The Oklahoman

Time to shine

- BY JOHN ZENOR

Draft prospects from around the country will showcase their talents to NFL scouts and executives at the annual Senior Bowl at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in Mobile, Alabama.

MOBILE, ALA. — Quarterbac­ks Josh Allen and Baker Mayfield got to enjoy being teammates for a few days on their way to the NFL.

Both likely first-round draft picks were the headliners for the Senior Bowl all week, divvying practice snaps for the North team leading up to Saturday’s game.

“It’s fun. He’s a fiery competitor,” Wyoming’s Allen said. “We were hyping each other up on the field, and that’s what it’s all about. Coming out here having fun, meeting new guys, being able to compete with the best and progress every day.”

Oklahoma’s Mayfield hasn’t said if he’ll play in the game itself. The Heisman Trophy winner told reporters after Thursday’s practice: “We’ll see.”

Regardless, he and Allen got to work through three practices led by Vance Joseph and the Denver Broncos coaching staff with NFL eyes upon them throughout. The Broncos, who draft fifth and are in the market for a quarterbac­k, had wanted Mayfield to be on their team.

“We wanted to have an opportunit­y to get to meet him,” said Hall of Fame quarterbac­k John Elway, Denver’s general manager and president of football operations. “Obviously we’ve seen what everyone else has seen, what he can do on the field and the type of player that he is. To be able to be around him and get to know him a little bit was important.”

The Senior Bowl hasn’t had two quarterbac­ks selected in the first round of the same draft since Jake Locker and Christian Ponder in 2011.

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