Best 2024 NFL Draft Fits for Senior Bowl Standouts
While the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers are preparing for the Super Bowl this weekend, the other 30 teams and fanbases in the league are in full offseason mode and preparing for a different major event: the 2024 NFL draft.
Draft season officially started last week as several top prospects migrated to Mobile, Alabama for this year's Senior Bowl. The All-Star game gave players an opportunity to build on their professional resume, and several names stood out during the week.
Here, we'll take a look at a few players who generated some buzz through the week and pair them with a team that would be a good fit. The fit is determined by each player's skill set and the corresponding team's needs and scheme.
DL Darius Robinson: Baltimore Ravens
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Named Overall Practice Player of the Week by a panel of NFL scouts and front-office executives at the Senior Bowl, one could argue that no player did more to boost his draft stock than Missouri defensive lineman Darius Robinson.
Heading into the week, Robinson's skills as a run defender weren't much of a question, but he impressed as a pass-rusher, especially since he was winning from multiple alignments.
At times, it almost felt like Robinson was going up and down the line and getting pressure after pressure while beating a wide array of offensive linemen in the one-on-ones.
In a way, that encapsulates the Missouri product as a prospect since he's somewhat position-fluid on the defensive line. He measured in at 6'5" and 286 pounds with nearly 35-inch arms, which is a perfect body type for a defensive end.
He also carries his frame well with little to no bad weight, meaning he has room for growth if a team sees him as more of an interior defender.
The Baltimore Ravens have several impending free agents on the D-line, including defensive tackle Justin Madubuike, defensive end Brent Urban and outside linebackers Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy. That list includes their top three sack leaders during the regular season and 34.5 of the 60 sacks that the Ravens racked up as a team.
Between the Ravens' need for defensive linemen and Robinson's position versatility, this could be a perfect pairing.
IOL Jackson Powers-Johnson: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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Typically, one-on-one pass-rush competitions at events like the Senior Bowl favor the defensive line. Defenders don't have to worry about any run responsibilities, and offensive linemen are put on an island with no help from their teammates.
That isn't typical in an in-game situation, especially on the interior. However, that didn't seem to bother Oregon offensive lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson.
Before suffering an injury toward the end of the second practice, he rarely lost a rep during the one-on-ones. He was stonewalling defenders left and right, and he even finished a handful of reps by burying his man in the ground.
The Oregon product cemented himself as a first-round pick and a first-year starter in Mobile, ranking 19th on B/R's latest NFL draft big board. That's good news for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who will be drafting 26th overall.
Tampa Bay has been playing without recently retired starting center Ryan Jensen for the majority of the last two seasons. Robert Hainsey has been a subpar replacement, which makes center one of the team's top draft needs.
Powers-Johnson's scheme fit shouldn't be much of an issue either, as B/R's offensive line scout Brandon Thorn noted in his scouting report:
"Overall, Powers-Johnson is a young, inexperienced prospect who burst onto the scene this season as a first-time starter thanks to his elite blend of size, athletic ability, power and toughness that he used to dominate competition.
"He does have a few technical aspects of his game to clean up, but his physical traits and makeup should allow him to start right away at either center or guard without being dependent on scheme while providing Pro Bowl potential within his first contract."
CB Quinyon Mitchell: Los Angeles Rams
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There was little doubt about who the best cornerback in Mobile was. Toledo's Quinyon Mitchell dominated the one-on-ones, picking up several pass breakups and a few interceptions. That carried over to the full-team periods, where he was equally impressive.
The Toledo product performed so well that he didn't participate in Day 3 of practice and was still named the National team's top corner, which was voted on by the team's wide receivers.
B/R's defensive backs scout Cory Giddings noted that he "has the skill set to play both man and zone" coverages. That makes him a good fit in a match-zone scheme, as that type of system is essentially a hybrid of both of coverages.
While we don't know specifically what new Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula will use, he has said the team will continue moving forward with the system that has been in place since 2020, per Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic. That means a Vic Fangio-esque defense that employs a lot of match-zone concepts.
Cornerback is also one of the Rams' top draft needs. They lacked talent at the position all season, and top corner Ahkello Witherspoon is an impending free agent.
