NEWS AND NEAR NEWS

Big Board updated, expanded … With the all-star games now in the books, the GBN Big Board for 2025 which, for the record, is now just over 75 days away, has been updated and expanded to include the top 200+ prospects overall for the upcoming draft. Again, we note that these are less our personal rankings of how we have the players graded, but to the best of our ability reflect our sense of how NFL teams actually have the players these days. And the one thing that really jumped out at us as we worked through the process was just how deep this draft looks to be along the defensive line including both the DEs and ERs and the DTs, while it is also an unusually deep draft at RB. Indeed, the thing that kind of jumped out at us we were putting the finishing touches on this version of the Big Board was just how many very good prospects were still on the board as we were approaching the 200 mark, as well as how many good prospects were left out.

Update on QB ranking … Just a quick update to our note in that earlier report today regarding the sense that Ole Miss QB Jackson Dart appears to have emerged as a clear QB3 in this year’s draft behind Miami’s Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders of Colorado. For starters, even though Dart appears to be the 3rd ranked QB it does not appear that his grade is much higher than that of an early-to-mid seconder. At the same time, though, it does appear as if there may be a fairly significant drop-off to the next QB grouping. Indeed, there are suddenly a few whispers around the league whether Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, ostensibly the #4 ranked QB should consider a change of positions after a series of very uninspiring performances, including at last week’s Senior Bowl, in recent outings that continue to suggest that he may be more of a great athlete playing QB rather than a true NFL quality passer. Indeed, it appears that while not that long ago there were as many as a half a dozen other QBs with at least some second round potential, it is more likely that some, if not most of those prospects end up lasting into the early part of the third day. Time will tell.

Positional rankings updated … With the all-star games now in the books, we have updated the various positional rankings for the upcoming draft per the drop-down menu above. We also plan to post a fully updated Big Board either late tomorrow or early on Thursday. And while there aren’t necessarily a lot of truly major changes in the positional rankings, there are several at least worth noting. It appears, for example, that Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart has established himself as the #3 QB behind Miami’s Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders of Colorado. It also appears as if LSU OT Will Campbell may have supplanted Kelvin Banks of Texas as the top-rated tackle on the majority of boards around the league, although it also appears to be less that Campbell has moved up as Banks may have slipped a tad. In fact, it appears as if once outside the top 4-5 OTs, there is a pretty significant drop-off to the next tier of tackles. There also appears to be a similar story among the WRs who just aren’t likely to come off the board, at least in the first couple of rounds in anywhere near the same number as last year when the position was arguably THE position of choice. On the other, it appears that DT, which was already one of the strongest positions for the upcoming draft, just keeps getting better with the emergence of a number of new really good second-tier prospects at the position. Needless to say, the DTs remain one of the strongest positions for 2025 along with the DE/edge rushers. At the same time, it looks like RB is loaded for the upcoming draft, while there is also a relatively strong group at LB.

The Chiefs have a four-game winning streak against the Eagles, setting up a much-anticipated Super Bowl LIX clash with history on the line. The Chiefs’ dynamic offense, led by Patrick Mahomes, faces an Eagles’ defense crafted under Vic Fangio’s watchful eye. With each team boasting unique strengths and tactical ingenuity, you’ll witness a gridiron duel capable of reshaping the football landscape.

Rematch of the Ages: Chiefs vs. Eagles

Two titans of the NFL clash once more in a rematch set to echo through the annals of football history as the Kansas City Chiefs face off against the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2025 Superbowl. With a tight 6-5 record, the Chiefs’ advantage resonates from their Super Bowl win in 2022.
You’ve seen their fierce battles, culminating in this gripping narrative of revenge vs. dominance. The Chiefs’ longest streak over the Eagles, spanning four games, highlighted their consistent edge in past confrontations.

Coaching Strategies: Reid vs. Fangio

As the stage is set for this epic match, attention turns to the strategic masterminds on the sidelines: Andy Reid and Vic Fangio. Reid’s innovative offensive schemes excel, keeping defenses guessing with creative formations. Known for his offensive prowess, Reid utilizes intricate passing schemes to exploit defenses effectively. Fangio counters with a disciplined defense, pressuring quarterbacks and protecting against the run. Their contrasting approaches make this coaching duel a fascinating element in Super Bowl LIX.

