The American team had their first practice of Senior Bowl week in the early afternoon on Tuesday. The players wore shells: helmets, shoulder pads, and gym shorts. The full pad practices are held on Wednesday and Thursday.
The star quarterback at the quarterback position for the 2025 Senior Bowl is on the American team. Alabama’s Jalen Milroe and Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart are the top two quarterback prospects in Mobile, but they did not help themselves in this opening session. Both of them had issues working under center, and clearly, that basic is something they will need to practice after working in shotgun throughout college. They both missed some throws and looked out of rhythm.
Milroe has the best physical talent of all the quarterback prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft. He has a powerful arm to push the ball deep downfield, is extremely fast, and is a dangerous runner. However, he struggles with accuracy in the short to intermediate part of the field and has issues reading coverage. There is no doubt that Milroe is a developmental project.
Some in the media have been pumping up that Dart would be a riser leading up to the draft, but that did not get started on Tuesday in Mobile. In terms of his college tape, Dart struggled in some big games against top opponents. While his skill set is not bad, it is not special either. Multiple team sources have said that Dart reminds them of Gardner Minshew in terms of his physical talent and his style of play. Both Dart and Milroe need to practice better on Wednesday and Thursday.
The 2025 NFL Draft and the American team at the Senior Bowl are loaded with early-round defensive line talent. A number of those lineman got their week off to a good start. Tennessee’s Omarr Norman-Lott showed off his interior pass-rushing skills with speed and athleticism at the point of attack. Unfortunately for Norman-Lott, his practice ended early when he went off the field with the trainers. Norman-Lott is on the bubble of the first- and second-round, so a serious injury could be problematic and push him into day two. Hopefully, it is minor, and Norman-Lott’s draft stock won’t be impacted.
Another dangerous interior rusher who was impressive on Tuesday was South Carolina’s T.J. Sanders. He was fast at the point of attack and showed diversity with how he could beat blockers. In the one-on-ones, Sanders fired off the ball and bulled Jacksonville State guard Clay Webb back into the pocket. With long arms, Sanders shed Webb to be in position for a sack on the quarterback marker. Sanders has a shot to be a late first-round pick, and his Senior Bowl got off to a good start to help in that quest.
Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen is another potential first-round pick. He had an impressive speed rush to beat LSU guard Garrett Dellinger on a one-on-one. Nolen could use a good week of practice as his college tape was feast-and-famine, and there are character concerns for Nolen. Thus, his interviews with NFL teams at night are just as important as performing well on the practice field.
Texas A&M defensive lineman Shemar Stewart flashed on Tuesday. Stewart has a good skill set but is very raw and needs development. Stewart needs to develop a repertoire of pass-rushing moves, as he is too reliant on his physical talent. Stewart needs to improve his ability to finish rushes, and his issues with finishing are reflected in his sack total of only 1.5 in each of the past three seasons. Stewart should test well leading up to the draft, but showing improvement in the Senior Bowl practices would help him.
Oklahoma safety Billy Bowman Jr. had a nice practice to open the week. Bowman was active around the field, showing an ability to contribute in coverage and coming downhill as a run defender. Bowman is not explosive and undersized, but he is a gamer with instincts and a real knack for making big plays. Bowman is an intriguing prospect that might end up going on day two, even though some teams view him as more of a day-three talent.
Western Kentucky cornerback Upton Stout had a good start to the week in Mobile. The Senior Bowl has seen several cornerbacks from smaller schools rise after showing they could handle receivers from better competition, and Stout could keep that tradition alive this year. He showed nice coverage skills to run the route and prevent separation.
Notre Dame linebacker Jack Kiser may not blow away the combine or pro day workout, but he has some natural football player to him. Kiser showed nice hands in the position drills while other linebackers struggled with some dropped passes. Kiser was also very communicative with the new plays the defense was running, and he has a lot of experience after being a multi-year starter. Kiser could be a nice day-three pick that becomes a solid backup and special teams contributor.
