Senior Bowl 2022

Senior Bowl Preview

- Who will be this year's Quinn Meinerz?
- The reason behind SAF Kerby Joseph's rise
- 15 prospects ready ascend this week in Mobilehttps://t.co/0NrV1BoCOQ
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) January 31, 2022

Illinois safety Kerby Joseph is someone to keep your eye on.

Malik Willis, QB, Liberty
Honestly, all six quarterbacks have a chance to rise this week because it is such an unsettled group, and NFL evaluators will enter the week with an open-mind. But I am especially excited to see Willis, who has explosive athleticism and easy arm strength to deliver strikes to every level. How does adjust to the NFL coaching during the week? How does he do on anticipation throws? These questions apply to all six quarterbacks, but Willis has the highest ceiling of the group (and maybe the lowest floor).

Tyler Badie, RB, Missouri
Stepping out of the shadows of Larry Rountree, Badie excelled as the Tigers' starter in 2021 with an SEC-best and school-record 1,604 rushing yards. It can be tough for running backs to stand out during Senior Bowl practices, but with Badie's twitchy moves and receiving skills, I don't think he will have trouble turning heads in Mobile. With his smaller, rocked-up body and dynamic pass-catching traits, Badie reminds me a lot of Tarik Cohen, who was a fourth-round pick.

Christian Watson, WR, North Dakota State
Watson is another example of North Dakota State mining a late bloomer in high school and developing him. The Bison offense is known as a smash-mouth, run-heavy attack, but Watson averaged more than 20 yards per catch in his college career and gave the offense a legitimate field stretcher. He needs to improve his consistency at the catch point, but he has long-striding explosiveness to win vertically at 6-4 and 205 pounds. Several teams see a future NFL starter with Watson.

Jeremy Ruckert, TE, Ohio State
Ruckert's potential rise to be TE1 in the 2022 NFL Draft starts in Mobile. The Long Island native was underutilized as a pass-catcher in the Buckeyes' offense, which allowed him to cut his teeth as a blocker. Some will see the lack of receiving production and assume he is a better blocker than receiver, but when he was targeted on tape, positive things usually happened. Ruckert has NFL starting ability as a receiver, and his Senior Bowl should show that.

Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa
I ranked Penning as a top-32 prospect in August 2021, so he isn't a sleeper or lesser-known by any means. But I think it is important to include him here because he might be the best player at this year's Senior Bowl, and if he performs like it, Penning could vault himself into the top-10 overall discussion. He did a nice job vs. Iowa State in the 2021 season opener, but he was rarely challenged at the FCS level, and Senior Bowl practices should give scouts a better barometer of his abilities.

Spencer Burford, OT, UTSA
The highest-rated recruit to ever sign with UTSA, Burford was a four-year starter in college and split his time between tackle and guard. The San Antonio native needs to do a better job of staying on schedule to mask some of his deficiencies. But he is agile-footed with the body twitch and play personality worth developing. Burford might be this year's version of D'Ante Smith, who created positive buzz at the Senior Bowl a year ago and became a fourth-round pick.

Luke Goedeke, OT/G, Central Michigan
Central Michigan left tackle Bernhard Raimann, who is one of my favorite players in the draft and already on the first-round radar, has one of the best back stories in this class. But Goedeke, his offensive line teammate for the Chippewas, has had a fascinating journey as well. After very few options out of high school, he played tight end at the Division III level before betting on himself and transferring to CMU, where he transitioned to right tackle. He missed the 2020 season with a knee injury, but he looked like a future NFL starter (likely at guard) on his 2021 tape. Although Raimann is the higher projection, Goedeke isn't far behind, and the Senior Bowl will help show that. Look for him to take snaps at tackle, guard, and center in Mobile.

Cole Strange, OG, Chattanooga
A year ago, Quinn Meinerz was the talk of Senior Bowl practices with his crop-top jersey and dominant reps during practice. This year, Strange can be the "small school" lineman who continues to climb in the eyes of NFL teams due to his natural ability and killer instinct to bury defenders. A high school defensive end, the Knoxville native transitioned to offensive line in college and became an All-American. If he plays well vs. the top competition in Mobile, Strange will have the chance to be one of the top 10 interior offensive linemen drafted in April.

Dylan Parham, OG/C, Memphis
A tight end and linebacker in high school, he moved to the offensive line in college, playing primarily at tackle and guard. At the Senior Bowl, he is expected to take extensive snaps at center, further showing his versatility on the offensive line. Listed at 285 pounds at Memphis, Parham is now pushing 315 pounds, and it will be interesting to see him move at this weight in Mobile.

Dominique Robinson, edge, Miami (Ohio)
A high school quarterback turned wide receiver in college, Robinson made the unorthodox transition from receiver to defensive end in 2020, becoming a subpackage rusher for the RedHawks. Despite zero career defensive starts, Robinson has athletic tools and developed his body type (6-5, 255 pounds) for the position. During one-on-ones, it will be interesting to see how far along he is with his rush plan, specifically the timing and technique.

John Ridgeway, DT, Arkansas
With Jordan Davis not playing in the Senior Bowl, Ridgeway gets my vote for the most intimidating lineman in Mobile this year. At 6-5 and 320 pounds with 34-inch arms, the Illinois State transfer was a state champion wrestler in high school and flashed dominant skills in his one season at the SEC level. Ridgeway has the power to reset the line of scrimmage and stand up double teams, which should make for some fun battles during one-on-ones in practice.

Travis Jones, DT, Connecticut
The UConn program has been in the basement of college football the past few years, making it easy to overlook some of their pro prospects. But they might have multiple draft picks this year led by Jones, who is a strong nose tackle with knock-back power and bully hands. He appeared stiff at times on tape, and if he shows improved quickness during practices, he will only help his draft standing.

Troy Andersen, LB, Montana State
Andersen is one of the most interesting players at this year's Senior Bowl. He won a state championship in three different sports in high school. He was productive at quarterback and running back in college before moving to linebacker full-time. Andersen is still developing his take-on skills and feel for coverage, but he is a toolsy size/speed athlete with the upside to contribute on offense, defense and special teams in the NFL.

Jojo Domann, LB, Nebraska
A former safety, Domann played a hybrid nickel linebacker role for the Huskers and has the hip movements and instincts to play in space. He lacks length and gets out of control at times, but his reactive quickness helps him drive and challenge throws. Around Thanksgiving, I had an NFL director of scouting tell me this: "Wait 'til you see JoJo cover at the Senior Bowl. Kid competes his ass off. If he shines like I think, he's not getting out of the third round."

Jaylen Watson, CB, Washington State
Watson has overcome his share of adversity. After he was under-recruited out of high school, he impressed at the junior college level and signed with USC, but academics blocked that path. He returned home and was working at Wendy's while he got his grades in order. He transferred to Washington State in 2020 and turned himself into an NFL prospect over the past two seasons. Watson is a long, athletic cornerback who can smother receivers in press-man. One-on-ones vs. receivers in Mobile will be a money-making opportunity for him.

[ Edited by NYniner85 on Feb 1, 2022 at 5:34 AM ]