The 2020 Reese’s Senior Bowl is in the books, which means we’ve concluded the first part of the three-tier NFL draft process. More than 110 of the country’s top college football players were in Mobile this week, practicing in front of and speaking with representatives of every pro team.
So who made the biggest impressions during Senior Bowl 2020 week? With the caveat that it's very difficult for a player to hurt his stock at the Senior Bowl, here are a few of the players who shined in Mobile (listed in alphabetical order):
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1. Chase Claypool, WR, Notre Dame
Senior Bowl officials made a conscious effort to beef up the receiver corps this year, and the 6-foot-4, 229-pound Claypool had a great week. He excelled on jump balls against smaller defensive back and could develop into an excellent red-zone threat at the next level.
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2. Marlon Davidson, DL, Auburn
Davidson made it through just one day of practice before sustaining a foot injury, but showed enough that there was some first-round buzz on him by week’s end. His ability to play multiple positions and propensity to block field goals and extra points are more points in his favor.
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3. Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon
Herbert has all the measurables and can make all the throws, but NFL types had questions about his leadership ability coming into Senior Bowl week. He apparently passed those tests with flying colors, and could work his way from a solid mid-first-rounder to perhaps a Top 10 pick in the draft.
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4. K.J. Hill, WR, Ohio State
The Ohio State contingent as a whole performed well in Mobile this week, as you might expect with the way Urban Meyer recruited in Columbus. One of the standouts was Hill, who excelled as a slot receiver and made one of the “wow” plays of the week with a one-handed grab on Thursday.
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5. Jalen Hurts, QB, Oklahoma
Hurts was the star of Senior Bowl week for obvious reasons, but then went out and did well enough in practice to be named one of the players of the week. He’s likely a developmental quarterback and not an immediate starter at the next level, but people thought the same thing about Dak Prescott a few years ago.
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6. Josh Jones, OL, Houston
There were some bigger names than Jones in this year’s Senior Bowl, but it would be hard to find someone who has been more universally praised throughout the week. The 6-foot-7, 310-pound tackle handled all comers with aplomb during one-on-one drills, and could find his way into the first round come draft day.
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7. Javon Kinlaw, DL, South Carolina
Kinlaw shut things down after Wednesday of Senior Bowl week, but did nothing before then to discount the idea that he was the most-talented and NFL-ready player in Mobile. Teams always reach for quarterbacks in the draft (thus pushing players at other positions down), but based on merit, Kinlaw’s a surefire Top 10 pick.
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8. Terrell Lewis, LB, Alabama
Lewis’ tape and production were excellent during his career at Alabama, but he had trouble staying on the field due to a litany of injuries. He’s probably a first-rounder on talent, but the more extensive medical exams at the NFL combine with go a long way toward determining how high he goes in the draft.
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9. Jordan Love, QB, Utah State
LSU’s Joe Burrow appears to be a lock to go No. 1 overall in the draft, and Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa should be the No. 2 QB off the board assuming his hip is healthy by draft day. But Love had a good-enough week in Mobile that he should at least give teams something to think about for the third quarterback taken.
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10. Lamical Perine, RB, Florida
Given the nature of how practices are run (not a ton of contact work and a very quick whistle), it’s difficult to evaluate running backs during Senior Bowl week. But local product Perine showed that he was the best player at his position in Mobile. He’s not only a tough runner, but a gifted receiver out of the backfield, which only helps his draft stock.