Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Here are the guys who helped their stock the most after a week of Senior Bowl practice.
Senior Bowl practices are officially in the books, and just like every other installment, this year’s week of festivities saw a handful of NFL draft prospects send their stock in the right direction with impressive performances.
Here are my picks for the biggest winners at every position from the 2023 Senior Bowl:
Here are the top NFL draft prospects at positions of need for the Saints still available in Day 3, via @RossJacksonNOLA:
Good big boards are usually depleted by the end of Day 2 of the NFL draft, and that goes for Dylan Sanders and his top-100 players as well. However, there are still some surprising prospects available going into the third day of the draft for the New Orleans Saints to potentially take advantage of.
With two selections left, one fifth-rounder (164) and one in the sixth (191), it may be a while until the Saints are on the board. But they could also look to trade up. Here are some of the best prospects still available in what many consider “Special Teams Day.”
Jameson Williams wanted to play in the 2nd half despite his injury, Saban and his medical team wouldn’t allow it, citing his future NFL career as the primary reason.
Alabama lost, but it doesn’t feel like the end of the world, at least in my household.
The Crimson Tide accomplished far more than I thought possible this season, especially following the loss in College Station to Texas A&M.
But, among the confetti, a future NFL draft pick named Jameson Williams watched on. Williams cemented his future in the NFL after transferring to Alabama from Ohio State this season. It turned out to be one of the best decisions he’s ever made.
In his only year at the Capstone, Williams proved himself to be a dangerous weapon on the offensive side of the ball. He caught 75 passes for 1,507 yards this season and 15 touchdowns in his only season playing for Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide.
During the national championship game, Williams suffered an injury that looked scary, but he managed to find his footing on his own weight as he walked gingerly to the locker room prior to halftime.
However, after suffering the injury, Williams reportedly wanted to play in the second half despite the injury. Saban refused to allow that to happen, and in his press conference following the game, he explained the situation.
Nick Saban on the injury to Alabama star receiver Jameson Williams early in the #NationalChampionship game pic.twitter.com/484gKUCC4W
— #WVTM13 (@WVTM13) January 11, 2022
Saban explained that Williams requested to go out and play in the second half, but the medical team wouldn’t allow it to happen. He mentioned Williams’ future in the reasoning behind not allowing him to return to the field.
It’s clear that Saban and his team have and have always had the best interests of his student-athletes at heart.
Stay tuned to Roll Tide Wire for all the latest on the Crimson Tide!
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Who were the best prospects at each position in this year’s Senior Bowl?
Every year, the Senior Bowl provides prospects with an opportunity to test their mettle against some of the top competition in college football, hoping to impress NFL decision-makers heading into the draft.
Here are my picks for the best players I saw at every position throughout this year’s event in Mobile:
The Rams are in a great position to add some serious talent to their roster.
After months of waiting and anticipation, the 2020 NFL Draft is finally upon us – in an all-virtual format with commissioner Roger Goodell announcing each pick from his basement instead of on the Las Vegas strip. It’s an unorthodox version of the draft as we know it, but the goal remains the same: build your team with young, talented prospects for the next four-plus years.
The Los Angeles Rams may not have a first-round pick, but they’re in an excellent position to fortify their roster, particularly at their many positions of need. They have two picks in the second round and two more in the third, making four selections in the top 105.
They need offensive linemen, pass rushers, linebackers and maybe some skill-position players on offense, which gives them countless options early on.
They have their draft board set with hundreds of prospects who have caught their eye, but this is my big board for Los Angeles. I tried to keep it realistic by excluding players who will obviously be gone before the Rams could have a chance to draft them, even in a trade up.
That rules out players such as Chase Young, K’Lavon Chaisson, C.J. Henderson and Isaiah Simmons. This big board is also specific to the Rams, focusing on their positions of need.
The New Orleans Saints signed free agent DT T.Y. McGill, reuniting coach Ryan Nielsen with one of his former students at N.C. State.
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A huge part of the New Orleans Saints’ recent success was the wave of changes to the coaching staff back in February 2017, when Saints coach Sean Payton made the tough but necessary decision to part ways with longtime assistants like linebackers coach Joe Vitt and defensive line coach Bill Johnson. Other developments followed as Payton scoured his staff looking for areas that needed improvement, even though many of the coaches he had to fire had been with him since he first came to New Orleans.
