Mobile, AL, USA; American squad quarterback Malik Willis of Liberty (7) throws the ball in passing drills during American team practice for the 2022 Senior Bowl at Hancock Whitney Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports
By
Michael Renner
The NFL draft stock market is officially open for business. While it may seem overblown that three days of practice could have such a big impact on a prospect's draft status, the Senior Bowl is sometimes the first opportunity for players to perform against NFL-caliber opposition.
It’s hard not to win the week when you win…well…every rep. Now, there were a few reps where he didn’t get the best of his opponent, but he won the overwhelming majority. He plays with such easy power, and his technique is akin to a seasoned veteran. He has to be in first-round mock drafts now.
Jones was the biggest bully along the defensive line in Mobile. No interior lineman in attendance could handle his power throughout the week, as he was spinning offensive linemen around with his powerful mitts. He’s still not a terribly twitchy athlete, but he’s a prototypical all-around nose tackle.
Asamoah was easily the most athletic linebacker on the field throughout the week. He played tight coverage during one-on-ones and showed the kind of range you’d expect from a former safety. Coming into the week, he was supposed to struggle to take on blocks against the run, but he showed multiple ways to defeat blockers throughout the week.
I'm not particularly worried about Asamoah being a liability in the run game either
Showed off the complete skillset here by beating a FB to the spot and then stacking Trevor Penning on back-to-back reps pic.twitter.com/LuBrVqCNiw
No quarterback really dominated throughout the course of the week, but Willis’ tools stood out the most in what was essentially a race for QB1. He posted the fastest throw (74 miles per hour) since Zebra Technology started putting chips in the footballs at the Senior Bowl in 2018. He also looked comfortable going through progressions despite never being asked to do that at Liberty. There’s a strong chance he’s the first quarterback off the board in April.
.@LibertyFootball QB Malik Willis in post-practice accuracy contest, only QB to hit the back-corner trash can fade route on about a 30-yard toss. Couldn’t drop it in but banged it twice in a row.#seniorbowlpic.twitter.com/YujnajD9I4
Wyatt is an athletic marvel for a 307-pounder. His agility at that size was more impressive than a number of the edge rushers in attendance. Wyatt wasn’t just a one-trick athlete, either, as he held up well against double teams in the run game, which makes me feel good about him as an all-around player.
In the one-on-ones throughout the week, Pitre was the best defensive back in coverage. He’s physical, instinctive and incredibly light on his feet. His ability to close in short areas is outstanding.
Malone is never going to be an all-around edge defender at 234 pounds, but he showed power as a pass-rusher that he didn’t have to display against his competition level for the Hilltoppers. Malone recorded multiple pass-rush wins with a bull-rush in the one-on-ones, showing an impressive ability to convert speed to power. He’s a twitched-up edge defender who has good enough length (33-inch arms) to get by as a designated pass-rusher.
I thought WKU's Deangelo Malone had a low-key impressive week. Not a great track of 234 pound edge rushers, but he showed a willingness to play physical despite his size pic.twitter.com/IaGtT3oNOT
Watson needed the Senior Bowl purely from a tape perspective. He hailed from a North Dakota State offense that had him run a grand total of 348 routes over the last two seasons. For context, 130 FBS wide receivers ran more routes than that in 2021 alone. Watson showed an ability to defeat press coverage that you rarely see from a 6-foot-4 wide receiver. His performance throughout the week wasn’t too far off from South Alabama’s Jalen Tolbert, but Tolbert already checked in at 58 on the PFF draft board heading into the week.
Lucas displayed a quality anchor and improved hand usage all week. He’s always been mobile for a 322-pounder but was seen as a project in terms of technique. His performance this week may push him into the Day-2 conversation.
Abraham Lucas with a great rep against Arnold Ebiketie, slightly late to anchor but gets there eventually pic.twitter.com/HDG4PHsPui
Running back isn’t necessarily a position that sees massive risers and fallers based on Senior Bowl practice performance because there’s no tackling throughout the week. That being said, it can be valuable to see each running back's blocking and receiving skills, which is especially true when guys have been largely afterthoughts in their respective passing games like Ford. He has 31 career receptions but looked like a very natural receiver when asked to beat linebackers out of the backfield this week. It remains to be seen how he’ll test athletically, but it’s hard to see him as anything other than a top-five back in the class due to his performance this week.
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