South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
Market now rising for these 12 NFL prospects
The goal at the Senior Bowl is to get noticed by NFL teams and to stand out for all the right reasons.
A strong week of practice and a respectable showing in Saturday’s game could help a prospect elevate his stock a few rounds and help some cement their standing as a first-round selections.
Here is a look at 12 prospects in the 2020 NFL draft who helped themselves during Senior Bowl practices and the game:
Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert: Herbert participated in the Senior Bowl with the goal of checking all the boxes for
NFL teams, and he did just that with a solid week of practices and a respectable performance that got him the game’s MVP honors.
While Herbert has some mechanical flaws he needs to address because they impact his accuracy, he likely used the Senior Bowl to lock up being a top-20 selection in the draft.
Utah State quarterback Jordan Love: Love displayed a cannon of an arm and top-shelf athleticism and showcased a quick release at the Senior Bowl, despite being a slow starter on the first day of practice. He had a forgettable 2019 campaign that can be attributed to many factors, including a new coaching staff, new offensive line and many new weapons at the skill positions. But his Senior Bowl practices and performance in the game showed he’s a quarterback worthy of a first-round selection because his tools indicate he can develop into an elite player.
Wisconsin linebacker Zack Baun: Baun’s fluid movement and ability to drop into zone coverage suggest that he can be far more than a rotational edge rusher for an NFL team. During his senior season, Baun contributed 75 tackles and 12 1⁄ sacks,
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which shows that he has a bend off the edge that can be effective when hunting down quarterbacks. He’ll need to test well at the NFL combine to lock up a spot among the draft’s top 50 selections.
Ohio State receiver K . J. Hi l l : The 6 -foot, 192-pound Buckeyes product created separation with ease and caught everything within range, showing that he has a substantially large catch radius. Hill, who caught 57 passes for 636 yards and scored 10 touchdowns last season, reminds me of former Buckeye teammate Terry McLaurin, who was sensational at the Senior Bowl last year and took the NFL by storm as a Redskins rookie.
LSU offensive guard Damien Lewis: Lewis got a late invite to the Senior Bowl and used it to outshine most of the interior linemen participating in the event. He’s 6-2, 339 pounds, and while he’s not “body beautiful,” his lowerbody strength and powerful hands allow him to move defenders with ease. He’s the perfect Day 3 selection for a team looking for a plug-and-play starting right guard.
Temple center Matt Hennessy: Hennessy, the brother of Jets long snapper Thomas Hennessy, consistently stonewalled opposing defensive linemen at the Senior Bowl, just as he did during his college career. He didn’t allow a sack as a senior at Temple and held his own against some of college football’s best prospects during the week’s practices. He’s probably best suited for a offensive line that utilizes a zone-blocking scheme.
SMU receiver James Proche: Proche, who caught 301 passes for 3,949 yards and scored 39 touchdowns during his four seasons at SMU, dismantled press coverage all week. He used his speed to consistently create separation, and reminded me of Colts receiver T.Y. Hilton. His athleticism indicates he’s going to be an effective slot receiver because he was an unstoppable matchup as an inside receiver.
Dayton tight end Adam Trautman: Trautman is a feisty and technical blocker who blew defensive players off the ball all week in practice. Trautman holds the Dayton career records for receptions (178) and receiving touchdowns (31). For the season, the 6-6, 253-pound tight end contributed 70 catches that he turned into 916 yards and 14 TDs. He could be a steal in the middle rounds of the draft, but he’ll need to run a respectable 40-yard dash time.
Florida Atlantic tight end Harrison Bryant: Bryant put together three consecutive good practices, and more importantly he showed the toughness needed to work on the line of scrimmage. Bryant, who caught 148 passes for 2,137 yards and scored 16 touchdowns at
FAU, consistently caught everything thrown in his direction. Bryant also displayed proper fundamentals, and it could help him become FAU’s highestdrafted player in school history.
Alabama linebacker Terrell Lewis: Lewis, who contributed 31 tackles and six sacks in 2019, is built like the typical 3-4 outside linebacker. He displayed the speed necessary to stay with opponents downfield, the power to bull-rush bigger blockers and the athleticism needed to cover tailbacks leaving the backfield. He has the quickness and burst to shoot gaps, which indicates he can be an effective NFL blitzer.
Florida receiver Van Jefferson: Jefferson, the son of former NFL standout and receivers coach Shawn Jefferson, was a technician all week when it came to route running, Jefferson, an Ole Miss transfer who caught 49 passes for 657 yards and six TDs in 2019, releases off the line were sensational, and he routinely made the right route adjustments, putting himself in position to be quarterback-friendly.
Baylor receiver Denzel Mims: At 6-2 and 206 pounds, Mims showed the ability to separate with good fluidity at the line of scrimmage in drills before getting up the field with quickness. Mims, who caught 66 passes for 1,020 yards and scored 12 touchdowns at Baylor, is projected as a mid-round prospect, but based on his performance in practices he could rise into the earlier rounds.