2019 Senior Bowl

Risers

By: Ed Hunt

Drew Lock, QB, Missouri

Drew Lock showed on tape that he has a cannon for an arm, but lacks the accuracy and ball placement that you need to be an effective quarterback in the league.  In Mobile, Lock showed good accuracy and ball placement.  Although, he may not be my favorite quarterback in the Senior Bowl, he showed this week that he could be the first one drafted with his potential.

Dexter Williams, RB, Notre Dame

Dexter Williams had a good year at Notre Dame and showed up in big games.  He does have some off the field issues which will hurt his draft stock.  Williams showed good burst on day one of practice which was in shells.  He then became my winner of the day three practice for the North squad.  Although we didn’t get a great look at him because they didn’t do much tackle scrimmaging or backs on linebackers’ drill when he got a chance he shined.

Terry McLaurin, WR, Ohio State

McLaurin was a late add to the Senior Bowl roster, but he showed that he is deserving of being there.  McLaurin is a guy who will run well at the combine and can help as a gunner on special teams.  What I liked about him is that he showed up in the scrimmages coming up with catches.  He made diving catches as well as showed some route running ability.  He was one of the better stories from this week in Mobile.

Foster Moreau, TE, LSU

Moreau is a guy that was billed for the fifth or sixth round before the Senior Bowl started.  He showed in practice that he can be a receiver who can be difficult to match up against.  At LSU, he was more used as a blocker.  When I asked him about being a “matchup nightmare,” he was surprised.  It seems that even to him it was a trait that was difficult for him to obtain.  I think he made some money this week showing that he is a complete tight end.

Tytus Howard, OT, Alabama State

Howard was a small school guy coming into this week and it was hard to tell how he would do against NFL quality competition.  Howard was more than up to the task.  Every time, I looked over at him, he was winning one on one battles.  When the week started, I thought of him as a height and weight prospect who a team could develop and only have to pick in the later rounds.  Now, I see a guy who could get picked in the mid-rounds and could eventually start.

Montez Sweat, DE, Mississippi State

Montez Sweat came into the week as a guy who was between the first and second round depending on who you asked.  He is definitely a speed rusher who is quick around the edge and brings regular pressure.  The point where he solidified his first round status was the weigh-in where he came in at 6’6 and 252 pounds with a 35 and 5/8 inch arms and a wingspan of 84 1/2 inches.

Dontavious Russell, DT, Auburn

Russell is a guy who I thought had a nice punch who could hold the point of attack.  My worry with him was that he needed to work on his pad level and was hot and cold in terms of getting off the line.  This week he showed that he can convert speed to power and has plenty of core strength to win one on ones.  He didn’t generate a ton of buzz this week, but I think he answered some questions about himself.

Drue Tranquill, LB, Notre Dame

Coming into the week, he was not the Notre Dame linebacker people were talking about, but he showed himself well this week.  What I liked about his game was that he was persistent in coverage and that is an important trait at the next level.  Every team wants linebackers and safeties who can cover.  It is especially important with the rise of tight ends in today’s NFL.  Tranquill was also a late add to the Senior Bowl roster.

Corey Ballentine, CB, Washburn

Ballentine wasn’t a guy who I knew a lot about or was that impressed with coming into the week.  I thought of him as more of a slot guy who didn’t stand out at Washburn as much as I would have liked.  He showed this week that he has plenty of speed and can be a guy who can run well as the combine.  I saw him winning battles in coverage and playing with guys from top schools.  I would now put Ballentine in the late round sleeper category.

Darnell Savage, FS, Maryland

Savage was a guy I liked coming in, but he also shined at the Senior Bowl.  He is a guy who can play in space that has great instincts.  He also has the ability to help in run support.  What I like most about Savage is he makes plays and that is something he did in Mobile.