who he was and why they should know his name.
Derrick Moore showed power, flexibility, and range. He talked about a rep he won against Markel Bell, but also acknowledged that Bell came right back and gave him problems too. That honesty mattered. His best play, by his own account, was not even a one-on-one rep. It was chasing down a play and forcing a strip, showing full-range movement that some people question with him. After Day 1 his stock was rising, everything he did after that only helped his cause.
Jacob Rodriguez was everywhere. Forced fumbles, interceptions, range, instincts, and constant involvement. He stacked impact play after impact play and looked like one of the best linebackers in Mobile regardless of team. It is hard to see him slipping far after what he put on film this week.
Kyle Lewis from Pittsburgh finished the week strong. He was not splashy early, but Day Three was his day. He had an interception and showed decisiveness and confidence. Along with Rodriguez, he stood out as one of the better linebackers here.
Bud Clark from TCU had one of the most complete defensive weeks of anyone. Pass breakups, an interception, leadership, and instincts showed up repeatedly. He is not a big defensive back, but he plays fast and smart. Talking to players who have faced him before confirmed what showed on the field. I asked WR Jordan Hudson from SMU who was the toughest matchup of the week and he said “Bud Clark”. He went on to say, “Bud’s a ballhawk, Bud’s bringing that energy, he’ll pick you if you let him, he’s just electric, he dominant”. This sentiment was shared among several players and Bud showed it in back-to-back practices. Day 2 and Day 3 belonged to Bud Clark.
Davison Igbinosun from Ohio State had strong lock-down moments on Day Two against quality receivers. He also clocked the fasted speed of anyone at Senior Bowl with 21.12 MPH. At 6’2, he did have some issues with shorter WRs like Aaron Anderson but his overall performance during the week was incredible. He played physical and confident in coverage.
Caleb Banks made a good impression on scouts. He is a massive human being, but he also showed enough athleticism to be intriguing. He helped himself this week.
Zion Young looked the part physically. His size and length stood out immediately, and he competed well throughout the week. He is 6’5, 192 lbs and he was a distruptive force this week.
Turning to the American Team, Malachi Fields from Notre Dame looked comfortable and fluid. He did not look out of place at any point and handled the week well.
Barion Brown flashed with good reps and quality catches. He showed enough to move his stock in the right direction. He was the fastest WR, during Senior Bowl week and had some flashes that put some defenders on viral clips. Along with almost all of his teammates that were expected to have big years at LSU, he suffered a very disappointing season and was never able to show off his impressive speed. This week for scouts and analyst he was able to show why so many Tigers fans were excited going into last football season.
Garrett Nussmeier showed confidence late in practice. After completing a key drive, he took control of the moment and made it clear he believes he is back after injury. You want to see more, but the signs were encouraging. The way he ended Practice 3 was so encouraging to see. He spoke at length with the media about his injury and just how much it impacted his ability to display his best skills last season. He said that he was still working himself back to full strength and it was clear by his reaction to his last drive that he was finally feeling like himself again. As completed a pass to Ted Hurst to get his team in “simulated” field goal range, the next play after clocking the ball, he could clearly be heard saying “I do this ****”, he repeated that phrase about five time with more emphasize each time, until Jakobi Lane came over, dapped him up, and shared in his excitement.
Kaelon Black from Indiana ran with purpose and balance. He is explosive and he runs with some similarity to Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco. However, he may not be as fast, in terms of long distance speed. At his highest speed for the week he was the second slowest running back at the Senior Bowl but in term of explosiveness, he was the top rated running backs in terms of explosive efforts and the next highest rated running back (Rahsul Faison) had 14 less explosive efforts than Black. He may not have great top end speed but he gets to his top end speed fairly quickly.
LSU wide receiver Aaron Anderson, however, had a tough week. Anderson is 5’7, 177lbs and while he showed flashes of separation, inconsistency at the catch point hurt him. Drops on routine opportunities stood out, and for a player whose game relies on reliability, that matters. He also did not practice on Thursday and may not play in the game, limiting his ability to rebound. He will need a great showing at the combine.
Thaddeus Dixon saved his best work for Day Three. He competed, finished plays, and looked comfortable in coverage. Day Three was his day. He did get toasted on Day 2 by Reggie Virgil, but showing the ability to rebound and have an outstanding Day 3 matters a lot.
Several players now fall into a category where Saturday’s game matters. Taylen Green has elite physical tools and mobility, but the consistency is not there yet. He has not shown his super power much during the week of practice but we expect him to break the pocket a few time during the game and give scouts something to really think about leading up to the combine. In the past Quarterbacks that possess that super power have elected not to show it off in Mobile. Thinking back to Joe Milton and Jalen Milroe in recent years, both elected to use the senior bowl to showcase their ability to throw from the pocket. Green has elected to do the same so far this week. My hope is that he changes that stance and decides to show off that skill alongside his throwing ability. Keylan Rutledge showed flashes but needs more exposure. This is one where I need to watch the tape to get a true evaluation. It was easy to evaluate some players because they made plays in individual drills and during the team scrimmage portions, for O-line man it is a little harder to see their contributions and more frankly because a lot of runs were being stopped within two yards of the line of scrimmage. However, the reason he makes the article is because there were times in team reps where I could see him walling off his defender to open lanes for his back. Tim Keenan III flashed ability but needs a stronger closing statement. Colton Hood did not practice on Thursday and may be dealing with an injury or he may be one of the few players to shut it down after a good day. Multiple players elected not to shut it down, but if he did, it is understandable. He had reps on Day 2 that made coaches audibly shout “Put the Hood On”. I would have loved to see him finish Day 3 and cement his place in this year’s draft. Availability alone will matter for him, as some analyst believe he is developing a reputation that any minor issue would cause him to be unavailable.
The Senior Bowl is not about winning practice. It is about answering questions. Some players answered loudly. Others created new ones. Saturday gives several prospects one final chance to change the conversation.
Someone always does.