Key Player Matchups: Mahomes and Hurts

When you examine the upcoming Super Bowl LIX matchup, the duel between quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts stands out as a pivotal element. Mahomes’ passing game is formidable, indicated by more completions and yards. However, Hurts excels in rushing, with 14 touchdowns.
Fantasy points reflect Hurts’ dual-threat capability. In a notable shift, the Eagles have adopted a run-heavy approach this season, emphasizing Saquon Barkley’s rushing prowess alongside Hurts’ ability to impact the ground game. Monitor Mahomes’ late-game poise and Hurts’ dynamic runs to predict the outcome.

Eagles Defensive Prowess vs. Chiefs Offensive Power

While the Eagles’ defense and the Chiefs’ offense prepare for a monumental clash in Super Bowl LIX, every yard will count in a battle of wills.
The Eagles excel in pass defense. Facing them, the Chiefs rely on Mahomes’ passing finesse, averaging 7.1 yards per attempt. Notably, the Eagles allow the fewest passing yards, averaging 173.4 yards surrendered per game, highlighting their ability to restrict opposing quarterbacks effectively. Whoever controls the line of scrimmage might dictate the game’s outcome.

Predictions and Expectations for Super Bowl LIX

Anticipation grows as we shift from analyzing the Eagles’ defensive tactics against the Chiefs’ offensive prowess to forecasting the outcome of Super Bowl LIX. Despite the Chiefs being 1.5-point favorites, the Eagles’ robust running game, led by Saquon Barkley, sets high expectations.
Predict a close battle with a projected spread favoring the Eagles by 0.8. Expect a strategic showdown, as total points hover around 49.

Conclusion

As you analyze this epic showdown between the Chiefs and Eagles, you’re left wondering: Will Mahomes’ passing genius outshine Hurts’ dynamic versatility? With Reid’s offensive creativity clashing against Fangio’s disciplined defense, expect every play to keep you on the edge of your seat.
The Chiefs’ recent winning streak may hint at an edge, but the Eagles’ resolve isn’t to be underestimated. So, who will etch their name into football history at Super Bowl LIX?

Senior Bowl defensive line review … he defensive line in the Senior Bowl game was actually somewhat harder to review than the OL group, in large part because of some questions about level of competition. In particular, the National team defensive linemen, led by Arkansas SE Landon Jackson and Central Arkansas’ David Walker, were blowing past their American OL counterparts pretty much all afternoon on Saturday. The issue for evaluators is going to be that for much of the afternoon, the American OL was manned by as many as 4 FCS players and it really didn’t seem to matter who Alabama A&M OT Carson Vinson was blocking, for example, they were getting to the QB. Still, one could make several observations. LSU’s Sai’vion Jones, who was going against quality O-linemen all game, for example, was outstanding. Indeed, he was the only defensive lineman to make any headway against either Grey Zabel or Caleb Rogers, both of whom otherwise pretty much pitched shutouts all week. Nominally, more a 3-4 DE type who can kick inside on passing downs, Jones lined up at DT throughout the Senior Bowl game where he showed a nice array of spin moves to get into the backfield on a consistent basis. It was also interesting watching DEs Princely Umanmielen of Ole Miss and UCLA’s Olu Oladejo, both of whom we would describe as ‘great circle route pass rushers’ in that they are long, lean guys with a long first stride who are primarily going to try and run around the OT. And while neither is going to be that effective holding the point of attack, both are athletic enough that they can be a handful getting around that edge. On the other hand, we were kind of disappointed in ERs Barryn Sorrell of Texas and Notre Dame’s RJ Oben who did battle at the line of scrimmage but didn’t make much headway rushing the passer. It was also kind of a quite day for the DTs. Aeneas Peebles of Florida State, for example, did show an ability to explode off the snap into gaps; however, when he didn’t win with that first step he tended to get washed out. Same for Alabama’s Tim Smith who was stout enough at the point of attack, but didn’t show much rushing the passer. At the same time, fellow DTs Darius Alexander of Toledo, Nebraska’s Ty Robinson and Utah’s Junior Tafuna did make some plays, but with the proviso that they were going against that somewhat questionable FCS OL mentioned above.

