Senior Bowl 2020 Roster: Highlighting Top NFL Prospects in College Showcase

Oregon Ducks quarterback Justin Herbert has the opportunity to rise up NFL draft boards at the 2020 Senior Bowl since he is the best prospect at his position participating at the showcase.

With Joe Burrow opting to skip the event in Mobile, Alabama, and Tua Tagovailoa declaring for the 2020 NFL draft as an underclassman, Herbert has the stage to himself as an elite quarterback attempting to impress team personnel.

Herbert is not the only projected first-round pick scheduled to participate in the event, but he carries the highest profile on both the North and South rosters.

LSU Tigers defensive back Kristian Fulton is among the defensive stars worth watching over the next week, but the spotlight is expected to belong to the quarterback out of the Pac-12.

Top NFL Prospects at Senior Bowl

Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Herbert is the highest-rated quarterback on either Senior Bowl roster.

The Oregon signal-caller was ranked third at his position in the 2020 NFL draft class by Bleacher Report's Matt Miller.

With Burrow and Tagovailoa not in Alabama, Herbert has a full week to showcase his talents to the personnel of teams in the top 10 and those that may need a quarterback and are willing to trade up into that spot of the selection process.

Draft Network's Jordan Reid noted in his breakdown of Senior Bowl quarterbacks that Herbert "has the baseline traits that coaches will love to work with as a starting point."

The Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers will likely be the most interested parties in Herbert, who opted to stay in school for his senior season after his name was floated in the draft process a year ago.

Since Josh Rosen did not win the starting job from Ryan Fitzpatrick during the 2019 season, it is safe to say the Dolphins are in the market for a long-term answer at quarterback.

The Chargers have 38-year-old Philip Rivers on their roster, and at some point, they have to select a player who will succeed the No. 4 overall pick in the 2004 NFL draft.

The Carolina Panthers could have eyes on Herbert as well, but they have not made a decision on Cam Newton's 2020 status and are stuck behind the Dolphins and Chargers in the draft order.

Carolina is an intriguing landing spot for any quarterback after Matt Rhule hired Joe Brady from LSU. Brady was one of the main reasons Burrow produced one of the best single seasons we have ever witnessed in college football.

Herbert finished his collegiate career with back-to-back 3,000-yard seasons, but he had 14 interceptions in the last two seasons and was sacked three more times in his senior year than he was as a junior.

He also did not have a good closing stretch, as he produced 331 passing yards and one touchdown in the Pac-12 Championship Game and Rose Bowl.

If he is able to prove those performances were more outliers than anything, Herbert should win over some fans with his mechanics and pocket presence.

If that is the case, he could intrigue Miami or Los Angeles enough to take him in the top six, or he could impress a squad further down in the draft order that is willing to put together a package to trade up for him.

As long as his stay in Mobile is positive, Herbert's stock should be boosted, and it will close the gap between himself and the two other two quarterbacks.

Kristian Fulton, CB, LSU

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

Fulton could leave Mobile as one of the event's biggest winners.

The LSU product needs to put in a few solid practices and a good game performance to put the National Championship behind him.

In that contest, Clemson's duo of Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross gave Fulton some difficulties in coverage.

If he does not do well against NFL-quality receivers once again, his first-round stock may begin to drop.

The spotlight will be on Fulton because he is the top-rated cornerback, according to Miller's positional rankings, to make the trip to Alabama.

Ohio State's Jeff Okudah and Florida's CJ Henderson declared for the draft as underclassmen, and Stanford's Paulson Adebo opted to return for his senior season.

In his last year at LSU, Fulton finished second on the team with 14 passes defended, and he made 38 tackles and picked off one pass.

The member of the South squad will receive tests from a mixture of speedy wide receivers on the North roster, including Baylor's Denzel Mims and Ohio State's K.J. Hill.

If he passes most tests during the week, Fulton could be an intriguing prospect for teams at the back end of the first round in need of secondary help.

The Jacksonville Jaguars and Philadelphia Eagles are among the franchises in the late teens to early 20s of the opening round that should have a close eye on Fulton throughout the week.

Jacksonville is in the market for secondary help after the departure of Jalen Ramsey, while the Eagles dealt with a slew of injuries at defensive back during the 2019 season and could use a fresh face to provide competition and earn a starting role.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.