These Senior Bowl Prospects Made Money in Mobile This Week
Meet the highest risers up boards after strong performances during Senior Bowl practices.
MOBILE, Ala. — Each of the players who arrived in Mobile this week did so with one singular goal in mind; boosting their NFL Draft stock.
Even in an era where the expanded College Football Playoff offers up to four more games each college football season, pitting elite talent against elite talent, several NFL evaluators told me this week that the Senior Bowl still has tremendous value.
This is a week where executives, scouts, and coaches get to see how the players go through practice, their habits, and, perhaps most importantly, a chance to get to know them as people during meetings and interviews.
Now that the three practices of Senior Bowl week are behind us, and teams won’t have a chance to meet these players for formal interviews again until the NFL Combine in Indianapolis later this month, here’s a look at the players who helped themselves the most this week.
Jack Bech, WR, TCU
Bech had a tremendous week, making highlight reel-worthy catches look routine, both in traffic as well as showing off the strong hands necessary to thrive making contested catches at the next level. There were a couple of plays where Bech had the defender beat and went full extension to pull down the catch in stride.
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Consistently during one-on-one periods, Bech showed the ability to leverage his size to haul in high-point passes, even facing press coverage against some of the more physical cornerbacks in town this week.
Joshua Farmer, DL, Florida State
It seemed like every time Farmer was on the field he was either making plays in the backfield or bullying an offensive lineman into the “quarterback” during competitive one-on-one battles. Farmer’s outstanding bend was evident throughout the week during one-on-ones, which will serve him well against NFL offensive tackles.
Farmer’s success in the one one-on-ones translated into the full-team action, as well. On the first snap of Wednesday’s practice, Farmer burst through the line of scrimmage to log a strip sack. The Florida State standout’s blend of power, strength, and speed could push him up boards after what he put on tape this week.
Quincy Riley, DB, Louisville
There’s little question that Quincy Riley made money this week.
Arguably the most consistently dominant defensive back on the field for all three practices, Riley did an outstanding job of sticking stride-for-stride with opposing wide receivers before letting his elite ball skills finish the rep with several impressive pass breakups. Throughout the week, Riley was absolutely glued to his opponents, but even on the rare occasions he was beaten by half a step, he showcased an elite ability to recover, turn back to the football, and make a play.
Teams that play press-man coverage would be wise to prioritize Riley who looks like the total package.
Aeneas Peebles, DL, Virginia Tech
Peebles may have had the deepest toolbox of pass-rush moves among the front-seven defenders in Mobile.
There were a couple of plays where Peebles completely flummoxed interior linemen with a spin move, other snaps where he used a swim move to shrug them off before exploding into the backfield, and his pure strength was also on display on several snaps throughout the week. One of the more disruptive forces up front this week, there’s little doubt Peebles boosted his draft stock.
Elijah Arroyo, TE, Miami
In one of the more talented and deepest tight end classes in recent memory, it’s going to be hard to stand out enough to climb the ladder at the position, but Arroyo certainly did that this week.
Arroyo was a big-catch factory throughout the week and looked like he was a man among boys against opposing linebackers and safeties in coverage. Whether it was going full extension in the end zone, or making contested over-the-shoulder grabs, the 6-foot-4 and 245-pound Arroyo did it all, and rarely if ever dropped a pass. Whether he was climbing the ladder against safeties or getting cornerbacks to bite on ridiculous double-moves, Arroy’s combination of size, strength, speed, and agility is rare to see as a tight end and he should be moving up boards across the NFL after his performance.
Jack Kiser, LB, Notre Dame
Kiser was always around the football this week.
Whether against the run, dropping into coverage, picking up a tight end or running back out of the backfield in the passing game, the 6-foot-2 and 231-pound Kiser’s vision and instincts were more than evident. Kiser’s teammate, RJ Oben was equally disruptive up front, and the pair combined for an interception on Wednesday when Oben pressured Jalen Milroe into rushing his throw which Kiser picked off over the middle and returned for a big play. But, it was almost impossible to watch Kiser without him either creating a turnover or breaking up a pass, just a stellar week all around for the Fighting Irish standout.
Grey Zabel, OL, North Dakota State
Zabel was easily the most consistently dominant offensive lineman this week.
Not only was Zabel a metaphorical brick wall in virtually every single one-on-one rep, but he didn’t allow pressure during full team periods
Who Stood Out?
Like the NFL Combine, the Senior Bowl is essentially a miniature football convention.
It’s the chance to catch up with friends and colleagues we may only see in person a couple of times a year, on the road, on trips like this, in addition to getting valuable face time with agents, scouts, executives, and coaches at Mobile’s various dive bars.
I can proudly attest to spending all of just :35 inside Veats this trip (if you know, you know).
So, to provide a few different perspectives and offer insight from other folks who were in town, I surveyed a handful of friends, colleagues, and road dogs for their Player of The Week from this week’s Senior Bowl practices.
Here are their answers:
Mike Tanier ( )
Elijah Arroyo, TE, Miami
Arroyo lost much of his college career to significant injuries, then got lost in a crowd of hungry mouths in the 2024 Hurricane's offense. In other words, he's exactly the kind of player who can be hard to evaluate on film, if only because there's so little pre-2024 film on him.
He's the type of player who can really help his stock in the Senior Bowl, and he did so by looking like the most physically gifted tight end on the field and with a series of over-the-shoulder catches in the first two days of practices.
Turron Davenport (ESPN, Talkin With TD Podcast)
Gary Zabel, OL, North Dakota St.
Zabel played both center and guard throughout the week in addition to taking snaps at tackle. He consistently won reps during 1-on-1s and showed he can level up against the talent from bigger conferences.
Matt Verderame (Sports Illustrated)
Elijah Arroyo, TE, Miami
Arroyo showed the size, speed, and physicality through his routes that left me thinking he’d be a nice Day 2 prospect in this draft.
Jarrett Bailey (The Sporting News)
Deone Walker, Edge, Kentucky
Walker is practically a Hummer in shoes. At 6-foot-7, 340 pounds, he certainly has NFL size, it’s just a matter of him learning to use it properly. He made several plays in team drills, and looked terrific in the pit, as well.
In Case You Missed It
Senior Bowl Practice Diary - Day 1
Senior Bowl Practice Diary - Day 2
While attending a Packer preseason practice open to the public at the Hutson Center, Jermichael Finley jumped out as a superior athlete just by his movements on the field. Anyone you spotted at the Senior Bowl, any position, that jumped out to you as a pure athlete?