Senior Bowl offensive line review … We always start these things with the proviso that there has seldom been much of a direct correlation between which players at the Senior Bowl actually play well, which ones get drafted where, and which ones turn out to be good pros. That said, we thought it was pretty clear cut at Saturday’s game that Purdue OT Marcus Mbow was the best offensive lineman on the field. In a setting like an all-star game we look for guys whose man is consistently farther away from the ball at the end of the play than at the snap and that was Mbow on Saturday; he was just so smooth and technically sound with his foot and hand placement. At the same time, Miami’s Jalen Rivers, who played exclusively at RG in the Senior Bowl game, added to a very good resume that he built during the week of practice with a more than solid outing. Nothing necessarily flashy about his game, but Rivers moves well, has good balance and body control and is physical at the point of attack. Same story for North Dakota State OG Grey Zabel, who was voted player of the week during the practice sessions; Zabel did give up a couple of pressures to LSU DL Sai’vion Jones (more on that later), but settled down after that; Zabel, who played OT for the Bison, also did not look at all out of place taking a few snaps at C which may actually end up being where he ends up in the NFL. And it was a similar story for USC C Jonah Monheim, another interior offensive lineman who had a very good game following a very good week of practice. We also wanted to mention a couple of G/T types in Andrew Belton of NC State and West Virginia’s Wyatt Milum. They are both very physical drive blockers who can anchor against bull rushers, but aren’t as comfortable in space as neither moves their feet all that well. Milum, for example, looks more like a wrestler out there suggesting that both will likely end up inside at the next level.

On the other hand, there were a couple of prime prospects along the OL that we felt kind of disappointed both at practice and in the game in Arizona’s Jonah Savaiinea and Oregon’s Josh Conerly. Savaiinea just didn’t have much pop or explosion in his game, while Conerly was okay working in a closet but struggled in space as he just didn’t move his feet that well and ended up doing a lot of reaching and lunging. Saturday’s game was also a tough gig for some of the smaller school offensive linemen who had held up pretty well during the practice sessions, but tended to get overwhelmed in the game. Alabama A&M OT Carson Vinson, in particular, got run around on just about every play, while Clay Webb of Jacksonville State, Jackson Slater of Sacremento State and Jacob Bayer of Arkansas State all had their struggles.

Senior Bowl wraps; on to Indy … The Senior Bowl just ended in Mobile with the American team pulling out a dramatic 22-19 win when Memphis QB seth Henigan hit TCU WR Jack Bech with a 2-yard scoring play with no time left on the clock. For the most part, this game was generally dominated by the defensive lines. Indeed, a pretty good case can be made that the players of the game were DEs Landon Jackson of Arkansas and/or LSU’d Sa’vion Jones. although there were several others on the defensive front that helped their cause this afternoon. In fact, we’ll be taking our time and reviewing the game film later this evening taking an in-depth look at both the offensive and defensive fronts with a report to come.

In the meantime, anyone looking for a little clarity on the second-tier QB situation for the 2025 draft probably came away from the game a little disappointed as none of the guys in Mobile made enough throws to really draw any substantive conclusions. However, if any of the QBs at the Senior Bowl did help themselves today it was Henigan and Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard both of whom were very smooth and decisive, while Canadian Taylor Elgersma from Laurier at least didn’t look out of place. If there was a negative note about the QBs it was that Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, who had an inconsistent week of practice, didn’t didn’t do much to change anyone’s mind on that score. Milroe can spin it when he’s got time to set his feet, but just doesn’t look like a natural passer; he also doesn’t look all that comfortable or decisive in the pocket. At the same time, we really can’t comment on Mississippi’s Jaxson Dart as he just wasn’t involved in enough plays.

QB Sanders has Shrine games best moment … He wasn’t even playing in Thursday night’s East-West Shrine game in Frisco, Texas, but Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders may have had the games best moment during an in-game interview on the NFL Network. When asked about his father Deion’s calls during some of the interviews, Sanders the younger laughed and said “you know he’s got separation anxiety!” Shedeur then went on to add that he told Deion “look Pop, its over with; its time for me to soar on my own!” Of course, one of the story lines, indeed maybe THE story line, of the pre-draft process has been where Sanders stands and what the potential impact his famous father might have on on where he ends up as well as how it all works out wherever he does end up. What this might suggest is that Sanders the younger might actually be a little more independent than previously advertised, although at the same time, its hard to imagine than Pop is going anywhere anytime soon! Stay tuned.

