Category: Senior Bowl

Missouri RB Cody Schrader continues his incredible ascension with a strong Senior Bowl week

Missouri RB Cody Schrader continues his incredible ascension with a strong Senior Bowl week

There isn’t a much more undervalued group over the years than the running back position. Though, with two going in the first round last year, that could perhaps change in the coming years. While it’s unlikely we will see a first-round back in the 2024 draft, a few names have impressed early on in the pre-draft process. One of those names is former Missouri running back Cody Schrader.

Having an extremely productive year at Missouri, Schrader looked to follow that up with an impressive performance against top talent across the country. Not only did he succeed in impressing during practices leading up to the main event, Schrader showed off during the all-star game itself. While he was limited in his rushing, given he only had 12 yards on seven carries, Schrader really showed off his shiftiness in the passing attack, hauling in 54 yards on just five catches.

This is just another major step forward for Schrader’s quite frankly inspiring story. From a starter at division II Truman state to a walk on to Missouri where he became their top offensive weapon. It’s clear Schrader has a massive chip on his shoulder and the grit to make it to the next level. It’s early on but if Schrader continues his impressive rise he could find himself going within the first three rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Purple Daily on Draft: Winners from Reese’s Senior Bowl

Who could be a Minnesota Vikings from the Reese’s Senior Bowl? The Purple Daily on Draft crew discussed in depth

The Minnesota Vikings were out in Mobile, AL in full force taking a look at all of the prospects at the Reese’s Senior Bowl. Kevin O’Connell and Kwesi-Adofo-Mensah were on the field getting a close look at the quarterback prospects.

Seeing players going against their contemporaries is important, especially when they are from smaller schools. Guys like Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell and New Hampshire running back Dylan Laube took advantage of the opportunity and showed that they belonged.

Who else stood out during the Senior Bowl? Host Tyler Forness was down in Mobile scouting all of the prospects and seeing who might be good members of the Vikings in 2024.

To finish off the show, the crew discusses the mock draft from NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein. Who did the Vikings take and how good of a fit is it?

All of that and more on the latest episode of Purple Daily on Draft, dropping every Monday afternoon on the Purple Daily YouTube channel.

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ESPN reveals Vikings as possible trade-up candidates

Could the Minnesota Vikings move up for a quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft? Right now, that’s the buzz around the league

At the 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl, ESPN senior NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler and college football reporter Pete Thamel had a chance to speak with executives, coaches and scouts to discuss their plans for the 2024 NFL Draft and upcoming off-season.

Among their findings lies an interesting tidbit about the Minnesota Vikings and their options at the quarterback position.

Fowler reported that the Vikings are a team that people around the league are “keeping an eye on” when discussing teams looking to trade up in the upcoming draft.

They did a lot of quarterback homework last offseason and could eventually target one high in the draft with free agent Kirk Cousins’ future in Minnesota uncertain. But moving from No. 11 into the top three would cost GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah a ton of draft capital.

With Cousins set to explore free agency, the future at the quarterback position for Minnesota is in jeopardy.

After a 13-4, NFC-North-winning debut season and possibly being an Achilles injury away from competing for the NFC North again this season, Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell have seen a roster that has outplayed their talent for two years straight.

But the reality is that if Minnesota was going to compete, this past season may have been the Vikings’ best chance to compete in the early stages of this regime. If the Vikings can reset the position with one of the top three options in this draft, they should take it.

Another aspect of this report worth Vikings fans’ attention is the perception of next year’s quarterbacks. Thamel reports that a veteran scout stated that next year’s quarterback class “won’t be anything close to this year’s.” Another said that “there’s no sure-thing sophomore quarterback. There’s always a riser or a one-year wonder, so it may not be that bad.”

The Vikings are not a bad enough roster to where they will be competing for one of the top names like Carson Beck, Quinn Ewers or Shedeur Sanders next season. The lack of depth in that class is yet another reason to strongly consider moving up to get one of the top guys in this class.