In their place, he went looking for teachers. And he found a great one in defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen, who had held that post with the North Carolina State Wolfpack since 2014. He was twice nominated for the Broyles Award, which recognizes the nation’s top assistant coach; former Saints coach Joe Brady won it this year for his impact on the LSU Tigers offense.
Nielsen recruited and coached up a unit that included multiple future NFL players, including four who would be picked in the first four rounds of the 2018 NFL Draft: Bradley Chubb (Denver Broncos), B.J. Hill (New York Giants), Justin Jones (Los Angeles Chargers), and Kentavius Street (San Francisco 49ers).
What all of these players have in common — and what Nielsen has instilled in the Saints’ defensive line — is sound technique that’s been refined after years of training. He teaches his players to engage opponents by striking them in their chest pads, translating skills from the weight room (specifically the bench press) to the practice field. It’s done wonders for inexperienced athletes the Saints have brought in over the last few years, like David Onyemata and Marcus Davenport (each of whom only really picked up playing football on defense in college).
On Wednesday, the Saints reunited Nielsen with one of his former students by signing journeyman defensive tackle T.Y. McGill. McGill was a senior on the 2014 squad Nielsen joined, functioning as the leading voice in the room that younger teammates like Chubb and Hill looked up to. McGill flourished under Nielsen’s coaching, racking up a career-best eight tackles for loss and three sacks before signing with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted rookie. He’s since spent time with nearly a dozen teams while trying to find his way in the NFL.
Now they’ll get the chance to work together again, and Nielsen can put his one-time protege through a week of practice in New Orleans before Monday’s game with the Indianapolis Colts. McGill will probably be competing with second-year pro Taylor Stallworth (who is on the practice squad after playing 365 snaps last season) to dress for this week’s kickoff, so he’ll need to rely on every tool and lesson Nielsen once taught him to keep his NFL career going strong.
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The New Orleans Saints lost Sheldon Rankins and Marcus Davenport, but added free agents Noah Spence and Ty McGill in four roster moves.
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Injuries forced the New Orleans Saints to make four roster moves on Wednesday, with defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins (ankle) and defensive end Marcus Davenport (foot) both landing on injured reserve. In their place, the Saints signed veteran free agents Noah Spence, a pass rusher, and T.Y. McGill, an interior lineman.
Spence’s addition isn’t very surprising given the interest the Saints have maintained in him, going back to the months before the 2016 NFL Draft. He met with the team several times and was put through a private workout, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sniped the Saints by picking Spence before they had the chance. A history of shoulder injuries and inconsistent play — plus coaching staff turnover — resulted in Spence getting released by Tampa Bay earlier this year.
As for McGill: he may appear like a random pickup, but Saints defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen knows him well. Nielsen coached McGill at N.C. State when they were both members of the Wolfpack from 2013 to 2014, when Nielsen held the same position on that staff while doubling as their recruiting coordinator. McGill’s N.C. State career ended with 110 tackles and 10 total sacks after benefiting from Nielsen’s tutelage, and their reunion now gives Nielsen an opportunity to see how his protege has progressed after some time in the NFL.
McGill’s early-week arrival also gives him time to prove he can play, or is at least better than the depth the Saints already have. Second-year defensive tackle Taylor Stallworth is on the practice squad after logging 300-plus snaps last season, and the Saints can promote him on game day if they feel he’s shown more than McGill has in practice. If McGill impresses, they can hold onto both players.
Because the Saints play on ‘Monday Night Football’ with the Indianapolis Colts this week, their practice schedule and injury report rollout are going to be arriving a day later than fans are used to. So we won’t find out much more on any of these players until the first Saints injury report is released on Thursday, rather than the typical Wednesday.
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Los Angeles Chargers well-represented at the showdown between Ohio State and Penn State.
The Los Angeles Chargers are one of several teams in attendance for the big matchup between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Penn State Nittany Lions. In fact, the team will have two representatives to scout the game.
There are a few players worthy of scouting attention in this game.
WR Binjimen Victor (#9)
WR K.J. Hill (#14)
RB J.K. Dobbins (#2)
NT Davon Hamilton (#53)
LB Malik Harrison (#39)
CB Shaun Wade (#24)
CB Jeffrey Okudah (#1)
CB Damon Arnette (#3)
WR KJ Hamler (#1)
DT Robert Windsor (#54)
DE Yetur Gross-Matos (#99)
LB Cam Brown (#6)
CB Tariq Castro-Fields (#6)
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