Biggest riser in the NFL Draft at every position from the 2023 Senior Bowl

Who rose the most in the NFL Draft from their performances at the 2023 Senior Bowl?

Every year NFL Draft prospects show up to Mobile, Alabama, and leave a lasting impression on NFL front offices, coaches, and draftniks alike. All-star games like the Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine Bowl aren’t make or break for a prospect but just another piece of the evaluation puzzle. It’s the perfect way to put a player under the microscope and see how they stack up with the top seniors in the country.

There are always a few prospects who put together an impressive week over the three days of practice and lead the NFL Draft masses back to the tape to get a better look at the individual player. Just last year, Chattanooga’s Cole Strange parlayed a strong week into a first-round selection by the New England Patriots while North Dakota State’s Christian Watson and Montana State’s Troy Andersen helped themselves become top-100 picks by the Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons respectively.

Senior Bowl week is all about seeing who will rise to the occasion and answer lingering questions to help paint a full picture of a prospect. With a strong group of prospects in Mobile, most of them will hear their names called during the 2023 NFL Draft, but who will be selected earlier now thanks to the work they put in this past week?

Quarterback- Jake Haener, Fresno State (6-0, 208)

The quarterback group in Mobile left a lot to be desired, but that shouldn’t come as a surprise. Excluding Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker who was still recovering from a torn ACL, there’s a good chance this crop of passers at the Senior Bowl this year will be the first group to not have a quarterback selected in the first three rounds since 2001.

With that being said, Fresno State’s Jake Haener was far and away the most consistent quarterback in the group. Although it wasn’t a spectacular week for Haener, he was easily the most accurate passer with the cleanest footwork and was the most willing to attack the intermediate part of the field.

It culminated in a strong performance in the actual Senior Bowl game where he took home MVP honors after completing 63 percent of his passes for 139 yards and a 44-yard touchdown to Stanford’s Michael Wilson where he was fearless and staying strong under pressure.

A week like this in a not-so-sexy quarterback class should do wonders for Haener. He’s clearly a top-10 passer in the class, if not top-six, and pushing towards being the first QB selected on Day 3 of the NFL Draft.

Honorable mention: Clayton Tune, Houston (6-2, 216)

Running back- Tyjae Spears, Tulane (5-10, 204)

In a strong running back class, the Senior Bowl put together a talented group for the week full of all kinds of different flavors of backs. Texas’ Roschon Johnson, the top player in the group, broke his hand during the first practice, but Tulane’s Tyjae Spears picked up the slack.

Despite the all-star game setting not being the easiest setup for a running back to stand out, Spears managed to make splashy plays every day and create more Twitter buzz than anyone in Mobile. His change of direction and burst led to numerous big runs during team drills and his fluidity in space generated all kinds of excitement.

Spears also caught the ball well all week and looked dynamic as a route runner against linebackers; his whip route against SirVocea Dennis nearly broke the internet. Even more importantly, he came in over 200 pounds and held up well enough in pass protection.

Coming into the week Spears was a fringe top-10 back in the 2023 NFL Draft, but after this type of performance, and how special he looks on tape, he could end up one of the first backs selected on Day 2.

Honorable mention: Eric Gray, Oklahoma (5-10, 210)

Wide receiver- Michael Wilson, Stanford (6-2, 216)

Recently there’s been an embarrassment of riches when it comes to receiver talent in the NFL Draft, 2023 is a little different and that’s why the Senior Bowl was such a big opportunity for this group to make some noise.

Picking between Michigan State’s Jayden Reed, Houston’s Nathaniel “Tank” Dell, and Stanford’s Michael Wilson wasn’t easy, but Wilson rose the most this week. Senior Bowl one-on-one’s are set up to favor the dynamic jitterbug athletes like Reed and Dell, who both came into the week with more buzz than Wilson, so it was less surprising to see them thrive.

Wilson wasn’t even the most highly touted receiver from Stanford in Mobile, that was Elijah Higgins, yet he ended up stealing the show with his impressive stem work as a route runner, his ability to throttle down at his size, and his explosive movements. He capped it all off with 4 receptions for 76 yards and a score in the game too.

Injuries hindered his collegiate production (14 games over the last three years), but Wilson is an intriguing height-weight-speed receiver who also happens to be a star special teams player. He’s likely an early to mid-Day 3 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft who at minimum carves out a long career as a core special teamer.

Honorable mention: Jayden Reed, Michigan State (5-11, 191)

Tight end- Payne Durham, Purdue (6-5, 258)

It’s a loaded tight end class and Oregon State’s Luke Musgrave, one of the premier players in it, certainly had his moments during Senior Bowl week, but it was Purdue’s Payne Durham who was the real star of the group.