Moving the capital necessary to get one of the top guys is a risky proposition. One that will cost people their jobs if it does not pan out, so Minnesota has to continue doing its homework if they are considering a trade-up as a viable option.

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Theo Johnson makes his case to be second tight end selected during 2024 NFL Draft

Who is going to take the spot of TE2?

The 2024 NFL draft appears especially high at the top, boasting nice depth on both day one and day two of the class come April. The tight end class in 2024 is a pretty interesting one, highlighted by an arguably generational talent in Brock Bowers (Georgia). After Bowers, however, there is less certainty.

Most people have Ja’Tavion Sanders penciled into the second spot after Bowers but there is almost no clarity for who the third tight end off of the board might be. One name that was circulating a ton during the 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl week was former Penn State standout Theo Johnson, who was one of the big winners at the event.

It started with a weigh-in that was phenomenal. From a physical perspective, you just aren’t going to find many tight ends who are more impressive than Johnson. He came in at 6’6” and 257 pounds, with an 81 Œ” wingspan and 10-inch hands. That is how you draw it up at the position.

Johnson proceeded to be largely considered the top performer at the position in attendance. He was smooth in drills, flashing straight-line speed and that massive catch radius. Add in his development upside as a blocker, and you have a player who could be a much better pro than what he was in college.

Coming out of the event, there is some major buzz around Johnson. He is anticipated to potentially run in the high 4.4s in the forty-yard dash at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, which should solidify his placement in this class. Some sources believe that Johnson has already solidified himself as the third tight end in the 2024 class. Others believe that it is possible that he could end up being the second player off the board after Bowers.

There is projection needed with Johnson, but the NFL has shown that it is willing to bank on the upside and gamble. If developed properly, Johnson’s placement could legitimize that gamble in the relatively near future.

Senior Bowl Q&A with Penn State TE Theo Johnson

Texans Wire’s John Crumpler chatted with Penn State TE Theo Johnson about his experience at the Senior Bowl and his path to the draft.

The Senior Bowl has officially come and gone, with the three days of practice concluded and the National Team defeating the American Team, 16-7, during Saturday’s game.

Many players took the opportunity this week to elevate their NFL draft stock and one of those was National Team tight end Theo Johnson. He showed off strong blocking, consistent hands, and good separation en route to being voted the Best Tight End on his team by his defensive peers.

Johnson confirmed with Texans Wire that he spoke with the Houston Texans while in Mobile and had some time to talk with lead analyst John Crumpler about his experience at the Senior Bowl and his path to the draft.

Michigan wide receiver Roman Wilson solidified senior rise in Mobile

Roman Wilson set himself apart during the Senior Bowl process.

Heading into the 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl, former Michigan wide receiver Roman Wilson was viewed as a sleeper who needed a ton more draft hype. Wilson had modest production while at Michigan, saving his best for last as part of the Wolverine’s national championship run in 2023.

The diminutive pass catcher led the squad with 789 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns on just 48 receptions, impressive numbers considering how fixating on the run game Michigan is offensively. 

During the first day, Wilson weighed in and it wasn’t a big surprise that he was on the smaller side. At 5’10 œ” and 186 pounds, he isn’t going to look like a dominant passing game weapon on the hoof. Then the pads got on and Wilson morphed into arguably the top wide receiver on either side in Mobile. Wilson played so well over the first two days, that he opted to shut it down and not practice the final couple of days or participate in the game. 

Throughout the week, Wilson was mentioned by pretty much every major media outlet as a big winner. The director of the Senior Bowl, Jim Nagy, even put a lofty Tyler Lockett comparison on Wilson during the week. The reason for that is his rare combination of vertical speed, competitiveness, and ability to track the ball down the field. 

Wilson wasn’t an unknown player to NFL scouts coming into the season. There were a ton of early day-three grades out there even before he had his breakout season for Michigan. Leaving the event, it’s hard to believe that Wilson won’t hear his name called in the first two rounds of the 2024 NFL draft come April according to multiple scouts on site. 

