2024 Senior Bowl: Don’t Sleep on the Corners, a Tight End Drop-Off and Legit QB Questions

Stars such as Brock Bowers maintain their NFL draft value, but concerns with age and experience were only reinforced for Bo Nix and Michael Penix Jr.

With the 2024 Senior Bowl practices in the rearview down here in Mobile, it’s time to draw some conclusions.

To be clear, these aren’t meant to be sweeping. The draft process is long.

Mobile is simply the kickoff, with the 2024 Scouting Combine, along with pro days, to follow. Furthermore, the most important part of this journey for these players are team interviews and medical assessments, two things that shape the 32 draft boards in considerable ways.

The annual event wraps up with a game on Feb. 3 :: Vasha Hunt/USA TODAY Sports

But what did I see in Alabama as a starting point for this conversation? Let’s take a deeper dive.

5. Don’t sleep on this corner group

There were some good-looking corners at the Senior Bowl this week. One of the more underrated prospects coming in that caught my eye was Cam Hart.

Hart has excellent size at 6'2" and 207 pounds, and he was able to mirror routes well in team periods. The Notre Dame product didn’t enter the week with the same buzz as Penn State’s Kalen King, but he showed more than enough to warrant a deep look from NFL talent evaluators as the draft process continues.

Beyond Hart, Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell was expected to be among the week’s top performers, and he lived up to expectations. He has a chance to be a first-round pick at 6'0" and 196 pounds, matching size and athleticism.

4. It’s Brock Bowers and then …

Bowers has a chance to be a top-10 pick after dominating at Georgia, but the tight end class has a steep drop-off after him.

In Mobile, the group was relatively weak compared to most other positions. Earlier in the week I wrote about Kansas State’s Ben Sinnott, who was the best of the bunch despite a few drops Wednesday. That said, even Sinnott is a potential Day 3 pick with upside.

If a team needs to upgrade at tight end, the best route could be free agency with someone such as Dalton Schultz or Zach Ertz.

3. There are plenty of intriguing defensive linemen

One of the most enjoyable individual drills to watch is one-on-ones in the trenches. But the better gauge for talent is in the team periods, where we saw some of the big bodies showing out.

Latu has proved himself as a dominant edge rusher :: Vasha Hunt/USA TODAY Sports

Among them were Ohio State’s Michael Hall Jr. and UCLA’s Laiatu Latu, who I wrote extensively about Wednesday. While Hall is more of an intriguing projection, Latu is arguably the best player here, seen as a consensus first-round pick after dominating with the Bruins over the past two years. Between his frame and array of pass-rushing moves, it’s easy to see why.

But there were also some other standouts, including Duke’s DeWayne Carter and Adisa Isaac of Penn State, with Isaac consistently flashing throughout the week. His numbers will be interesting to note at the combine in a few weeks.

2. No shortage of Day 2 receivers

This is a loaded class at receiver, headlined by Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr., Washington’s Rome Odunze and LSU’s Malik Nabers, among others. But the group in Mobile should serve as a very talented second wave for teams that miss out on the upper echelon.

Georgia’s Ladd McConkey and Florida’s Rick Pearsall continuously worked themselves open in both individual and team periods, showing why they’ll be top-100 picks in April. USC’s Brenden Rice and Michigan’s Roman Wilson also had strong weeks and should find themselves a team on Day 2 as well.

Beyond them, keep an eye on Louisville’s Jamari Thrash. The receiver did a nice job with good routes and soft hands at the Senior Bowl, and he amassed 858 yards and six touchdowns for the Cardinals last year after transferring from Georgia State.

1. The quarterback questions are legitimate

It’s an almost universal opinion that USC’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye and LSU’s Jayden Daniels are going to be the first quarterbacks taken in the draft, and potentially as the first three picks.

After them, Oregon’s Bo Nix and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. are likely next in line. As I wrote Wednesday night, that remains true, but the duo isn’t doing itself any favors here in Mobile.

Vasha Hunt/USA TODAY Sports

While each put up massive numbers in the Pac-12 this year, there are real questions surrounding both.

Nix struggled at Auburn for three years, throwing for a combined 39 touchdowns against 16 interceptions while never eclipsing 2,600 passing yards in a season. At Oregon, playing in a much more quarterback-friendly scheme, his numbers skyrocketed. In 2023 alone, he threw for 4,508 yards, 45 touchdowns and three interceptions.

In Mobile, Nix occasionally struggled with accuracy and getting the ball out. Considering his lack of chemistry with the receivers, some of that was understandable, but it still raises questions.

The same is true of Penix, who played four injury-marred seasons for Indiana and produced very little. Then, surrounded by a better scheme and elite receivers, Penix blossomed into a star, registering 67 touchdown passes and more than 9,500 yards over the past two campaigns.

Ultimately, with both quarterbacks facing questions of whether they or their schemes deserve more credit, and considering their ages are a concern (Nix turns 24 years old in February, as does Penix in May), this week hasn't helped either of their draft stock.