Durham, one of the least acclaimed tight ends in Mobile, was one of the most consistent blockers during the week. He brought it in one-on-one blocking drills against the safeties and made a few key blocks in team drills, both as a down blocker and lead blocker.

What really won the week for him though was his ability to high point the football and win contested catches. He made a wild catch in the end zone in practice where he lost his helmet, one down the seam with a safety on him, and another in the game for a near touchdown. He also showed more suddenness and nuance as a route runner in one-on-ones than expected.

Given the depth and talent of the class, Durham won’t have the same buzz as other tight end prospects, but he looks like a hidden gem to be had on mid-Day 3 of the NFL Draft.

Honorable mention: Josh Whyle, Cincinnati (6-7, 260)

Offensive tackle- Wanya Morris (6-5, 317)

The best group at the Senior Bowl was the offensive line, this goes for both the American and National rosters. Picking out just one offensive tackle as the biggest riser isn’t easy and Ohio State’s Dawand Jones looked like he’d be the biggest, quite literally, after a dominant first day of practice, but Jones didn’t take the field again.

With Jones out for the second and third practice, a few offensive tackles took advantage of the stage and drew the attention of the draft world. Oklahoma’s Wanya Morris stood out in particular for how he looked in one-on-one pass rush drills.

Morris, one of the best athletes at the position in the class, had arguably the smoothest pass sets in Mobile. His kick step was effortless and though his hand placement could use some work, his feet and hands were on the same page and everything was well timed.

Mirroring pass rushers seemed so easy for Morris, who showed a stronger anchor than expected, and nobody could beat him outside. His athleticism also showed up in the run game where he looked good working to the second level; he’s well-suited for a zone scheme.

With this offensive tackle class lacking depth, Morris, Jones, Tennessee’s Darnell Wright, Maryland’s Jaelyn Duncan, and Syracuse’s Matthew Bergeron all helped themselves towards being early to mid-Day 2 picks, if not higher, in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Honorable mention: Jaelyn Duncan, Maryland (6-6, 298)

Interior offensive line- Steve Avila, TCU (6-3, 332)

While the offensive tackles may have garnered more attention in Mobile, it was the interior offensive linemen who had an even better week. Florida’s O’Cyrus Torrence and Minnesota’s John Michael Schmitz came into the Senior Bowl as the top guard and center there and did nothing but confirm that; Torrence was probably the best offensive lineman there.

Even North Dakota State’s Cody Mauch, who had an up-and-down week as he shifted inside, helped himself with the versatility he showed playing guard and center. But the biggest riser had to have been TCU’s Steve Avila. It felt like the widest man in Mobile never lost a rep.

Avila is known for what he does as a mauler in the run game, but how he looked in one-on-one pass rush was what was so impressive about his week. He consistently shut down interior defensive linemen by out-leveraging them, getting his hands inside, and maintaining his bend and base throughout while moving his feet to mirror them.

There were even reps where he got out in space and looked good on the move, in particular on a screen pass where he ended up 20 yards downfield in front of the ball carrier. Avila also offers rare versatility, he worked at guard and center during the week and has experience at tackle.

Coming into the week Avila was a surefire top-six interior offensive lineman in the class, but now he’s making his argument to be a top-60 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Honorable mention: McClendon Curtis, Chattanooga (6-6, 331)

Interior defensive line- Adetomiwa Adebawore, Northwestern (6-2, 284)

Wisconsin’s Keeanu Benton went into the Senior Bowl as the best interior defensive line prospect in Mobile and he lived up to it, but a fellow Big Ten defensive lineman stole the show. The best performance of the week has to go to Adetomiwa Adebawore, he was a menace every single day in every single drill.

While Adebawore lacks size, he’s got shockingly long arms (34”) and he knows how to use them. The scariest part about him is the fact that he has natural leverage to go with that length and he’s a twitched up athlete (he was on Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List). Combined all of that and he’s a wrecking ball of power.

He had more than a few reps where he simply won by being more explosive and powerful than the guy in front of him. He frequently converted speed to power and would just run right through the lineman he was lined up against, this happened both as a pass rusher and run defender.

The thing that made his week so special though is the fact that he didn’t win by being a power rusher, he unleashed hell with his hands. Nobody in Mobile showed a deeper pass rush repertoire than Adebawore; he combo’d a euro step with a double swipe-rip, pulled off club-swims and club-rips with ease, and showed off a cross-chop.

Having spent most of his collegiate career as an edge rusher, while moonlighting at 5 and 3-Tech, Adebawore pretty much spent the entire week at 3-Tech. The size will always be the question with Adebawore, but his athleticism and length are impressive and in a weak interior defensive line class he certainly looks worthy of a top-100 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Honorable mention: Karl Brooks, Bowling Green (6-3, 303)

Edge rusher- Lonnie Phelps (6-2, 251)

The edge rusher room in Mobile looked really good on paper but might have been the most disappointing group there. While there were some solid performances, nobody took over during the week and the offensive tackles definitely won more battles.

