Senior Bowl 2023 Takeaways: Blockers Dominate During All-Star Event
The Senior Bowl serves as the unofficial start of the NFL's offseason.
With only the Super Bowl left to be played, the rest of the league descends upon Mobile, Alabama, to watch the top upperclassmen compete against one another during the practice week through the actual contest.
While the NFLPA Collegiate and Shrine Bowls have already been played, the Senior Bowl still maintains an edge as the preeminent all-star event. The top talent among those eligible tend to fly south as they ready themselves for the professional ranks.
Over the last two draft classes, an average of 106 players, who attended the Senior Bowl, heard their names called during April's event, per ESPN's Field Yates. Basically, those who participate in this week's festivities are draftable options.
Why is the event so important, though? Everything is evaluated on and off the field.
How a prospect performs during the weekly sessions is vital. Did they play at a high level, improve each day or disappoint? Those individuals also met with all the teams for the first wave of the draft interview process. How did they react to NFL coaches and scouts? What type of person are they?
Whereas, the game itself is the last opportunity for prospects to put something on film before they enter the full-blown draft process. With that in mind, the following takeaways hit upon the biggest happenings during Saturday's 27-10 victory by the National team over the American squad at Hancock Whitney Stadium.
Top Talent Found in the Trenches
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Typically, buzz for all-star events builds around the skill position performers, particularly the quarterbacks. While another signal-caller earned the MVP designation for this year's Senior Bowl (more on him in a bit), the big guys up front provided the most appealing talent from a scouting standpoint.
Recently, the likes of Justin Herbert, Daniel Jones and Dak Prescott took home the Senior Bowl MVP honors. The Senior Bowl also has a history of defensive linemen showing up and showing out during the contest. Since 2011, a quarterback or up-front defender won 11 of the last 13 MVP trophies.
An offensive lineman has never been honored in such a way. Those 300-pounders up front aren't a sexy talking point. Yet those within the league circle will be fawning over those who played Saturday.
The performance of those top blockers in attendance became instantly apparent upon their first padded practice Tuesday and continued through the weekend.
When the American squad took the field, they featured a better starting five than some NFL units. Among their ranks, the group featured Bleacher Report's top-rated right tackle in Tennessee's Darnell Wright, top-rated guard in Florida's O'Cyrus Torrence, top-rated center in Minnesota's John Michael Schmitz, a consensus All-America in TCU guard Steve Avila and another top-50 prospect in Syracuse left tackle Matthew Bergeron.
On the other side of the ledger, the National team wasn't quite as loaded but still featured multiple intriguing talents, including the reigning Outland Trophy winner in Michigan's Olusegun Oluwatimi, North Dakota State's Cody Mauch and Tennessee-Chattanooga's McClendon Curtis.
Ohio State's Dawand Jones and Maryland's Jaelyn Duncan weren't even counted among that talented bunch, because both sat out the actual game for precautionary reasons.
Otherwise, the potential of at least 10 rookie starters could have taken the field all on the same day. Was every snap perfect? Of course not. Yet the talent was obvious based on how both lines fared through most of the game.
Fresno State's Jake Haener Walks Away as MVP, Stakes Claim as QB5
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The Senior Bowl has often served as a launching point for quarterbacks. Aside from the previously mentioned quarterbacks who won the MVP trophy, the game has seen Philip Rivers, Charlie Frye, Christian Ponder, EJ Manuel, Baker Mayfield and Josh Allen use it as a platform to increase their standing on most draft boards.
While not all of those worked out favorably, the impact of this particular contest when it comes to the best quarterbacks in attendance can't be denied.
This year is a little different in that none of the those who served as the triggermen to each team's offense was considered better than a mid-round possibility coming into the week. The best hope most had was to leave Mobile as the class' QB5 behind Alabama's Bryce Young, Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, Kentucky's Will Levis and Florida's Anthony Richardson.
Fresno State's Jake Haener did his best on the national stage to make his case as the next-best option. The first-team All-Mountain West performer completed 12-of-19 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown, per Pro Football Focus. Although, Haener's deep touchdown connection with Stanford wide receiver Michael Wilson turned out to be a long flutterball, because the quarterback couldn't step into the throw.
The pass serves as a microcosm of what's holding back the 6'0", 208-pound quarterback. Haener plays the position well from the neck up. He understands how to manipulate safeties, where to go with the ball and throw with anticipation and accuracy. While his arm might have been a little stronger than expected when scouts saw him in person, he's still a marginal talent as a passer.
