The Denver Broncos will be coaching the North team in the Senior Bowl. The week of practice will be a gold mine of data for the Broncos front office once the 2018 NFL Draft come around.
They were able to get a close look at two of the top quarterbacks in the draft class, as well as, a slew of late round potential gems. The latest reports say Baker Mayfield will play in this game, giving Broncos coaches some live game action for the potential Top 5 draft pick.
The Reese’s Senior Bowl
Date: Saturday, January 27, 2018
Time: 12:30 p.m. Mile High time (2:30 p.m. ET)
Location: Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama
TV: NFL Network
Rosters: North I South
Coaches: Vance Joseph (North), Bill O’Brien (South)
Horse Tracks
Report: Baker Mayfield WILL play in the Senior Bowl
Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield will play in the 2018 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.
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The 2018 Reese's Senior Bowl is in the books, with more than 100 top NFL draft prospects having spent the week in Mobile to be evaluated by pro football scouts and talent evaluators.
There was plenty of talk about plenty of players throughout the week of practice and in Saturday's game. Yet the Senior Bowl is only part of the process, with the NFL Scouting Combine and various pro days and individual workouts still to come.
With the caveat that it's very difficult for a player to hurt his stock at the Senior Bowl, here are a few of the players who made the biggest impressions in Mobile this week:
Stock up
Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma: Mayfield didn't endear himself to the locals by being cagey all week about actually playing in the game, and was just so-so once he got on the field. However, he proved during practice that he could make all the throws and could display proper footwork. Assuming he gets through team interviews in good shape, he's a first-round lock.
Shaquem Griffin, OLB, Central Florida: There was no more positive story in Mobile than the one-handed Griffin, who proved he was more than just an inspiration to those with physical disabilities. He proved versatile by playing several positions during the week, and at the very least should be a special teams demon in the NFL.
James Washington, WR, Oklahoma State: Washington was as productive as any player in college football during his career with the Cowboys, and continued to perform well during Senior Bowl week. He's expected to run a sub-4.4 time at the combine, which could send his stock rocketing upward.
Da'Shawn Hand, DL, Alabama: Hand came to Alabama in 2014 as one of the top recruits in the country, but rarely showed it in four years with the Crimson Tide. However, he performed well enough during the week that he's now being mentioned as a possible early-round pick.
Daniel Carlson, K, Auburn: Carlson was booming field goals all week, including a 58-yarder during practice on Wednesday that might have been good from 10 yards farther. NFL teams are gun shy about spending early-round draft picks on kickers, but Carlson might be as close to a sure thing as there is.
Stock less certain
Josh Allen, QB, Wyoming: At 6-foot-4 and 237 pounds, Allen has all the physical tools and played in an NFL-style offense in college. However, accuracy continues to be the big red flag with him after a week of Senior Bowl practices. He played well in the game and will still go early in the draft, but whether or not he can translate tools into production at the next level remains a major question.
Rashaad Penny, RB, San Diego State: Penny led the nation in rushing and was an excellent kick-returner in college, but was plagued by fumbles, dropped passes and poor pass-blocking during Senior Bowl week. He showed out big-time in the game -- including a 73-yard touchdown reception -- so it's possible he's someone who is simply a "gamer," rather than a practice performer.
Dallas Goedert, TE, South Dakota State: Goedert came into Senior Bowl week with some first-round buzz, but missed an opportunity to show off for NFL scouts by suffering a hamstring injury in the first practice of the week. As with any small-school player, competition level is the knock against Goedert. He just won't have many other chances to prove himself before the draft.
Tre Williams, LB, Auburn: Williams was likely no more than a mid-to-late round pick coming into Senior Bowl week, with an inability to stay healthy the biggest knock against him. The Mobile native made it through the week of practice all right, but then experienced weakness in his right arm early in the Senior Bowl game (he suffered with a shoulder injury much of his senior year) and had a short afternoon.
The other QBs: Mayfield and Allen got the lion's share of attention all week long in Mobile, as you might expect with their draft projections. The other six quarterbacks here had mixed results in practice, though a few performed well in the game. But based on the buzz at the Senior Bowl, it will be a surprise if any becomes more than an NFL back-up.
The 2018 Senior Bowl was held in Mobile, Ala. on Saturday, Jan. 27 (1/27/2018) between the North Team and South Team, pitting some of the top prospects in the 2018 NFL Draft such as Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield, Penn State wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton, and Iowa running back Akrum Wadley against one another in front of league scouts, executives, and coaches at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in a 2:30 p.m. kickoff on NFL Network.
Here's the AP recap:
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) -- Richmond's Kyle Lauletta threw three second-half touchdown passes and Texas-San Antonio's Marcus Davenport scored on a 19-yard fumble recovery to lead the South team to a 45-16 victory over the North in the Senior Bowl on Saturday.
FCS standout Lauletta more than held his own in elite quarterback company to cap the weeklong audition for NFL teams. That group included Oklahoma Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield and Wyoming's Josh Allen, a potential No. 1 overall draft pick who also had a huge third quarter.
Lauletta completed 8 of 12 passes for 198 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown strike to LSU's DJ Chark and some other nice downfield throws. Davenport, projected as a likely first-rounder and potential Top 10 pick, scooped up a fumble forced by Mississippi's Marquis Haynes to punctuate a big third quarter.
Allen finished 9-of-13 passing for 158 yards, all but 14 coming in the third quarter, along with a pair of touchdowns.
Mayfield played only the North's first two drives, going 3 of 7 for 9 yards. He was named the game's top quarterback after the practice sessions led by the Denver Broncos staff. Team officials requested him for the North squad.
Allen and Lauletta forged a nice third-quarter duel with each launching a couple of touchdown passes.
