The 2025 Senior Bowl is in the books, and we learned a lot about many of the top prospects. Historically speaking, at least one or two of those players will end up wearing the Black and Gold come late April during the 2025 NFL Draft.
There were several standouts for the week, and a few players who didn’t quite live up to the high expectations coming into the Mobile, Ala., showcase. College tape ultimately rules the evaluation process, but the Senior Bowl is one meaningful piece of the puzzle to help confirm observations made on tape. The next piece of the puzzle will come in a few weeks during the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine.
Here is a brief list of winners and losers from Jonathan Heitritter, Efram Geller, and me. The week of practice carries the most weight in this evaluation, but the game itself, which not everybody participated in, factors in as well.
WINNERS
ROSS MCCORKLE’S WINNERS
– Kansas RB Devin Neal: Neal passed his first test when he weighed in at 220 pounds. He has the frame to hold up on every down, and his play in Mobile proved that. He was dynamic running routes with soft hands, showed great feet, and there seems to be plenty of speed.
– TCU WR Jack Bech: Bech ended the week with an exclamation point via his walk-off touchdown in the actual Senior Bowl game, but he was impressive all week long. He does everything well, and proved that contested catches can be his defining trait.
– Oregon ILB Jeffrey Bassa: Bassa did everything well. He was excellent in coverage, and showed good instincts coming downhill against the run. He also has an impressive frame that could make him a steal in the middle rounds as an every-down linebacker.
– Ole Miss DL Jared Ivey: Ivey lined up at EDGE a lot, but his frame screams 5-tech and he looked good in the few reps that he lined up inside during practice. He was full-time 5-tech in 2023 out of necessity. He showed off his great hand usage as a pass rusher and rare athleticism for his size.
JONATHAN HEITRITTER’s WINNERS
– Washington State WR Kyle Williams: Williams didn’t have a headliner week during practices like Jack Bech did, but the 5102, 182-pound senior was consistent throughout all three days of practice, consistently getting open and making catches in tight coverage. His ability to generate separation against coverage was his defining trait and definitely something that stood out in front of NFL teams.
– Notre Dame LB Jack Kiser: Kiser stood out to me every time I i had my eyes on him, and even when I didn’t mean to watch him. He was the best linebacker in coverage throughout the week in my opinion and was also active in the run game, displaying good instincts to flow to the ball. He has a heads-up interception on one team session, proving he could be more than just a core special teamer if called upon.
– Kentucky CB Maxwell Hairston: Hairston represented himself well in the two days that he practiced, sitting out the final day with an undisclosed injury. To be fair, Hairston didn’t need the final day of practice as he looked solid covering receivers in 1-on-1 matchups as well as in team, showing off his instincts as well as his movement skill to transition with receivers out of their brakes as well as carry them vertically down the field.
EFRAM GELLER’S WINNERS
– Toledo DL Darius Alexander: Alexander was unstoppable this week in practice. He won with hand usage, tenacity and speed to power. He rushed all across the line of scrimmage, including reps from wide-9. Alexander came in under the radar, but leaves mobile as a likely top-100 pick.
– NDSU IOL Grey Zabel: Zabel went undefeated in 1v1 blocking drills this week. He sealed run lanes while climbing to the second level to help combo blocks. Zabel is versatile across the offensive line, and could be the first center drafted. His balance, strength and anchor are all outstanding.
– Miami TE Elijah Arroyo – Arroyo had an all around successful week. He separated in man coverage with impressive route fluidity for 6044, 251 lbs. Arroyo showed he can be a downfield target in a spread offense while blocking well enough to hold up inline. Arroyo is comfortably a top-4 tight end heading into the NFL Combine.
LOSERS
ROSS MCCORKLE’S LOSERS
– Oklahoma St. RB Ollie Gordon II: Gordon weighed in a little over where he probably should at 6011, 233 pounds. He was okay in the Senior Bowl game itself, but struggled throughout the week in pass pro and didn’t stand out with his athleticism. I was excited to watch Gordon entering the week, and I came away underwhelmed overall.
– Arkansas EDGE Landon Jackson: Jackson is a true EDGE with a thin frame for his height. He was struggling in 1-on-1s and ended up on the ground more often than not when his speed moves didn’t work. He played pretty well in the game, however.
JONATHAN HEITRITTER’S LOSERS
– USC CB Jaylin Smith: In the reps that I watched Jaylin Smith in 1-on-1s, he got abused in man coverage, losing multiple reps in a row as he was guessing what the opposing receivers were doing at the top of their route. He held up better in team sessions, but he didn’t do a lot to help his draft stock as already a fringe draft pick.
– Alabama QB Jalen Milroe: Milroe struggled with accuracy throughout the week, looking scattershot at times on the first day of practice. He showed improvement on Day 2 and Day 3, but still was throwing high balls to his intended targets, not showcasing great touch on his passes and made most of his completions on blown coverages on open receivers underneath.
EFRAM GELLER’S LOSERS
– Kentucky DL Deone Walker: Walker came in with high expectations. He struggled to lower his pad level, allowing lineman to easily win leverage. His athletic potential is undeniable, but Walker needs to be better in speed to power and rip moves along with his overall leverage.
– West Virginia OL Wyatt Milum: Milum was looked at as a potential tackle, but this week’s performance will likely move him inside. Millum lost to speed on the outside and gave up the edge multiple times in run blocks. He fared better inside, but was outpowered in some 1-on-1’s.
