8 (more) Players to Watch at the 2021 Senior Bowl

The Senior Bowl is one of the most important events in the NFL draft process. As the official slogan says, “The Draft Starts in Mobile.” With the NFL combine being canceled, the Senior Bowl now becomes even more crucial. Besides Pro Days, the Senior Bowl will be one of the only opportunities for teams to interview, measure, and watch these prospects in person.

Every year, the Senior Bowl hosts top-level prospects. Last year the Senior Bowl featured four players that went in the first round, Justin Herbert, Javon Kinlaw, Brandon Aiyuk, and Jordan Love. Herbert and Kinlaw in particular starred in Mobile and earned top draft spots. Other notable players such as Jeremy Chinn, Chase Claypool, Antonio Gibson, and Devin Duvernay all boosted their stock at the Senior Bowl. Here are eight players that you should watch out for at the 2021 Senior Bowl.

1. Richie Grant, S UCF

Underrated. If any one word could describe Richie Grant, it would be underrated. As a senior in high school, Grant only received four offers to play college ball. UCF was the only Division 1 FBS school to offer Grant a scholarship. He was a 2-star recruit and the 2,520th best prospect in the entire 2016 recruiting class. Nobody gave Richie Grant a shot. Nobody, except for UCF and Richie Grant himself. Here Grant is today, one of college’s most prolific safeties on the brink of making his name known to the entire football world.

Grant might not be one of the most known defensive prospects in the class. His name isn’t mentioned around 1st round hopefuls such as Patrick Surtain or Caleb Farley, but in college, he performed right there on the same level as those seemingly first-round locks. Grant finished as one of three finalists for the Jim Thorpe Award, an award given to the top defensive back in the country.

The dream for every team is to have a safety that can star in a single high role. A guy that can play center field and be a gamechanger on defense. It is not easy to find someone capable of being a star single-high free safety. They have to have the athleticism, the range, the instincts to be the last line of defense on a defense. I believe there’s a shot that Richie Grant could be that ball-hawking free safety at the next level. He has good athleticism and great ball skills, courtesy of his years in high school as a receiver. Grant has all the skill in the world to be a big-time playmaker, and the best way to start to get noticed is a big week at Mobile.

- Jacob Keppen

2. Jamie Newman, QB, Wake Forest/Georgia

Jamie Newman is one of the most interesting players at the quarterback position heading to Mobile for the Reese’s Senior Bowl. Standing at 6’ 4’’ 230 pounds, Newman has always had the physical gifts to excel at quarterback, but his journey to Mobile is most likely one of the more unconventional. Newman redshirted his first season with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, and during his second season threw four total passes. In 2018, Newman had a chance to earn the starting job but lost the preseason quarterback battle to true freshman Sam Hartman. Hartman covered the quarterback position for most of the season, but Newman got his chance late when Hartman suffered a broken leg. Newman played well in his four-game stint, ending the 2018 campaign with 84 completions on 141 attempts, 1,083 yards, nine touchdowns, and four interceptions. In 2019, Newman broke out, completing 220 of 361 attempts for 2,868 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He also added 574 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. The former Wake Forest quarterback transferred to the University of Georgia before the 2020-2021 season, but eventually decided to opt-out due to an impending position battle with J.T. Daniels and the uncertainty of the upcoming season.

As a passer, Newman has a nice, compact throwing motion, and he’s able to generate velocity with relative ease. This allows him to fit throws into tight windows and hit receivers in stride downfield. When forced out of the pocket by the pass rush, Newman is able to use his size, speed, and powerful arm to extend plays and make throws on the run. This mobility and his linebacker-type build helps Newman in the run game, combining good speed and agility with resiliency and toughness. Where Newman’s game shows a need for improvement is when going through his progressions. Far too often, Newman becomes predictable and locks onto his first target, tips off defenders, and forces passes. For this reason, many experts believe Newman will have to undergo further development once he reaches the NFL.

Jamie Newman has not played in over a year. As a very promising quarterback prospect heading into the 2020 draft, I am very excited to see what the big quarterback can do in Mobile.

