Senior Bowl quarterbacks don’t shine when they’re in the spotlight

Senior Bowl quarterbacks don’t shine when they’re in the spotlight

Seven quarterbacks went to Mobile, Alabama last week to play in the 2024 Senior Bowl, where they had a chance to improve their chances of getting picked up in the 2024 NFL Draft. However, they were only able to keep things the same.

After watching all three days of practice and talking to other people who were there, I think it’s safe to say that none of the seven managed to make a big difference.

If you loved one or more quarterback prospects going into the week, you probably saw enough good news to back up your earlier opinions. And if you didn’t like a prospect, it was hard to find something that would make you change your mind.

Before the week, I had Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at the top of my list. I thought he was the most impressive on Tuesday, the first day of practice.

But I talked to someone else who thought Oregon’s Bo Nix proved the best player at that National Game practice on the first day, which Penix was also there.

But when that person was asked about Nix after Thursday’s practice, they said that he didn’t do much to improve things.

Some quarterbacks did get better during the week in Mobile. They were on the American team, which included Spencer Rattler (South Carolina), Joe Milton (Tennessee), Michael Pratt (Tulane), as well as Carter Bradley (South Alabama).

Their improvement had been mostly due to how bad they were as a team on the first day as they got used to the new place and threw to people they didn’t know.
All four passers did better over the course of the week, but they probably still had questions at the end of it.

It’s likely that Rattler’s biggest question mark was how immature he seemed during his two years at Ou before transferring for South Carolina.

Those worries might have been eased when he met with NFL teams alone during the week, but he couldn’t talk about them with anyone watching on the training field.

One more thing that might have been a problem was that Rattler was 6 feet and an eighth an inch tall. That being said, he was listed as 6’1″ that South Carolina, so no one was surprised by how short he was.

Bradley’s stock went up in my eyes the most. In my preview previously this week, I called him “undraftable.” Bradley did better than I thought he would. He held his own during practice reps with better throwers.

Now I’m willing to say that Bradley should be considered by an NFL team in the late rounds that want to take a chance on a backup quarterback in development. But after that, I saw nothing that was better than that first performance.

If you were a coach in the Senior Bowl, your team had one of the most disastrous records in the NFL in 2021.

The Detroit Lions coaching staff didn’t want to take on football in February, but the team could use the extra time to get ready for the NFL Draft.

From an opponent’s point of view, the plan when you get to Mobile, Alabama is easy to explain but hard to carry out. Learn and do it. In as much detail as possible and every day of the week.

Penning was the 18th-ranked player in the Sports Illustrated NFL Draft Big Board. He drew a lot of attention and turned heads.

The higher level of competition was a big part of how scouts and coaches judged this week’s players from Northern Iowa.

Smith was lighter at the Senior Bowl than when he played for Ohio State. He looked more agile and athletic without losing his ability to get through the offensive line.

Smith is a good pick on Day 2 of the NFL Draft this year. After this performance, he’ll move up into the second round on many draft boards, and he could move up even more as the process continues.