Will Ben Tate and Antonio Coleman of Auburn Shine at 2010 Senior Bowl?

The 61st annual Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama is upon us.

It serves as the last semblance of the 2009 college football season before the highly anticipated 2010 National Signing Day takes place on Feb. 3.

For many athletes participating in Saturday's game, as well as this week's practices, how they fare will mean the difference in possibly millions of dollars.

Auburn's Ben Tate and Antonio Coleman are no exceptions. They will be among the one hundred or so college seniors looking to improve their stock before the NFL Draft in April.

For Tate, this week's activities have been a chance to prove something. The 5'11", 215-pound running back has been highly touted since he set Maryland state records for yards rushing in a career (5,920) and a season (2,886). 

Tate is currently listed on many draft boards as the No. 9 running back, projected to go somewhere in the fourth round. In order to move up those boards, he will have to prove he can be durable and, of course, pass block (the highly coveted skill scouts cannot live without).

The word out of Mobile is that he has been taking care of the latter. The former will remain to be seen.

The somewhat soft-spoken Tate became slightly more noticeable in his senior year at Auburn after comments he made about being the best running back in the state of Alabama. This is the same state that boasts another running back of some significance, Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram.

This week in Mobile has not seen Tate hold his tongue. When asked what he hoped to accomplish, Tate told the Montgomery Advertiser, " Just me as a person, you know, I think I have pretty good character. And also to show them that I'm the No. 1 senior running back in the country."

Hey, you can't play running back in the NFL if you don't have a little confidence.

Defensive end/outside linebacker Antonio Coleman will be looking to raise his stock as well. Perhaps Coleman has been practicing with a bit of a chip on his shoulder, as he was a late invite to the NFL combine.

That late invitation is a bit confusing, considering he led the SEC in sacks (10) and could have left early after the 2008 season.

At 6'1", 260 pounds, Coleman's size could be the reason he is projected as the 17th outside linebacker. He is a bit of a "tweener" who may be too small to play with his hand down but could be too slow to play standing up.

Coleman's wide array of injuries while on the Plains cannot be attractive to scouts either. He has battled wrist, ankle, and shoulder injuries throughout his career, but he has also managed to put up some pretty good numbers despite those aches and missed games.

Don't let me trick you into thinking Antonio Coleman is not one heck of a football player. Did I mention he led the SEC in sacks?

Coleman relies on his head as much as his body. He has a nose for the ball and quite of few moves in his quarterback-chasing repertoire, and he will probably be a third-down player who also gets in on long yardage plays.

There has not been much news on Coleman out of Mobile, but the city's native should be looking to turn a few heads on Saturday, and he certainly possesses the skills and heart to do just that.

He is currently projected to go in the sixth round, but if he makes a few plays, Coleman could slide easily into the fifth and possibly all the way into the fourth.

Saturday's Under Armour Senior Bowl will certainly be entertaining, but it will also be the final time these great athletes get a chance to show their skills in a live game situation.

Here's to hoping they all prove their worth.