Shrine game observations … Just finished re-watching last night’s East-West Shrine game in Dallas which was kind of a sloppy affair with 7 turnovers, multiple sacks, and way too many penalties for an all-star game that as pretty lop-sided to boot with the East team cruising to a 25-0 shutout win.  Of course, as we have noted in the past, pro personnel people put a whole lot more stock in all-star practices than in the actual game so we were kind of hoping to watch a little more closely some of the top performers that were noted in dispatches from the Shrine practices this week that included players such as WRs Ricky White of UNLV and Jimmy Horn of Colorado; Syracuse TE Orande Gadsen; 6-8, 342 pound OT Hollin Pierce of Rutgers; Middlebury C Thomas Perry; SMU DE Elijah Roberts; Maryland DT Jordan Phillips; and CBs Cobie Bryant of Kansas and North Carolina’s Alijah Huzzie. Unfortunately, though, most of those players opted not to play in the actual game. Same for Syracuse QB Kyle McCord who was pretty much universally considered to be the top QB at the Shrine practices this week. Meanwhile, none of the QBs that did suit up and play including Payton Thorne of Auburn, Cam Miller of North Dakota State, Minnesota’s Max Brosmer, Brady Cook of Missouri, and UCLA’s Ethan Garbers looked much more like late round prospects at best, although Miller, an athletic dual-threat type who led the Bison to yet another national title this fall, could ultimately find a home on a Canadian league field.

However, one reason why the QBs may have struggled in the Shrine game on Thursday evening may have been that best players on the field were the pass rushers. Indeed, a pretty good case can be made that anyone of DEs Johnny Walker of Missouri, Garmon Randolph of Baylor and Elijah Ponder of FCS Cal Poly or South Carolina DT Tonka Hemingway were the individual player of the game, while fellow DTs Nash Hutmacher of Nebraska and Mississippi’s JJ Pegues and BYU DE Tyler Batty, who impressed with his motor, had their share of moments. At the same time, SMU’s Elijah Roberts, one of the top practice performers who actually did play, showed a real burst when he got some space, but struggled to get off blocks in traffic. We also focused in to some extent on Indiana OT Trey Wedig, who has generated some pre-draft buzz, used his length and strength to great effect stuffing straight-ahead rush, but had some troubles dealing with change of direction.

The other rather impressive group in Dallas on Thursday were the RBs among whom Andrew Henry of New Mexico and Jacory Croskey-Merritt of Arizona, in particular, showed some explosive speed and make-you-miss ability in space; at the same time Tajh Brooks of Texas Tech was more than solid especially catching the ball. Meanwhile, other players that impressed, in no particular order include Eastern Washington WR Efton Chism, who broke all the school’s receiving records previously held by NFL star Cooper Kupp, and has quickly emerged as one of the more entertaining slot receiver- punt returner prospects for 2025, along with Cal QB Nohl Williams and S Shamari Simmons and Kansas State’s Marques Sigle.

Senior Bowl observations: Thursday morning report … The final practice session ahead of Saturday’s game just wrapped up in Mobile. And that likely means there is already a race to the airport among NFL personnel people. A couple of notes from this afternoon’s practice: both of QBs Jalen Milroe and Jaxson Dart, currently the #3 and 4 prospects at the position for the upcoming draft, threw the ball much better today, although Dart, in particular, still left something to be desired in his decision making. It was also hard not to notice that there is some genuine speed in the American backfield; indeed, it looks like one could put some combination of Georgia’s Trevor Etienne, RJ Harvey of UCF, Jarquez Hunter of Auburn and Delaware’s Marcus Yarns, who may be the fastest of the bunch, and they’d make for a pretty good 4X100 relay team. The other thing of note this afternoon was that a number of players including DTs Walter Nolen, arguably the top overall prospect in Mobile this week, Cam Jackson of Florida Kentucky’s Deone Walker and TJ Sanders of South Carolina were not on the field today.

