The Reese’s Senior Bowl has a long tradition of bringing in the top FCS level talent to showcase their skills for NFL evaluators. In recent years, that has included Wisconsin-Whitewater guard Quinn Meinerz, Northern Iowa offensive tackle Spencer Brown, Southern Illinois safety/LB Jeremy Chinn, and Lenoir-Rhyne safety Kyle Duggar. Each has made an early impact with the Broncos, Bills, Panthers, and Patriots, respectively.
The 2022 Senior Bowl will be no different. As of this writing, seven players from the FCS ranks and one from Division-II. Let’s look at the players. I have a good idea of what they are and the ones I will need to see perform in Mobile to get a better view.
HAVE A GOOD FEEL FOR
|
CB |
Zyon McCollum |
Sam Houston State |
|
LB |
Montana State |
|
|
OT |
Trevor Penning |
Northern Iowa |
Zyon McCollum is a very tall and long corner. That is his game. He wins with his length. I have watched McCollum several times over the last few years and feel confident he will handle himself well in Mobile.
Troy Anderson is a versatile athlete. He has played quarterback, fullback, and linebacker for the Bobcats. Anderson is one of the main reasons the Bobcats are playing for an FCS national title next weekend. He will be a special teams ace at the NFL level.
Trevor Penning is a smooth athlete at the offensive tackle position. He is also powerful enough to bowl over defenders when the time calls for it. I currently have Penning as a top-15 prospect already and have him as the top-rated senior offensive tackle. Unless he shows up in Mobile and gets completely embarrassed, my feelings about Penning are unlikely to change much.
NEED TO SEE MORE
|
CB |
Joshua Williams |
Fayetteville State |
|
G |
Cole Strange |
Chattanooga |
|
OT |
Nick Zakelj |
Fordham |
|
OT |
Matt Waletzko |
North Dakota |
|
OT |
Braxton Jones |
Southern Utah |
The four offensive linemen on this list, I have only watched one game of. That isn’t nearly enough to form a solid opinion. Of the four, the most impressive performance was by Cole Strange against Kentucky. He was an absolute bully against a couple of future NFL players. The one-on-one drills during the Senior Bowl practices will be key.
I have zero opinion of Joshua Williams right now. What I see from him in Senior Bowl practices will go a long way to what his final grade ends up being for me.
The practices for the 2022 Reese’s Senior Bowl begin on Tuesday, February 1st. The game kicks off at 1:30 pm on Saturday, February 5th. It will be televised on NFL Network. Draft Countdown will be there with bell-to-bell coverage of the entire week.