By Justin Snider

This year’s Senior Bowl was unlike any other since its inception in 1950. You could make the argument that this Senior Bowl could be the most important Senior Bowl in the event’s history. Due to an unprecedented year and a combination of outside factors surrounding college football, any film or insight you can get on a player is invaluable. There are situations where players heading into the draft might have zero tape at all from 2020, as was the case with Nico Collins the 6’4” 216-pound wideout from Michigan who opted out this year. The Senior bowl allowed him to showcase that he has made strides to improve his game. The Senior Bowl also presents excellent opportunities for scouting departments to watch one-on-one matchups at practices, and other up close intangibles you just can’t get from game film. Nico Collins showed repeatedly during these sessions that he can separate quickly from a defensive back which is a plus for a guy with his size.

Let’s talk about the quarterback position, Mac Jones did nothing at all to hurt his draft stock, and did a lot to help it and he didn’t even need to play in the game to do that. His intelligence and leadership abilities were shown throughout the week. In a draft where there could be potentially 6 quarterbacks taken in the first round, I think you have to consider him as early as pick 8 to the Carolina Panthers. I have a hard time believing that he will be picked behind Trey Lance, but that is a discussion for another time.

There were two running backs I had my eye on all week. Today’s NFL running backs are asked to do a lot more than just pound the rock. In most systems, you have to be able to catch the ball out of the backfield, or in this player’s case, in the slot or out wide. Demetric Felton the RB/WR from UCLA showed that he can do a little bit of everything. At running back, I see a type of Marlon Mack role. If he is molded into more of a WR role he has upside there as well. Great speed and quickness, and quite a developing route tree for the hybrid back. Michael Carter the running back from North Carolina also caught my attention. The Tar Heels had 2 running backs that performed well this year and Michael Carter was one of them. He compiled 1,245 rushing yards and 267 receiving yards with a 8 yards per carry average on the ground. It was a monster year for him. He projects as a day 3 back with great potential to be a day 2 pick. Can have a great future as a solid #2 running back in the NFL.

Wide receiver Shi Smith is a day 2 pick with great potential to have a solid career as a slot receiver. The former South Carolina gamecock measures in at 5’10” 190 pounds. After a 57 catch, 633 yard senior season, Smith came into the senior bowl looking to solidify his day 2 status and he did just that. He showed quick feet, an ability to separate, and solid hands. All things that define a solid slot receiver. The longest play from scrimmage from either team during the senior bowl, a 32 yard deep post from quarterback Kellen Mond, showed the type of bigger play ability that Smith can provide out of the slot.

Safety Richie Grant from UCF had a great week of senior bowl practices as well. Grant, 6’0” 200 pounds, came into the week like he did his first week on campus at UCF, with a chip on his shoulder, wanting to prove that he belonged. He did exactly that and his peers took notice. The American team players voted him as the top safety for the team. On the field, it seemed like he was around every ball thrown his way. He had multiple interceptions during practice, including 2 in one day. Not surprising for a player who picked off 10 passes, and returned one for a touchdown during his time at UCF. There might be concerns about his ability to stop the run, but for a player who throws his body around, it’s a situation where coaching will be able to alleviate that negative. He is a ballhawk with great range. He could go as high as the second round, no later than the 4th.

Lastly, there were a few players who just didn’t help themselves this week.
QB Jamie Newman transferred to Georgia from Wake Forest for his final year of eligibility. However, due to coronavirus concerns he opted out. I believe that out of most of the seniors who opted out, he hurt himself the most by not playing this year. In a time where it can take a Joe Burrow type of year to go from potential late round pick, to the first overall pick, you want to make the most out of any opportunity. He had an opportunity to showcase his skills on a great Georgia team. At 6’4” 229 pounds, Newman has the height and weight most coaches covet in a quarterback. He also has great athleticism and throws a good deep ball with accuracy. His junior year at Wake Forest, Newman completed 61% of his passes for over 2,800 yards and 26 touchdowns while also rushing for 574 yards and 6 touchdowns. That year he started out strong but really struggled down the stretch. Newman ran a simple offense at Wake Forest. By going to Georgia he could have shown an ability to run a much more complex offense. Newman never had the talent around him on Wake Forest that he would have had at Georgia. Simply put, 2020 was his chance to really escalate his game and raise his draft stock, but each person has to make personal decisions that are in the best interest of themselves and their family. So after sitting out the season, his first chance to a showcase himself was at the Senior Bowl. While Newman didn’t do anything to really hurt his draft stock he also did nothing to help raise it. He is in that 3rd tier of quarterbacks joined by the likes of Kyle Trask from Florida and Shane Buechele from SMU.

A moment ago, I mentioned the lack of talent around Jamie Newman at Wake Forest. He did however have a reliable receiver in Sage Surratt. Surratt like Newman, has prototypical size for the position. At 6’3” 215 pounds, Surratt had the size to be a nightmare for corners at the college level. In 2019, before a shoulder injury cost him the rest of his season, he amassed 66 catches for 1,001 yards and 11 touchdowns in just 9 games. The Biletnikoff award semi-finalist was looking to come into 2020 and build off the momentum he had built in 2019. However, like his quarterback, he made the difficult decision to opt out and instead begin to prepare for the NFL draft. At the Senior Bowl, Surratt showed an inability to separate from coverage. Something you simply expect a player of his size to be able to do. At the line, you want a player with his size to be able to use his arms to create initial separation. This was important for scouts to see, because with a reported 40 time of 4.7, he won’t have much separation at the tail end of his route. Surratt does have great hands and a solid catch radius, but corners in the NFL come a lot bigger, stronger, and faster then the competition he faced at Wake Forest. Surratt is simply a day 3 pick, he did nothing to change anyone’s mind about that.

All in all, it was a successful week for Jim Nagy and the crew that puts on this event each year. It is an invaluable service to potential draftees and I commend them, the coaching staffs, and everyone who is involved in the Senior Bowl. I wish all the players luck and look forward to covering many more of these in the future.