Meanwhile, as we did with the National team earlier today, here are our staff picks for the top players at the afternoon practices (although to be honest it was a harder job picking out guys who really helped themselves in the PM workouts). Top players include TCU Jack Bech, although he clearly needs to work on his end zone dance!; LSU TE Mason Taylor; LSU OT Miles Frazier; North Carolina C/G Willie Lampkin; Texas DE Barryn Sorrell; DTs Aeneas Peebles of Virginia Tech and Florida State’s Josh Farmer; LSU DE Sa’vion Jones. Kentucky CB Max hairston; and Oklahoma FS Billy Bowman. Honorable mentions go to TEs Jackson Hawes of Georgia Tech and Clemson Jake Briningstool; Jacksonville State C/G Clay Webb; DEs Kyle Kennard of South Carolina and Princely Princely of Ole Miss; Florida DT Cam Jackson; Western Kentucky CB Upton Stout; and Maryland S Dante Trader. there was also a pretty big group of players who at least earned much longer looks from pro scouts including Delaware RB Marcus Yarns, Arkansas WR Isaac TeSlaa; C/Gs Jackson Slater of Sacramento State and Arkansas State’s Jacob Bayer; Auburn LB Jalen McLeod; and CBs mac McWilliams of UCF and Mel Smith of Southern Arkansas.

Senior Bowl observations: Thursday morning report … After a couple of high-tempo practices, the National team session Thursday morning was something of a muted affair with mostly a lot of situational work especially in the red zone. As such, there wasn’t a whole lot new to report so instead here’s our very informal, very unofficial list of players who we think helped themselves on draft boards around the league, again noting that teams generally put a lot more emphasis on what happens in the practice sessions rather than in the actual game. So in no particular order, the guys who we think really helped themselves included: WRs Tez Johnson of Oregon and Virginia Tech’s Jaylin Lane; Miami TE Elijah Arroyo; NC State OT Andrew Belton; G/Ts Grey Zabel of North Dakota State and Texas Tech’s Caleb Rogers; USC C Jonah Monheim; DTs Josh Farmer of Florida State and Virginia Tech’s Aeneas Peebles; Toledo DE Darius Alexander; Oregon LB Jeff Bassa; and CBs Quincy Riley of Louisville and USC’s Jaylin Smith. Honorable mentions go to: WRs Kyle Williams of Washington State and Iowa State’s Jayden Higgins;  Miami G/T Jalen Rivers; Nebraska DT Ty Robinson; Oklahoma State LB Nick Martin; CBs Azareye’h Thomas of Florida State and Nebraska’s Tommi Hill; and safety Jonas Sanker of Virginia. We also have a special category of players that at least earned longer loos from pro teams including Laurier QB Tyler Elgersma, OTs Ozzy Trapilo of Boston and Jalen Travis of Iowa State, Utah DT Junior Tafuna and Western Michigan CB Bilhal Kone. Finally a short list of players we would have liked to see more from including Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel, OTs Josh Conerly of Oregon, Minnesota’s Airetonay Ersery and Wyatt Milum of Western Michigan, and Marshall DE Mike Green, although we caution again not to read too much of anything tyhat happened or didn’t happen in three days of practices in a strange environment.

Senior Bowl observations: Wednesday afternoon report … Second day! same as the first! Or something like that. Certainly, anyone who hoped to get a better feel for Jalen Milroe and/or Jaxson Dart, ostensibly QBs 3 and 4 in this year’s draft class, in this afternoon’s practice than they did yesterday. Neither threw the ball more than a half dozen times against pressure and neither looked all that comfortable when they did. Read the whole report here

Senior Bowl observations: Wednesday morning practice … The National team went thru another high-energy practice session at the Senior Bowl in Mobile this morning that included more than just a little bit of feistiness. And that feistiness was most obvious at the always entertaining one-on-one drills between the offensive and defensive linemen. Recall that yesterday, the offensive line guys more than held their own against against their more heralded defensive counterparts. Not so much today, though, as there was a steady stream of pass rushers getting to the target area so much so that it was almost hard to identify just one or two that really stood out. However, we will give it a shot though. Arguably the standout among the National d-linemen today was Virginia Tech DT Aeneas Peebles who was a veritable whirling dervish. Peebles, one of the fire-hydrant types, was a handful for the offensive line, especially the taller ones, as he gets off the snap so quickly and maintains leverage by keeping his pads so low; for good measure, he looks like one of those guys with a truly relentless motor. Same story for Jamaree Caldwell of Oregon, another stout interior defensive tackle with great movement skills and strength. We also thought Toledo’s Darius Alexander had an excellent workout while Josh Farmer of Florida State and Nebraska’s Ty Robinson also both were solid. Junior Tafuna of Utah also flashed the ability to get off blocks with some decent moves. We also saw Central Arkansas LB David Walker, who was working with the DEs, also make his share of headway. And one ER we really focused on today was Mike Green of Marshall who led the country in sacks this fall. Green did have a couple of nice reps, one where he blew up Oregon OT John Conerly with a sudden bull rush, and a second where he slipped inside Minnesota’s Airetonay Ersery for a pressure, but too many other times though he got washed out when he failed to win with his initial move.

