A few weeks ago we predicted who would make the Senior Bowl roster and have been about 50/50 for the invites thus far. From players not on our radar to guys who barely made the cut for our prediction, it has been interesting to see the process play out. Brain and I will take another crack at the rest of the roster (offense in this article fro me, and defense tomorrow from Brian).
We predicted traditional rosters for the Senior Bowl, but they have continued with the expanded rosters of last season. This has been great to get more players opportunities to showcase themselves in the game, especially with the overall depth of the class. We will continue to project that amount of players, but it may shift before all is said and done. Also, there may be graduating juniors who will be eligible if they declare and may take these last few spots, but I’m not at liberty to know who is graduating and if they will declare.
This is also a prediction and not who I personally would choose if I were running the Senior Bowl. Each list would look different if based on my personal evaluations and who I think is the “best” at each position. The Senior Bowl generally does a great job of balancing that with potential draft capital and what players NFL teams are interested in seeing.
*=Invite confirmed but not accepted yet
Quarterback (8 Total)
Predictions
Aqeel Glass, Alabama A&M
Sam Howell, North Carolina
Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh*
Carson Strong, Nevada
Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA
Accepted Invites
Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati
Malik Willis, Liberty
Bailey Zappe, Western Kentucky
There have been some positive movement for QBs since our last article. It appears Howell and Strong are eligible for the Senior Bowl which is huge for the roster. This may end up one of the deepest Senior Bowl QB groups with Howell, Pickett, Strong, Ridder, and Willis getting a ton of buzz. Unfortunately, two likely players in Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker and Fresno State’s Jake Haener (transferring to Washington) are looking like they will stay in school. Filling those two spots are difficult, but I stuck with my original prediction of DTR representing the Pac-12 here. In addition, Glass is a likely undrafted prospect but would stay in state for the Senior Bowl and promote the HBCUs. Don’t discount the possibility of a bigger school name like Oregon’s Anthony Brown or an alternative small school player like Browns’ EJ Perry making the final cut.
Just Missed
Anthony Brown, Oregon
Zerrick Cooper, Jacksonville State
Chase Garbers, Cal
Cole Kelley, SE Louisiana
EJ Perry, Brown
Brock Purdy, Iowa State
Running Back (8 Total)
Predictions
James Cook, Georgia
Hassan Haskins, Michigan
Mataeo Durant, Duke
Brian Robinson, Alabama
Accepted Invites
Dameon Pierce, Florida
D’Vonte Price, FIU
Abram Smith, Baylor
Rachaad White, Arizona State
My initial predictions for RBs don’t look too different from what happened though players like Dameon Pierce and Abram Smith were big misses on my part. Robinson is a definite invite, and Durant was on my original list last time so I am sticking with him. My top runner-up seem likely to go now with Haskins having very good seasons and getting some love. Cook has flashed his pass catching ability this season and getting more Bulldogs is never a bad thing. I am sad SDSU RB Pierre Strong Jr. didn’t fit onto the roster, but I am hopeful he will get a shot.
Just Missed
Tyler Badie, Missouri
Max Borghi, Washington State
Ty Chandler, North Carolina
Ronnie Rivers, Fresno State
Pierre Strong, Jr., South Dakota State
Wide Receiver (16 Total)
Predictions
Tanner Conner, Idaho State
Dai’Jean Dixon, Nicholls State
Chris Olave, Ohio State
Jaquarii Roberson, Wake Forest
Samori Toure, Nebraska
Accepted Invites
Calvin Austin III, Memphis
Jahan Dotson, Penn State
Romeo Doubs, Nevada
Danny Gray, SMU
Velus Jones Jr., Tennessee
Bo Melton, Rutgers
Alec Pierce, Cincinnati
Reggie Roberson Jr., SMU
Khalil Shakir, Boise State
Jalen Tolbert, South Alabama
Tre Turner, Virginia Tech
WR can be tough to analyze from an NFL Draft lens due to the special teams prowess being a big factor in being added to the Senior Bowl roster. The group is solid, and adding a stud like Chris Olave would be an excellent addition. Roberson seems likely to be added after the ACC Title game, but the rest of the roster is tough to decipher. There is bound to be a few small school players but my top choice, Christian Watson, accepted an invite to the Shrine Game along with Indiana’s Ty Fryfogle. Dai’Jean Dixon and Tanner Conner are my next best and the Senior Bowl has scouted them. Toure is a special teams and wideout player who would fit, but we could see other guys like Lenoir-Rhyne’s Dareke Young get a shot.