The last big hurdle for his evaluation is complete at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, where Wilson is expected to test exceptionally well. Running in the 4.3s in the forty-yard dash is a number that has been thrown out there a ton. If he does, Wilson would have cemented what he started at the Senior Bowl: becoming a near-lock top 50 selection.

South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler launches himself up draft boards with big Senior Bowl performance

South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler launches himself up draft boards with big Senior Bowl performance

It’s a big time for NFL draft prospects in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft to put their names in the minds of general managers and scouts and one of the big reasons why is one of the biggest kick offs to the start of draft season is the Reese’s Senior Bowl, where the nations best college players come out to compete and impress. Perhaps no other prospect this last week did that more than South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler.

Rattler was notably one of the better quarterbacks during the practice portion of the week and capped that off with an impressive performance in the all-star game, where he eventually came home with the MVP. While he only saw two drives, Rattler was perfect on both, ultimately ending the day by completing 4-4 passes for 65 yards, including a beautiful 29-yard touchdown dime to Georgia wide receiver Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint on the first drive of the game.

While Rattler is unlikely to go in the first round, this whole Senior Bowl process has been a big boost to him, displaying he can lead a team and make NFL-level throws. In a stacked quarterback class with a bunch of mid-range talent sticking together in the process, standing out will only serve Rattler well moving forward.

Senior Bowl Q&A with Louisville CB Jarvis Brownlee Jr.

Texans Wire’s John Crumpler chatted with Louisville CB Jarvis Brownlee Jr. about his experience and transition to the next level.

The 2024 Senior Bowl concluded Saturday with a 16-7 National Team victory over the American Team.

One of the stars of the week, and the stars of the game, was Louisville cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr. He had a phenomenal week of practice and was able to cap it off with an excellent interception against Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman in the game.

The Houston Texans have been confirmed to have met with Brownlee during the Senior Bowl week, which comes with no surprise considering the uncertainty of the position and his talent that was on display.

Texans Wire’s John Crumpler was on site this past week in Mobile, Ala., and had a few minutes to talk with Brownlee about his experience and transition to the next level.

Many top prospects opt out of playing in the Senior Bowl

Many top prospects opt out of playing in the Senior Bowl after participating in practices during the week

The 2024 Senior Bowl week capped off with Saturday’s game in Mobile. The three days of practices at the home of hte University of South Alabama saw over 100 potential NFL draft prospects work out under the watchful eyes of NFL evaluators from all 32 teams as well as hundreds of media members.

Alas, many of those players chose not to play in the actual game, which the National team won 16-7 over the American team. There were various reasons for not playing; some players suffered injuries during the week, while others opted to stand on what positives they’d accomplished in practices.

Among the most notable prospects who were in practices during the week but didn’t participate in the Senior Bowl game itself:

UCLA EDGE Laiatu Latu

Washington QB Michael Penix Jr.

Michigan WR Roman Wilson

Oregon OL Jackson Powers-Johnson

Oregon State OT Taliese Fuaga

North Carolina State LB Payton Wilson

Toledo CB Quinyon Mitchell

Western Kentucky WR Malachi Corley

Those who didn’t play gave more opportunities to those who did get into the Senior Bowl game on Saturday. As an example, with Penix sitting out, Notre Dame QB Sam Hartman played almost the entire game for the National team.

 

 

2024 Senior Bowl player honors

These players were honored by fellow players for their week of practice in Mobile.

The 2024 Senior Bowl was played on Saturday in Mobile, AL. The National Team beat the American Team 16-7.

That isn’t the focus here.

Perhaps more important to players and NFL teams evaluating players than the game itself is the week of practice leading up to the game.

One cool thing about the Senior Bowl is that players vote on who was the best at each position, based on the guys who faced them.

Below are the players honored at the game and for their week of practice.