2023 Reese's Senior Bowl: Final Thoughts on Hall, Leota and Others

Who's going in round one for Auburn?

Draft season is officially upon us! With the Reese's Senior Bowl being played this weekend, we can now turn our attention to more mock drafts and trade theories as we wait for Roger Goodell to walk out to a chorus of boos when he announces the first pick to kick things off! 

While in Mobile, I caught the last practice before closed practices on Friday and had a couple of notes (some Auburn, some not) to look over as the countdown to scrimmage begins. 

Eku Leota Improved His Draft Stock

I firmly believe if Leota had been healthy all season, he would have had a monster year. With only 13 total sacks across his two years on the Plains, he needed a strong performance in Mobile to bring him into early day-three selection discussion, and he did just that. He flashed his agility and quickness and gave first-round OL sleeper Darnell Wright a fight during one-on-ones. He's interviewed well from what I've heard, and someone is going to take a swing on the big man from Ashville and walk away very happy. 

Derick Hall is Going Round One

Meanwhile, Auburn's other Senior Bowl participant solidified himself as a late-round one selection. The class of linebackers this year isn't very deep with talent, but Hall continues to stand at the top along with Will Anderson Jr and Tyree Wilson. A playoff team from this year is going to take the Auburn standout late in round one and solidify their line for a deeper run next January. If Hall slips into round two, consider his selection the steal of the year. 

Sleeper class

Without the presence of highly discussed Kentucky QB Will Levis (who was invited but declined) and with the exception of Hall, UT's Byron Young and Darnell Wright, there wasn't a whole lot of players who screamed round one sleeper. Skill players like BYU QB Jaren Hall and LSU's Jay Ward improved their stock, and Michigan standout Ronnie Bell certainly solidified himself as a day-two selection, but the talent this year looks settled in their current projections. For any NFL scouts that love finding hidden gems every year, this is the year to do it. Hendon Hooker could wind up being the biggest steal of the class since he only interviewed without playing due to injury, so be on the lookout for someone to snag the next Dak Prescott in this year's class. 

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