Kansas’ Lonnie Phelps made the most of his chance, he was called up to replace Texas Tech’s Tyree Wilson and brought energy to every practice. He could have just leaned on his twitchiness and tried to beat everyone with speed rushes, but instead, he showed he’s got a pretty deep bag (his go-to moves were the dip-n-rip and inside club).

Phelps wasn’t afraid to string moves together, his best being a euro step inside into a club-swim, and his first-step explosion gave him an advantage against some of the slower-footed tackles. With quick and violent hands to complement that athleticism, Phelps was able to hide his lack of length.

His motor and athleticism showed up in the game too where he ripped the ball away from a running back to force a fumble, chased down a running back screen to clean up a TFL, had a pressure in the end zone, and another pressure that caused an interception.

Teams looking for a situational pass rusher will love what Phelps brings to the field as a mid Day 3 type of prospect in this year’s NFL Draft.

Honorable mention: Keion White, Georgia Tech (6-5, 280)

Linebacker- Marte Mapu, Sacramento State (6-3, 217)

One of the most interesting groups at the Senior Bowl was the linebackers, especially because they all needed to show they could hang in coverage. Most of them put together solid-looking weeks and made some money in Mobile, but good luck finding a more out-of-nowhere performance than Mare Mapu’s after getting called up from the NFLPA Bowl.

Mapu, a safety-nickel-linebacker hybrid, got called up on the Friday before the Senior Bowl and then went and showed out every single day at practice. The first-team FCS All-American was brilliant in coverage where his eye discipline, change of direction ability, and length gave running backs in hell one-on-one.

Given his history in the secondary, seeing his ball skills and functionality in space may not have been a big surprise, but he was also one of the most aggressive run defenders. Offensive linemen just couldn’t get to him in space and he’d trigger downhill like a runaway freight train slamming into blockers and knocking running backs on their butts.

With his athleticism, length, and aggressiveness, Mapu likely got himself drafted with the way he balled in Mobile.

Honorable mention: Daiyan Henley (6-1, 23)

Cornerback- Darius Rush, South Carolina (6-2, 196)

Of all the uber-talented defensive backs getting built up as potential risers at the Senior Bowl, South Carolina’s Darius Rush was rarely mentioned. Rush, who was overshadowed by fellow Gamecock and potential first-round cornerback Cam Smith, turned in a jaw-dropping week in Mobile.

Every day Rush seemed to get better and it wasn’t just that he was winning reps, it was the way that he was winning. On numerous occasions he ran the route for the receiver and showed off superb route recognition, it was like he knew exactly where the receiver was going before it happened.

His route recognition frequently put him in position to make a play on the ball where he flashed his skill set as a former receiver and came away with multiple interceptions during the week. When he wasn’t picking off passes he was disrupting the catch point with his length.

Rush oozed confidence just by the way he was playing receiver in press coverage. He was so patient and never overzealous when they’d throw fancy footwork at him, he may not have taken a single false step the whole time he was in Mobile.

Overall, Rush showed everything you could hope for at the Senior Bowl from a cornerback and looked like he should be a top-100 selection in April at the NFL Draft.

Honorable mention: Julius Brents, Kansas State (6-3, 202)

Safety- Sydney Brown, Illinois (5-10, 213)

Talk about a stacked group, the safeties at the Senior Bowl came in all shapes, sizes, and flavors, but the commonality was the talent. There will be multiple top-100 selections made on the safeties that were in Mobile last week and one of them might just end up being Illinois’ Sydney Brown.

Brown didn’t even go to the Senior Bowl as the biggest named Illinois prospect in his family, that would be his twin brother, running back Chase Brown. But Sydney ended up having one of the best weeks of any player in Mobile.

The Canadian, from London, Ontario, predominantly played in the box for the Illini, so he had plenty of questions to answer about his cover ability. It didn’t take long for him to answer them as he matched up with receivers and tight ends all week in one-on-ones and showed the speed to carry them vertically, the ball skills to disrupt the catch point, and the footwork to click and close.

Known for his downhill physicality and explosiveness, it showed up throughout the week including in the game when he recognized a running back screen and fired into the backfield to cause a TFL.

With the depth of this safety class, it’s going to be difficult for Brown to go before Day 3, but it’s hard to imagine he didn’t lock himself into the top-150 of the 2023 NFL Draft with his string of practices.

Honorable mention: Jammie Robinson, Florida State (5-11, 194)