Senior Bowl 2023 Roster: Highlighting Top NFL Prospects in College Showcase
Last season, most of the players that were under the microscope at the Senior Bowl were quarterbacks.
But this year, the top-tier signal-callers are all underclassmen. The only senior QB threatening to go in the first round is Kentucky's Will Levis, but he's elected not to play in the annual college showcase.
So the standouts for the 2023 game will likely all be on the defensive side of the ball.
Players like Georgia Tech's Keion White (defensive end), Illinois' Devon Witherspoon (cornerback) and Florida's O'Cyrus Torrence (offensive line) will all be showcasing their talents for NFL executives and coaches to assure their position for April's NFL Draft.
But if San Francisco's Brock Purdy proved anything, it was that there's always the chance that a team can find QB gold outside of the first or second round.
That means teams will also have an eye out for TCU's Max Duggan and Louisville's Malik Cunningham.
In 2022's senior class, Kenny Pickett was the only quarterback to go in the first round of the NFL draft, but this year, as many as four defenders playing in the Senior Bowl could hear their name called as one of the top 32 picks.
Here's a closer look at a few of them.
Keion White, DE, Georgia Tech
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If there's anything NFL teams value as much as quarterbacks, it's pass-rushers.
Keion White is one of the best pass-rushers in this draft class, so he's expected to get a lot of attention.
And his measurements are off the charts:
Standing 6'5" and 286 pounds, White is solid, but very athletic. He's got the speed and versatility to make waves at the Senior Bowl.
As an integral part of Georgia Tech's defense, White has 7.5 sacks and 54 tackles on the season.
If he can have a good showing on Saturday, then that will be the appetizer he needs heading into the NFL Combine to sweeten his draft position.
There's a chance that White can work his way into the first round, but if not, he won't last past the second.
Devon Witherspoon, CB, Illinois
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Devon Witherspoon is already listed as a first-round pick on most mock drafts.
The reason he's so touted is that he's widely considered the best cornerback in this draft.
Not surprisingly, that brings a spotlight to the Senior Bowl and Witherspoon shouldn't disappoint.
He's a supreme athlete who loves to play downhill.
He's aggressive, gritty and physical when it comes to tackling and has great instincts and ball skills.
With the success of Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner for the New York Jets, teams are looking for similar cornerbacks with that aggressive style of play.
That's Witherspoon, who only gave up 22 catches on 63 targets for 206 yards this past season.
He was also a consensus All-American, led college football with 16 incompletions and was a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award.
There's a good chance Witherspoon is a Top 10 pick.
O'Cyrus Torrence, OL, Florida
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O'Cyrus Torrence is another possible first-round pick playing in the Senior Bowl.
Thus far, Torrence has lived up to the hype leading up to the big game.
He's a big body guard with the kind of strength that can stymie defensive tackles charging towards his quarterback.
Torrence had a great year at Florida blocking for Anthony Richardson.
And here's an eye-popping stat that should serve as an indicator of Torrence's abilty: He gave up no sacks in his entire college football career.
None.
Torrence can also serve well on downhill run schemes because of his run-blocking acumen.
At 6'5" and 337 pounds, the Greensburg, Louisiana, native is country strong, with big hands and long arms. That bodes well at the next level, because power on the offensive line is always in great demand.
A team like the Los Angeles Chargers, who need offensive linemen, could use Torrence and they have the 22nd pick.
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