PFF Senior Bowl Grades: Grading standouts from one-on-one and team drills

• QB Luke Altmyer put together an impressive week in team drills: While he had a few misses, the Illinois quarterback largely showed good poise and ball placement throughout the sessions. His best throw actually resulted in an incompletion — a 30-plus-yard deep shot down the left sideline that was perfectly placed, but the wide receiver struggled to track the ball in the air and came up short.

• Romello Height stood out during team drills: Height consistently flashed strong hand usage, most notably on a rep against Kage Casey, where he chopped down and controlled Casey’s outside wrist at first contact, allowing him to immediately win around the edge.

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The Panini Senior Bowl is a crucial step in the pre-draft process, giving NFL teams an extended look at top prospects in a competitive setting. To aid in player evaluation, PFF analysts graded every rep from both one-on-one drills and team sessions, using the same methodology as our game-level grades adjusted for the unique practice environment.

Here’s a breakdown of the top performers from Senior Bowl practices.

American Team Drills

• Gracen Halton had a standout week during team drills, consistently showing a relentless motor in both run defense and as a pass rusher. He demonstrated strong gap discipline and made one of the more impressive run stops of the week when aligned wide as a 5-technique, muscling his way through the inside shoulder of a tight end to make a tackle at the line of scrimmage. Halton also showed diversity as a pass rusher. He used leverage and strength to collapse the pocket, got into the backfield on a T-E stunt by splitting the right guard and right tackle, and capped his week with an impressive quick inside spin move to beat Jeremiah Wright cleanly off the ball.

• Luke Altmyer also put together an impressive week in team drills. While he had a few misses, the Illinois quarterback largely showed good poise and ball placement throughout the sessions. His best throw actually resulted in an incompletion — a 30-plus-yard deep shot down the left sideline that was perfectly placed, but the wide receiver struggled to track the ball in the air and came up short.

• Malachi Fields rounded out the group with a strong week of his own in team drills. The Notre Dame senior did have a drop, but consistently showed a good feel for finding soft spots in zone coverage. He also arguably made the catch of the week on a corner-post route, completely fooling the safety before tracking the ball over his shoulder and finishing the play.

National Team Drills

• Nadame Tucker showed off his versatility as an edge rusher, winning quickly with both inside and outside moves. He also produced one of the standout pass-rush reps of the week when he ran right through Carver Willis, disrupting Sawyer Robinson and helping force an interception.

• Romello Height was another EDGE defender who stood out during team drills. Height consistently flashed strong hand usage, most notably on a rep against Kage Casey where he chopped down and controlled Casey’s outside wrist at first contact, allowing him to immediately win around the edge.

• Outside of a single snap at right guard back in 2022, Delby Lemieux had never played anywhere other than tackle during his four-year career at Dartmouth. Despite that, Lemieux kicked inside to center for the week and more than held his own in team drills. He did have one errant snap, but he wasn’t downgraded once in pass protection and looked stout against interior defenders in the run game.

American Team One-on-ones

Garrett Nussmeier had a noticeable week in the one-on-ones. Tied for the most reps among the three quarterbacks, Nussmeier recorded the fewest misses of the group and consistently showed strong touch and timing on deep balls down the right sideline.

While there were a few reps where he struggled to disengage early, Caleb Banks still put together a solid week in the pass-rush one-on-ones. His most impressive wins came against Jake Slaughter, where Banks got underneath Slaughter’s right arm before executing a clean swim move over the left shoulder. He also flashed his burst off the ball with an immediate inside win against Jeremiah Wright.

Malachi Fields didn’t just stand out during team drills — he also had a strong showing in the one-on-ones. Fields displayed excellent releases off the line, routinely creating separation against press coverage. His week was highlighted by an impressive deep catch down the right sideline, where he beat the corner vertically and then shielded the defender at the catch point.

National Team One-on-ones (run)

• There wasn’t a ton of run-game work during the one-on-ones, but the National Team logged roughly 50 run reps throughout the week. On his six reps, Gennings Dunker consistently flashed his ability to generate movement when working in double teams, bringing the same physical edge and nastiness he showed on tape at Iowa.

• Texas Tech’s Lee Hunter saw just one true one-on-one rep in the run drills, where he shed Sam Hecht with relative ease. He was far more active against double teams, though, and that’s where he really stood out. On one rep, Hunter cleanly defeated the double team, while on two others he was able to split it and penetrate into the backfield.

National Team One-on-ones (pass)

• Cole Payton stood out among the National Team quarterbacks during the one-on-ones. He led the group with seven charted big-time throws, showcasing touch and confidence on deep sideline shots while also delivering some impressive throws in the red zone.

• Jacob Rodriguez put together a strong highlight reel in the one-on-ones as well. He had a productive week in pass-rush drills. In coverage, he was disruptive at the line of scrimmage while also making several standout plays downfield against running backs on wheel routes.

• Dametrius Crownover also impressed in the one-on-ones, going undefeated across 10 pass-protection reps. Seeing time at both tackle spots, he fired off the ball with quick feet, consistently leveraged his size and strength, and showed a strong ability to counter defenders’ secondary moves.