2023 Senior Bowl Preview
The 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl kicks off on Saturday, February 4th. The practices the week leading up to it will be where we first start to gauge how the NFL scouts feel with many of these middle-round picks on the same field. There will be risers and fallers, which will affect the middle of our rookie drafts. Names like Dameon Pierce and Christian Watson shot up boards and perceptions with a strong week of practices leading up to the game.
Here I’ll do a short synopsis of each position going into the action at Mobile, Alabama. Additionally, I’ve included a frontrunner as well as a dark horse candidate who could be the first player selected at the position, from these rosters. We’ll see some of these players at the upcoming NFL Combine and finally at the 2023 NFL Draft. Let’s get right into it with this 2023 Senior Bowl Preview.
QUARTERBACKS
Class minus superlatives: Clayton Tune comes from an Air Raid system where he got plenty of passing reps. His timing will need to thrive when the passing windows are far smaller in Mobile. Max Duggan’s film against Michigan shows him at his best. Duggan is mobile and plays with reckless abandon. He will need to dial it back some and be able to show consistency to improve his stock. Tyson Bagent is the all-time NCAA passing touchdown leader with 159 touchdowns, he will need to show anticipation and processing when presented with higher competition.
Front-Runner
Jaren Hall is known for his efficiency. He has a career completion percentage of over 65%, posting 52 touchdowns and 11 interceptions during that time. Hall was considered a fringe 1st Round quarterback at the beginning of the year, but since then those talks have cooled off. A big weekend of pinpoint ball placement though could get that conversation going again.
Dark Horse Candidate
Jake Haener is an accurate passer who stands tall in the pocket to deliver a pass in the face of pressure. Haener’s accuracy can be shown by his career 68.2% completion percentage. That’s with his completing 72% this past season. He is an older prospect in this draft class, but with him showing his arm strength is necessary for the NFL, he has a chance to shoot up boards.
Jaren Hall threw this ball with insane anticipation and placement. Incredibly smart football player. pic.twitter.com/2X6bj7Rv7j
— Christian Williams (@CWilliamsNFL) November 29, 2022
Previous Senior Bowl quarterbacks over the past three seasons:
Day 1 QBs
Justin Herbert (2020), Jordan Love (2020), Mac Jones (2021), Kenny Pickett (2022)
Day 2 QBs
Jalen Hurts (2020), Kellen Mond (2021), Desmond Ridder (2022), Malik Willis (3.86)
Day 3 QBs
Ian Book (2021), Sam Ehlinger (2021), Bailey Zappe (2022), Sam Howell (2022)
RUNNING BACKS
Camerun Peoples is a size/speed that looks like the store-brand Derrick Henry. His stats won’t show this as he was injured as well as in a deep committee. Chase Brown uses his acceleration and top-end speed to eat yards in the open field. In Mobile, Brown would improve his stock by gaining more yardage after contact, driving through defenders.
Chris Rodriguez Jr is a powerful back, but he runs like people play Madden if they only used the directional stick. Rodriguez is going to need to find the juke buttons if he wants to improve his stock.
Eric Gray is a name that many in the Devy community have known for quite some time. Gray’s downhill running style will be sure to catch the eye of scouts. Furthermore, to improve his draft stock, Gray is best trying to show improvement in the passing game both with catching the ball and pass protection.
Roschon Johnson comes into this game finally out from behind the shadow of Bijan Robinson. Johnson will need to show greater athleticism than his film showed in order to improve his standing. Evan Hull is an explosive runner out of Northwestern that needs a few steps to reach his top gear. If there was a third option at first of these backs to go off of the board, it would be Hull.
Front-Runner
Kenny McIntosh is damn near a James Cook clone. He has averaged 6.9 yards per touch over his career, including 11.3 yards per reception. McIntosh shows great explosiveness and ability to catch the ball not just out of the backfield, but downfield as a part of the passing game. He’ll improve his stock in Mobile with a strong showing.
Dark Horse Candidate
Tyjae Spears is an extremely efficient runner that has left anyone who watches his film, nothing short of impressed. In his last game against USC, he ran for over 200 yards and four touchdowns, to lead Tulane to an upset victory over the Trojans. He has natural quickness and great decision-making in lane selection to get upfield. Spears is also a weapon in the passing game, showing natural hands. To improve his stock at NFL Draft, Spears should try weighing in over 200 pounds as well as show he can move the pile more on those interior runs.
Tyjae Spears versus the USC struggling run defense is going to showcase one of the bigger sleepers of the 2023 class. pic.twitter.com/vcmtUwuTE6
— Bryce Williams (@BryceNFL) December 7, 2022
Previous Senior Bowl running backs over the past three seasons:
Day 1 RBs
Najee Harris (2021)
Day 2 RBs
Antonio Gibson (2020), Tre Sermon (2021), Rachaad White (2022), Brian Robinson Jr. (2022)
Day 3 RBs
Joshua Kelley (2020), Eno Benjamin (2020), Michael Carter (2021), Rhamondre Stevenson (2021), Khalil Herbert (2021), Demetric Felton (2021), Elijah Mitchell (2021), Kylin Hill (2021), Chris Evans (2021), Dameon Pierce (2022), Hassan Haskins (2021), Jerome Ford (2021), Tyler Badie (2021)
WIDE RECEIVERS
Cedric Tillman is the easiest target for a quarterback, using his size and positioning to maximize the catch window. Sufficient acceleration and agility are going to need to show up to improve his standings in this class. Derius Davis enters this game as ‘the other TCU receiver’ but often was viewed as equal to a big play threat on the downfield pass. Nathaniel Dell shows great return ability and the type of agility that teams tend to enjoy from their slot receivers at the NFL level. Jayden Reed comes in a bit below the radar. His acrobatic catches and solid acceleration make him a candidate whose performance at the Senior Bowl could do a lot for his stock.
