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Senior Bowl Standouts from the Week

There were plenty of them, but here's the biggest standouts from Senior Bowl practices this week.

John Hendrix

Senior Bowl Standouts from the Week
Senior Bowl Standouts from the Week /
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The Senior Bowl kicks off at 1:30 p.m. CT on Saturday. After another good week of practice at the yearly event, draft hopefuls look to put an exclamation point on their performances and help boost their stock going into the Scouting Combine and NFL Draft. Here's a few players that stood out the most in Mobile.

Tyjae Spears, Tulane

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Feb 1, 2023; Mobile, AL, USA; American running back Tyjae Spears of Tulane (22) practices during the second day of Senior Bowl week at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports

He was simply one of the most impressive players this week. He put on a great show for everyone in attendance, and was named the practice player of the week in a vote by NFL executives and scouts. If you've followed Tulane at all this year, then this honestly comes at no shock. There's a good bit of Alvin Kamara resemblance there.

Jayden Reed, Michigan State

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Jan 31, 2023; Mobile, AL, USA; National wide receiver Jayden Reed of Michigan State (1) makes a catch in the end zone ahead of National defensive back Ronnie Hickman of Ohio State (14) during the first day of Senior Bowl week at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports

Reed had a strong week of practice, and might have drove up his draft stock after putting on a performance. The burst, separation ability, and route-running were some of the best things to stand out from the Michigan State wide receiver. He seems like a strong lock to be a Day 2 pick after seemingly being unguardable.

Will McDonald IV, Iowa State

His work in one-on-one reps was hard not to notice. The edge rusher was dominant all week, showing some real athleticism and skills off in the process. He also dropped in coverage and made a nice play breaking up a pass intended for Alabama's Cameron Latu. Iowa State's 3-3-5 defense certainly make it interesting to see where McDonald will end up, but the traits are there.

Quick Hits

QB A MIXED BAG: Similar to last year, the quarterbacks struggled early on. However, of the group, Fresno State's Jake Haener might have been the better one of any of them. It's a shame we didn't get to see Hendon Hooker practice, but he was around all week. Of the quarterbacks that played, none of them scream to be the next Saints starter.

MORE OFFENSIVE STUDS: Illinois' Chase Brown and Oklahoma's Eric Gray were two other running backs that stood out, as well as Houston's Nathaniel 'Tank' Dell. Clemson tight end Davis Allen put on a good display of blocking in addition to making some plays.

LOCAL FLAVOR: Tulane's Dorian Williams is going to have a place somewhere in the league. Like Tyjae Spears, Williams represented the Green Wave well. There's tons of potential there for the linebacker, but there's just something to his game that makes me feel that it'll translate well in the NFL. LSU's Jay Ward had some pretty good moments this week, showing off some nice versatility.

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John Hendrix
JOHN HENDRIX

I officially started covering the New Orleans Saints & other NFL topics in 2011. My work has been featured on various outlets over the years. I worked closely with Skyhorse Publishing in Fall 2018 to update the book, Tales From the New Orleans Saints Sidelines, which filled in all Saints material from the 2013-2017 seasons. Prior to joining Saints News Network, I served as the Managing Editor of SB Nation's Canal Street Chronicles for 3.5 years, and before that with FanSided's Who Dat Dish as the Managing Editor for several years. I have also had experiences of being a freelance Saints reporter for The Sun Herald in Biloxi, MS and a contributing writer for WDSU, a local NBC TV station in New Orleans. I have appeared on a vast amount of TV and Radio shows, both nationally and locally. For tips, comments, or suggestions, please contact me at johnhendrix@saintsnews.net