Mitchell is now up to No. 12 on B/R's latest NFL draft big board and Los Angeles holds the 19th overall pick, so he should be within range for general manager Les Snead and Co.
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QB Spencer Rattler: Las Vegas Raiders
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While the quarterbacks at the Senior Bowl were underwhelming as a whole, Spencer Rattler was the most consistent of the bunch. The 23-year-old showed impressive arm strength and accuracy throughout the week of practice, earning the award as the American team's top quarterback.
Rattler followed that up with a strong performance in the game, completing all four of his passing attempts for 65 yards and a touchdown, earning another trophy as the game's MVP.
With that being said, the South Carolina product still projects as a Day 2 pick at best. He's the 113th overall prospect and the seventh quarterback on B/R's latest NFL draft big board.
That could make it difficult for Rattler to find a starting job as a rookie, but the Las Vegas Raiders have an interesting situation that could fit his skill set.
The Raiders just hired Luke Getsy as offensive coordinator. Dating back to his days as Mississippi State's play-caller, he has asked his QBs to push the ball down the field and be involved in the running game. Current starter Aidan O'Connell isn't good at either of those things.
Las Vegas is widely expected to target a signal-caller in the draft, but it will be out of range for one of the top three quarterbacks in this year's class with the No. 13 pick. While trading up is a possibility, the Raiders could instead opt to draft Rattler and let him compete with O'Connell for the starting job in training camp.
Arm talent has never been a big issue with the former Gamecock, so he should be able to execute Getsy's vertical passing attack. While the Oklahoma transfer isn't a great rusher, he did rack up 410 rushing yards in college (which includes yards lost via sacks) and can tote the rock every now and again.
As a projected middle- to late-round pick, heading to Sin City could be Rattler's best opportunity to get early playing time.
DT T'Vondre Sweat: Indianapolis Colts
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It's hard to miss the 6'4", 362-pound T'Vondre Sweat. His size stood out among others in Mobile, and he held everyone's attention with his play on the field.
The 22-year-old proved to be hard to move in the running game, which was expected, but he also had a few dominant reps as a pass-rusher in the one-on-ones. His bull rush was too much for offensive linemen to handle at times, and they ended up on the ground:
The Texas product projects as a gap-plugging defensive tackle who can contribute as a pass-rusher when he has gas in the tank. Grover Stewart has filled that role with the Indianapolis Colts over the last seven seasons, but the 30-year-old's contract expires in the offseason.
Even if the Colts want to bring the veteran back on a short-term deal, backup Taven Bryan is also an impending free agent, so they could afford to add depth at defensive tackle in April.
Sweat ranks 48th on B/R's latest NFL draft big board and Indianapolis owns the No. 46 pick. This seems like a perfect match.
WR Roman Wilson: Cincinnati Bengals
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There were a handful of impressive receivers at the Senior Bowl who easily could have been included here, but Michigan's Roman Wilson was arguably the best of the bunch. He proved to be a shifty, tough cover and showed off some impressive hands.
The 22-year-old was one of the few wideouts to get the best of top cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, calling him out for a one-on-one rep during the "competitive period" at the end of practice and subsequently putting the cornerback in a spin cycle.
Granted, that should come as little surprise. The Michigan product's route-running stands out to B/R's offensive skill-positions scout Derrik Klassen.
"Wilson is as smooth as wide receivers come," he said. "There's no one athletic trait that pops off of his film, but he's a good athlete overall with wonderful body control and quick feet. He uses his well-rounded athletic profile well as a route-runner."
The 5'10½" and 186-pound wideout projects best as a slot receiver and would be a great option for the Cincinnati Bengals as a replacement for Tyler Boyd.
While Boyd has developed into a good interior pass-catcher over the last eight years in Cincinnati, he's an impending free agent who turns 30 in November. The Bengals front office will also likely prioritize Tee Higgins as its top in-house free-agent wideout.
Wilson ranks 51st overall on B/R's latest NFL draft big board and the Bengals own the No. 49 selection, so the stars may be aligning for this pairing.
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