NFL Draft Countdown
2023 NFL Draft Senior Bowl

2023 Senior Bowl: A Fantasy Perspective!

As Senior Bowl week comes to a close, I wanted to look at the game from a fantasy perspective! Some of these players look like the next great fantasy stars potentially, and I wanted to give you a leg up on your fantasy competition! I’ve done a ton of YouTube Shorts on some of the players as well as have my fantasy-specific rankings here for you.

2023 Senior Bowl: National Team Fantasy Offensive Stars

Brigham Young Jaren Hall QB
Fresno State Jake Haener QB
Louisville Malik Cunningham QB
Appalachian State Camerun Peoples RB
Illinois Chase Brown RB
Texas Roschon Johnson RB
Northwestern Evan Hull RB
Cincinnati Josh Whyle TE
Clemson Davis Allen TE
Purdue Payne Durham TE
Cincinnati Tre Tucker WR
Michigan Ronnie Bell WR
Michigan State Jayden Reed WR
Stanford Elijah Higgins WR
Stanford Michael Wilson WR
Brigham Young Puka Nacua WR
Nebraska Trey Palmer WR
Charlotte Grant DuBose WR

In Superflex leagues, Jaren Hall and Jake Haener look to be the two names that could pop come rookie drafts. Both players look like guys that could push for day two draft consideration, and that will push them up rookie drafts. Haener was a guy I highlighted earlier in the year here, he has the competitive fire and leadership teams will fall in love with.

Chase Brown is the name to keep an eye on from the running back group. He had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in the Big Ten and looked better in 2022 overall. He showed us that he could be a PPR option, showing good catching ability as a running back.

The pass catchers have plenty of players to watch. Puka Nacua, Trey Palmer, Ronnie Bell, Jayden Reed, Payne Durham, and Josh Whyle look like the players that could stand out from this group. As we have learned over the last few seasons, fantasy tight ends that produce are harder to come by. Both teams have names that I could see helping fix the depth gap in fantasy football.

2023 Senior Bowl: National Team Fantasy Defensive Stars

IDP is one of my favorite aspects of fantasy football, as defense wins championships! There is plenty of talent across the teams, the National team has some guys that I’m huge on in these upcoming rookie drafts.

Kentucky Keidron Smith CB
Boise State JL Skinner S
California Daniel Scott S
Illinois Sydney Brown DB
Iowa Riley Moss DB
Iowa Kaevon Merriweather DB
Maryland Jakorian Bennett DB
Stanford Kyu Blu Kelly CB
USC Mekhi Blackmon DB
Illinois Jartavius Martin DB
Ohio State Ronnie Hickman S
Arizona State Nesta Jade Silvera DL
Central Michigan Thomas Incoom DE
Clemson KJ Henry DE
Coastal Carolina Jerrod Clark DL
Georgia Tech Keion White DE
Northwestern Adetomiwa Adebawore DE
Oklahoma State Tyler Lacy DL
Wisconsin Keeanu Benton DL
Louisville Yaya Diaby DL
Notre Dame Isaiah Foskey DE
Bowling Green Karl Brooks DL
Kansas Lonnie Phelps Jr DL
Appalachian State Nick Hampton LB
Army Andre Carter II LB
Indiana Cam Jones LB
Oregon DJ Johnson LB
Texas DeMarvion Overshown LB
Troy Carlton Martial LB
Washington State Daiyan Henley LB
Cincinnati Ivan Pace Jr LB

Daiyan Henley, Andre Carter II, Isaiah Foskey, KJ Henry, and JL Skinner are guys I think could develop into cornerstones of any fantasy roster. Nick Hampton is another name I’ll be watching closely as he’s developed nicely throughout college and could quickly become a sack machine in the right system.

Nick Hampton - Football - App State Athletics
Jeff Sochko/Time Cowie Photography

If you play in leagues where you have to start a defensive back or defensive tackle, I never look to draft them in my rookie drafts unless there are elite options available. And for CBs I just don’t do it period, I’ll play weekly matchups before I use a fantasy pick on one. 

2023 Senior Bowl: American Team Fantasy Offensive Stars

Houston Clayton Tune QB
Shepherd Tyson Bagent QB
Tennessee Hendon Hooker QB
TCU Max Duggan QB
Georgia Kenny McIntosh RB
Kentucky Chris Rodriguez Jr. RB
Oklahoma Eric Gray RB
Tulane Tyjae Spears RB
Alabama Cameron Latu TE
Miami Will Mallory TE
Oklahoma Brayden Willis TE
Oregon State Luke Musgrave TE
TCU Derius Davis WR
Houston Nathaniel Dell WR
Iowa State Xavier Hutchinson WR
Ole Miss Jonathan Mingo WR
SMU Rashee Rice WR
South Alabama Jalen Wayne WR
Princeton Andrei Iosivas WR
Virginia Don’tayvion Wicks WR

Recent College Playoff star Max Duggan will be a name to keep an eye on, I think he played his way into fantasy owners’ hearts with his CFP heroics. I can’t say I am one of them but as a later rookie pick dart through, maybe. 

My top running back sleeper Tyjae Spears is in this group but really this whole running back room has a TON of talent and all could be fantasy gold potentially. Spears is a great story plus super productive at Tulane, he’s explosive and has good size to go with it.

Rashee Rice, Mock Draft
Rashee Rice, Mock Draft[/media-credit] Rashee Rice, Mock Draft Getty Images

My favorite late first rookie pick at wideout is SMU’s Rashee Rice but truth be told Hutchinson, Mingo, Iosivas, and Wicks are really intriguing names to keep an eye on. They’ve all had times in college where you see something special but there are some question marks as well. 

If you do check out any of my shorts, Will Mallory and Luke Musgrave are both guys I can see as sleeper tight-end picks because they are super athletic but just played in systems that didn’t showcase their talents.

2023 Senior Bowl: American Team Fantasy Defensive Stars

Alabama DeMarcco Hellams DB
Florida State Jammie Robinson DB
Georgia Christopher Smith II DB
Kansas State Julius Brents DB
LSU Jay Ward DB
Miami Tyrique Stevenson DB
Oregon State Rejzohn Wright DB
South Alabama Darrell Luter Jr. DB
South Carolina Darius Rush DB
Virginia Anthony Johnson DB
Virginia Tech Chamarri Conner DB
Sacramento State Marte Mapu DB
Alabama DJ Dale DL
Alabama Byron Young DL
Auburn Derick Hall DL
LSU Ali Gaye DL
Mississippi State Cameron Young DL
Missouri Isaiah McGuire DL
Oklahoma Jalen Redmond DL
Ole Miss Tavius Robinson DL
South Carolina Zacch Pickens DL
TCU Dylan Horton DL
Tennessee Byron Young DL
Auburn Eku Leota LB
Florida A&M Isaiah Land LB
Iowa State Will McDonald IV LB
Jackson St. Aubrey Miller Jr. LB
Pittsburgh SirVocea Dennis LB
TCU Dee Winters LB
Tulane Dorian Williams LB

When you look at the IDP side of this roster, it feels like Christopher Smith from Georgia is at the top of the group. He’s not the biggest safety in Mobile but you could argue he has the best pedigree, football IQ, and physicality of safety there.

Dee Winters, Will McDonald, Aubrey Miller Jr, Byron Young, Dylan Horton, and Jammie Robinson are all IDP prospects I have on my radar (and rankings in most players’ cases). Horton I think could have an immediate impact as a team’s edge rusher, just put on the TCU tape and you’ll see a guy that has all the tools of it. 

As always if you want to talk all things football, hit me up on Twitter or over on the Draft Countdown Discord! And check out the rest of my work here.

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