Five Underrated Prospects who can Boost Their Draft Stock at the Senior Bowl

The 2024 Senior Bowl is set to kick off in Mobile, Alabama next week as some of the top upperclassmen in college football will face off against each other to impress scouts and make their case for why they should be drafted.

This year, the Senior Bowl rosters are loaded as this is the first time that juniors and redshirt sophomores are allowed to take part in the event. To prepare for one of the biggest events of the pre-draft process, let’s take a look at a few players who have a chance to boost their draft stock.

1. Spencer Rattler, Quarterback, South Carolina

Spencer Rattler had a roller coaster of a college career. The former five-star recruit was great as a redshirt freshman for Oklahoma in 2020, completing 67.5% of his passes and throwing for 28 touchdowns compared to just seven interceptions. The next season he struggled at times and was replaced by freshman phenom Caleb Williams, whose name you might be familiar with. 

After losing the starting job at Oklahoma, he transferred to South Carolina where he threw 37 touchdowns and 20 interceptions from 2022 to 2023. He could never recapture the magic he had during his electric 2020 season, but he has consistently been an accurate passer, sporting a career accuracy rate of 79.4%. Unfortunately, decision-making and sack avoidance have become pretty significant issues for the 23-year-old gunslinger.

However, Rattler is an experienced quarterback who was great at a young age and was somewhat productive for two power five teams. If he shows off his arm talent and displays better decision-making in Mobile, we could see Rattler get drafted higher than previously expected.

2. Kris Abrams-Draine, Cornerback, Missouri

Kris Abrams-Draine might be one of the more underrated cornerback prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft. He has been a full-time starter for Missouri over the last three seasons, playing the valuable role of an outside corner and his numbers are quite promising.

The redshirt junior has consistently been very good for the Tigers, putting up a PFF grade of 80+ in two of the last three seasons. This past season was probably his best showing in coverage as he put up career-best marks in PFF coverage grade, completion percentage, and passer rating allowed when targeted.

He’s also a really good tackler. He has never had a PFF tackling grade below 75 and he recorded 41 stops across his entire collegiate career. Abrams-Draine is small for a boundary corner as he is just 5-foot-11 and weighs just 177 pounds. However, his production in college was very good and he plays an extremely valuable position. If he shines at the Senior Bowl, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him become a top-fifty pick.

3. Luke McCaffrey, Wide Receiver, Rice

Luke McCaffrey, brother of 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, is one of the more interesting prospects who will be participating in the Senior Bowl this year. 

Just three years ago, he was a quarterback at Nebraska who struggled to win the starting job. After transferring to Rice in 2021, he competed to be the starting quarterback and made three starts. Before the 2022 season, he switched to wide receiver, a position he had never played before and he actually played really well.

McCaffrey has found a lot of success playing wide receiver. In each of the past two seasons he has led the Owls in receiving yards and this past season he recorded a PFF grade of 80.1. His statistical profile doesn’t scream elite, but this past season he averaged six yards after the catch per reception and he caught just over 60% of his contested targets, hinting at some potential upside. 

Luke McCaffrey is not your usual small-school receiver who dominated the lower level of competition. He was never quite elite at Rice, but his production is extremely impressive considering he is brand new to playing the wide receiver position. If he is already this good playing against collegiate competition, there’s no telling just how good he can be in the future with more reps and professional coaching. If he plays well during the Senior Bowl, some team will scoop him up at some point during the draft.

4. Josh Proctor, Safety, Ohio State

Josh Proctor played six seasons at Ohio State, yet he played over 200 snaps in just two seasons. One reason for this is an injury he suffered around two years ago. In 2021, he suffered a leg injury early in the season that kept him off the field for the remainder of the season. After missing basically the entire season, he came back to Ohio State for two more years.

In 2023, Proctor was a full-time starter and he had a good year. He played all over the defense, lining up in the box, in the slot, and as a deep safety. He performed fairly well in almost every area, sporting a PFF grade of 70+ as a tackler, run defender, and in coverage. He also recorded 16 stops and allowed a passer rating of just 66.3 when targeted.

Of course, Proctor is an older prospect who wasn’t able to play consistently in college, but his final season at Ohio State was good and he showed that he has valuable traits that could make him a valuable defender for an NFL team. He would greatly benefit from a big week at the Senior Bowl.

5. Isaiah Davis, Running Back, South Dakota State

Isaiah Davis has been one of the top running backs at the FCS level of college football for the past two seasons and his numbers are fantastic. 

This past season, he ran for 1,578 yards and 18 touchdowns and he fumbled the ball just one time. He was extremely efficient as a runner, averaging 6.7 yards per carry, 3.96 yards after contact per carry, and 0.331 missed tackles forced per carry, which are all excellent marks.

This wasn’t just a one-year breakout, though. He was awesome the year before as well, recording 1,454 yards and 15 touchdowns on plus efficiency. This is how he put up a PFF grade of 89 in 2022 and 93.1 in 2023.

There’s a lot to like about Isaiah Davis, but he hasn’t been that productive as a pass catcher in college and he has been playing against a low level of competition. If he plays well at the Senior Bowl and showcases some upside as a receiver, we could see him skyrocket up draft boards.