His performance certainly helps his case, as does a weak second crop of quarterback options. But Haener fought an uphill battle coming into this week's festivities.
"A survey of a few scouts had [Purdue's Aidan] O'Connell as a fringe top-100 prospect with a fourth-round floor," ESPN's Pete Thamel reported. "He's in the conversation for No. 5 along with Hooker, Haener, Hall and Tune, which means one could slip into the late second round."
While Haener had been mentioned, the thought among scouting circles is he had ground to make up, and he may or may not have done enough to make that happen. An up-and-done week culminating with an MVP trophy certainly doesn't hurt his standing overall.
"I'm just going to do everything at a high level and continue to prove those doubters wrong," Haener said in a post-game interview on NFL Network. "... I love proving the doubters wrong. I love the motivation. I love the passion that it brings me. Keep coming with it. It's fun."
However, the fact that no one knows exactly if any other quarterback is worth a solid Day 2 selection says all that needs to be said about this year's incoming crop beyond its top options.
Position Switches Help Create More Value for Prospects
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Position-switches are often a significant part of Senior Bowl week. NFL scouts and evaluators want to see certain prospects play where they're projected at the professional level, even if it's not their natural spot.
Cross-training is a big part of the league's roster management, since teams only keep 53 men on the active roster.
So, offensive linemen often practice at multiple spots. Safeties play some corner or vice versa. Wide receivers learn all three alignments in their specific schemes. Defensive linemen move up and down the line of scrimmage. Linebackers flip between all three spots. All of this is natural in today's game.
However, a prospect can create significant interest and value by showing proficiency at multiple positions while in Mobile. Two really rose to the occasion this week in North Dakota State's Cody Mauch and Florida A&M's Isaiah Land.
Mauch might be an offensive lineman, but he certainly didn't work in anonymity throughout the week or during the game. The FCS standout was often the center of attention—literally and figuratively—thanks to his long red locks, toothless grin and belly hanging out from his tucked jersey.
His on-field performance deserved recognition, too. Mauch started three seasons at left tackle. NFL evaluators aren't sure whether he has the length or pass set to remain on the blind side. He spent a significant amount of reps at left guard throughout the week before moving to center. During the contest, the small-school standout played guard, center and tackle.
In a world where quality offensive line depth is at a premium, Mauch's capabilities to play all five positions is invaluable.
On the other side of the field and opposing team, Land showed how well he can play off the ball. The 6'3", 226-pound defender came screeching off the edge for the Rattlers throughout his collegiate career. He doesn't have the size to be a full-time edge-defender at the professional level, though. As such, his comfort playing off the ball is vital to his evaluation.
During the contest, Land had a big stuff near the goal line by working through traffic after lining up at weakside linebacker and playing downhill. Later in the contest, he showed his athleticism, flexibility and speed with a big fourth-down sack to shut down a drive.
Last year, another HBCU product, James Houston, made a similar transition and he found a spot on the Detroit Lions as a hybrid defender. Land could have a similar pathway toward success.
Either way, the more these prospects show, the better off they'll be when teams look at them compared to their classmates, who may not be as versatile.
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Home Cooking Among Senior Bowl Standouts
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Local players who show they're more than feel-good stories, are great examples of why all-star events are so important.
Sometimes, players from South Alabama and other similarly unknown programs may be overlooked by the draft community. But NFL scouts and those who prepare the Senior Bowl know exactly where to find those athletes for a little home cooking.
The Jaguars' Jalen Wayne and Maryland's Jakorian Bennett didn't disappoint, either.
In an already crowded wide receiver class, Wayne showed he can be a consistent target by leading all receivers with eight receptions. The 6'1", 211-pounder never posted a season with more than 58 receptions or 816 yards. Yet he got better each and every year. He's an ascending prospect who can hang and even excel against talented defensive backs.
Bennett left Mobile to join a junior college and ended up with the Terrapins. He sealed the victory Saturday by picking off quarterback Tyson Bagent. The 5'10", 193-pound defensive back has a nose for the football with the most pass breakups (27) among Power Five players since the start of the 2021 campaign.
The chance to compete is huge for those who don't receive much recognition. These are but two examples to go along with others already mentioned in Mauch, Land and Curtis. South Alabama cornerback Darrell Luter Jr. came to play this week as well.
Those from lower levels often use the Senior Bowl to prove they're not overwhelmed when facing a major leap in competition. Scouts are then less inclined to worry about how they'll perform at the highest level because they already proved they can handle the best college football has to offer.
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