Just Missed
Danny Davis III, Wisconsin
Avery Davis, Notre Dame
Xavier Hutchinson, Iowa State
Charleston Rambo, Miami (FL)
Jaylon Robinson, UCF
Jalen Virgil, Appalachian State
Dareke Young, Lenoir-Rhyne
Tight End (8 Total)
Predictions
Cade Otton, Washington
Accepted Invites
Greg Calcaterra, SMU
Jake Ferguson, Wisconsin
Isaiah Likely, Coastal Carolina
Charlie Kolar, Iowa State
Trey McBride, Colorado State
Jeremy Ruckert, Ohio State
Cole Turner, Nevada
The TE group is almost complete with one more open spot. There are a lot of possibilities for this spot but I went with Otton who is very deserving. Overall, it has turned into a strong group with elite pass catchers like Calcatera, McBride, Likely and Turner as well as two-way TEs like Ferguson, Kolar, and Ruckert. Pitt’s Lucas Krull did not receive an invite, but he could be the next up to pair with Pickett. San Jose State’s Derrick Deese Jr. might be the best blocking TE in the draft.
Just Missed
Derrick Deese Jr., San Jose State
Brant Kuithe, Utah
Lucas Krull, Pittsburgh
Fullback (2 Total)
Invited
Jeremiah Hall, Oklahoma
Connor Heyward, Michigan State
Jeremiah Hall was an easy lock. Heyward wasn’t on my radar, but another H-Back type who has been impressive this year!
Offensive Line (22 Total)
Predictions
Alec Lindstrom, Boston College
Thayer Munford, Ohio State
Accepted Invites
Spencer Burford, UTSA
Daniel Faalele, Minnesota
Luke Goedeke, Central Michigan
Zion Johnson, Boston College
Braxton Jones, Southern Utah
Darian Kinnard, Kentucky
Max Mitchell, Louisiana
Marquis Hayes, Oklahoma
Ed Ingram, LSU
Abraham Lucas, Washington State
Dylan Parham, Memphis
Chris Paul, Tulsa
Trevor Penning, Northern Iowa
Bernhard Raimann, Central Michigan
Lecitus Smith, Virginia Tech
Cole Strange, Chattanooga
Andrew Stueber, Michigan
Matt Waletzko, North Dakota
Nick Zakelj, Fordham
The Offensive Line is pretty complete, but there are 2 spots left for big names. Lindstrom would be the top Senior Center of the class, so I imagine he will be given a chance to join teammate Zion Johnson. Munford accepted an invite last year, so it is likely he will return and showcase his versatility. It was tough not including a Georgia player like Jamaree Salyer though. It is a good Offensive Line group with some major upside as well. Some small school players who could really prop themselves up helps as well.
Just Missed
Logan Bruss, Wisconsin
Obinna Eze, TCU
Jamaree Salyer, Georgia
Zach Tom, Wake Forest
Andrew Vorhees, Southern Cal
Kicker (2 Total)
Predictions
Gabe Brkic, Oklahoma
Noah Ruggles, Ohio State
All 3 Groza Finalists have a good shot at the Senior Bowl with Brkic, Ruggles, and Jake Moody all having fantastic seasons with good accuracy. If the NFL does prefer distance kicking, someone like Parker White could still get in.
Just Missed:
Jake Moody, Michigan
Andre Szmyt, Syracuse
Parker White, South Carolina
Punter (2 Total)
Prediction
Adam Korsak, Rutgers
Jordan Stout, Penn State
Just Missed
Blake Hayes, Illinois
Michael Turk, Oklahoma
Andy Vujnovich, Wisconsin
The Big Ten is the land of Senior Punters with Korsak, Stout, and Illinois’ Blake Hayes all in heavy contention for the Senior Bowl. Korsak’s rugby style may be a turnoff while Stout’s ability to kick and punt makes him really intriguing to add for versatility.
Long Snapper (2 Total)
Predictions
Damon Johnson, Southern Cal
Accepted Invites
Cal Adomitis, Pittsburgh
My top Longsnapper accepted an invite in Adomitis! Johnson is a natural #2 while the rest of the Longsnapper class is muddled.
Just Missed:
Ross Reiter, Colorado State
John Taylor, Duke
Austin Spiewak, Iowa
See more from Shane on Twitter @ShanePHallam and on Draft Countdown here