Speaking of OTs Ersery and Conerly, neither had particularly good days at all after solid stars to their weeks yesterday. Green, in fact, was not the only rusher that beat Ersery to the inside as he really struggled with change of direction moves, while Conerly consistently gave up a lot of penetration on straight bull rushes. West Virginia’s Wyatt Milum also struggled at times as did Marcus Mbow of Purdue. However, it wasn’t all bad news for the National OL as North Dakota State’s Grey Zabel proved again today that he can play with anyone. He moves his feet really well and anchors comfortably. That said, a case could be made that the National’s best OL this morning was USC C Jonah Monheim who also had another terrific practice, while other National offensive linemen to shine today included NC State G/T Andrew Belton, Caleb Rogers of Texas Tech, who seems to have found a comfort zone inside in Mobile, and somewhat unheralded Iowa State OT Jalen Travis.

There wasn’t necessarily a whole lot to see in the rest of the practice although it seems pretty clear that Tez Johnson of Oregon remains the class of the WR group, although several others including Jayden Higgins of Iowa State, Washington State’s Kyle Williams and jaylin Lane of Virginia Tech also had their moments. It was also another solid practice for CBs Quincy Riley of Louisville and Azareye’h Thomas of Florida State. Thomas, in fact, is one of the more interesting prospects in Mobile this week. He’s a late riser who now appears to be considered to be at least an early-to-mid second day candidate, but could conceivably get some late first consideration because of hi prototype length.

Senior Bowl Report: Tuesday morning … Don’t want t read to much into one practice, but several players jumped out at this morning’s Senior Bowl session in Mobile. Normally, the defensive linemen have an edge in the one-on-one OL-DL drill, but today one had to give the edge to the big uglies on the offensive front. And the ugliest may have FCS All-American G/T Grey Zabel from North Dakota State who had an outstanding practice. He was fluid, showed excellent balance, hand placement and arm extension as he worked at both OG and OT and even took a couple of snaps at C, In fact, the only blotch on Zabel’s day was when he went offside in the team drills. Other offensive linemen who stood out included NC State G/T andrew Belton, Miami OT Jalen Rivers (who actually played mostly inside today), Caleb Rogers of Texas Tech, Josh Conerly of Oregon and USC C Jonah Monheim. Minnesota’s Aireontae Ersery was solid in the 1-on-1s, but did get beat to the inside by Jah Joyner in the team drills. On the other hand, none of the defensive rushers really dominated in the one-on-one drills, although DTs Josh Farmer of Florida State and Oregon’s Jamaree Caldwell both got plenty of consistent penetration; Farmer using pure strength and Caldwell quickness. Edge rushers Donovan Ezeiruaku, Mike Green of Marshall and Olu Oladego also flashed some real quickness, but generally had to take the long way around to get to the spot.

Arguably, the star of the day – and we advise not reading a whole lot into the any day of practice at an all-star game – was Miami TE Elijah Arroyo, who was just so smooth and explosive getting upfield. Oregon’s Terrence Ferguson also caught a number of balls, although he was operating as more an underneath receiver. His Ducks’ teammate Tez Johnson, the diminutive 156-pound WR, was also basically just too quick for the National team corners, while underrated Virginia Tech WR Jaylin Lane may have opened some eyes. Overall, though, it was also somewhat of a tough day for the DBs as several including Darien Porter of Iowa State, Florida State’s Azareye’h Thomas, Nebraska’s Tommi Hill and Sebastian Castro of Iowa struggled in man coverage. At the same time, though, several others were able to hang tough including Quincy Riley of Louisville, Dorian Strong of Virginia Tech, and maybe somewhat surprisingly, Bihal Kone of Western Michigan. Meanwhile, at least in the team drills arguably the one defender that kind of jumped off the screen was Oregon LB Jeff Bassa, who busted up several plays.

