With the Senior Bowl wrapping up in Mobile last weekend, several players took advantage of their last opportunity to impress before the NFL Combine. Some of these players improved their draft stocks tremendously. However, on the other end of the spectrum, some had such a poor week that their draft standings plummeted. Here are the winners and losers from the Senior Bowl, including the week of workouts which preceded the actual game this past Saturday:
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Winners
Noah Spence: There was no player on the field that scouts were raving about more than Spence. He was athletic and quick. Spence looked like he could morph into one of the top edge players on the board. Along with the speed, Spence showed that he had counter moves as well, allowing him to showcase the polish that had scouts raving. Hype is nothing new to the blue-chip-recruit Spence. However, how he checks out on the background work will be important, after being dismissed from Ohio State due to drugs.
Carson Wentz: While Wentz was not extraordinarily great at the Senior Bowl, he also did nothing to impact his draft stock in a negative way. Wentz has a chance to go in the top five of the draft, but will likely not fall out of the first round. Coming from North Dakota State, there are a lot of unknowns about Wentz, but several scouts seem to favor him over Paxton Lynch. Wentz probably affirmed that inclination with accuracy all week and zip on his throws.
Braxton Miller: He certainly has the look of the next successful “quarterback to wide receiver transition” project. Miller ran clean routes while showing good hands, and did not look like a player who is still learning the position in practice. While he was not as impressive in the game, with a drop and a blown route, Miller still wowed scouts in practice all week. While it is hard to see Miller as a first-round talent at this point, he only piled onto the hype train over the week.
Dak Prescott: He is going to have a hard time being more than a late-second day selection. However, a solid performance at the Senior Bowl may have helped him lock that up. We all know about Prescott’s good character and makeup. The question was how he was going to compete against NFL-ready talent on the field, and how his game adds up. While it is unclear whether Prescott will be evaluated as a starter at the next level, his solid week and MVP showing in the game did nothing to hurt that impression.
Darian Thompson: He stood up to expectations in both the eye test and on the field in Mobile. Thompson moves extremely fluidly and well for his 215-pound frame, and he showed strong instincts in drills all week long. He also showcased that he was not afraid of contact when making tackles. Following last year’s safety class, it would not be completely shocking to see Thompson work his way into a first-round pick.
Losers
Jason Spriggs: He looks like a tackle in frame. However, he did not add up to the polished product that could have propelled his draft stock through the ceiling at the Senior Bowl. Spriggs struggled early in the week with power, and that continued into the game itself. He struggled with technique and will likely eye a late-second day draft grade in a strong tackle class.
South tackles: The first tackle that had a soft week was Spencer Drango from Baylor, who looked like he may have to shift inside to guard. He has the nasty mean streak that will make him a beast in the run game. However, he struggled all week with shifty defensive ends and speed. These are tools that are needed to succeed as a tackle at the next level. As for Le’Raven Clark, it was clear that he was aided by Texas Tech’s quick passing attack. Clark also struggled with fast and shifty pass rushers. Lacking the same power of Drango, Clark took a much larger hit to his draft stock. Clark is raw and will take a lot of time, which is an issue in a deep tackle class.