Charlie Jones transferred from Iowa, only to have a season dwarfing any production from his former team this past season. Jones has incredible agility but will need a stronger showing of his athleticism. Andrei is just the third player from Princeton to be invited to this game, he will need to thrive among stronger competition if he hopes to have a meteoric rise from a small school like Christian Watson did last season.
Michael Wilson is known for the way he sets up defenders. His route-running prowess shows up on tape and should boost his profile. Puka Nacua operates well in space and has quickness off the ball. This week he needs to show improvement against press coverage to create the same level of separation.
Dontayvion Wicks has not been mentioned often as a name in this draft, yet he was earning a 2nd Round grade from various scouts prior to the season. If he can get the concentration drops out of his system, he can find himself near the top 10 at the position. Additional names at the position include Trey Tucker, Jonathan Mingo, Jaylen Wayne, Elijah Higgins, and Trey Palmer.
Front-Runner
Rashee Rice sets up defenders with leverage and doubles moves with the best of them. He must work on settling down in zones to capitalize on those routes and provide the largest window for his quarterback to deliver. Rice’s after-the-catch yardage will leave scouts checking boxes over and over again, as his creativity in space forces defenders to always play through the whistle.
Dark Horse Candidate
Xavier Hutchinson has been hyper-productive this past season, catching over 100 passes and earning himself a finalist nod for the Biletnikoff Award. He is a natural pass catcher with a great after-the-catch ability as well. Is his speed sufficient enough to be an X-receiver in the NFL? That will be the question Hutchinson will need to answer the most.
The quickness from Xavier Hutchinson to create separation on the glance route is really impressive pic.twitter.com/ozqjCBabR3
— Tyler Forness (@TheRealForno) December 10, 2022
Previous Senior Bowl wide receivers over the past three seasons:
Day 1 WRs
Brandon Aiyuk (2020), Kadarius Toney (2021), Jahan Dotson (2022),
Day 2 WRs
Michael Pittman (2020), Chase Claypool (2020), Van Jefferson (2020), Denzel Mims (2020), Devin Duverney (2020), Josh Palmer (2021), Amari Rodgers (2021), Nico Collins (2021)
Christian Watson (2022), Alec Pierce (2022), Danny Gray (2022), Velus Jones Jr (2022), Jalen Tolbert (2022)
Day 3 WRs
James Prosche (2020), Dez Fitzpatrick (2021), Romeo Doubs (2022), Calvin Austin (2022), Khalil Shakir (2022), Bo Melton (2022)
TIGHT ENDS
Cameron Latu has natural hands and is a reliable target in the red zone. This is evident as he averages one touchdown per 4.6 receptions. Will Mallory has been a name that has been on radars for years now, yet the production has never really stood out. He will need a statement game in Mobile in order to stand out in this loaded class.
Davis Allen looks great as a tight end you can line up away from the line. He runs smoothly and leverages defenders well. Josh Whyle continues the theme of this class of being massive and having the physical tangibles that translate well to the NFL. Additionally, continued learning of nuanced receiving is going to be needed from him if he hopes to get significant reps.
Brayden Willis is a smaller tight end in this group coming in at 6’2, 236 pounds. He doesn’t have the most athleticism and would benefit from a pseudo-fullback role. Reliable blocking in one on one situations could give a boost to his stock. Payne Durham has the physicality to throw defenders with strength that should be the most of this group. His lack of agility and receiving technique will need to make strides if he hopes to be on an NFL roster this fall.
Front-Runner
Dalton Kincaid does well with boxing out defenders and making reliable catches. PFF has graded Kincaid with having zero career drops, which is tremendous considering his 107 career receptions of which 70 were from this season. Kincaid can separate himself from the crowd with improved route running and refining his blocking technique.
Dark Horse Candidate
Luke Musgrave has a small sample size of two games this year, due to injury. His size (6’6) and speed (projected 4.4 in the 40-yard dash) have many coaches intrigued. This lack of 2022 film really will push a larger weight of importance of the Senior Bowl than any other tight end in terms of dictating his draft capital. If he can show more bend and efficient change of direction, he should fly up draft boards.
16 receptions 234 yards…in one game. dalton kincaid you have my undivided attention. #2023NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/eYDRf51qMg
— Ray G 🏁 (@RayGQue) October 16, 2022
Previous Senior Bowl tight ends over the past three seasons:
Day 2 TEs
Josiah Deguara (2020), Adam Trautman (2020), Hunter Long (2021), Trey McBride (2022), Jeremy Ruckert (2022), Greg Dulcich (2022)
Day 3 TEs
Harrison Bryant (2020), John Bates (2021), Kylen Granson (2021), Noah Gray (2021), Daniel Bellinger (2022), Charlie Kolar (2022), Jake Ferguson (2022), Isaiah Likely (2022), Cole Turner (2022), Grant Calcaterra (2022)
– Dynasty Home –
All of our 2023 Rookie Content:
- Rookie Rankings
- ADP (1QB)
- ADP (SF/2QB)
- 2023 Class Preview
- Top 10 Quarterbacks
- Running Backs
- Wide Receivers
- Way Too Early Mock Draft
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