Every year at the Senior Bowl, there are prospects who help themselves with NFL evaluators. The media often gets it wrong and hypes up different players. In past years, Ohio State quarterback turned wide receiver Braxton Miller and Iowa defensive tackle Carl Davis were projected first-round picks by the media after their Senior Bowl performance. However, teams did not view them that way, and both ended up being third-round picks. Thus, I surveyed team sources to see which players truly helped themselves in Mobile and improved their standing for the 2026 NFL Draft.
The top player that every source called out immediately was Missouri defensive end Zion Young. Team sources raved about him for his skill set and effectiveness. In my latest 2026 NFL Mock Draft, I have Young going in the top-25, and it sounds like he helped improve the odds of that projection with his practice performance in Mobile. Here is a list of other players that team sources said did well and helped their draft grade.
- Notre Dame wide receiver Malachi Fields
- Michigan edge rusher Derrick Moore
- Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks
- Florida center Jake Slaughter
- Florida State defensive tackle Darrell Jackson
- Texas Tech defensive tackle Lee Hunter
- Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez
- Washington running back Jonah Coleman
- Arkansas running back Mike Washington
- Arkansas cornerback Julian Neal
- Stanford tight end Sam Roush
- Georgia Tech guard Keylon Rutledge
- Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanschor
- Kansas State center Sam Hecht
- TCU safety Bud Clark
- Clemson defensive end T.J. Parker
- SMU tight end Matthew Hibner
- Texas A&M tight end Nate Boerkircher
- Houston tight end Tanner Koziol
- Western Michigan outside linebacker Nadame Tucker
Multiple sources said independently that they were impressed with Banks and Fields. That could help both of them get selected in the top 50.