Allen led an 81-yard touchdown drive to start the second half with the North trailing 18-3. He ran for a first down and passed for a fourth-down conversion before faking an end around handoff and hitting Central Michigan tight end Tyler Conklin in the right corner of the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown.
He followed that up with two big throws right on target: A 31-yarder to Colorado State's Michael Gallup and a 27-yard touchdown to Notre Dame tight end Durham Smythe. The potential tying two-point attempt failed.
Lauletta answered on the next play with a 75-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Chark. He also had a long pass from his own end zone and broke two tackles in the backfield on another play. Chark had five catches for 160 yards.
COACHING STAFFS
The Denver Broncos (North) and Houston Texans (South) coaching staffs led the teams. The Broncos, who got to work with quarterbacks Allen and Mayfield, have the fifth overall pick and are in need of an elite quarterback. The Texans traded their first- and second-round picks last year to get Deshaun Watson and don't pick until the third.
Here's a look at what you need to know:
What: The 2018 Reeses Senior Bowl
Who: North vs. South - Senior College Football All-star teams
Where: Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala.
When: 2:30 p.m. on Saturday Jan. 27, 2018
Television Channel: NFL Network
Online Live Stream: NFL Network online
2018 Senior Bowl: NFL Draft prospects to watch
North Team Roster:
Offense
QB Luke Falk, Washington State
QB Josh Allen, Wyoming
QB Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
QB Tanner Lee, Nebraska
RB Jaylen Samuels, NC State
RB Kalen Ballage, Arizona State
RB Akrum Wadley, Iowa
FB Dimitri Flowers, Oklahoma
WR Jaleel Scott, New Mexico State
WR Michael Gallup, Colorado State
WR Allen Lazard, Iowa State
WR DaeSean Hamilton, Penn State
WR Cedrick Wilson, Boise State
WR Braxton Berrios, Miami (FL)
WR Justin Watson, Penn
TE Mike Gesicki, Penn State
TE Tyler Conklin, Central Michigan
TE Troy Fumagallil, Wisconsin
TE Durham Smythe, Notre Dame
OT Brett Toth, Army
OT Jamil Demby, Maine
OT Tyrell Crosby, Oregon
OT Brian O'Neill, Pittsburgh
G Wyatt Teller, Virginia Tech
G Sean Welsh, Iowa
G Will Hernandez, UTEP
G Cole Madison, Washington State
C Scott Quessenberry, UCLA
C Mason Cole, Michigan
Defense
DE Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Oklahoma
DE Tyquan Lewis, Ohio State
DE Jalyn Holmes, Ohio State
DT Bilal Nichols, Delaware
DT Justin Jones, NC State
DT Harrison Phillips, Stanford
DT B.J. Hill, NC State
OLB Dewey Jarvis, Brown
OLB Garret Dooley, Wisconsin
OLB Kemoko Turay, Rutgers
ILB Nick DeLuca, North Dakota State
ILB Myles Pierce, The Citadel
ILB Fred Warner, BYU
ILB Ja'Whaun Bentley, Purdue
ILB Mike McCray, Michigan
CB Michael Joseph, Dubuque
CB Taron Johnson, Weber State
CB Duke Dawson, Florida
CB JaMarcus King, South Carolina
CB Christian Campbell, Penn State
CB Isaac Yiadom, Boston College
S Trayvon Henderson, Hawaii
S Armani Watts, Texas A&M
S Marcus Allen, Penn State
S Kyzir White, West Virginia
Specialists
K Michael Badgley, Miami (FL)
P Johnny Townsend, Florida
LS Tanner Carew, Oregon
South Team Roster:
Offense:
QB Mike White, Western Kentucky
QB Brandon Silvers, Troy
QB Kyle Lauletta, Richmond
QB Kurt Benkert, Virginia
RB Darrel Williams, LSU
RB Rashaad Penny, San Diego State
RB Ito Smith, Southern Miss
FB Nick Bawden, San Diego State
WR Tre'Quan Smith, UCF
WR James Washington, Oklahoma State
WR Byron Pringle, Kansas State
WR D.J. Chark, LSU
WR Marcell Ateman, Oklahoma State
WR J'Mon Moore, Missouri
TE Deon Yelder, Western Kentucky
TE Jordan Akins, UCF
TE Ian Thomas, Indiana
OT Alex Cappa, Humboldt State
OT Brandon Parker, North Carolina A&T
OT Joseph Noteboom, TCU
G Colby Gossett, Appalachian State
G Taylor Hearn, Clemson
G Skyler Phillips, Idaho State
G Isaiah Wynn, Georgia
C Austin Corbett, Nevada
C Austin Golson, Auburn
Defense
DE Marcus Davenport, Texas-San Antonio
DE Da'Shawn Hand, Alabama
DE Kylie Fitts, Utah
DT Andrew Brown, Virginia
DT Poona Ford, Texas
DT Greg Gilmore, LSU
DT Christian LaCouture, LSU
OLB Uchenna Nwosu, USC
OLB Shaquem Griffin, UCF
OLB Marquis Haynes, Ole Miss
ILB Dorian O'Daniel, Clemson
ILB Darius Leonard, South Carolina State
ILB Oren Burks, Vanderbilt
ILB Tre' Williams, Auburn
CB Kameron Kelly, San Diego State
CB Siran Neal, Jacksonville State
CB Levi Wallace, Alabama
CB M.J. Stewart, North Carolina
CB Danny Johnson, Southern
CB D'montre Wade, Murray State
CB Chandon Sullivan, Georgia State
S Quin Blanding, Virginia
S Jeremy Reaves, South Alabama
S Tray Matthews, Auburn
Specialists:
K Daniel Carlson, Auburn
P J.K. Scott, Alabama
LS Ike Powell, Auburn
Matt Lombardo may be reached at MLombardo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattLombardoPHL.
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