We have two weeks to get ready for the 2026 Super Bowl.
But the march to Super Bowl LXI is already upon us.
The next stop on the road to that big game, and the 2026 NFL Draft, is a stop in Mobile, Alabama for the annual Senior Bowl. This event serves as the unofficial launch of draft season, and dozens of NFL hopefuls — as well as the entire league itself — are headed down to Alabama to make their best cases for the scouts.
While some big-name prospects opted out, there is still a ton of talent down in Alabama. Here are nine players to watch this week in Mobile at the 2026 Senior Bowl.
Caleb Banks could be the first defensive tackle taken next spring. But he’ll face questions about his durability after playing in just three games for Florida this past season due to a foot injury that ultimately required surgery. When healthy, Banks has the ideal combination of size, strength, and athleticism to handle life between the tackles in the NFL. Pad level will be something to watch, as will his continued recovery from the foot injury, but a strong week in Mobile could solidify his spot in the first round.
Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech
Jacob Rodriquez stood at the heart of one of the best defenses in the nation last year, and his nose for the football bolstered his upstart Heisman Trophy campaign.
But life as a linebacker in the NFL is much different, and this week gives him a chance to showcase the athleticism he’ll need to be a three-down player at the next level. Can he hold up in man coverage against tight ends? Does he have the speed and quickness to run the middle of the field in two-deep coverages, or match receivers? How he answers those questions in Mobile will go a long way towards his ultimate draft position.
T.J. Parker, EDGE, Clemson
If you look back at the “way too early” mock drafts from last summer, Clemson pass rusher T.J. Parker was viewed as a lock to go inside the top ten. For example, mock drafts from Dane Brugler (No. 9), Ryan Wilson (No. 8), Michael Renner (No. 8), and Nate Tice (No. 6) all had Parker inside the first nine picks.
But subpar production this season has seen Parker’s stock take a dip, as you can see in this chart from NFL Mock Draft Database. Now, Parker is on the fringe of the first round, as other pass rushers have moved up boards during the fall:
This is a massive week for him.
Romello Height, EDGE, Texas Tech
Davis Bailey from Texas. Tech is viewed as one of the top pass rushers in the 2026 NFL Draft.
But while Bailey is currently considered one of the players you will see early on the first night, teammate Romello Height could join him with a strong performance this week.
Height will face some questions about his size — he weighed in at just 234 pounds on Monday — and he is an older prospect, who will be 25 come draft time. But the tape speaks for itself, as well as his well-rounded tool-kit as a pass rusher.
Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU
Similar to T.J. Parker, if you look back at early mock drafts from the summer LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier was considered a virtual lock for the first round.
Things have drastically changed since then.
A dismal season for LSU overall, and a tough season plagued by injuries for Nussmeier, has seen his stock tumble out of the first round, and perhaps all the way to Day Three of the 2026 NFL Draft. Over at ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid has this to say about Nussmeier ahead of the Senior Bowl: “In speaking to scouts over the past few weeks, the highest projection I’ve heard is Round 3, but others had Round 5 or 6 grades on him. I think Nussmeier will improve on those this week.”
He has some work to do, and weighing in at just 202 pounds on Monday is going to raise more questions about his profile, but in an iffy quarterback class, there is room for Nussmeier to boost his stock this week.
Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State
One of the players getting the most buzz as Senior Bowl week begins is San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson. Johnson was named Mountain West Co-Defensive Player of the Year after this past season, a year that saw him snare four interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns.
His awareness and quickness stand out on plays like this one:
He also measured in at just over 6’0 on Monday, and with that size and skillset, he could rocket up boards this week.
Justin Joly, TE, NC State
There are some intriguing pass catchers down in Mobile this week, and that is not limited to the wide receiver group. After starting his college career at Connecticut, Justin Joly transferred to NC State, where he caught 49 passes for 489 yards and seven touchdowns last year alone.
He checked the size box on Monday, measuring in at 6’3 and 251 pounds, and given what we expect to see from him this week, and in particular during 1-on-1 drills against safeties and linebackers, he could be one of the big winners from the Senior Bowl.
Kevin Coleman Jr, WR, Missouri
Death, taxes, and an undersized receiver turning heads at the Senior Bowl.
Last year it was Kyle Williams, who measured in just over 5’10 but earned an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine with a dominant week down in Mobile. A prime candidate for a similar rise this week? Missouri pass catcher Kevin Coleman Jr., who was the top receiver for the Tigers this past season, hauling in 66 passes for 732 yards and a touchdown.
His combination of speed and route-running prowess is sure to flash during 1-on-1 drills, and a rise up draft boards could follow.
Gennings Dunker, OT, Iowa
We’ve mentioned a few pass rushers in this list, but how about one of the players tasked with blocking them this week? Iowa’s Gennings Dunker could be the next Hawkeye offensive lineman to creep into the first round, after hanging around at the top of the second round in mock drafts from the fall into the winter. He has seen time at both guard and tackle, playing mostly at right tackle, and how he holds up against this pass-rushing group could propel him into the first-round mix.