- Ben Schwartz

3. Cornell Powell, WR Clemson

Two years ago if you asked a football fan who Cornell Powell was, they most likely would not be able to tell you. A once former highly touted recruit, Powell remained buried beneath the depth chart for years at Clemson. In his first two years, Powell combined for only 20 receptions for 144 yards and a single touchdown. He waited his chance, sitting behind upperclassmen and future NFL receivers in Mike Williams, Artavis Scott, Hunter Renfrow, and Deon Cain.

In his Junior year, when you’d expect to see the former four-star recruit get his shot, Powell instead saw players younger than him like Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross take over as the new star receivers of the Clemson program. For four years, Powell waited for his turn. Finally, in the crazy 2020 season, a new Clemson star was born in the unlikely 5th-year senior.

In his 5th year, his first year starting for Clemson, he caught 53 passes for 882 yards and 7 touchdowns. This was more than his previous four years combined. To really capture how good Powell was, take a look at his stats during the last six-game stretch of the season that saw the Tigers face their best competition yet. He had 730 yards and 5 touchdowns. He had 139 yards and touchdowns in the Tiger’s College Football Playoff game against Ohio State, facing off against fellow draft prospect Shaun Wade. Powell beats corners off the line of scrimmage and plays well through contact. He looks to have sufficient athleticism as a vertical threat, and with his good releases and route running Powell can be the receiver that gains the most this Senior Bowl.

- Jacob Keppen

4. Cade Johnson, WR, South Dakota State

With the number of high-profile, highly talented wide receivers entering the 2021 NFL Draft, Cade Johnson is definitely someone who could be considered a diamond in the rough. The FCS star out of South Dakota State was a zero-star recruit out of high school and received only two offers, both at the FCS level. After redshirting his first season, Johnson got playing time as a kick returner and showcased his elite speed, returning 30 kicks for 839 yards and 2 touchdowns. After earning a spot in the Jackrabbits starting receiver group, the 5’10’’ 175-pound receiver was unequivocally electric. As a redshirt sophomore, Johnson hauled in 67 catches for 1,332 yards and 17 touchdowns, averaging almost 20 yards per catch. In 2019, he reprised his role as the team’s chief playmaker, rolling to 1,222 yards and eight scores on 72 catches. After SDSU’s fall season was postponed to the spring, Johnson decided to opt-out and prepare for the Draft.

Without a doubt, Johnson’s best physical attribute is his speed. Using his speed and explosiveness, Johnson is able to create space at the line of scrimmage and continue to extend the space between him and the defender as he progresses through his route. The South Dakota State receiver combines his speed with solid elusiveness and lateral agility. Johnson can make defenders miss with his quickness, and can flow through congestion. In addition, he has the stop-and-start ability to evade tackles and hit open space with momentum. Johnson’s experience and success as a kick returner make him even more valuable to the team that drafts him.

So, what are the concerns with Johnson? While being an excellent deep threat, he’s not a super well-rounded receiver outside of that. Johnson does not excel when working through contact, which limits his run-after-catch ability. He also doesn’t have the necessary size and length to extend for passes downfield. Johnson has good ball tracking ability as a deep threat, but his short wingspan, however, naturally limits his catch radius. I am excited to watch Johnson pair up with the talented quarterbacks and defensive backs heading to Mobile, and potentially start being mentioned with the household receivers of this class. - Ben Schwartz

5. D’wayne Eskridge, WR Western Michigan

Anyone who has read our draft coverage knows how high I’ve been on Eskridge. I feel after this Senior Bowl the entire football world could be high on him as well.

Eskridge possesses game-breaking speed. There were many times where you’d see him break a lengthy run and catch, simply because he was faster than his competition. Eskridge averaged over 23 yards per catch, and his yardage despite only playing 6 games nearly matched his career-high. What was the big change in Eskridge this season? I believe he used his experience at corner last year to help him at wide receiver.

So why are we not talking about Eskridge more? He’s a former track star, reportedly runs a 4.3 40 yard dash, and was one of the best deep threats in college. There are legitimate questions regarding his level of competition. He wasn’t torching the Alabama secondary playing in the MAC. This is where the Senior Bowl comes in. Playing against top DBs, Eskridge will have the chance to prove that he is a serious player in this draft.

