Senior Bowl: Which players stood out most during practices this week? NFL draft media weigh in

MOBILE, Ala. — With practices complete at the 2023 Senior Bowl, it’s time to reflect on the week.

While the group wasn’t as star-studded as those in years past, plenty of players put together standout performances. Whose stock rose the most, or who surprised NFL draft evaluators the most?

These are the players media members chose as their biggest winners or surprises after the three practices at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Ala., where the Senior Bowl will be played Saturday (2:30 p.m., NFL Network).

Minnesota stud John Michael Schmitz came into the week as the potential top center of the class, and now the conversation changes into how early can he go. He’s tough, insanely competitive, strong, and technically refined. His biggest advantage could be how scheme-diverse a player he appears. Winning reps down in Mobile wasn’t enough for him as he looked to drive everyone into the turf through the whistle. He’ll end up a no-brainer top 40-50 player for me.

I think one guy who really reflected positively was Daiyan Henley, linebacker from Washington State. I noticed the first day [of practice] on the sideline being real active and involved, being vocal, and I was like, “all right, that’s a good sign.” And then you see him in there, and every day seemed to get a little more comfortable, especially Wednesday I thought he had a really nice practice. His size [6-foot, 230 pounds] is going to be a little bit of an issue, but the coverage and speed seems like he can move around really well with anticipation. He’s a guy that I’ll go back and watch. I have a list of about eight or 10 guys that I probably want to rewatch, and Michael Wilson from Stanford was one.

I thought Iowa State edge Will McDonald IV made a lot of money for himself this week. In a draft class with more pocket pushers than bend-the-corner pass rushers, McDonald can be a premium in the NFL as a bendy, explosive, and twitchy pass rusher. McDonald won almost every rep in one-on-ones, flashing speed both to the outside and a nasty spin move as a counter. Even more impressive, McDonald showed a natural ability to play in open space, often dropping into coverage and using his long arms to break up passes and disrupt receivers. He’s a slim 6-4, 241 pounds, but he packs a lot of power in those hands and can extend his arms in the run game. He’s going to shoot up draft boards.

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Biggest surprise to me was Michael Wilson, wide receiver from Stanford. He was impressive all three days of practices, showing a great understanding of how to win at the position. His release off the line of scrimmage kept corners guessing, and he also showed good strength for contested catches. After playing only 14 games over the last three seasons because of injury, he likely wasn’t high on many radars. But after this week he will be much higher.

Houston wide receiver Nathaniel “Tank” Dell came in as one of the smallest draft prospects in the class. He measured in even smaller at 5-8, 163 pounds. What he did was overcome defenders who tried to press him by using his insane foot quickness to gain separation with ease. He might be somewhat limited at the next level, but what he does is so good that his size doesn’t matter.

North Dakota State’s Cody Mauch, who is a small-school offensive tackle, had to kick inside to guard and even played center this week, and he did all of it at a high level. Hard for him to not be the biggest riser this week after proving himself at both positions to be capable of positional versatility.

For me, Minnesota center John Michael Schmitz was the top player. All three days, he got consistent push, and no one ever figured him out. He has heavy hands and was dominant in one-on-ones. Expect him to rise up boards, and he is certainly a guy who was the best performer here.

Washington State linebacker Daiyan Henley was a winner. Between run fitting, pass coverage, and blitzing, Henley showcased his skill set well. His energy was infectious and easy to feel. He played with an aggressive style. In a lackluster linebacker class, I believe Henley made himself some money this week.

South Carolina’s Darius Rush emerged as one of the better defensive backs. His anticipation and smoothness in transitions popped all over the one-on-one reps. He broke up several passes in the Wednesday and Thursday sessions. It carried over to the team period, where he finished with an interception and switched off assignments in zone coverage flawlessly. He could be in the discussion as a top 100 pick after putting together a nice week.

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