11 Senior Bowl winners who helped their 2025 NFL Draft stock

Another stop on the road to the 2025 NFL Draft is complete.

As the dust settles on another eventful week in Mobile for the Senior Bowl, there are plenty of guys who improved their stock this week. With the eyes of the NFL world focused on the Senior Bowl practices and culminating with the game, prospects had chances to improve their stock this week, or see it plummet. While the defensive and offensive lines stole the show in Mobile, the signal callers faltered and looked a little out of place.

We’re going to take you through some players who improved their draft stock the most from the week in Mobile, at each position.

Quarterback: Tyler Shough, Louisville

This QB crop brought in at the Senior Bowl was … not great, to say the least. The headliners (Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart and Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel) all underwhelmed throughout the week in their own unique ways. Shough, in a way, was the most consistent passer of the bunch, not looking out of place during team drills and showcasing some different arm slots as well. The race for QB3 is WIDE open, and Shough just made his case for the spot as others fell down the board.

Running Back: RJ Harvey, UCF

This running back class is LOADED, and one of my favorite guys in the class is RJ Harvey. He’s a shorter back at 5’7, but he’s got massive legs and uses them to drive through contact and gave a lot of effort in pass protection. He also showed his value as a wide receiver, creating separation in the short and intermediate 1v1s. With the depth of this running back class, Harvey could end up going late Day 2 or Early Day 3, but be a steal for whoever drafts him.

Honorable mention: Devin Neal, Kansas and Brashard Smith, SMU

Wide Receiver: Jack Bech, TCU

The receivers were also an interesting case this week. The QBs weren’t great, but the receivers also had their fair share of issues creating separation. Not Bech, who really surprised me this week. He’s a strong kid who is more than likely going to be a power slot at the NFL level, but he finished a lot of tough catches through contact at the top of his route, and also showed that he wants to be a willing blocker in the run game, getting some impressive pindowns on defensive linemen on toss plays. I worry about his long speed at the next level, but he’s a tough blocker and tougher receiver, who will find a role at the next level.

Honorable mention: Xavier Restrepo, Miami, Jaylin Noel, Iowa State, Jalen Royals, Utah State

Tight End: Elijah Arroyo, Miami

Often taking a backseat to the Cam Ward and Xavier Restrepo show in Coral Gables, Arroyo was a senior year breakout who continued his quality play in Mobile. He was giving safeties and linebackers PROBLEMS in 1v1s, constantly finding space using head fakes and shimmies with his shoulders. He also didn’t look too far out of place as a blocker in the run game, putting himself in good positions to succeed. This tight end class is DEEP, with a lot of quality players in it, but Arroyo has positioned himself to be the biggest beneficiary of a strong week in Mobile.

Honorable mention: Mason Taylor, LSU

Offensive Tackle: Anthony Belton, NC State

Often overshadowed by Oregon’s Josh Conerly Jr. and North Dakota State’s Grey Zabel on the offensive line, I thought Belton had some really high moments this week in Mobile. He’s a massive prospect at 6’6 and 345 pounds, but showed some nice foot quickness in pass protection while really getting after it on down blocks. He came in with the grip strength and power to finish blocks in the run game, but I wanted to see if he could be consistent. This week, he was.

Honorable mention: Emery Jones, LSU

Interior Offensive Lineman: Grey Zabel, North Dakota State

Zabel was one of the guys I highlighted as having a chance to improve his draft stock with a strong week in Mobile, and he’s done nothing but exceed expectations. He’s stood out at both guard and center after playing tackle for the Bison, and his movement skills have really been impressive. The National team has gotten him out in space and he’s pinballing people in the open field, but his ability to cutoff backside and get to the second level has really stood out. Zabel has rarely lost in pass pro, showing strong hands and grip strength. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up going higher in the draft than people think.

Honorable mention: Miles Frazier, LSU, Clay Webb, Jacksonville State, Willie Lampkin, UNC

EDGE Defender: Donovan Ezeiruaku, Boston College

This is for players who improved their draft stock the most, which is why I don’t have Marshall’s Mike Green or Texas A&M’s Shemar Stewart here–they’re pretty much round 1 locks at this point. So I’m going with Ezeiruaku, a player whose stellar week started with measurements. Coming in with 34-inch arms at 6’2 and 248 pounds is a nice feather in his cap, but when he got on the field he showed a violent disposition on the edge. He won a lot of reps in the run game with long arms, then put together a nice string of wins against a variety of linemen. The play this week matched the 2024 tape where he racked up 16.5 sacks, and entrenched him in Day 2 of the upcoming draft.

Honorable mention: Oluwafemi Oladejo, UCLA, Barryn Sorrell, Texas, David Walker, Central Arkansas

Defensive Tackle: Darius Alexander, Toledo

In a Senior Bowl class with a bunch of monsters on the interior, Alexander was the most explosive, and consistent defensive tackle of the week. He was unblockable in pass rush reps, winning everywhere from the three-technique all the way out to a wide nine. Not only that, he showed an ability to play the run with some consistency as well. Watching him this week, then cross-referencing with his tape has pretty much locked him in as a Day 2 pick for me, and a guy who should be at the top of the list when it comes to NFL teams needing a three-technique pass rusher.

Honorable mention: Aeneas Peebles, Virginia Tech, TJ Sanders, South Carolina

Linebacker: Jack Kiser, Notre Dame

The fact that Kiser was even playing in practice less than two weeks after playing in the national championship is a testament to his drive and competitive nature. When he played, Kiser showed the most three-down ability of the linebackers in practice, showing the range to get underneath passing concepts, sticking with RBs in pass coverage and filling quickly in the run game. He’s got much better movement skills than previous Fighting Irish LBs, showing fluid hips and quick feet. I’m a fan of his game, and he boosted his stock a lot this week.

Honorable mention: Shemar James, Florida, Jeffrey Bassa, Oregon, Smael Mondon Jr., Georgia

The diminutive dynamo strikes again. Stout is small at 5’8 and 178 pounds, but he was consistently sticky in coverage. He was competitive at the catch point depsite being one of the smallest defensive backs here, and is more than willing to throw himself into the fire as a run defender. He also played well inside at nickel, which is where I think his NFL future is. Consider me a fan.

Honorable mention: Jacob Parrish, Kansas State, Azareye’h Thomas, FSU, Quincy Riley, Louisville

Safety: Dante Trader Jr., Maryland

Trader was consistently sticking to tight ends in the passing game, and quick to read things out on the back end. His instincts were on display as the American team spun a lot of coverages and threw some funky stuff at he and the other defensive backs, but he played well in Mobile. He’s shown the ability to be a really fun piece in the right defensive system in the NFL.

Honorable mention: Keondre Jackson, Illinois State, Hunter Wohler, Wisconsin, Sebastian Castro, Iowa