- Jacob Keppen

6. Marvin Wilson, DL, Florida State

Marvin Wilson out of Florida State is another intriguing prospect heading to Mobile because of the amount of time he missed due to injury. Wilson missed the last four games of the 2019 season because of a hand injury. In his last 19 games before the injury, Wilson notched 8.5 sacks. The Florida State defensive lineman had also racked up 24 pressures in just nine contests. Then, after playing in six games during the 2020 season, in which he recorded 17 tackles and 1 sack, Wilson’s season was once again cut short due to a knee injury that required minor surgery, but the 6’5’’ 311-pound defensive lineman will be ready to go when the Senior Bowl rolls around.

Simply put, Wilson is a physical monster who pairs athleticism with his intimidating frame to terrorize offensive linemen. He is extremely powerful and has surprising lateral agility for a guy of his stature. Wilson is able to use his hands as weapons, using his huge mitts to disrupt opposing offenses in any way he can. Whether it’s with his punch-pull move, which he loves, or simply getting into the chest of quarterbacks and getting his hands up to deflect passes (four during the 2019 season). While his pass-rushing might be his best attribute, Wilson is stout against the run as well. Similar to when he defends passing situations, Wilson uses his size and athleticism to separate from blocks and plug up holes in the trenches. The one part of Wilson’s game that causes concern is his stamina on long drives. Throughout his time at Florida State, Wilson often looked gassed when on the field for an extended period of time.

As a former projected first-round pick, Wilson has all the tools to succeed in the NFL. I am hoping that he can show he has recovered from his injury and plays well in Mobile against some top offensive line talent to shoot back up draft boards.

- Ben Schwartz

7. Quincy Roche, EDGE Miami

When looking at the top pass rushers in this year’s draft class, do not forget about Quincy Roche. While he might have been the top guy at Miami this year with fellow transfer Jaelan Phillips getting healthy and stealing the show in Miami, do not overlook Roche. While he might not have the sack numbers that his teammate did, Roche was also constantly in the backfield. Roche finished 8th in the nation in tackles for loss with 15. The season prior at Temple, Roche had 19.5 TFLs and 14 sacks.

Roche’s production is not the reason why I am most excited to watch him in Mobile. I feel he is the type of prospect that can skyrocket after a big week in Mobile. Roche is one of the most naturally gifted pass rushers in this class. He has elite level burst and flexibility, and you can’t teach that. To go along with his phenomenal athleticism, is some deceptively strong hands. He has good hand usage to go alongside his speed rush moves. Roche is a candidate to wow spectators in the practice drills.

- Jacob Keppen

8: Hamsah Nasirildeen, S, Florida State

The 6’4’’ 220-pound safety was thrown into the Seminoles secondary early, playing in all 13 games as a true freshman, he Florida State safety recording 29 total tackles and three pass deflections in a reserve role. In 2018, Nasirildeen again played in every single game for the Seminoles totaling 91 total tackles, one interception, and two pass deflections in an increased role on defense. Then, in the 2019 season, Nasirildeen experienced his highest and lowest points of his college career. The Florida State safety became one of the premier defenders in the country as a true junior, accounting for 101 total tackles, a sack, two interceptions, three pass deflections, and three forced fumbles. For his incredible performance, Nasirildeen earned second-team All-ACC honors. Unfortunately, in the last game of the season, Nasirildeen suffered a torn ACL, causing him to miss all but two games in 2020.

The first thing that jumps off the page when taking a look at Nasirildeen is his size at the safety position. When defending in the passing game, the Florida State safety uses his superior size and length to stay with bigger receivers and close catching windows. At 6’4’’ 220 pounds, Nasirildeen does not possess incredible speed, but he has displayed a great deal of explosiveness in short ranges, which allows him to close distance. He is also a fluid defender who is able to switch directions with relative ease. Nasirildeen’s fluidity as an athlete shows up most often in run defense. The Florida State safety naturally finds his way through congestion, and when he has an angle on the ball carrier, he maintains momentum to accelerate into his tackles. While he is a little slim for his height, Nasirildeen’s compact build stops runners in their tracks. His length also allows him to contest blocks and wrap up ball carriers in pursuit.
Nasirildeen’s game, like any prospect entering the draft, can still use some polish. His foot speed and ability to stay with defenders out of the slot are probably the parts of his play that need the most improvement. I am very excited to watch Nasirildeen in Mobile not only to see how he will manage against some of the best receivers in the country, but also to watch how he plays with limited time on the field during this past season.

- Ben Schwartz