Senior Bowl 2016: Biggest Risers from Day 1

Though players weren't in full pads, the Senior Bowl week's action kicked off on Tuesday with the first day of practice and weigh-ins. Hosted in Mobile, Alabama, the top seniors across college football met to sharpen their skills against some of the best competition they've faced to date, all while being coached by NFL staffs.

After witnessing both the South and North practices from Day 1 in person, several players stood out. Some won in the morning's underwear show, and others stole the show in mano-a-mano drills. Here's what you missed at the first gathering of the minds of the draft season.

Jihad Ward, EDGE, Illinois

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The biggest surprise of the day was Jihad Ward's success with the North squad. He measured in at over 6'5" and 296 pounds in the morning's weigh-in, which started some buzz, but it was his on-field play that really stood out.

In bag drills with Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli, Ward's abuse of dummies was audible from halfway across the stadium.

When the defensive linemen moved into one-on-ones against the offensive linemen, he was virtually unstoppable. The only tackle who kept him on his toes was Jason Spriggs of Indiana, who may find himself coming off the board in the first round as either the third or fourth bookend in this draft pool.

Ward's size and movement skills are interesting. There aren't many nearly 300-pound 4-3 defensive ends out there to compare him to. On Day 1 of Senior Bowl practices, though, he looked like a poor man's Mario Williams.

Sheldon Rankins, DL, Louisville

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As far as height-weight-speed is concerned, Sheldon Rankins of Louisville may rank in the top three in this draft class for defensive tackles. Rankins has good burst off the line of scrimmage, which he transitions into power quickly.

Last week's Shrine Game's star offensive lineman was Graham Glasgow, who was later invited to the Senior Bowl based off his previous performance. After beating Glasgow up with straight-up moves, Rankins began to use a counter spin move to crush him in one-on-one drills.

Rankins, at 6'2" and 304 pounds, can play either 1- or 3-technique defensive tackle at the NFL level. He can be a key piece to a 4-3 one-gap defense. If he continues his hot streak, he's going to finish the week as a first-round lock.

Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State

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Traditionally, the Senior Bowl has featured three quarterbacks to a team, but this year, it jumped that number up to four. That means the scouts are exposed to more passers, but the passers also get fewer reps to prove what they have in their tool bag. Even with a limited amount of throws, it was fairly clear that Carson Wentz was the best quarterback in Mobile.

Wentz was sending passes that were humming to receivers at speeds that no one else at either practice could match. Is he good enough to go in the top 10? The jury is still out, but if he keeps up his Day 1 efforts, he'll be the only passer whom scouts will be talking about this week.

Mobile is a place for the media and team personnel to exchange information, but sometimes details are simply overheard. Josh Sanchez of Campus Sports had an interesting tweet on what he was able to eavesdrop on during the weigh-in, stating a Cowboys "staffer" suggested that head coach Jason Garrett's "guy" was Wentz.

Jason Spriggs, OT, Indiana

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If one offensive tackle breaks out at the Senior Bowl, it will be Jason Spriggs of Indiana. The top three bookends in the class—Laremy Tunsil, Ronnie Stanley and Taylor Decker—are not attending the Senior Bowl, which gives Spriggs the isolated opportunity to rise into their class.

Spriggs is talented in the movement column, making him a potential left tackle candidate in the NFL. That alone makes him a real threat to go in the first round.

He won in the one-on-one pass-protection drills, which naturally favor defenders by design. Even Ward, who was the dominant force of the North practice, was stalled by Spriggs. If there's an Eric Fisher-type rise from a lineman this week, it will be the former Hoosier.

D.J. Reader, DL, Clemson

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If you haven't heard of D.J. Reader, don't feel bad. The Clemson defensive tackle was a late addition to the Senior Bowl and missed a significant amount of time during the regular season due to the death of his father. When he did return to the Tigers defense, though, he did so as a captain.

As a nose tackle, he was hidden on the interior while facing double-teams, freeing up Shaq Lawson and Kevin Dodd, the best tackles-for-loss tandem at the defensive end position in college football. Some of their production should be credited to Reader, and after watching him in one-on-one drills, he's proving that.

Reader knows how to use explosive leverage at 6'3" and 340 pounds. He's not a Dontari Poe-level athlete at nose tackle, but those are generational. There's a good chance that in terms of lower-body force, Reader is the best in the class.