Senior Bowl practices to get underway … The players are literally in the dressing room getting ready for the first day of practice sessions at this year’s Senior Bowl in Mobile. The morning practice starts at 10:30PM ET, while the afternoon session gets underway at 1 PM. The NFL Network will provide coverage of the morning session, but only starting at Noon ET, while the coverage of the afternoon session starts at 2 PM ET. Also note that today’s practices will be in shells, while the two days of practices on Wednesday and Thursday will be in full pads. One roster note: Alabama S Malachi Moore has withdrawn from this week’s Senior Bowl activities. no reason was stated but it is known that Moore had late-season foot surgery.

Tide QB Milroe hands small; Ducks Gabriel, Johnson just small … We’ve been pouring over the height and weight measurements at the Senior Bowl earlier today in Mobile. In the end, there isn’t a whole lot of breaking news regarding today’s measurements, although the fact that Alabama QB Jalen Milroe has relatively small hands for a quarterback which is yet another red flag waving for the former Tide signal-caller. For the record, Milroe’s hands measured around 8.5 inches, about a half inch shorter than the 9 inches that is usually considered to be the comfortable minimum for the position. At the same time, Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel, who scouts were hoping would measure in at something close to 6-feet even, was barely 5-10 and just 202 pounds. And Gabriel’s Oregon teammate WR Tez Johnson was even smaller. Indeed, Johnson tipped the scales at just over 5-9 and 156 pounds, plus his arms were under 30 inches. Ouch! Miami’s Xavier Restrepro, who at least is thick enough at a solid 200 pounds, but like Johnson has shorter than 30 inch arms. Meanwhile speaking of short arms, several of the top edge rushers also showed up with shorter than ideal arms which is generally considered to be a negative when rushing the passer. Liberty’s Mike Green, for example, one of the rising stars of the draft, came in with just 32 inch arms when 35 is considered to be the ideal. Same for Collin Oliver of Oklahoma State who checked in with 31 inch arms. It also doesn’t help that both guys weren’t all that bulky either with Green weighing in at 251 pounds and Oliver at barely 242. Boston College’s Donovan Ezeirauku, who along with Green led all of college football in sacks this past season, was also somewhat undersized at just 6-2, 248, but at least he has nice long 34.5 inch arms. South Carolina’s Kyle Kennard at 248 pounds was also considerably lighter than expected although his 33.5 inch arms are probably okay. Same story for Arkansas DE Landon Jackson and Mississippi DT Walter Nolen, who had 33.5 and 33 inch arms respectively, although at 6-3, 293 Nolen might be a little smaller than scouts expected. On the other side of the ball, the one top OT who may have disappointed scouts a bit was West Virginia OT Wyatt Milum who has just 32.5 arms which is short for a pro OT. On the other hand, Alabama A&M OT Carl Vinson turned some heads as he measured in at over 6-6 and 315 pounds and was the only OL in Mobile with plus 35-inch arms. Interestingly, the one DL who truly passed the eye ball test was Kentucky DT Deone Walker who measured in at 6-7, 340 with 34.5 inch arms; so far so good, but the issue this past season with Walker, who went from a possible top 10 candidate to someone not necessarily guaranteed to be a second day selection, is that he really struggled keeping his pads down and maintaining leverage which can be tough to do when that tall. In fact, he’s built much more like a prototype OT. There were also a couple of CBs that had to catch the attention of pro teams as both Darien Porter of Iowa State and Nebraska’s Tommi Hill had over 33 inch arms.

Following up on Shedeur at Shriners … Even though he is not in uniform Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders remains the big story at this week’s East-West Shrine practices at North Texas in Dallas. Sanders, who also won’t play in the actual game on Thursday, has been meeting with teams, particularly those with early picks. That is probably not going to change the current sense that Sanders is arguably the most polarizing prospect in this year’s draft class, but we try to do here is sift through the tea leaves and whatever other clues are out there to try and figure out what’s actually going. And one of the clues we do have is quite simply who people are talking to because as a general rule busy team executives don’t like to waste a whole lot of time talking to players they have no shot  at and instead focus on the prospects that are their legitimate targets. Of course, its hardly a perfect science and hardly guarantees anything on draft day because in the end due diligence can go both ways, but the fact that teams like Tennessee, Cleveland and the NY Giants, which have the first three picks in April’s first round, have also been the most focused on Sanders this week tends to suggest that at least at this time Sanders is very much in the mix to be selected in that area. The Titans, who have the first pick overall, for example, had pretty much their whole front office in Dallas over the weekend including GM Mike Borgonzi, head coach Brian Callahan, and president of football operations Chad Brinker. That’s a lot of people to bring to the Shrine game.

