5 Players That Can Raise Their Draft Stock at the 2022 Senior Bowl
1. Malik Willis, QB Liberty
There might not be a player with more to prove down in Mobile than Liberty’s Malik Willis. Despite bursting on the scene last year with the Flames, Willis is in his fourth season! After sitting behind Jarrett Stidham for two years, Willis transferred to Liberty in 2019. For the past two years, Willis has found himself on NFL radars, impressing fans and scouts with his great athletic abilities and plus arm. After a breakout junior season in which Willis scored 34 touchdowns, Willis experienced a bit of regression, throwing 12 interceptions and not really progressing how scouts hoped he would.
Willis has a ton of raw talent. As a runner, he is second to none. He has special abilities in the open field, combining great speed with great agility. His arm is phenomenal, Willis generating a ton of velocity despite his footwork being very inconsistent. A good way to describe Willis’ game would be inconsistent. The flashes of talent are very obvious, but he’s just so raw. His offense really did not help him, questionable play-calling coupled with drops hampering Willis this season. At Mobile Willis will have a chance on a big stage to show just what he can do, and why his traits should be bet on in this year’s draft.
2. Desmond Ridder, QB Cincinnati
Desmond Ridder in some ways is similar to Malik Willis. Both have obvious traits that teams desire. Ridder checks off the eye test immediately. He’s tall, can run, and has a good arm. A four-year starter, Ridder has improved over the years at Cincy. He’s shown strides as a quarterback, showing that he can do a bit more than just run the ball. The accuracy has improved, but it’s still not the best. Ridder still at this point appears to be a good college quarterback with some high-end NFL traits. There is also the question of the level of competition, soon to be answered a bit in Cincinnati’s Cotton Bowl matchup against Alabama. On an even playing field at the Senior Bowl, Ridder has a lot to prove for teams looking for a quarterback this draft.
3. Chad Muma, LB Wyoming
Chad Muma is an extremely talented football player. Muma is currently fourth in the nation in total tackles, and the tape backs up the stats. Much like his former teammate Logan Wilson in 2020, Chad Muma has gained a pretty big following in draft circles. He has impressed with his great football IQ and instincts, looking like a potential star tackler at the next level. He has great size and can move from sideline to sideline. What’s held Muma back is his level of competition. Playing in the Mountain West conference for Wyoming, there were not a ton of eyes from the mainstream media on Muma all season. With a strong week amongst the elite of the elite in Mobile, Muma could be one of the hottest linebacker prospects in the draft.
4. Trevor Penning, OT Northern Illinois
Trevor Penning is a lot like both former North Dakota State tackle Dillon Radunz and former teammate Spencer Brown. Both players dominated the FCS level, gaining a good amount of hype in the process. For an FCS offensive lineman, the level of competition will always be a question. Trevor Penning is huge standing at 6’7 320, he is able to outmuscle a lot of FCS-level players. Will he be able to do so against top-level edge rushers from the FBS level, and there are a plethora of extremely talented pass rushers in mobile this year. Radunz and Brown were both day two picks in the recent draft, and with a big week in Mobile Penning could go even higher.
5. Jalen Tolbert, WR South Alabama
Jalen Tolbert has been ridiculous the past two seasons. His game log this season reads off like a cornerback’s nightmare. Tolbert had seven games with over 100 yards, two games with over 90 as well. He finished with a ridiculous 1,474 yard eight touchdown stat line, by far the best receiving yardage in the Sun Belt. Tolbert is a tall deep threat who pretty much catches everything. Not a ton of people know much about Tolbert, the Mobile native playing in a lesser-known conference. As with nearly everyone playing in a group of five conference, level of competition is always a question that needs to be answered. Playing in his home stadium, Tolbert could earn himself a lot of money down in Mobile this year.
Writer
-By: Jacob Keppen