Senior Bowl 2020: Results and Prospects Who Boosted Draft Stock at Showcase

Justin Herbert was one of the most talked-about names going into the 2020 Senior Bowl because of his position in many mock drafts.

After a week of practice and a game against the best seniors in the country in Mobile, Alabama, Herbert solidified his place on draft boards—in some cases, he improved his placing a bit.

The signal-caller, who is Bleacher Report's Matt Miller's No. 3 quarterback, was named the practice player of the week and Most Valuable Player.

In addition to Herbert, a few defensive players boosted their stock at the showcase event for the most experienced collegiate stars. The other standouts may not be selected as high as Herbert, but they could move up from their projections to have better chances at making NFL rosters.

Senior Bowl Results

Final Score: North 34, South 17

Most Valuable Player: Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon

Prospects Who Boosted Draft Stock

Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon

Herbert's stock boost may be the smallest of the Senior Bowl participants, but it is the most important in the scope of the first round.

The Oregon quarterback had some questions to answer following an OK finish to the college football season in which he produced one passing touchdown and one interception in the Pac-12 Championship Game and Rose Bowl combined.

In the first quarter of the Senior Bowl, Herbert went 9-for-13 with 83 passing yards and a score, as Pro Football Focus' college football account pointed out:

Former New York Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum was among the many observers impressed with how Herbert carried himself in Mobile:

While some projected first-round picks may not have taken the Senior Bowl experience seriously because of their stock, Herbert embraced the event and said that he enjoyed it, per ESPN.com's Mike Triplett.

"I love competing, and that's one of the things I wanted to come here and do," Herbert said. "It was so much fun, it was such a great learning experience, and I've really enjoyed it."

Entering Mobile, Herbert was slotted in a variety of places in mock drafts. NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah had him going No. 14 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while Miller had the Los Angeles Chargers taking the quarterback at No. 6.

If Joe Burrow lands at No. 1 with the Cincinnati Bengals, as most mock drafts predict will happen, Herbert and Tua Tagovailoa will be the best available quarterbacks on the board.

If the Miami Dolphins go after the Alabama southpaw, the Chargers would have the first chance to nab Herbert. If he does not land there, a few other teams with quarterback questions, like the Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars, could still make him a top-10 pick.

Bradlee Anae, DE, Utah

Utah defensive end Bradlee Anae followed up his strong senior campaign with an impressive week in Mobile.

The edge-rusher was a menace with his one-on-one pass-rushing skills and finished with three sacks.

Pro Football Focus College Football provided a closer look at Anae's ability on his takedown of Oklahoma's Jalen Hurts:

Anae came into Senior Bowl week as the 10th-rated edge-rusher on Miller's positional rankings. Ohio State's Chase Young is the top prospect at the position.

The Hawai'i native was one of the stars on the Utah defense throughout the season, as he produced 13 sacks. He parlayed that into a great week for the North team, which ended with praise from Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia, per NFL.com's Chase Goodbread.

"He did a great job," Patricia said, "He's really improved. We've gone over a lot of things with him from a pass rush standpoint, from a technique standpoint, and he tried to take all that [to the game]. He's got a great gift, a great ability to rush the edge."

If he continues to impress at the NFL combine and in individual workouts, Anae could solidify a selection on the second day of the draft.

Because of the volume of edge-rushers, like Young, Iowa's A.J. Epenesa and Penn State's Yetur Gross-Matos, above him on big boards, Anae probably will not crack the first round, but he could be a solid second- or early third-round pickup.

Troy Pride Jr., CB, Notre Dame

Notre Dame's Troy Pride Jr. took advantage of the Senior Bowl spotlight to potentially solidify a mid-round selection in April.

Pride impressed draft experts from the start of the practice sessions, as Pro Football Focus' Austin Gayle pointed out his production Tuesday:

In his practice observations, Pro Football Focus' Michael Renner said of Pride: "I'm not sure anyone has risen their draft stock more with their performance this week than the Notre Dame cornerback."

Pride entered Mobile as the 20th-best cornerback on Miller's positional rankings, and he is expected to move up at least one spot now that Paulson Adebo is returning to Stanford for his senior season.

To complete his fantastic week, Pride recorded an interception in Saturday's game:

Pride approached the Senior Bowl festivities in the perfect manner as an under-the-radar prospect, and because of his hard work, he will rise on draft boards and could have a better opportunity at playing Week 1 in 2020.

His realistic landing spot is still the middle of the draft, but he performed well enough that a team may use a second-day selection on him.

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