Of course, any team that selects Sanders is going to have to deal with dad Deion and the potential circus that that might entail. Interestingly, Deion is not at the Shrine game, although Dallas is where he maintains his main private residence. Teams have indicated, though, that Deion did regularly text and/or call Shedeur when they were meeting with the latter. And one potentially mitigating factor here is the sense that seems to be emerging that Shedeur himself is actually a pretty level-headed kid who has been a good teammate, checks of all the character intangibles boxes and mostly just wants to play. But stay tuned!

Senior Bowl preview … Players are gathering in Mobile as we speak for this week’s Senior Bowl all-star game, the first big date on the draft calendar. Unfortunately, neither of the top 2 QBs for this year’s draft – Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders – will be in Mobile this week, but a ton of talent for the upcoming draft will be there. The QBs who will be there, for example, include Jaxson Dart, Jalen Milroe, Will Howard and Dillon Gabriel, each of whom is a strong second-tier candidate for 2025. The deepest position at the Senior Bowl this week – no surprise as it is also arguably the strongest position overall for the upcoming draft – are the DE/ERs, a group which includes in no particular order Nic Scourton, Shemar Stewart, Mike Green, Kyle Kennard, Landon Jackson, Jordan Burch, Donovan Ereiruaku and Princely Umanmielen, while the DTs include Walter Nolen, Deone Walker, TJ Sanders and Ty Robinson. Its also a very good Senior Bowl year at CB which includes Sebastian Castro, Nohl Williams, Azareye’h Thomas, Darien Porter , Tre Amos, Quincy Riley, and Maxwell Hairston. They’ll be dueling with the likes of receivers Jalen Royals, Savion Williams, and Elic Ayemanor. Maybe the top offensive group in Mobile this wek could be the RBs which include Cam Skattebo, Ollie Gordon, RJ Harvey, Devin Neal and LeQuint Allen, while the names to watch on the OL include Aireontae Ersery, Josh Conerly, Jonah Savaiinea, Armand Membou and Wyatt Milum.

Note, though, that it is possible, even likely that not all of these players will actually show up in Mobile this week. Every year some withdraw because of injuries or on the advice of their agents. At the same time, there will also always be roster changes over the course of the week as player get dinged at practice. The three days of practice get underway Tuesday morning with a session in shells, while the full-pads practices go Wednesday and Thursday with the NFL Network providing coverage each day. The actual Senior Bowl game is scheduled for 2:30 PM ET on Saturday with coverage again on the NFL Network. One interesting sidelight of the whole deal is that NFL teams themselves place far more stock in what they see at the practice sessions than at the actual game. Teams are also cautious not to read too much into what they see even at the practices remembering that there only 3 days of practice and that the players are working in a relatively unfamiliar environment with unfamiliar teammates.

Bills come up just short again; to pick 30th … This evening’s AFC championship game in Kansas City between Buffalo and the Chiefs pretty much ived up to the billing as KC hung on for a 32-29 win and a ticket to another Super Bowl. For the Bills, though, just another heartbreak as all they’ll get is the 30th pick in each round of the 2025 draft. The final two spots – #s 31 and 32 – will only be decided in 2 weeks with the winner of the Super Bowl to pick 32nd and the loser 31st.

WashComs to pick 29th … With Washington going down to defeat in Philadelphia in the NFC championship game this afternoon, the Commanders will have the 29th pick in every round of the 2025 draft. The loser of this evening’s AFC title game in Kansas City between Buffalo and the Chiefs will get the 30th pick, while the final two slots will  go to the winners and losers of the Super Bowl.

Great Blue North News Archives –>

 

 

One thought on “NEWS AND NEAR NEWS

  1. Pingback: 2017 Draft Prospects - Page 5 - Warpath

Comments are closed.